NARS Belize Lip Gloss ($24.00 for 0.28 oz.) is a milky pink with subtle gold and copper-red sparkle. It almost has a plum feeling to it, but it goes on more milky pink on my lips. It’s a surprisingly opaque lip gloss, particularly for NARS, since most are on the sheerer side. It has a smooth, creamy consistency and applies evenly into lips without settling too much into lip lines. Mine was scent-free, though some NARS lip glosses have a more chemical/plastic-y scent, which is unpleasant if you’re more sensitive to scent!
Is this the right spring gloss for you? Would you wear it?
The Spring Season is a series of posts featuring my favorite soft beige, coral, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for the first blossom of spring — that runs through March 2010.
Chopinot & Gaultier’s Le Défilé. “I was inspired by the costumes used in this show and wanted to create a collection that reflected that same era but without the goth element,” said designer Thakoon Panichgul.
Makeup How-to
“The look is fresh, beautiful, luminous and quite confident,” said lead NARS artist Diane Kendal about the look. “We focused on a strong brow and highlighted the eyes to show depth and boldness in a way that wouldn’t fight with the various textures, layers and colors of the collection.”
Face: Douceur Blush (NEW for Fall 2010); try Lovejoy or Madly Blush for a similar effect
Eyes: Coconut Grove Single Eyeshadow (NEW for Fall 2010); try Bali Single Eyeshadow for a similar effect. Tzarine Duo Eyeshadow (NEW for Fall 2010); try the Orgasm Illuminator on brow bones for a similar effect. Portobello Duo Eyeshadow.
Lips: Tashkent Pure Matte Lipstick (NEW for Fall 2010); try Belle de Jour Velvet Matte Lip Pencil for a similar effect.
On one side, it’s a melon-y peach kind of shade with a shimmery, slightly frosted finish–it would appear that this is just one of those shades for the spring season (like Benefit Nice Melons, MAC Flip, Urban Decay Muchness; or even MAC Melon Pigment). The other side is a reddened burgundy with a softer frost finish and sheen.
I don’t love this eyeshadow duo, and I really thought I’d be all over it, given the way it looks. However, this is an eyeshadow duo one really needs to use wet, because the color pay off is not up to my expectations for a brand like NARS when they’re used dry. When used dry, particularly on the lid, they tend to look incredibly sheer and have a good deal of fall out (primarily of the shimmer). I didn’t expect to have any fall out troubles with this, considering they’re pressed powder shadows with shimmer, rather than glittery bits!
The texture of Kuala Lumpur is very soft–the shadows are smooth and soft to the touch but powdery, and when swatched, they look nicer than it was when I attempted to use the colors dry in a look. In order to make the look come together better, I ended up using the colors wet, which definitely helped quite a bit. I didn’t love it even wet, though, because once it dries, it does fade back a bit. It’s like, when you use the eyeshadow wet, it doesn’t remain looking like it does when wet, but it doesn’t completely become how it looks when dry. Instead, it settles somewhere in between. (You can see me wearing this duo in this look.) I also found that when used dry, it just didn’t seem to apply evenly and I really had to pack on the color to get an even (though sheer) application.
For $32, I want an eyeshadow I can truly use wet or dry, not just wet. I also don’t want to have to work too hard to make it work for me, either. I can get down with having to experiment a bit for just the right application method when we’re talking about a $2 eyeshadow, but if you’re going to buy high-end, it should work right outta the compact, you know?
The good news, for those concerned with the $32 price tag, is you get plenty for your money. The math works out to NARS eyeshadow duos being cheaper by the ounce than both MAC and Make Up For Ever. But maybe you’re better off picking up a different duo…
Oh, p.s. if you dig these colors, you may find that layering them over a more metallic base will help enhance their colors. Like say MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot. I always find poor performing shadows seem to work better when layered over colored and shimmery/metallic bases.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
Product: 25/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you like your colors soft, I think you’ll still enjoy this new shade for spring.
Stunning Spring Nails with NARS Purple Rain Nail Lacquer
NARS Purple Rain Nail Lacquer ($16.00) is a deep jewel-toned purple with red undertones shimmered with flecks of violet and wine red shimmer. It looks kind of like a dark grape purple when there’s no real light, but I like that it doesn’t look black in low light conditions. Of course, like many polishes, this one really shows off best in the light. Even just regular lighting will catch the shimmer in such a lovely way. This is a richly pigmented nail lacquer; it needs only one thick coat and it goes opaque, though I did two coats for good measure. It wears well (one week with just tip wear, no chipping), and it applies easily–doesn’t streak or drag. The formula is thick without being goopy, so it doesn’t require any experimentation in application–it’s just apply, dry, and enjoy!
I was surprised by how much I liked this shade, even though it doesn’t conjure up any spring images in my mind, I’m really glad NARS put it out, spring season or not!
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
Product: 29/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you love purple nails, Purple Rain is really one of those must-see shades!
NARS Orgasm Lip Gloss ($24.00) is a sheer peachy-pink with gold shimmer. I really like this lipgloss worn over nudes and light pinks for added glossiness and shimmer, because it doesn’t effect color very much (if at all!) – just adds a little more pop. One of the reasons that NARS Lip Glosses are popular is they’re non-sticky without being drying, and they last a particularly long time–at least for a gloss. I personally see wear time around four hours, whereupon the glossiness does tend to fade, but the shimmer sticks around for a little longer after that.
The gloss formula is fairly thin, and the doe-footed applicator doesn’t get too much out per application, which may or may not be what you’d like–you just can’t glob it on, so you’re neither wasteful and it forces you to be a little more precise in your application. I guess those are good things! I do wish they’d improve the smell a bit; some seem almost scent-free, but other times, it’s more of a chemical/plastic-y scent that’s harder to ignore.
Is this glossy peach-pink the one for you? Would you wear it?
The Spring Season is a series of posts featuring my favorite soft beige, coral, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for the first blossom of spring — that runs through March 2010.
Inspired by Catherine Deneuve’s role as Lucille in La Chamade, the NARS Spring 2010 Collection features soft, sexy shades that are as elegant as they are versatile.
“I love Catherine’s makeup look in this movie,” says François Nars, Founder and Creative Director of NARS Cosmetics who chose supermodel Amber Valletta for the campaign. “It’s very sophisticated and bourgeois in a Parisian ‘16th Arrondissement’ way. She is the perfect reference for this collection, and apropos for spring, a time to embrace color and get noticed.”
Nars created a look that is confident, cosmopolitan and polished. On skin, he applied NARS Fiji Sheer Glow Foundation, followed by NARS Eden Pressed Powder for a perfectly smooth finish. He contoured Amber’s cheeks with NARS Amour Blush then highlighted her complexion with NARS Albatross Highlighting Blush Powder.
On the eyes, François applied the golden moss shade of the NARS Camargue Duo Cream Eyeshadow over the entire upper lid, then blended outward. The sienna shade was used to define the lower lash line with the NARS Push Eyeliner Brush. He then layered the sienna side onto the lid and brow bone, and swept the hue into the lash line. For additional brightness, NARS Albatross Highlighting Blush was dusted onto the eye, and NARS Nabucco Eyeliner Stylo was swept on to line the top lashes. NARS Blondie Single Eyeshadow was used to create an impactful brow. Lastly, two coats of NARS Larger Than Life Lengthening Mascara were applied to the top and bottom lashes.
To complete the look, François lined the lips with NARS Borneo Lipliner Pencil, filled them in with NARS Cruising Lipstick and layered on NARS Easy Lover Lip Gloss for extra shine and fullness.
