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NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

Another Disappointment from the NARS & Andy Warhol Collection

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette ($65.00 for 0.42 oz.) consists of one blush, one highlighter, and four eyeshadows, tucked into a matte black palette with a full-size mirror on the interior. Each shade sits in its own pan and well.

Shimmering Pink Champagne is a soft, rosy plum with silver sparkle. The sparkle is very, very loose and doesn’t bind at all to the underlying color, so it either doesn’t translate to the cheek or disappears throughout the day. It had a very dry, stiff texture, though the color payoff was so-so. It wore for seven hours when I tested it. NARS Oasis is a bit more muted, less pink. theBalm Cabana Boy has a soft sheen. MAC Plum Foolery is less pink, more frosted.

Brilliant Cream is a shimmery, pale beige. It had good color payoff, and it wasn’t dry–a little powdery–but not dry, at least. It was also blendable on, and it lasted for six and a half hours. NARS Albatross has a golden sheen. theBalm Promiscuous Pearl is more beige. MAC Snowglobe is similar.

Twinkling Purple is an eggplant purple with a matte finish. It was dry, powdery, and had dismal color payoff. Tarte Napa Grapes is more intense. Guerlain Boulevard du Montparnasse has a satiny sheen. BareMinerals Nightcap is very similar (more pigmented). MAC Fig. 1 is purpler (also more pigmented).

Sparkling Turquoise is an aqua-green with a satiny sheen. It had so-so color payoff, but this one was such a pain in the behind to use. It was very soft, powdery, and prone to pulling a disappearing act if you made any attempt to blend it. Sugarpill Mochi is very similar in color.

White Shimmer is a shimmery white with silver sparkle (that doesn’t bind with the base color, so it gets lost). There are so many shimmery white eyeshadows on the market, so there is no shortage of dupes. MAC She’s Got Class, Cinderella Ball Gown, MAC How to Marry, and MAC Crystal Avalanche are all very similar–just to name a few.

Starry Black is a matte black (with silver sparkle, but it never shows up and doesn’t even make it onto the swatch!). This shade had the best payoff of the four eyeshadows! It was stiff and a bit dry, but it wasn’t powdery. Like the white eyeshadow, matte black eyeshadows are numerous (it’s a classic, basic shade, and everyone should have at least one!). When you put out core/basic shades, you have to do them well, because there are too many options available to settle for less.

Technically, all four eyeshadows had silver sparkles in them, but they come loose as soon as the brush hits the pan–they just flake away or get caught in the bristles of your brush. It was a disappointing palette and not worth the $65 I spent on it. I had hoped that this palette would be better than the other Warhol palettes, because each product was in a separate well, but it was not meant to be. It’s hard for me to comprehend how the textures and payoff throughout the collection were so far off the norm for NARS.

Dry and powdery is one of the more frustrating textures to work, because you don’t even get the blendability and payoff that really soft eyeshadows (which can be powdery) have to their advantage.  The highlighter was the best product in the palette, but there was a general theme: poor color payoff, dry/stiff/powdery textures, and fading throughout the day.  Despite layering the eyeshadows over NARS’ own eyeshadow primer, these were looking very faded after eight hours (and without a primer, they had disappeared after six and a half).

P.S. — There is no step-by-step for this palette, because I tested and took photos prior to starting those!

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

F
5
Product
5
Pigmentation
6
Texture
6
Longevity
2.5
Application
54%
Total

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette (blush/highlighter)

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette
NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette

65 Comments

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Jeanne Avatar

I was so pissed to find out this was a Sephora exclusive (we don’t have Sephora in Australia but we do have NARS) and I was hoping that it would be awful (as bad as that sounds!). It’s such a shame though, this collection could have been really amazing.

Dominique Avatar

Totally agree it’s a disappointing product, the whole collection is a disappointment except the gorgeous nail polishes and some other items which are not bad at all but the Debbie Harry palette yes just leave it !

Anne Avatar

Frankly, I’m not surprised. I saw this at my local Sephora and it looked impossibly gritty and dry, and I didn’t even test it! The colours themselves do not appeal to me either.

It’s too bad though, because I love Debbie Harry.

Dizzy Avatar

Seriously! I adore Debbie Harry and if this palette was even a C, I may have even sucked it up and invested in it. Honestly, the whole Andy Warhol collection was disappointing. I bought Satellite of Love, but everything else was super disposable.

The one color I wanted was the Turquoise, and the texture of this palette was so impossibly gritty, I had to put my love for Blondie aside and pass it up. Sigh.

Veronica Avatar

Wow, that’s depressing. I passed by this several times and considered going for it – glad to see I saved myself some disappointment. šŸ™ This whole collection feels like NARS didn’t even try, which is a real shame given how beautiful it appears to be at first glance.

KK Avatar

Nars glitter products never ever ever work for me! Such a shame this was so disappointing, the colors have fun potential and I bet the cool packaging enticed a lot of people to buy it.

stephanie Avatar

I am so inspired by the colors of the shadows, but disappointed about their performance when I swatched them upon release. It’s such a great palette, in theory…

Ashley Avatar

The quality of the NARS Andy Warhol collection is just so disappointing. I swatched this in Sephora because I was curious if it would compare to the other pieces from the collection and was just as bad. I was so excited for this collection to come out but ended up skipping everything. Thanks for the review, Christine!

Lark Avatar

But last year they did the Danmari blush pallet and it’s fantastic! They can do this- but in a business somebody is in charge of manufacturing and that’s who messed up hugely. The shadow compacts with Warhols portrait are also all disastrous, unusable.

Somebody at Shiseido may be to blame. Monseiur Nars may design the colors and send them to the home office to produce. But I find it very odd that this dreck would get past Shiseido…

Blush, eyeshadow, same recipe with different pigments. This is a business disaster!

Christina Avatar

Wow! I cannot believe Nars to put out such bad quality šŸ™ I totally believe you, as I have made sad experiences with some of the products others complained about (liquid highlighters and eye pencils). The lipsticks, glosses and eyeshadows (single and trios) are some of my favourite products. Their creme bronzer and blusher duo in one case (Maui/Palm Beach) may be the single product I’d choose not to live without if I had to.. but I am kind of afraid to try out new stuff by Nars as I can order them online only, and their products are too expensive for me to accept hit or miss. I am so forever grateful to your blog,Christine, for allowing me to make up my mind what Nars products I need!

Gena Avatar

YOU look GREAT in all of the looks; I especially love what you did with the eyeshadows. The poor quality of the product, though, is a total disappointment–what an insult to Debbie!!! (I’m a major-league Blondie fan; her solo work too–it’s AWEsome!)

Beckie Avatar

I heard the glitter on top is diamond dust particles so the powders themselves are matte and the top layer disapears after a few uses… still doesn’t excuse the dry texture.

Inky Avatar

Sadly I bought this online before seeing any reviews (why why why do I fall for the limited edition snag!) and I’m taking it back as soon as I can get up to Sephora to return it. It’s a pretty to look at palette that is exactly as described in your review. Honestly I’m disappointed in NARS shadows most of the time. I should know better by now.

Patricia Souza Avatar

I have never had any NARS products and I hope to be impressed by them when I do purchase something! Do you have something special to recommend as a first product to buy from NARS?

Christine Avatar

They’re really well-known for their blushes, and they have some great shades in the range – Deep Throat, Sin, Dolce Vita, Luster to name a few. I actually really like the “Sheer” lipstick range, but a lot of shades are more semi-sheer to semi-opaque. My favorite product by NARS is their eyeshadow primer, though!

xamyx Avatar

I can really only opine on the eyeshdows, as thats the only product I’ve tried numerous items. If you’re a fan of neutrals, you really can’t go wrong, IMO, as all of them are amazing. However, if you like brights, I’d try to swatch first, as some are hit-or-miss (most are hits, though), especially in the more glittery shades. My favorite duos, that I use several times a week, are Madrague & Portobello, both matte & neutral.

I’ve also tried the Sheer Matte foundation, but I have normal skin, and I don’t require much in the way of coverage. The Pure Radiant TM is great, too.

Patricia Souza Avatar

Thank you so much! I will be looking after the eyeshadow primer (I ran out of mine) and the lipsticks (I really like a semi-sheer formula) and when I try it I will let you know! =)

Jen Avatar

I tested this just by swiping it at Sephora, and all I could this was, “This feels like Elf.” Later, I doubted my impression – I mean, it’s $65, right? I’m kind of relieved to see your take on it here. I’m not crazy! šŸ˜€

Christine Avatar

I wanted to fling it across the room, because I was LIVID. L I V I D. There is no surer way to get me riled up than a high price tag and poor quality product inside. There’s no bridge you could sell me that could possibly explain why the product couldn’t have been better. Worse, of course, is the fact that NARS can and does have good (great even!) products and formulas.

Kafka Avatar

Totally justified “F,” imo. And this comes from someone who adores NARS. While the eye combo is pretty in terms of colour, that swatch for the purple is just ghastly. Even worse than what I remember from swatching this in Sephora. When I think of just HOW excited I was upon first hearing of this Warhol collection…. *sigh* That said, nothing will ever beat a NARS matte lipstick for me. Some brands have blushes that can compare (sometimes), others have eyeshadows that can surpass some NARS, but nothing I have ever worn compares to their lipsticks. The latest Pure Matte nudes that I got — Bangkok & Tashkent — make me marvel at their velvetiness and long coverage. I will rely on that to mentally block out the travesty that has been this entire Warhol fiasco because, sometimes, like now, NARS tests my love. Painfully.

xamyx Avatar

I had no interest in the pink blush or the blue eyeshadow, and the rest can even be duped within the brand using Pandora & Melusine duos, and Albatross and/or Nico high-lighter (not *exact* dupes, but close enough). However, this was the last item I swatched from this collection, and I was sooo hoping to love it… I love NARS, Warhol, and Debbie Harry, and I really wanted to buy *something* from this collection.

Becca @ The Beauty Sample Avatar

Yeah I’m sure glad I passed over this collection–the shades just weren’t appealing to me and the ones I did swatch in-stores were SUPER dry. And those chunky, loose silver sparkles? Ick. I hate when Nars creates such ugly, unwearable glittery products. Why even bother if they won’t stay on?? And they’re just too big, in my opinion.

Lark Avatar

That glitter Nars uses is horrible across the board. Huge blind you chunks that fall off! The blue looks like Tropic (?) and I find MAC Mineralize Blue Sorcery, from Holiday a while back was a much better investment! About the same blue with some silver leaf to the side for sparkle. I’m always afraid Nars glitter will get in my eye and wreak havoc. Why do they do that?

Grace Tan Avatar

NARS just launch in my country (Singapore) and everyone was so excited check out the products, including me. But I’m so grateful that I able to read the review before I make up my mind for this limited edition product… you know, those limited edition products always snap out so fast in seconds, and talk about USD65 which about SGD100 for this palette…

The palette so stunning but so disappointed with the quality. I shall get their blushes and duo e/s instead.

thanks a lots for the review.. hugs !

Sierra Avatar

Grr, my grandma just bought this for me on Friday for my birthday, (She doesn’t know that I know. xD) but this is really disappointing. D; I need my makeup to last from 4:30 AM to 9:30 PM, and this just isn’t gonna cut it without constant reapplying. D;

Marta Avatar

maybe after you are done with applying this stuff trying also spraying a fix plus or the urban decay version of fix plus. Its such a shame, NARS is to expensive to sell this sort of crap. I hope u get a chance to make it work (or maybe if you want to return it, tell your grandma you have an allergy to something in it? I guess that’s better than saying it was a waste of money. Its a legit excuse. I have allergies to certain eyeshadows and my eyelids swell up…. just saying ;))

Sierra Avatar

I’ll probably try using a bit more primer than usual, and my NYX JEP in Milk. If it doesn’t work, I’ll say it’s allergies, because I do have pretty sensitive skin. =P Thanks for the advice! (:

Lori Avatar

Gosh! you look beautiful Christine!!

Thanks for your honesty, always!

What;s the lipstick? And please forgive me if you’ve mentioned it somewhere, I just didn’t see it..

Melody Avatar

Sometimes eyeshadows that are patchy when swatched perform well on the eye but it looks like these really are quite dry. šŸ™ It’s a shame since the palette is so attractive.

Lark Avatar

I was so exocited about Andy Warhol; Especially this pallet. My generation! I tried it out at Sephora and frankly? What a train wreck of an entire collection!!! Beautiful in conception but apalling in production. In fact – inexcusable!

Doesn’t Shisedo own Nars? This should be a massive embarrassment to them. Francois Nars is a visionary, but the company needs better people in charge of manufacturing. This Warhol stuff is just garbage!

I’m going into my stash to dupe this pallet out of good make up, but I would have loved to have the colors of The Eighties together in one sleek black case. Huge disapointment.

Shelly Avatar

Well at least you made it look really good on the eye? Will probably copy that with similar colors I have. Sigh, I love the idea of the collection but I’m so dissapointed.

Angela Avatar

Although I’m a Blondie fan, I must say I’m disappointed in this palette. I can see from the photo of the applied eyeshadows how nasty and dry those eyeshadows are, not to mention the fact that those colors aren’t very wearable for everyday. I only spend money on eyeshadows that I can actually wear without looking like a clown!

Lisa J Avatar

I was also deeply disappointed with this collection and I was so looking forward to it!! I couldn’t wait for it to be released and wasn’t going to wait for any of the reviews either (I can get sucked in to the hype pretty easily, sometimes). When I initially purchased this palette on Sephora’s website the reviews weren’t great, but dismissed them and went for it anyway. The only thing I loved about the collection were the two nail polishes, New York Dolls and Superstar(?). The packaging was so lovely that I was tempted to keep it, but the products themselves were so awful, I couldn’t justify it. Most of what I purchased of the collection was returned. šŸ™

Carina Avatar

I skipped out on the Edie set when I went to the actual counter to swatch it. The matte lipstick—which was supposed to be a “60s nude pink”—looked like a stick of concealer! šŸ™ I’m so mad at NARS, lol. I ended up just getting one of the glosses.

Anyway! Your eye makeup looks amazing, though! It’s my super dream~ to be able to apply eyeshadow like that. šŸ™‚ And with a crappy palette, too!

MaĆ­ra Avatar

What a shame! I wonder how much it’d cost in Brazil (since they’re always overpricing anything to us – a MAC lipstic costs about 40 dolllars here!)

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