NARS NARSissist Day & Night Series Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
NARS NARSissist Day & Night Series Palette
NARS NARSissist Day & Night Series Palette ($65.00 for 0.41 oz.) is a medium-sized (but thicker) palette that houses eight eyeshadows and a travel-sized eyeliner. The first row of eyeshadows are matte, while the second row of eyeshadows are shimmery. Long-time readers will know that I find NARS eyeshadows to be extremely hit or miss with more misses than hits, and I’m not a big fan of this palette either. The formula is described as “highly pigmented, long-wearing, crease-resistant” and that they “blend effortlessly.” They are generally semi-sheer to semi-opaque and run either a little powdery or stiff enough that they’re uneven and harder to blend. The darker mattes tend to look patchy applied, no matter what tool I use to blend.
Nassau is described as a “creamy French vanilla.” It’s a light-medium beige with warm undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation with a lightly powdery consistency that lasted for seven and a half hours before fading. As you might expect, it’s a basic shade, which makes some sense to include in the palette (though it will never suit all skin tones), there are a lot of dupes for it as well. NARS Biarritz (P, $24.00) is darker. NARS Madrague #1 (P, $24.00) is warmer. Urban Decay Bleach (LE, $18.00) is lighter. Laura Mercier Vanilla Nuts (P, $23.00) is less shimmery. theBalm #24 (P, $6.50) is lighter. Laura Mercier Buttercream (P, $23.00) is lighter. LORAC Buff (P, ) is warmer. Dior Sundeck #1 (LE, ) is lighter. Tarte Just Malt Away (LE, ) is more shimmery, brighter, warmer. Tarte Just Malt Away (LE, ) is more shimmery, brighter, warmer. Tarte Just Malt Away (LE, ) is more shimmery, brighter, warmer. Too Faced Dream On (LE, $16.00) is lighter, brighter. Kat Von D Damned (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter. Kat Von D Damned (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter. Marc Jacobs Beauty The Night Owl #4 (P, ) is more shimmery, lighter. First 15 dupes listed, see more: See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.
Maya Bay is described as a “rosy clay.” It’s a muted, medium brown with a mostly matte finish. You can see tiny flecks of shimmer in the pan, but almost none of it shows up even in a swatch, let alone on the eye. It had decent color coverage with a soft but not too firm texture, so it wasn’t too difficult to use. It lasted for seven hours. Inglot #337 (P, $6.00) is darker. LORAC Taupe (P, ) is darker. MAC Rose Cloud (LE, $16.00) is warmer. Chanel Charming #2 (LE, ) is warmer. Laura Mercier Café au Lait (P, $23.00) is darker. Kat Von D Glasswing (P, ) is warmer. Kat Von D Glasswing (P, ) is warmer. LORAC Lt. Brown (P, ) is darker. Urban Decay Tyranny (LE, $18.00) is darker, warmer. Make Up For Ever M646 Latte (P, $21.00) is warmer. Urban Decay Downfall (LE, $18.00) is lighter, warmer. Tarte Tan-gled Up in You (LE, ) is lighter. Tarte Tan-gled Up in You (LE, ) is lighter. Gucci Beauty Tuscan Storm #3 (P, ) is darker. Tarte Hazelnut Bon Bons (LE, ) is warmer. First 15 dupes listed, see more: See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.
Ithaca is described as a “warm nougat.” It’s a softened, medium-dark brown with warm undertones and a mostly matte finish that has a smidgen of white sparkle sprinkled in it. The sparkle doesn’t really bind with the powder, so most of it is lost either as fall out or gets trapped in the brush. It lasted for seven hours on me and was slightly patchy when blended. MAC Ground Brown (P, $16.00) is less shimmery. NARS Galapagos (P, $24.00) is warmer. NARS Flowers 3 #4 (LE, $24.00) is more shimmery. Anastasia Chocolate (P, $12.00) is less shimmery. Hourglass Obscura #4 (P, ) is darker, cooler. Kat Von D Solas (P, ) is lighter. Urban Decay Whiskey (P, $18.00) is more muted. Tarte Powerful (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker, cooler. Marc Jacobs Beauty The Dreamer #4 (P, ) is less shimmery. Marc Jacobs Beauty The Dreamer #4 (P, ) is less shimmery. ColourPop Bravery (LE, $5.00) is lighter. LORAC Chocolate (P, ) is darker, more muted, cooler. Sephora Collection #tbt (P, $13.00) is darker. Urban Decay Vengeance (LE, $18.00) is lighter, more muted. Dior Sundeck #5 (LE, ) is darker. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.
Dogon #2 is described as a “charcoal black.” It’s a deepened, medium-dark black with subtle navy-ish shimmer over a mostly matte finish. It was semi-sheer and powdery, which made it difficult to blend on the lid as it looked uneven and patchy. It lasted for seven hours on me. When swatched, it looks quite similar (and ultimately has the same effect in a look) as Heraklion, so I have no idea why they included both. (This is part of the permanent duo, Dogon.) Make Up For Ever D104 Black Diamond (P, $21.00) is more shimmery. MAC Dark Soul (P, $21.00) is more shimmery. Kat Von D Black Star (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker. LORAC Indigo (LE, ) is more shimmery. ColourPop Friskie (P, $5.00) is more shimmery. Marc Jacobs Beauty The Night Owl #2 (P, ) is darker. ColourPop Shameless (P, $5.00) is more shimmery, cooler. ColourPop Shameless (P, $5.00) is more shimmery, cooler. ColourPop Raven (LE, $5.00) is more shimmery. LORAC Onyx (LE, ) is more shimmery. Viseart Charbon (P, ) is more shimmery. NARS Heraklion (LE, $24.00) is less shimmery. Kat Von D Tornay (P, ) is darker. bareMinerals Black Leather (LE, $14.00) is darker. Anna Sui Diamond Blue (LE, ) is lighter. First 15 dupes listed, see more: See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.
Mandchourie #1 is described as a “golden-infused denim.” It’s a medium-dark, bluish-gray with lighter gold shimmer. The base color was semi-sheer, while the shimmer blended off of the base color so it ended up looking rather matte. You would need a tacky, white base to make this work decently. It faded quickly and had noticeably faded by the fifth hour, and I had a gaping hole in my look after eight hours. This is part of the permanent Manchourie duo, and the one I had when I reviewed the duo (years ago) performed better. Too Faced Chimney (LE, $16.00) is more shimmery, darker. Hello Kitty 1974 (LE, ) is less shimmery. Hello Kitty 1974 (LE, ) is less shimmery. Kat Von D Dios (LE, ) is brighter. ColourPop Tink (P, $5.00) is less shimmery, darker. Rouge Bunny Rouge Trumpeter Koel (P, $19.00) is brighter, cooler. Viseart Cool Matte #8 (P, ) is less shimmery, darker. ColourPop Lovey Dovey (LE, $5.00) is less shimmery, lighter. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.
Bonifacio is described as a “pink sand with shimmer.” It’s a soft, light-medium golden beige with warm undertones and a frosted sheen. It had decent to good pigmentation with a soft, blendable texture and was one of the better performing shades in the palette. It wore well for seven and a half hours on me. Dior Night Golds #5 (LE, ) is lighter, brighter. Giorgio Armani #10 #2 (P, ) is lighter. Too Faced New Romantic (P, $16.00) is less shimmery. Stila Kitten (P, ) is lighter. MAC Sweet Sovereign (LE, $16.00) is lighter, brighter. Too Faced Nutmeg (LE, $16.00) is lighter. ColourPop Truth (P, $5.00) is lighter. Giorgio Armani #10 (P, $32.00) is lighter. MAC Natural Vigor #1 (LE, $21.00) is more shimmery, lighter. Tarte Go for the Gold (LE, ) is darker, more muted. Cle de Peau Satin Moon #1 (P, ) is darker. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.
Zagreb is described as a “chocolate-infused with raspberry shimmer.” It’s a dark, chocolate brown with warm, yellow undertones and gold and red sparkle. It had good pigmentation with a soft, finely-milled texture, but it was still a little challenging to blend out as it tended to turn patchy. It lasted for seven and a half hours on me. MAC Well Put Together (LE, $16.00) is less shimmery, darker, less pigmented, lower quality. Too Faced Yule Log (LE, $16.00) is warmer. NARS Baalbek (P, $25.00) is less shimmery, darker. Make Up For Ever S622 Black Brown (P, $21.00) is less shimmery. Charlotte Tilbury Mona Lisa (P, $32.00) is more shimmery, lighter. Too Faced Obsessed (P, ) is more shimmery, warmer. NARS Mekong (P, $24.00) is less shimmery, more muted. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.
Heraklion is described as a “starry night.” It’s a faded, matte black with silver sparkle over a matte base. The eyeshadow is powdery, uneven, and patchy applied to the skin, and it primarily looks like a matte black applied as the sparkles do not bind with the powder itself. It lasted for seven hours before fading. Sugarpill Stella (P, $13.00) is more shimmery, darker. Ulta Night Sky (P, $10.00) is more shimmery, darker. Make Up For Ever D104 Black Diamond (P, $21.00) is more shimmery, darker. Marc Jacobs Beauty The Mod #2 (P, ) is more shimmery. Tarina Tarantino Diamond Dusk #5 (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, cooler. MAC Dark Soul (P, $21.00) is more shimmery. LORAC Indigo (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter. Rouge Bunny Rouge Volcano Fairy Wren (P, $19.00) is more shimmery, lighter, brighter. ColourPop Raven (LE, $5.00) is more shimmery. ColourPop Friskie (P, $5.00) is more shimmery. Charlotte Tilbury Fallen Angel #4 (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter. Marc Jacobs Beauty The Night Owl #2 (P, ) is darker. Kat Von D Black Star (LE, ) is more shimmery. Viseart Charbon (P, ) is more shimmery. LORAC Onyx (LE, ) is more shimmery. First 15 dupes listed, see more: See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.
Night Clubbing is described as a “black with gold pearl.” It’s a medium-dark black with gold sparkle. It had so-so pigmentation in a single stroke that was buildable to opaque color in two to three layers. It lasted for eight hours before migrating on me. Kat Von D Black Metal Love (P, $10.00) is more shimmery, cooler. MAC Blitz & Glitz (P, $16.00) is less shimmery. Stila Stargazer (P, $20.00) is less shimmery. bareMinerals Absolute Black (P, ) is warmer. Sephora Collection Clubbing Stilettos (P, $9.00) is lighter. Urban Decay Zero (P, $19.00) is . Urban Decay Smokeout (LE, $19.00) is darker. MAC Local Wares (LE, $16.00) is less shimmery, warmer. MAC Avenue (LE, $16.00) is cooler. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.
NARSissist Day & Night Series
LELimited Edition. $65.00.
Nassau
DCDiscontinued. $25.00.
Maya Bay
DCDiscontinued. $25.00.
Ithaca
DCDiscontinued. $25.00.
Dogon #2
DCDiscontinued. $25.00.
Mandchourie #1
DCDiscontinued. $25.00.
Bonifacio
DCDiscontinued. $25.00.
Zagreb
DCDiscontinued. $25.00.
Heraklion
DCDiscontinued. $25.00.
Night Clubbing
PPermanent. $24.00.
NARS NARSissist Day & Night Series Palette
NARS NARSissist Day & Night Series Palette
NARS NARSissist Day & Night Series Palette
NARS NARSissist Day & Night Series Palette
NARS Nassau Eyeshadow
NARS Nassau Eyeshadow
NARS Maya Bay Eyeshadow
NARS Maya Bay Eyeshadow
NARS Ithaca Eyeshadow
NARS Ithaca Eyeshadow
NARS Dogon #2 Eyeshadow
NARS Dogon #2 Eyeshadow
NARS Mandchourie #1 Eyeshadow
NARS Mandchourie #1 Eyeshadow
NARS Bonifacio Eyeshadow
NARS Bonifacio Eyeshadow
NARS Zagreb Eyeshadow
NARS Zagreb Eyeshadow
NARS Heraklion Eyeshadow
NARS Heraklion Eyeshadow
NARS Night Clubbing Night Series Eyeliner
NARS Night Clubbing Night Series Eyeliner
NARS Night Clubbing Night Series Eyeliner
NARS NARSissist Day & Night Series Palette
NARS NARSissist Day & Night Series Palette
Aw, what a shame. Looking at it like that you’d think it would be great!
It’s a bummer!
This is so disappointing for me 🙁 I wanted to use this as a stepping stone for me to try out NARS but at that price point the lowest grade I would buy this at would be a B. For it to be a C+ and be $65, that’s a lot of money for an average palette.
I think you can find so much better for less!
The whole thing looks kind of ‘meh’, so the whole palette wouldn’t be worth it.
The palette itself could have more contrast, I think, as well!
Oh Nars, why oh why such an EPIC FAIL??? This palette *could* have been awesome for a cool smokey eye, but nope! Christine, thank you so much for not only reviewing this for all of us, but also having to endure both a difficult application plus the one shade, Mandchourie #2 fading away to skin! That shade, if formulated properly, would have been so pretty. What a shame.
I forgot to mention in the review, but it’s better in its permanent duo form (at least for the one I have)!
Thank you so much, Christine! I just followed the link you left on Katherine T’s comment, and what an ENORMOUS difference in pigmentation between the two! The Mandchourie Duo is on my Wishlist!
I have the duo, and considering it’s also the only really unique shade in the palette, I’d suggest saving $30, and buying the duo. In my experience, some NARS shadows are really fussy, but this is really one of the easier duos to work with.
Yes, I am most definitely getting the Duo! When I made a short visit to Sephora this afternoon, I looked for it, but didn’t see any at that location. But possibly online, I’m guessing, or the larger Sephora up in North Scottsdale.
Mandchourie had so much potential. It really is such a pretty shadow.
It just falls apart 🙁
Oh no, so sad about Mandchourie 🙁 Hey I think there’s a glitch here, it shows F, but when I click on the picture under Glossover, it takes me to link that shows B ……I have 2 of the dupes already (Hello Kitty & Colour Pop Tink), so will put some gold highlighter/shadow on top to dupe it. And I LOVE the eye look you created, it’s so stunning!
The grade is actually taken from the original review I did of the permanent duo for the product page 🙂 (http://www.temptalia.com/nars-mandchourie-eyeshadow-duo-review-photos-swatches)
Oh, got it! Wow, Mandchourie looks so different in the duo, it’s like night and day! In the duo it looks like a blackish navy (can’t even see the gold shimmer), but here it looks like a faded gray.
That’s a huge difference. I actually like it a lighter gray, just not so underpigmented it’s fading into the skin like this palette’s version. We need a happy medium.
Pity, but I did expect that this palette wouln’t do as well as I had hoped it would.
Well, lots of money saved!
Thanks for always having matter of fact, honest reviews. You have no idea how much I appriciate your work!
Thank you, Helene! xo
Disappointing! At this price, Nars should be able to do better, esp. with the shades that are permanent. I recall Lhasa in one of their palettes being really awful, while the regular single shadow is perfection.
They seem to be like MAC when it comes to palettes… typically inferior 🙁
The thing is that for many people, a palette like this might be their first introduction to a brand. I mean, I could see someone buying this as a gift for a young woman just getting into makeup, thinking they’re doing a really nice thing buying her an assortment of shadows from a really prestige brand. And as a first intro to Nars (or Dior – some of their 5-pans or MAC, as you said) it would be very disappointing and likely to taint someone’s opinion of the brand overall.
I completely agree! It’s a horrible introduction, and I don’t understand why there is a known problem with brands singles vs. palettes and yet brands don’t seem to be concerned about fixing it 🙁
Of course the most interesting shade is the worst performing. *smh*
Figures, right?
Well I’m glad I didn’t purchase right away! As always thanks for the honest review!
My pleasure, Meghan!
Ooh this looks skippable for me… the eye look you’re wearing in the bottom pics is lovely though. I’d love Mandchourie on its own!
Thanks, Sarah! You can get it, actually — it is part of the duo Mandchourie 🙂 (http://www.temptalia.com/nars-mandchourie-eyeshadow-duo-review-photos-swatches)
I’m a huge fan of Nars shadows — can’t wait to see this and try it on!
Let me know how it works for you! 🙂
Only thing I really liked was Zagreb. I’m really disappointed in mandchourie. Maybe I will buy the version in the duo though because you did give that duo a B grade. Orrrr I can just layer grey ,navy and gold together to hopefully get the same effect
Yep, the permanent duo (at least the one I had at the time) is a lot better!
For Zagreb, take a look at Mekong or the darker shade in the Cordura duo!
A really lovely Navy and grey can be found in Shiseido’s Snow Shadow. It contains a beautiful navy and grey colour -easy to use, highly pigmented and a superior shadow altogether. Much better on your wallet too.
I think I am going to use the navy I have in one of my UD palettes first. Thanks for the suggestions. I have never tried Shishedo -which means I probably need to get to a store that sells it
I bought it (had a 10% off at Sephora) and even as an eyeshadow noob, I was disappointed in one or two shades. I believe it was Naussau that was really patchy, even with MAC prep + prime eye over my lid. The colors are pretty, but not great. Glad to know there are better ones out there.
Well, the upside is at least you liked some of them, Shannon! 🙂 But maybe consider returning or exchanging if you are unhappy with it overall!
Manchourie needs to be done as a better performing and permanent single. That shade would be so pretty. I prefer the cooler grey blue base to the previous duo version though.
I don’t think NARS has ever made part of their duo a single to my recollection 🙁
On a positive note, the look you created with it is beautiful! Too bad about the quality of the palette. =(
Thank you, Cat!
🙁
I hear ya!
I’m grateful this palette is sooo dupable amongst NARS’ own permanent range, but sorely disappointed that it seems NARS is just “one-offing” the “exclusive” shades in the last few palettes in what seems a cheap ploy to get longtime, loyal buyers to grab the palettes… Even if noone wants to put in the effort to create new shades, why not bring back some of the old/DC’d shades?
I was surprised they didn’t include more of the original Night shades in it!
Oh dear – how awful for NARS – this is really not good enough.
I am not a fan of this palette – too many browns and blacks – colours that we have a lot of anyway. The only colour I thought was interesting was the grey and that was dismal.
I really wish it was better!
No wonder they say NARS is the new MAC now…what a shame!
LOL!
Thanks all you guys for the 411 on Mandchourie. After Temptaliaing (Do you like being a verb?). Nars Sandra duo, might spring for the Mandchourie duo. I’m still finding it very helpful to make a list of palette releases with dupes in the stash. BTW I don’t think anyone has mentioned the MUG 10% sale w/. STOCKUP10 as the code.
This palette is abysmal.
Haha! 😉
Despite the palette being such a letdown, you still managed to create a stunning look with it. Too bad it probably wasn’t easy to come by… I guess that’s a testament to your handiwork!
Aww, thank you Katlyn! 🙂
I value your reviews and professional assessments so I was all set to return this to Sephora — but then I figured I should at least try it. I’m glad I did since much to my surprise I really like it. I think the difference is primer. I used TFSI and the shadows went on without too much fuss and haven’t budged all day. I know you base your reviews on application without primer and I think that’s necessary to establish a base line for all products. But I think this is one of those times when primer makes all the difference. Maybe they should print on the box “MUST USE PRIMER”!!!
Happy you gave it a try, Christina! 😀 I’m happy as long as you’re happy, lol!
When you know what Nars is capable of and see this shoddy, unappealing, over priced type of palette over and over it gets disheartening. Why oh why can’t they all be Kauai?!?!
I guess NARS just wants to save us money 😉
LOL no joke!! Kinda nice of them considering I couldn’t throw my money at them fast enough when the Audacious lipsticks came out. Love at first swatch!