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Archives for 2013

The NARS Mad Mad World Eyeshadow Duo Dials Up the Blue and Green Pigment

January 16th, 2013 by Karen 21 Comments

NARS Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow
Wearing the new $34 NARS Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow from the spring 2013 collection

Sure, brown and beige eyeshadows are always there when you need ’em. They’re dependable, like Ford trucks. But sometimes, ya know, I just wanna play with color. 🙂

And if my experiments with color don’t work out, so what? It’s only makeup, right? I can always wash it off (unlike that tattoo of Tabs’ face on my arm…kidding).

Following that train of thought, there’s the new NARS Mad Mad World Eyeshadow Duo ($34).

It’s that eye-catching blue and green beauty from the new spring 2013 collection…

Pigment much?

With that much color at your disposal, you could go all out by loading one (or both) of the shades on your lids for an intense look, or do something much subtler, like a faint blue whisper similar to what NARS did with model Stella Tennant for the spring 2013 campaign.

NARS Spring 2013 and model Stella Tennant

Check out her lower lash line. See that blue smudged softly into the black liner? That’s how I’ve been wearing Mad Mad World (minus the pink on my lids…which is a little much for me, but if you can pull if off, more power to ya!).

I think it’s an easy, rock ‘n’ roll-ish spring twist on a basic black liner look.

nars mad mad world
Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow ($34)

nars spring 2013 swatches
Swatches from the left: Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow, Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow, Persia Single Eyeshadow and Corcovado Soft Touch Shadow Pencil

[Continue reading…]

There are 21 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, NARS, Product Reviews

NARS’ Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Corcovado

January 16th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments




NARS Corcovado Soft Touch Shadow Pencil
NARS Corcovado Soft Touch Shadow Pencil
The new NARS Corcovado Soft Touch Shadow Pencil ($24), from the spring 2013 collection

A shimmery gold cream eyeshadow that you can wear by itself or as a base for powder eyeshadows.

I dig the color and how it lights up my eyes, but after five minutes it creases like WHOA. It wears a little better if I use only a tiny bit and set it with a powder eyeshadow.

Wish NARS could find a way for it to last longer, because the color’s flattering on warm skin.

nars spring 2013 swatches
Swatches from the left: Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow, Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow, Persia Single Eyeshadow and Corcovado Soft Touch Shadow Pencil

NARS Corcovado Soft Touch Shadow Pencil

PRICE: $24
AVAILABILITY: Available now at NARS counters and narscosmetics.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: C

There are 18 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty

A January Sunrise

January 16th, 2013 by Karen 8 Comments





A January Sunrise

A January Sunrise

Any day you see a sunrise is a great day.

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo

Princely Persia Eyeshadow Takes Lids for a Walk on the Orange Side: NARS Persia Single Eyeshadow

January 15th, 2013 by Karen 17 Comments

NARS Persia Single Eyeshadow
NARS Persia Single Eyeshadow ($24)

Oh, NARS Persia…why do you make me think of goofy Jake Gyllenhaal running around the desert half-naked with greasy hair? Or remind me of the kitty who hawks boxes of grilled Fancy Feast?

(Ever notice how Persian cats get most of the best gigs for wet food ads?)

Tabs and his box of Fancy Feast

Now, I know why you remind me of MAC Brown Script, a matte, super soft and pigmented reddish, orangey brown.

Brown Script is one of my favorite eyeshadow colors, evah! I love wearing it in the crease, and Persia, a single from the new NARS spring 2013 collection, is like an orangey version.

Hella intense, like several of its siblings from the launch, Persia first struck me as a crease contouring color best for warm-toned gals (and guys), and yes, I think it’s awesome in that capacity, but it also exhibits brightening powers!

Wait — what?

Yup, like the new Bouthan Duo, even though Persia isn’t what I’d normally think of when I think of “eye-opening colors.”

When I apply it on my lids, draw a small amount up into the crease, and finish with a couple coats of mascara (followed by, perhaps, black eyeliner, if I’m feelin’ it), wow. Not bad. 🙂

I think I do look wider awake…

nars persia
Persia Single Eyeshadow ($24)

nars spring 2013 swatches
Swatches from the left: Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow, Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow, Persia Single Eyeshadow and Corcovado Soft Touch Shadow Pencil

[Continue reading…]

There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, NARS, Product Reviews

Turning Eyeshadow Lovers Into Pink Ladies, One Brush Stroke at a Time: The New NARS Bouthan Eyeshadow Duo

January 15th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

NARS Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow
Wearing the new NARS Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow ($34), from the new spring 2013 collection

On a scale of pink eyeshadow zombie-ness, with one being 100% human and 10 being 100% zombie, the NARS Bouthan Eyeshadow Duo gets a solid ONE. Human all the way!

First, it’s pink eyeshadow, and pink isn’t always the easiest color for me to wear on my eyes, especially bright pinks.

I always approach pink eyeshadows cautiously, because some of them can look a little sketchy (i.e., like I’ve been crying, or have been turned into zombie…a crying zombie).

Sometimes, though, when I find the right pink, everything just clicks.

And here’s a duo that falls into that category. 🙂

Maybe it’s because neither of these shades contains a lot of red, and reddish pinks, at least on my lids, enhance the zombie effect. The shadows in Bouthan are further from red and closer to purple on the color wheel.

Oh, and both of them sparkle! The darker purplish pink shade, especially, which looks very striking loaded with so much dense golden glitter.

nars bouthan
Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow ($34)

nars spring 2013 swatches
Swatches from the left: Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow, Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow, Persia Single Eyeshadow and Corcovado Soft Touch Shadow Pencil

NARS Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow
[Continue reading…]

There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, NARS, Product Reviews

More a Slow Burn Than a Blaze, Sheer NARS Disco Inferno Nail Polish

January 15th, 2013 by Karen 21 Comments

NARS Disco Inferno Nail Polish
NARS Disco Inferno Nail Polish ($18), from the new spring 2013 collection

How do you feel about sheer nail polishes? If you answered, “Yes! Love ’em. Gimme-gimme-gimme!” I’d like to direct your attention to a Disco Inferno.

NARS Disco Inferno. It’s from their new 2013 spring collection, and I see it as a provocative counterpoint to the makeup it parties with in the release.

“Intense” barely comes close to describing many of the color products in the collection. This spring at NARS has been a full-on pigment party.

But for nails, the brand decided to go a different, sheerer route.

I like it in the context of the rest of the collection — the contrast between the vibrant, 1,000-watt stereo pigment products, and Disco Inferno’s almost whisper of color.

Sure, if you don’t like sheer nail polishes, this won’t light your fire, but if you do, look out!

Like a real fire, Disco Inferno plays with light. It’s constantly changing colors.

It also reminds me of a mermaids tail…

No, not a tale like, “Once upon a time, a lonely mermaid longed to walk along the shore above her underwater world.”

Nope. Tail, as in T-A-I-L.
[Continue reading…]

There are 21 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Nails, NARS, Product Reviews

MAC’s Party Parrot Lipstick

January 15th, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments





MAC Party Parrot Lipstick

MAC Party Parrot Lipstick

A vibrant reddish pink, and one of five lipsticks from the new MAC Strength collection.

One layer gives me smooth, full coverage that lasts from 6-7 hours.

What a bright, happy shade. 🙂

If you’re hooked on MAC’s Impassioned Lipstick, you might also sing for Party Parrot.

MAC Party Parrot Lipstick swatch

MAC Party Parrot Lipstick

PRICE: $15
AVAILABILITY: Currently listed as “sold out” on maccosmetics.com, so check your local counter
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+

There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty

“This Is a House of Learned Doctors.”

January 15th, 2013 by Karen 28 Comments




Favorite quote from the movie, Stepbrothers. Go!

Swear to gawd, every time I watch that movie, I crack up!

I’m lemming this shirt I saw at Urban Outfitters, big time…

There are 28 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo

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