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Eye Makeup NARS

NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow | Andromeda and Europa

June 19, 2014
There’s been a lot of buzz about the new Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows ($29 each) from NARS. There will be twelve shades launching July 1st on narscosmetics.com (update, these launched this morning). These are a new dual-application formula where you can apply them dry for a sheer wash of color for a luminous glow or apply with a damp brush for more intense color. You can see all the shades listed at The Non-Blonde and swatched on Temptalia. There is a diverse range of options from natural barely-there colors to dramatic navy and black. I have half a dozen on my wishlist to check out when they officially launch. Today I have two of the neutral romantic shades to share with you, Andromeda and Europa.
Both of these shades are on the lighter neutral side. They have a lovely glowy sheen rather than an intense shimmer or sparkle. The texture is slightly creamy but they act more like a dry powder shadow. I found lasting power to be very good without any eye base. The dry finish helps these adhere well to the lids.

Andromeda is a pale ivory pink with golden shimmer. It has a lovely sheen in the shimmer which gives a really lovely all over wash to the lids. I suspect this one will go nicely with any of the darker shades. Pigment is easy to control, I was able to apply with my fingers and a brush for a nice soft wash of color. For my light-medium skin it gives a nice neutral wash of color giving the lids a nice highlighted glow. When you  hold this in the sunlight you can see how there is a slight multi-chrome finish to the shimmer which gives your lids some depth in the glow.

Europa is a medium neutral-warm peach pink with a pearl sheen. I’m at the right skintone where this one looks like a barely-there color. I can definitely see the color on the lids but it’s very natural making it a soft no-makeup kind of eyeshadow. It gives a hint of color to the lids and makes the eye glow. On either paler or deeper skintones this will be more visible. My skintone almost matches this one. Applying this with a damp brush intensified the color with more pink, but it’s still very natural looking. This one also has a good mix of cool and warm in it. I would say the base is a warmer pink-peach while the pearl has a cool-toned sheen. It’s not a pure duo-chrome but the combination of the base and shimmer gives it a very subtle duo-chrome effect.

Swatches applied with a damp brush and dry with my fingers:

I’ve been playing with these the past week. I like to layer them together, the pale Andromeda color first, then applying the darker Europa on top with a dense brush and packing it onto the lids. Add a simple black eyeliner and mascara and you have a super polished glowy lid to go with a dramatic bronzer or lip.

What I like about these is that they are not the typical high-frost pale shimmers. If you’re in want of dramatic color you might find yourself wanting more. The good news is that the Dual-Intensity line will have plenty of other dramatic shades to choose from. I personally love these for that no-makeup look for a no-fuss easy swipe and go application that gives the eyes a nice polished look.

A few comparisons to some other light pink neutral shimmers:
NARS Nepal Eyeshadow (one of my favorites)
Tom Ford Pink Haze Cream Color for Eyes (discontinued, swatched here)

One last photo, left is Andromeda, right is Europa:

First impressions are a thumbs up for this neutral makeup lover. I can’t wait until July 1st because there are so many other pretty dramatic shades that I can’t wait to check out. Update as of June 20th, the shadows are now available for purchase on narscosmetics.com, Lord & Taylor and Beauty.com. Have you been able to swatch or see the NARS Dual-Intensity Eye Shadows yet? Do you have any on your wishlist?

The Dual-Intensity Eye Shadows were provided courtesy of NARS for review consideration. For more information see my Disclosures.

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MAC Sharon Osbourne Collection Picks | Duchess Eyeshadow Quad, Bijou and Pussywillow Lipglass

June 11, 2014

The MAC Sharon and Kelly Osbourne collaboration is my favorite MAC release this year. Items have already launched online and will be available in stores and counters this Thursday June 12th. The entire collection features limited-edition products and as with most popular MAC releases many items sold out online within the first few hours of the launch.

I was able to get three items on my wishlist: the Sharon Osbourne Duchess Eyeshadow Quad ($44) along with the two Sharon Osbourne Lipglasses ($16.50 each) in Bijou and Pussywillow. If you’re contemplating whether or not to get these, my recommendation is a huge yes to all three. The colors are naturally flattering and look amazing on every other blogger I’ve read reviews on, all with different skintones and hair color. Swatched below:

Duchess Eyeshadow Quad has four warmish neutrals, the only shade you can purchase individually right now is Embark. All the others appear to be exclusive to this quad. I found the pigment to be really good – the Veluxe Pearl formula is one of the best MAC has. The colors:

  • Sweet Eyes (Veluxe Pearl) is a pearly pale champagne gold and ivory shimmer
  • Sexy Eyes (Veluxe Pearl) is a soft pinky copper shimmer
  • Femme Fatale (Satin) is a warmer copper shimmer
  • Embark (Matte) is a matte brown (on me it looks more satiny)

Although MAC Duchess has colors that can probably be easily duplicated by other brands, I really like this one because it has just the right amount of shimmer and isn’t overly frosted. The closest I have is Chanel Spices which is sheerer, lighter and more subdued. MAC Duchess by comparison is darker, warmer and more pigmented.

Bijou Lipglass is the perfect nude mauvey pink. I think I will need a back up (it’s that good). It does settle into the lip lines a bit if you don’t blend well but it’s not too obvious and can be easily blended out. Pussywillow Lipglass is a stunning gold shimmer. It looks better in person and for me it has enough color to wear alone without washing out the complexion.

Some comparisons below to MAC Nice Buzz Plushglass, Burberry Nude Glow Lip Glow, MAC Naked Space (discontinued), MAC Summer Crop (discontinued), MAC Rich & Witty (discontinued), MAC Angel Lipglass and MAC Lust Lipglass.

Overall love. I will be at the counters this Thursday trying to get both of the blushes (which sold out online literally in the blink of an eye). I’m undecided on the other items as they look like they are nice to have but perhaps dupe-able. The Kelly collection looks a bit cool-toned for my olive skin tone but if you’ve tried any items I’d love to hear your thoughts.

The Sharon Osbourne Duchess Quad, Bijou Lipglass and Pussywillow Lipglass are all limited-edition and currently still available online now at Nordstrom, Macy’s and maccosmetics.com. Available in MAC stores and counters starting Thursday June 12th.

Did you get anything from the Kelly or Sharon Osbourne collection? What else do you think I should check out?

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MAC Pedro Lourenço Nude Eyeshadow Quad | Limited-Edition

June 5, 2014

The MAC Pedro Lourenço Nude Eyeshadow Quad ($44, limited-edition) is a stunning neutral palette. It has the perfect combination of soft rose, champagne, and reddish bronze to create a number of polished looks. I’ve had this on my radar for a few weeks now and I’m glad I was able to purchase one before it sold out. It has four colors in Pink Sands (a soft cool matte rose), All That Glitters (shimmery champagne), Rose Cloud (interesting matte brown, both cool and neutral with a bit of warmth) and Sable (warm bronze/copper frost). Two of the colors All That Glitters and Sable are available individually and even though I already own both in Pro-Palette Form, I still felt this quad was worth purchasing for the convenience and packaging. Plus the other two colors are really good mattes that have good pigment and texture.

What I like about this quad is that it has a good mix of neutral, cool and warm tones making it flattering on a number of skin tones. It’s one that I think will flatter those with pink tones or olive.

Here it is swatched on my olive/medium Chanel 30 skin, on me it pulls more warm. On darker skins I suspect there will be a bit more contrast and the shades will look a bit more neutral-cool.

Some have commented that it resembles the Urban Decay Naked3 Palette (review/swatches here). There are some similarities in the concept in that both Pedro Lourenço Nude and Urban Decay Naked3 have that soft feminine rose-gold theme. I swatched a few shades side by side to compare, I think they are different enough to justify both. The MAC is slightly more neutral/warm and also more subtle. The Urban Decay, while I still find natural, has more dramatic options with more frosted textures. I also pulled a few other shades from MAC.

Comparisons below: MAC Aria (discontinued), MAC Malt, MAC Kid (discontinued), Urban Decay Naked3

Overall a huge winner in my book and it’s a palette I highly recommend. I’ve only been able to wear this a couple days so far but it applies quite well with soft velvety textures. The shadows are not quite as velvety/buttery like Urban Decay or Burberry, but they are still very good. The MAC Pedro Lourenço Nude is a quad I know I will be wearing down to the pan.

The MAC Pedro Lourenço Nude Eyeshadow Quad ($44) is available as a limited-edition palette. I recommend you order or track this down at your local counter or store very soon as other items from the collection have already sold out online at lightening speed.

Available online at Nordstrom, Macy’s, Bloomingdales and maccosmetics.com.

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Bobbi Brown Raw Sugar Shimmer Brick Eye Palette

May 15, 2014
Bobbi Brown has a new bronzy Raw Sugar Collection out for spring-to-summer. The Raw Sugar Shimmer Brick Eye Palette ($48, limited-edition) has been on my radar for over a month. I finally tracked one down in person – it’s quite a bit different in real life compared to the promotional photos online. From the ads I expected a neutral-cool mix of bronze, champagne and taupe. In real life Raw Sugar is quite a bit warmer with no taupe. I still found the mix to be quite lovely.

The Raw Sugar Shimmer Brick Eye Palette is similar to the Shimmer Bricks for the face. The one for eyes is quite a bit smaller in size measuring about 4 x 1.5 inches. The colors are all neutral earthy tones ranging from pale gold to a medium bronze. The pigment is quite good and easy to control. It is on the shimmery side but I don’t find it overly frosty. The texture is soft and easy to apply and they adhere well to the lids (as long as your lids aren’t dry, I recommend using a base or a cream shadow first).

Tom Ford Incandescent on the nails

Click to see the details of the shimmer:

Swatched:

I’ve been using this one by swiping a fluffy shadow brush like MAC 217 (see my brush essentials here) across the left side mixing multiple colors and applying all over the lids, then taking a smaller contour brush like MAC 226 on the right side over the darkest three browns and applying on top near the lash lines. You can control intensity of color and shimmer depending on how much you apply to the eyes and what brushes you use. A denser brush will pick up more color. You can also use a slightly damp brush to intensify the frost/shimmer.

For those who have previous Shimmer Brick Eye Palettes, Raw Sugar is definitely very different from the others. I only have Sequin which is significantly cooler in tone. I couldn’t fit both palettes on one arm to show you how they look side by side but see my review and swatches here. (Sequin was also limited-edition but you can still find it at Barneys right now.)

I’m really happy with the palette even though it looks completely different than the promo photos. It’s warm but not too warm. Also although it is on the shimmery side I find the warmth makes it wearable and not too frosty. For my olive skin I find cooler toned shimmers can look frosty on my skin because of the contrast.

Bobbi Brown Raw Sugar Shimmer Brick Eye Palette is limited-edition. Several stores near me sold out of this one because they had events so it took me a bit of hunting to find it. You can find it online now at Nordstrom, Macy’s, Bloomingdales and Bobbi Brown.

Did you check out anything from the Raw Sugar collection? There are some new bronzers, nail colors and tinted lip balms that I passed on but looked lovely.

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Chanel Eye Makeup

Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Mirage, New Moon and Utopia

May 3, 2014

This summer Chanel brings us three new stunning shades of Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Shadow in Mirage, New Moon and Utopia ($36 each for 4g/0.14oz). All three colors are breathtakingly gorgeous. I think all are universally flattering colors, each with a stunning mix of shimmers. Both New Moon and Utopia are listed as limited-edition, while Mirage is listed as permanent. As with all other Illusion D’Ombres, these are semi-sheer but layer able with intense shimmer.

Swatches:

More pics and swatches:

Mirage is a luminous warm bronze. It seems to have been launched to replace Initiation from Holiday (which is now discontinued, but still available at Neiman Marcus). If you compare the two shades, Mirage has a more refined shimmer while Initiation has more visible silver flecks of sparkle. Both are similar on the eyes.

It was a bit difficult for me to capture the differences with a flash, the shimmers blinded my camera so I have two sets of swatches. The one with flash is more accurate with color.

This one is without any flash, under artificial light, it makes the colors look a bit green, but shows the difference in undertone and texture better.

New Moon is my favorite of the three. It’s a complex burgundy, gold, brown, red mix. It can appear reddish when swatched on the arms or hands but it applies much more neutral on the eyes.

Two sets, same items in each, just different lighting include MAC Constructivist, Bobbi Brown Velvet Plum (review here), Chanel Ebloui, Chanel New Moon, Armani Eyes to Kill 28 (swatches here) and Chanel Fatal (review here).

Utopia is a gorgeous lavender sparkle. It’s one of the few lighter pink/purples I can actually pull off without looking like I have pink-eye. Medium or dark purples are easy for me to wear (as long as the red in them is minimal), lighter purples tend to clash with my olive skin and make me look sickly. Utopia has the perfect mix of pink and purple.

Below comparisons swatches to Armani Eyes to Kill 30 (hard to find but swatches/review here), Bobbi Brown Cool Lilac, Chanel Utopia, Chanel Illusoire, Chanel Impulsion (review here) and Armani Eyes to Kill 8.

These are must-haves for summer in my book – especially for Chanel fans. For those who avoid dupes/similar colors, I think you’ll find these shades particularly unique. I’ve had a lot of fun playing with these over the last week. They are extremely versatile and easy to wear for any occasion (day or night). Lasting power is quite good as long as you’re not one who rubs your eyes frequently throughout the day.

The Illusion D’Ombres are $36 each, now at all Chanel counters in the US. Currently online at Nordstrom, Saks and Chanel.com.

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NARS

NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette

April 30, 2014

The NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette ($79 for 0.03oz x 15 shades) is a glorious palette of 15 neutrals. It comes in a large mirrored compact and includes a wide range of colors, textures and finishes. I’m late to the party with the NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette (it launched back in January). I thought long and hard for months about purchasing this one because I already owned many of the colors individually and also thought the Urban Decay Naked eye palettes might be duplicates. The Sephora VIB sale earlier this month pushed me over the edge. I put it to the test for several weeks. It was also the only powder eyeshadow palette I brought with me on my recent trip to Dallas. I’ve been really happy with this palette, the versatility is impressive. This one palette has all the colors you need for a multitude of looks: natural, smokey, bronzey, etc. It will take you from day to night.
The colors in the NARSissist Eye Palette include (from left to right, from top row to bottom)


All About Eve (1 side) – shimmery champagne
Madrague (both sides) – matte cream and matte tan
Fez – shimmery copper
Bali – matte soft brown
Coconut Grove – matte brown
Nepal – shimmery peachy pink
Ashes to Ashes – soft grey shimmer
Brousse – shimmery soft plum
Mekong – dark blackened brown with gold flecks
Bellisima – white base with gold sparkle flecks
Lhasa – shimmery light grey mauve
Bad Behavior – shimmery gunmetal
Dogon – darker blue-grey metallic
Pandora – matte sheer black

There have been mixed reviews about the palette, some have reported a different quality and texture of the palette shades compared with individuals colors. Overall I found the palette to be very good quality on par with the individual colors. There were a couple shades I found to be sheerer in texture and harder to work with (my personal experience). Colors I found to perform different in this palette included:
  • the matte colors of Madrague (the regular duo applies smoothly, this palette’s version was a bit chalky)
  • Ashes to Ashes (the singles I have are more pigmented and smoother in texture, but the palette applies ok, just different texture)
  • Dogon (individual is creamier in texture while the palette is drier)
The palette still worked well with no issues for application from what I tested. The colors I noticed differences for still applied well, it just took a little bit more work for me. Close ups and swatches below of the NARSsissist Eye Palette:

Many have asked how this compares to the Urban Decay Naked and Naked2 Palettes. There are similarities in the concept – all have a mix of shimmer and matte neutral-ish colors. I find that my Naked Palettes (1, 2 and 3) are the ones I reach for the most frequently out of any of the eye shadows that I own. The differences between NARS and Urban Decay are mainly in packaging and texture. Both brands have distinct shadow formulas, I can’t say one is better than the other, they are just different.

I’ve swatched them below for your reference. There wasn’t enough room for labeling the swatches but the colors are in the order of the palettes. (To have enough room on my arm, I skipped one of the Madrague shades from the NARS palette because it didn’t show up on my skin in the photograph.)

Overall love. As you can see above there are similarities between the NARSissist and Urban Decay Nakeds. Your preference will depend on a number of factors, such as packaging preference, if you own a lot of the individual colors already, texture preference (Urban Decay is softer and more buttery, NARS is more like traditional shadows in texture with more complex shimmers).

I believe the NARSissist Palette is limited-edition. It may take a bit of hunting to find it in stores, but you can still find it now online at Sephora, Beauty.com and Saks.

Did you buy the NARSissist Palette? What did you think?
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Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope Face Kit | The Total Look

February 25, 2014

Le Métier de Beauté released three new Kaleidoscope Kits at the end of last year in limited quantities at select stores and they are finally available online at Bloomingdales ($95 each). There is a new face kit called The Total Look, a blush kit called Cheeky Chic and an eyeshadow kit called Strada. When my local store received these they did not have testers. I limited myself to one: The Total Look Kit which has two eyeshadows in a bronze and champagne, a pink blush and a light bronzer.

Swatches, note I applied the blush and bronzer with a light hand. The colors are well pigmented once applied on the face but still soft.

I pulled one of my older discontinued kaleidoscopes in the Flawless Face Kit to compare for you (the Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills edition had Jojo Eyeshadow instead of the translucent pressed powder). If you missed out on the older kit, the Jojo Eyeshadow, Whisper Highlighter and Echo Blush can be purchased individually.

For the top two shades, the pale pink in The Total Look is more shimmery and frosted compare to the Whisper Highlighter:

Here you can see The Total Look has a softer effect than Flawless Face:

I pulled a couple different shades from different kits for swatch comparisons. Galatea’s Bronze (discontinued) is darker than The Total Look. Nouvelle Vague’s (review here) shimmery pink is darker than The Total Look. The Blush Kaleidoscope (review here) is darker and more pigmented than The Total Look.

The Total Look Kaleidoscope Face Kit is a classic staple. I’m glad it is finally available for purchase online. I waited to write about this because I suspected like most Le Metier de Beaute kits it would sell out in the blink of an eye and cause those to miss out heartache. Although pricey at $95 per kit, note this breaks down to $23.75 per kit. For the size and price note that many other brands have shadows priced the same or higher per shadow.

If you’re new to Le Metier de Beaute or don’t own a lot of Kaleidoscopes, this is a great kit to start with. If you own a lot, I think you can skip although I found the colors in this one to have slightly different nuances making the colors unique. The convenience factor is a plus. I brought this with me in a couple trips in the past few months. Be sure to check out Best Things in Beauty for her swatches and a snapshot of all three kits.

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