NARS Charade Eyeshadow Duo Review, Photos, Swatches
NARS Charade Eyeshadow Duo
NARS Charade Eyeshadow Duo
NARS Charade Eyeshadow Duo ($34.00 for 0.14 oz.) is described as a “matte smoky plum” and “muted mauve.” NARS fans that prefer duos with more contrast may like this one, because the shades differ from each other noticeably but still complement each other well.
The left shade is a pinky-plum brown finished with a satiny sheen. I found the color rather hard to describe, because I can see a hint of plum, but it seems pinker yet toned down by a lot of beige/brown. It has pretty good pigmentation, and it applies smoothly across the skin. The texture was slightly powdery, though. MAC Jete is similar but has a more metallic finish, and it’s warmer, not as neutral. Guerlain Boulevard du Montparnasse is slightly pinker, less brown. Giorgio Armani Sweet Fire is pinker and more metallic.
The right shade is a smoky, played-down purple with subtle red undertones. It’s almost a neutral purple. Like the left shade, the color payoff is good, though it could be slightly improved. This shade had a soft, smooth feel and wasn’t as powdery as the other hue. theBalm Curvy Cami is redder in undertone. MAC Azuki Bean is slightly darker. Paul & Joe Purple Clover is fairly similar.
NARS touts their eyeshadows as long-wearing and crease-resistant, though they’re not quite impervious to creasing/fading over an eight hour period. They do just fine over a primer (no problems after as long as ten hours), but there was subtle but noticeable fading after eight hours with this duo.  Charade is a wee bit powdery but certainly easy to work around (tap excess off the brush and use a lighter touch against the powder itself when you use your brush), and there’s no fall out problems once it is applied.
NARS Charade Eyeshadow Duo Review, Photos, Swatches
NARS Charade Eyeshadow Duo
NARS Charade Eyeshadow Duo
NARS Charade Eyeshadow Duo
NARS Charade Eyeshadow Duo
NARS Charade Eyeshadow Duo
NARS Charade Eyeshadow Duo
I would love to see a look done with these two! Such an interesting combo 🙂
Great review! You can create a really great look for spring by pacting the mauve shade on the lids. Then, add the smoky plum color to the crease. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Good grief, my jaw DROPPED when I saw that plum shade. Looked so lovely in the pan, and I was so happy to see that the swatch was true to pan 😀 I maaaaaay have to check this out next time I’m at Mecca Cosmetica!
Nooo. Don’t go to Mecca. NARS is incredibly over-priced in Australia because we have so few stockists.
Go to http://www.kissandmakeupny.com/.
They ship to Australia and only take 5-10 working days. I’d suggest buying a few things while you’re there as they have a flat international shipping rate.
And the swatches look gorgeous. Will have to look into adding the duo to my collection =)
Oh, thanks for the heads up! 🙂 I just checked the Mecca website… $79! We get robbed blind here. I will definitely check out that website, thanks so much 🙂
Oh, Wow! I love this! Thanks for the review as always!
I want this! I love these types of colors!
This is so pretty!
I kind of like the mauve shade. I wouldn’t expect these two colors to be paired together.
this would be really interesting with the nars single in lhasa to really smoke it out. love it!
Wow, how have I missed this one in my perusals of Nars conuters? I’m mad about plum tones and anything peachy or orange-tinted works well against my eyes. It’s win-win!
Not normally colors I go for…but very nice!
OH! I want this, Christine !!
kisses from Brasil,
Dâmaris
Charade duo is my absolute favorite! it looks so beautiful on brown eyes. The only eyeshadow I’ve had in years that I’ve actually hit pan on!
Wow, these colors look pretty unique – well, the first one especially. Very pretty!
I have this Nars eyeshadow duo and love it. Was even thinking about getting a backup, but decided not to because of the price and figured since I have so many eyeshadows this one will last quite a while. If only I don’t drop it so it breaks. I highly recommend this duo.
Gorgeous! I’m really into muted shades at the moment, so these are right up my alley. I’ll have to give them a swatch in-store sometime ;o)
very demure looking! Looks like it’d be a nice ‘muted’ version of springtime pastels.
That mauve is gorgeous! I want to get my hands on it!
is this out now?
Yes!
i hate it too much :), not so good in fair skin…
It is a really gorgeous duo, but I have a bad feeling that the mauve would look like a giant bruise on fair skin. I’ll leave it to the ladies with darker skin tones to play with this one. 😛
I love these colors! Unfortunately, I just don’t think they’ll work for me. BOO!
Wow, that’s an oldie but a goodie! That duo came out for spring in maybe 2000? I bought it then and liked it a lot. I haven’t used it in quite awhile because I have way too much stuff, but now that I’ve seen this I’m reminded how much I liked it. I’ll have to get it out and see if I can remember how I wore it.
I searched this in store. Sephora lighting is very deceiving!!!!
I love this duo. It is really great for brown eyes and everyday wear. I take it traveling a lot bc it will fit anywhere!
Oh these are right up my alley! I sometimes struggle finding colors that work with my lighter brown eyes sobut i may spluge on this!
I have this and paired it with my nars sing in lhasa (?) to smoke it out, its beautiful day or night!
i need this… is it out now?
I have this one, is very pretty.