NARS Atomic Blonde Eye & Cheek Palette Review & Swatches

Atomic Blonde

NARS Atomic Blonde Fall 2018 Eye & Cheek Palette ($59.00 for 0.66 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette exclusive to Sephora. It includes four eyeshadows, a highlighter, and a bronzer. They’re all very warm-toned in hues of peach and copper, though the bronzer was the last warm-toned with its rosier tone. Two products in the palette were total misses in my experience, and since there were only six products, that had a huge impact.

Icon

Icon is a bright, light copper with warm, peachy undertones and a metallic sheen. The consistency was incredibly soft and smooth to the point where a light touch was all one needed to pick up plenty of product. It had good pigmentation, which was buildable to full coverage with less than half of a layer. It applied best in pressing motions and then buffing and sweeping to diffuse the edges. It wore well for eight hours on me before fading noticeably.

Isolde #2

Isolde #2 is a deep, coppery bronze with warm undertones and a frosted sheen. It was intensely pigmented with a smooth, blendable consistency that was firm but not stiff to work with. The color stayed on well for eight hours on me before fading a bit. (This shade is part of the permanent range, though found in a duo.)

Kink

Kink is a medium-dark copper with flecks of larger micro-glitter. It had sheer coverage with a chunky consistency, which made it harder to work with using fingertips and a dry brush. I had the best luck using a dampened brush as well as patting it on top of a tacky base. There was fallout throughout wear without an adhesive base, though.

Galapagos

Galapagos is a deep brown with warm undertones and a faint, gold and bronze pearl over a satin finish. The consistency was slightly firmer in the pan, but it wasn’t too stiff and yielded opaque pigmentation. It applied evenly to bare skin and blended out fairly easily. It wore well for eight hours on me before fading. (This shade is part of the permanent range.)

Last Call

Last Call is a soft, peachy gold with warm undertones and a luminous sheen. It had excellent pigmentation with a soft, smooth texture that was almost cream-like without being too dense or too thick, so the powder sat well on my skin without emphasizing my skin’s natural texture. The color lasted well for eight and a half hours on me before fading noticeably.

• Top Dupes
• Look

Unleashed

Unleashed is a muted, medium brown with subtle, warm rosy undertones and a satin finish. It had semi-opaque, buildable pigmentation paired with a drier, almost chalky texture that was prone to clumping on itself. The texture was strange and not one I’ve seen too often from the brand, but it was much harder to apply evenly and even harder to diffuse and blend out on my skin. I really had to buff and buff and buff to make it wearable. On me, it stayed on well for eight hours before it started to fade on me.