More shiny pretty things were delivered to work this morning.
Honest to god, I think I need some sort of intervention. I buy so much crap
that I genuinely forget what I’ve ordered - which means that on occasion, I get
that little tingly sensation of delightful surprise as I open the package to
reveal that actually, some of the orders I place are not crap at all.
I have always been a loyal fan of the NARS brand. I know, I
know, some of you are probably thinking “over-priced nonsense” but to me, in
the case of NARS cosmetics at least,
you really do get what you pay for. Yes, it’s not the cheapest, but the quality
of products is second to none, especially the blushers. Can’t say as I can say
the same for their skincare that I’ve tried, which feels a bit too “normal” to
justify the pricetag.
Anyway, in this week’s parcel were a couple of eyeshadows
and a lip pencil.
Let’s start with the eyeshadows, and see how many
beauty-blogger eyeshadow review clichés we can add in. “Finely milled”? Check.
“Buttery”? Check. “High blendability”? Check. Sigh.
Why the sigh? Well, I unfortunately LOVE the NARS shimmer
eyeshadow formula. It’s very Burberry-esque, in that they are beautifully
“soft-focus” and can be applied lightly for a sheer wash of colour, or built up
(without any powdery residue or fall out) into a much deeper and more unctuous
shade.
The two I added to the collection were Lhasa and Cairo.
Lhasa is described on the NARS website as a “lavender grey”, but to me there
is a hell of a lot more grey than lavender (I could only spot the lavender
under full sunlight, under indoor lighting it seems to disappear completely on
me). It also leans slightly taupe on my skintone, but is a gorgeously
cool-toned “I can’t be bothered in the mornings” quick application job which
always looks polished and perfect no matter how slap-dash I am.
Cairo is a “champagne
rose with shimmer” which I can’t say I agree with either. There’s no rose in
this bad boy - it’s a beautiful, subtle, shimmering epitome of golden,
champagne-taupe perfection. As you can probably imagine, it’s my new favourite
eyeshadow colour. For daytime wear, it suits my blue eyes in a way no other
taupe eyeshadow from my collection ever has – not sure what it is about this
one that makes all the difference but it makes my eyes POP, another clichéd
phrase that I hate to use but unfortunately it sums it up perfectly. Swatches
below.
 |
| Left: Lhasa Right: Cairo |
 |
| Cairo; Lhasa; Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dolce Vita |
The formula
is…….. kinda weird feeling. The pencil application is absolutely fine, I have
no quibbles there – it’s just the feeling you get upon application. It’s almost
as though I have rubbed a dry oil all over my lips. They slip and slide all
over the place as though wearing a very greasy lipbalm, but my lips look matte.
Does. Not. Compute. The feeling reminds me of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams,
but the NARS pencil doesn’t “dry down” as much as the NYX formula. It stays
quite moveable for some time, and also transfers quite a bit onto mugs of tea. :(
 |
| Dolce Vita |
On the
whole, I like the colour – although it is a little warm on me, when paired with
a basic neutral/cool eye (i.e. Cairo or Lhasa!), natural blush and a good slick
of black eyeliner, it makes for a gorgeous modern-classic look. Is that an
oxymoron? Hmmm.
I have a
feeling that there will be more NARS purchases on the very near horizon. Based
on the online swatches, my life will not be complete without Cruella (a
“passionate scarlet red”), and I have added at least six eyeshadows to the
Want List. This is turning out to be a very expensive habit………
Shimmer
Eyeshadows are priced at £18.00 each, while the Velvet Matte Lip Pencils are
£17.50.
Jen
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