NARS Bavaria Eyeshadow
NARS Bavaria Eyeshadow ($24.00 for 0.07 oz.) is described as a “deep sea blue.” It’s a muted, bluish-teal with a pale gold shimmer-sheen. It had decent color payoff, but it definitely needs to be patted on and built up on the lid. The texture was slightly stiff to work and didn’t blend easily with the other matte shades in this launch. theBalm Open to Offers Olwen is more intense, brighter. MAC Sky is similar. MAC Rain Drop is darker, greener. L’Oreal Endless Sea is very comparable. Guerlain Les Aquas #2 is lighter. Dior Blue Lagoon #4 is similar. Inglot #413 is more metallic, brighter. See comparison swatches.
Kamchatka Eyeshadow ($24.00 for 0.07 oz.) is described as a “navy smoke.” It’s a muted, purplish navy blue with a matte finish. The texture was soft, blendable, but a little powdery so it had a tendency to sheer out quickly. I found the best payoff occurred by placing the color with pats and very, very lightly blending only the edges. I tried it over NARS’ Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Primer, and it still didn’t want to take well. theBalm The Stroke is darker, more shimmery. Le Metier de Beaute Sapphire is bluer, more shimmery. Urban Decay Half Truth is purpler. NARS Demon Lover #1 is lighter, more shimmery. MAC Naval is similar. OCC Technoir is bluer and shimmery. Inglot #332 is bluer, bolder. Inglot #321 is bluer, much darker. See comparison swatches.
Namibia Eyeshadow ($24.00 for 0.07 oz.) is described as a “grey moon.” It’s a light-medium, neutral gray with a matte finish. It had decent color payoff, and the texture was soft and blendable though very slightly powdery. MAC Fabulous Fit is darker. MAC Silver Gull has slight sparkle. MAC Courtly Grey is a touch darker. Giorgio Armani Moonlight White #2 is more shimmery. See comparison swatches.
Yamal Eyeshadow ($24.00 for 0.07 oz.) is described as a “maple sugar.” It’s a medium brown with very subtle warm undertones–a little caramel-like but it’s not overly warm–and a matte finish. The color payoff was decent, and it was the easiest of the four to apply and use. I applied this in the crease and above the crease, and it didn’t sheer out like Kamchatka did. theBalm Allegro is warmer. MAC Caramel Sundae is warmer, shimmery. MAC Moleskin is warmer. bareMinerals Namaste is darker. Inglot #342 is much darker. Bobbi Brown Stone is darker. Urban Decay Naked is very similar. See comparison swatches.
If you tend to like your colors semi-sheer and matte, you may enjoy the shades in this launch, as they all lend themselves to a softer application overall.  If you’re really determined to get really rich, dense pigmentation, you might be disappointed.  When I wore them yesterday, I had noticeable fading–even over NARS’ primer (!)–after seven hours.  I actually thought it looked better applied over bare skin, because the natural oils (though I have normal-to-dry lids) took down the powderiness of Kamchatka.  Originally, I tried layering Kamchatka over Yamal (I used this shade all over the crease and blended almost halfway to the brow bone as a fading color, as I intended to use Kamchatka to darken the inner portion of the crease), and it really didn’t want to blend with Yamal.  They can be blended with each other side-by-side, but they didn’t do well with more overlap as Kamchatka really needs every bit of help to stick to the lid, so when another powder eyeshadow is already underneath, it doesn’t adhere well.
