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NARS

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NARS Lip Gloss Relaunch/Reformulation – Beauty Look Book Picks

July 7, 2014

NARS launched a new reformulation and packaging design for their Lip Gloss back in April. There are 30 shades that were released ($26 each for 0.18 fl oz/6 ml). I splurged on several shades over the past few months. The new NARS Lip Glosses have a similar design to the original tubes but now come with a modern updated look with a sleeker looking tube. The pigment of the new glosses is slightly smoother with better pigment. NARS also removed the plastic smell from the gloss (which didn’t bother me but the new ones smell better).
The colors I splurged on from Nordstrom (at one of the trend shows) and Sephora (because I love their Beauty Insider program) include:
  • Sweet Dreams is a stunning pale pink sparkle, the shimmer in the new one is more finely milled and less chunky (although the old one was one of my favorite glosses)
  • Istria is a pale sheer milky pink with a slight iridescent quality
  • Angelika is a hot cool pink with gold flecks
  • Risky Business is a lovely deep raspberry shimmer
  • Tasmania is a sheer cantaloupe peach color
  • Supervixen is a complex nude brown rose shimmer
  • Ophelia is a lighter watermelon pink shimmer
  • Sixties Fan is a sheer plum that applies like a wine/red color
The original packaging came in a clear but frosted tube at .28 oz, the new one comes with a completely clear tube at .18 oz. Differences in packaging and colors for a few of the shades shown below. The overall color is pretty similar for Angelika and Supervixen. There is a huge difference in pigment for Ophelia, the new version has much better pigment:

Close ups and swatches:

I’m in love with the new formula of the shimmers. The pigment is smoother and richer with really good coverage. The non-shimmers are hit and miss for my lips. I was head over heels in love with Istria and Tasmania in the tube but on the lips they are really sheer. They do perform well over lipsticks with similar tones though. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but so far my top three picks include Risky Business, Supervixen and Sweet Dreams. Lip swatches in this post.
NARS Lip Glosses come in 30 shades at $26 each. Available at all NARS locations, online at Nordstrom, Sephora and narscosmetics.com.

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On My Radar / New In Beauty

July 5, 2014

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! A few items currently on my radar, from top left clockwise:

What’s on your radar this week? Have you seen any other new fall items in stores yet? I’m eagerly waiting to see Tom Ford and all the Chanel quads.

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Packing Travel

Travel Makeup | Summer Edition

July 1, 2014

As requested, here are the items I brought with me on my recent trip. All the items were carried in my well-loved Bobbi Brown Train Case (from 12+ years ago and no longer available for sale, Old Hollywood Version still available). I tend to overpack for makeup so the case limits what I bring. If it can’t fit, it doesn’t travel with me. I’ve split the items into three categories: Lips, Face/Cheeks and Eyes.

To those who asked to see what I brought with me, I hope this helps! I always have a makeup overpacking problem so my fellow beauty lovers – if you have any tips I’d love to hear what you bring with you on trips/travel whether it’s a weekend getaway, a week trip or extended vacation.

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What's In My Bag

Inside My Makeup Bag

June 26, 2014

Here is a peek at what I’ve had inside my makeup bag this week. The clear makeup bag is from Bobbi Brown which I found as a gift with purchase several years ago during a Neiman Marcus beauty event (for those looking for a clear makeup bag, a few other alternatives from MAC, Make Up For Ever, Sephora, Lulu).
  1. Chanel Les Beiges No. 20 for mid-day touch ups
  2. MAC Sharon Osbourne Refresh Mineralize Skinfinish Duo (still available at Macy’s)
  3. Chanel Hydra Beauty Lip Balm (new for me, review soon)
  4. Jo Malone Grapefruit Cologne (mini from a gift with purchase)
  5. By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock which I works alone on the lids, it’s a medium pink shade with plum shimmer, I swipe directly from tube onto lids and then blend with the fingers
  6. Tom Ford Paradiso Lip Color Sheer (sold out most places, but still on tomford.com)
  7. Burberry Lip Glow Balm in Pink Peony
  8. MAC Brush #168SH (mini size discontinued)
  9. Marc Jacobs Overprotected Lust for Lacquer (love the tingle)
  10. YSL Kiss and Blush #3 Rose Libre still testing these out and figuring out to use these, I like them on the cheeks, for the lips, I’m still undecided
  11. Malin + Goetz Mojito Lip Balm is a staple, love the clear finish, decent price and the unique scent of this one (see Malin + Goetz Los Angeles store feature here)
  12. Guerlain Maxi Lash Waterproof Mascara I rarely touch up with mascara in the middle of the day, but I sometimes carry one with me because in the mornings I typically am running out the door and have missed a few makeup steps before I leave the house, mascara and lips are usually the last two items I apply
  13. Diptyque Geranium Odorata is such a pretty soft floral, the roller ball tip makes it easy to apply quickly, I keep it in the velvet pouch it comes with (not shown above)
  14. NARS Andromeda Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow accidentally made it into the makeup bag this week, but I’m not complaining
To see the full contents of what has been in my bag most of this week, check out the post on Styled Notes. Hope you have a great Thursday! 
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Eye Makeup Roundup

Neutral Creamy Shimmer Wash Eye Shadows | NARS, By Terry, Laura Mercier, RMS and Chanel

June 25, 2014
Lately I’ve been a fan of these swipe and go shimmery wash eyeshadows. I like a creamy texture so there’s no extra base needed for good pigment and blending. I like neutrals but have discovered a few non-nude shadows I find good for color, dimension and glow. Just add a simple black or bronze liner and mascara and you’re good to go (for lazy makeup days). I also find them good for touch ups if you’re transitioning from day to night to add a bit of depth to the eyes. The creamy textures mean you apply straight from the tube if it’s a twist up stick or right from the compact with your fingers and smudge/blend easily. My current favorite neutrals:
  • NARS Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Iraklion ($25) is a mauve rose quartz taupe fawn shimmer. It blends out to a sheer finish but nicely contours the lids. You can layer for more color and it also works well as a base for powder shadows but won’t change the color.
  • Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Rose Gold ($26) is a shimmery gold with a slight hint of pink tones, on me it pulls more champagne gold but the pink prevents it from being a pure yellow gold. It’s on the creamy side so if you have oily lids you may need a matte base underneath.
  • By Terry Ombre Blackstar ($43 each) in Ombre Mercure (interesting oyster that flashes gold and a bit of green sparkle), Frozen Quartz (cool medium pink sparkle) and Misty Rock (plum pink) are all intense creamy shadows, I adore each of them alone on the lid with a simple liner. They are on the pricey side but the quality, texture and lasting power make these worth every penny.
  • RMS Cream Eyeshadow in Solar ($28) is something I use on a weekly basis, alone or as a base, there’s something so pretty about a rich gold shimmer for the eyes that warms up the complexion (review here)
  • Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Emerville ($36) is a classic champagne peach shimmer. I think it’s one neutral shimmer everyone should have in their beauty collection. It makes a lovely wash all over the lids.
  • NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows ($29 each) in Europa and Andromeda (reviews here) are nice when layered together for that simple polished glow look for the eyes. 

Swatched side by side you can see they look intense when swatched straight from the tube, the pigment is good and textures are super easy to blend and layer. They aren’t quite as frosty when you blend them out. My assessment for shimmer levels:
  • Most shimmery are the By Terry Ombre Blackstar sticks but if you’ve tried these you know they blend out really nicely but maintain the color. RMS Solar is on the shimmery side as well but the gold base blends well with my natural skintone almost like a contour.
  • Medium shimmers are Laura Mercier Rose Gold and Chanel Emerville.
  • Sheer shimmers are NARS Iraklion and Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows in Europa and Andromeda (most in this formula are intense, but I have the softest ones).

What are your favorite creamy shimmer shadows for an all over wash? Do you have any swipe and go kind of shadows you love? Or are you one who usually prefers to layer more color on the eyes?

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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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On My Radar / New in Beauty

June 19, 2014

I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Some new things in beauty on my radar.

There will be nine limited edition shades of nail polish in a 3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS Nail Collection. One of the shades, Insidious, will be a NARS Boutique exclusive. In addition a canvas nail pochette will be released. These will be available July 15, 2014 at NARS boutiques and narscosmetics.com; August 1, 2014 at Sephora and Dept./Specialty stores.

Bobbi Brown has a second summer release called Surf and Sand, some items have started to trickle in online. There are two eyeshadow palettes in Surf (aqua and pastels) and Sand (earthy neutrals), two Long-Wear Eye Pencils, two Brightening Blushes, three Sheer Lip Colors.

Frédéric Malle and Carlos Benaïm have created a new fragrance Eau de Magnolia that launches this month. I haven’t checked it out yet but I’m hoping to soon. It sounds absolutely divine. Some details on Kafkaesque Blog.

Chanel Fall Beauty has arrived online Chanel.com and Bloomingdales. I have yet to check out the collection in person but reports on Twitter and Instagram indicate it has arrived at some counters. I ordered the three nail polishes in Secret, Orage and Atmosphere online and expect them this week. I’m eyeing the glossimer and liquid eye liners but undecided on most of the collection. Several have e-mailed me that this is a see-before-you-buy kind of collection. If you’ve checked it out, please share in the comments.

Burberry has two new eyeshadows out in Storm Grey No. 27 and Graphite No. 28. Thanks to Café Makeup for letting me know about these. I called the counter in San Francisco and found they aren’t with any full collection but were two new colors released. I’ll have a review soon. In the meantime check out the swatches on Gummy Vision.

NudeStix is a new line of natural and nude pencils, exclusive to Space NK (or Space NK via Bloomingdales). All the products are in pencil/stick form. The Eye Pencils look like they have quite a few lovely neutral shimmers. The Lip and Cheek Pencils have a wider range of colors from light to dramatic. I think a trip to Space NK is in order soon.
What’s on your radar this week?
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