NARS Pandora Duo Eyeshadow Review & Swatches

Christine — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Pandora

NARS Pandora Duo Eyeshadow (2018) ($35.00 for 0.08 oz.) contains a soft, shimmery white and a deep, matte black. The white eyeshadow was somewhat disappointed, though the matte black was quite good. I like the concept, though I’m curious whether more people would prefer a matte white instead of a satiny one.

Pandora

PPermanent. $35.00.

Product

Pigmentation

Texture

Longevity

4.5

Application

83%

Total

Pandora I

Pandora I is a pale white with neutral-to-cool undertones and a satin sheen. It had good pigmentation with a soft consistency, but it was dusty and prone to sheering out. There was also slight fallout when I blended the edges. It lasted for seven hours on me before fading noticeably.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

Top Dupes
Formula Overview

Top Dupes

View Swatches View All Dupes

Too Faced Coconut Cream (LE, $16.00) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
Hello Kitty Milk (LE, ) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
KVD Beauty Skull (LE, ) is less shimmery (90% similar).
LORAC Matte-y (LE, $19.00) is warmer (90% similar).
LORAC Linen (PiP, $19.00) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
Zoeva Fuzzy Haze (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
Sugarpill Tako (P, $13.00) is less shimmery (90% similar).
LORAC Pink Peony (LE, $19.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
Anastasia Sails (LE, $12.00) is less shimmery, brighter (90% similar).
Sephora + Pantone Universe Bright White (LE, ) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).

View Swatches

Formula Overview

$19.00/0.04 oz. - $475.00 Per Ounce

The formula is supposed to have "rich, high-impact color" that is "lightweight" and has "increased blendability." Like most larger ranges, there are winners and losers, and some of how they perform can be related to the type of finish. The mattes are soft, slightly dusty in the pans (or not at all) with medium to opaque, often buildable, color coverage. The satin and metallics tend to be smoother, more blendable, and more pigmented with less effort; NARS does the these lower shimmer finishes particularly well, which just looks "melted" on the skin as they lay down so smoothly and have a great shine.

Most shades applied better on my lid than swatched on my arm, which has been something seen across NARS' eyeshadows for years and didn't change with the recent update to their powder eyeshadow formula. On average, they lasted between seven and nine hours on me without primer. They did apply well over primer and stayed on well for 14 hours with minimal fading.

Worth noting: the updated formula and packaging resulted in a product decrease from 0.07 oz. per pan to 0.04 oz. The single eyeshadows received a more noticeable price drop (from $24 to $19) but the duo eyeshadows could be priced better (from $36 to $35).

Browse all of our NARS Eyeshadow (2018) swatches.