NARS

Laying Out the Welcome Matte for Glitter: This Fall, Two Pure Matte Lipsticks Sparkle at NARS

July 8th, 2013 by Karen 27 Comments

NARS Pure Matte Lipsticks in La Paz — Keeping the peace with La Paz, one of two new NARS Pure Matte Lipsticks ($26), on my lips

Don’t be fooled. Just because they call deep purple La Paz and coppery pink Peloponnese “Pure Matte Lipsticks” doesn’t mean they aren’t perfectly capable of powering you through a psychedelic Care Bears-themed rave or a princess party.

Both lipsticks, the only two in the new NARS fall 2013 collection, contain a fair amount of glitter — you know, just in case you need to party.

NARS La Paz Pure Matte Lipstick, an orchid ($26, limited edition) — Orchid La Paz Pure Matte Lipstick, ($26, limited edition)

NARS Peloponnese Pure Matte Lipstick, a ginger pink ($26) — Ginger pink Peloponnese Pure Matte Lipstick ($26, permanent collection)

Leave it to FranÃ§ois to bedazzle two matte lipsticks with the crushed silver bits of a broken disco ball!

It’s just so unexpected and really, really cool. The medium-sized flecks of silver glitter sparkle in a matte base.

NARS Pure Matte Lipsticks in La Paz (left) and Peloponnese (right) — The Pure Matte Lipsticks in La Paz (left) and Peloponnese (right)

It’s just too bad that neither of these — La Paz nor Peloponnese — feel as good as they look, at least not on my dry lips, which is strange, as I usually think of the NARS Pure Mattes as being on the more comfortable end of the matte lipsticks spectrum.

These, though, seem surprisingly tight and drying…

The only explanation I can come up with is the glitter — not that it’s gritty or anything, but I think it might be throwing a wrench into the texture/finish ratio.

NARS Pure Matte Lipsticks in Peloponnese — Pure Matte Lipsticks in Peloponnese

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Elevate Your Fuzzy Little Caterpillars to Golden Arches With the New NARS Brow Gel and Brow Perfector

July 8th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

Wearing the NARS Brow Perfectors in Kalamata and Suriname; Brow Gel Kinshasha, new for fall 2013 — Wearing the new NARS Brow Perfectors in Kalamata and Suriname, and the Brow Gel in Kinshasha

I like big brows, and I cannot lie.
You other brothas can’t deny.
When a girl walks in,
With her bushy brows,
And those arches on her face, I get sprung.

BABY GOT BROWS! I just misquoted Sir Mix-a-lot, what?

Guess who’s got big brows on her mind, babes. They’re kind of a thing for fall, which is probably why brands like NARS are rolling out the red carpet for big brows with products like their new fall Brow Gels and Brow Perfectors ($22 each).

NARS Brow Perfectors on the left and Brow Gels on the right — The Brow Perfectors on the left and Brow Gels on the right

I’ve been trying to grow out my fuzzy little caterpillars for a while, but it hasn’t been easy, thanks to the aftereffects of the era of pencil-thin brows known as the ’90s.

Mine naturally also sort of fade away around the middle mark, and then there’s the issue of Raul…the really annoying bald spot on my left brow. It’s like a no-man’s land up in that spot! Absolutely nothing grows there.

Yeah, thank goodness for side-swept bangs…and these new NARS Brow Perfector pencils and brush-on Brow Gels, both been of which have been helping me fulfill my dreams of Brooke Shields brows circa 1982.

The NARS Brow Perfector ($22)

FranÃ§ois and friends designed the NARS Brow Perfector, which comes in four shades, each with a natural matte finish, to fill, shape and define brows, and they made the twist-up pencil oval to differentiate it from the pack of similar products.

The oval shape is supposed to make it easier to control, helping you get the exact brow shape, angle and size you want.

There’s Salzbourg (a light brown), Caucase (a medium brown), Kalamata (a medium brownish taupe) and Suriname (a black)…

I’ve been using a combination of the two darker colors, Kalamata and Suriname (a very stark, dark black), because I feel like there’s a wide gap between them. Neither one by itself matches my natural brow color. Something between the two shades would be perfect for we lasses with dark brown locks.

NARS Brow Perfector Brow Gel tips — Oval shape of the Brow Perfector tip on the left and the Brow Gel’s tapered brush on the right

First thing I noticed about these was the texture. They’re hard — like polar opposites of soft, waxy brow pencils like Benefit’s Instant Brows.

But I don’t think that’s a problem at all. In fact, many of the harder brow pencils I’ve tried stay put longer, at least for me, and this one does, too. When I draw mine in at the crack of dawn, they still look prim and proper 12-14 hours later.

Interestingly, all of these Brow Perfector colors appear to contain gray undertones, and a couple of them remind me of some of my MAC brow filling favorites, except in pencil costume. Salzbourg makes me think of MAC Omega, and Kalamata reminds me of MAC Concrete.

These pencils apply very sheer, so I have to build them up when I want darker brows. Perfect, because I’ve been known to go overboard with darker pencils anyway — something that’s pretty hard to do with these. They may take a little longer to use, but I’ll take that trade-off for the added control these provide.

As for the twist-up tip, we have a love/hate relationship… On the one hand, I love the ease of use — no need to sharpen! — but the oval shape hasn’t been the best for fine detail work.

Even so, I like these. With a matte finish that looks natural, and epic staying power, the only change I might suggest is an easy way to sharpen them.

MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

The Brow Gels ($22)

Dude, these are DOPE! Much better than the MAC and Anastasia brow gels I’ve been alternating between for the past couple months.

They come in four shades — three pigmented and one colorless — with the pigmented shades actually being pigmented enough to see on your skin and brows.

Cool. 🙂

NARS swatches from the left: Brow Perfector in Caucase, Kalmata, Salzbourg and Suriname; Brow Gels in Athens, Kinshasa, Oural and Piraeus — From the left: Brow Perfector in Caucase, Kalmata, Salzbourg and Suriname; Brow Gels in Athens, Kinshasa, Oural and Piraeus

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DAILY BEAUTY: NARS Fall 2013 Color Collection Pictures and Swatches

July 7th, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

NARS Bavaria Single Eyeshadow, a deep sea blue ($24)

Oh, FranÃ§ois!! I’m matte about you and the matte textures in your fall 2013 color collection!

NARS Fall 2013, babe. It’s 12 pieces, heavy on the mattes, although there are also some shimmers here.

Check that gorgeous teal at the top. That’s Bavaria, om-nom-nom…

The color palette is comprised of blues, dove grays and browns, with a sprinkling of gold, red, purple and pink.

The whole enchilada comes to NARS counters, boutiques and online July 15.

I’m still getting a feel for the pieces and what I can do with them as far as looks, but here are pics and swatches…

NARS Kamatcha Single Eyeshadow, a navy smoke ($24) — Kamatcha Single Eyeshadow, a navy smoke ($24)

NARS Namibia Single Eyeshadow, a gray moon ($24) — Namibia Single Eyeshadow, a gray moon ($24)

NARS Yamal Single Eyeshadow, a maple sugar ($24, limited edition) — Yamal Single Eyeshadow, a maple sugar ($24, limited edition)

NARS Via De Martelli Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, a chocolate ($24) — Via De Martelli Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, a chocolate ($24)

NARS Las Ramblas Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, a yellow gold ($24, limited edition) — Las Ramblas Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, a yellow gold ($24, limited edition)

NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, a pink chiffon ($25, limited edition) — Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, a pink chiffon ($25, limited edition)

NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, a crimson red ($25, limited edition) — Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, a crimson red ($25, limited edition)

NARS Galathee Nail Polis, a dove gray ($19, limited edition) — Galathee Nail Polis, a dove gray ($19, limited edition)

NARS Fury Nail Polish, a regal purple ($19, limited edition) — Fury Nail Polish, a regal purple ($19, limited edition)

NARS Fall 2013 Swatches from the left: Kamchatka Eyeshadow, Namibia Eyeshadow, Yamal Eyeshadow, Bavaria Eyeshadow, Las Ramblas Larger Than life Long-Wear Eyeliner, Via De'Martelli Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner — From the left: Kamchatka Eyeshadow, Namibia Eyeshadow, Yamal Eyeshadow, Bavaria Eyeshadow, Las Ramblas Larger Than life Long-Wear Eyeliner, Via De’Martelli Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner

NARS Fall 2013 Swatches from the left: La Paz Pure Matte Lipstick, Peloponnese Pure Matte Lipstick, Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil — From the left: La Paz Pure Matte Lipstick, Peloponnese Pure Matte Lipstick, Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Nail Polishes in Galathee (left) and Fury (right) — Nail Polishes in Galathee (left) and Fury (right)

NARS Hearts New York City, and So Do I

April 29th, 2013 by Karen 31 Comments

I have this workout playlist called “Power Boost” that I keep in my back pocket to get me through the last (usually painful) mile of my runs, when all I feel like doing is stopping, plopping down on the ground, and passing out in a puddle of sweat.

One of the songs on it is Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind, and sometimes when I’m running on the treadmill at home I’ll sing the chorus — “New Yooooooork!” — at the top of my burning lungs, between panting and gasping for air.

Sometimes I also sing this…

I sing it with so much verve that someone who didn’t know me might even think I’m from New York.

Which wouldn’t be a problem for me. I’ve only been there once, but I mean, it’s New York. Once was enough to fall in love. We spent a few days sightseeing over Thanksgiving back in 2004, and it was so much fun. We got bagels and coffee and watched the Macy’s parade from the sidewalk by the park.

The Bay Area, though, has always had my heart…

My family lives here, and it’s where I grew up, so I’ll just have to be content admiring NYC from afar and getting my fixes in other ways, like with the new NARS Hearts New York City set ($75).

Complete with an Eye & Cheek Palette and a full-sized lip gloss and nail polish, the limited edition set pulses with top-selling NARS shades from New York.

NARS Hearts New York City all open — Clockwise from the nail polish: Chinatown Nail Polish, Dolce Vita Lip Gloss and the Eye & Cheek Palette

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The NARS Pierre Hardy Nail Duos Pump Up the Pigment

April 16th, 2013 by Karen 14 Comments

If I ever procure my dream shoe closet (one so vast that you can’t see how far back it goes, and the walls are lined with shelf upon shelf of heels from floor to ceiling), it’ll have one entire row dedicated to the six new Pierre Hardy for NARS Nail Duos.

A collaboration with famed French footwear and accessories designer Pierre Hardy, the new limited edition summer line, inspired by high heels, pits six pairs of polishes together like shoes.

Note: you do not have to wear heels to strut your stuff in these six $29 duos (but you might want to anyway). Your toes would look just as cute if you wore them in flip-flips. 🙂

I’ve never put on a pair of Pierre Hardy shoes, but based on the nail polishes and blushes in his collection with NARS, I want to.

Apparently, homeboy likes pigment! — because NARS pumped a ton of it into these polishes, and with the exception of the light yellow shade, Sharks Left, they deliver pretty good coverage from one or two layers.

To keep the fairly thick formula, which dries to high gloss finish in less than 10 minutes, from getting gooey on my nails, I empty as much as I can first from the brush before applying.

NARS Pierre Hardy Easy Walking Nail Polish Duo: Easy Walking Left (a shimmery golden bronze) and Easy Walking Right (a creamy yellowish tan)

NARS Pierre Hardy Sharplines Nail Polish Duo: Sharplines Left (a creamy peach) and Sharplines Right (a creamy dark brown)

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NARS Pierre Hardy Nail Polish Duos

April 16th, 2013 by Karen 1 Comment

The six new NARS Pierre Hardy Nail Polish Duos, $29 each. You can find ’em now online at narscosmetics.com.

Like a Good Pair of Heels, These New Pierre Hardy for NARS Blushes Kick Butt

April 15th, 2013 by Karen 38 Comments

I’m dreaming of shoes… and the new NARS Pierre Hardy Rotonde Blush ($41)

I am a shoe girl…but of course you already knew this. 🙂

Whenever a new shoe-related beauty collaboration comes along, I’m always eager to try it on for size (haha!), even when the link between said footwear and whatever new perfume (Jimmy Choo) or palette (Seychelles for Smashbox) we’re talking about seems about as random as, I dunno, Ryan Gosling releasing his own line of Mrs. Grossman’s stickers, or BeyoncÃ© launching a limited edition Mrs. Carter Dyson vacuum (as a side, I would totally want both of those things if they were real).

Generally, whenever makeup and shoes are involved, you can count me in, which is why I’m deeply fascinated with the new Pierre Hardy for NARS collection that strutted its stuff online today at narscosmetics.com with six nail polish duos and two powder blushes.

I didn’t know much about Pierre Hardy before this launch. I’d thought, “Is that Ed Hardy’s cousin?” (Kidding) But then I looked him up…

A French shoe designer originally trained in fine arts and dance, Hardy’s fashion career took off in 1988 when he designed his first shoe collection for Christian Dior. His heels and high tops often incorporate geometric elements, which I like. His aesthetic seems very chic to me, and yet it doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously.

Thematically, NARS borrows heavily from Pierre Hardy’s summer 2013 collection here, with a mix of orange, nude, blue, purple and gray, which weave their way into the polishes, while a pattern lifted from a bold cuff repeats itself within the two pans of over-sized blush.