NARS

Whether You’re Couch Surfing or Man Hunting, the Latest NARS Lipstick Comes Dressed to Kill

January 11th, 2013 by Karen 30 Comments

Today my lipstick was dressed to kill, but I was not.

I wore the new NARS Dressed to Kill lipstick ($24, from the spring 2013 collection) on my lips to go with my hot pink capri sweatpants and black hoodie (heart you, Zella Galaxy!!).

So I guess that made me, “Dressed to sit on the couch and watch bad reality TV.” Or, “Dressed to pass out at any given moment.” Or, “Dressed to sit drooling on the couch while completely covered in cat hair.”

Clearly, I missed the memo, as this rich, plummy brick red, with its golden glitter sprinkles, deserves better than that. It deserved to strut down the street with skintight jeans, over-the-knee black boots and a sassy leather jacket.

It deserves man-eater clothes. And you deserve Dressed to Kill. 🙂

nars dressed to kill — Dressed to Kill Lipstick ($24)

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For Spring 2013, NARS Is Putting Peppy Pigments on a Pedestal

January 10th, 2013 by Karen 42 Comments

nars spring 2013 makeup collection — A gander at the new NARS Spring 2013 collection…

3 things that brightened my day…

1. The realization that I’m finally, again (since I watched the show once before), on the last season of The Hills.

I KNOW! Allegedly, Kristin and Brody have decided to get back together…

Whatev. I haven’t really been paying attention since LC left (and I also remember what happened from watching it the first time), but I feel like I’m in so deep that I can’t stop now.

2. Tabs has been so totally into me all day long! 🙂

He had been ignoring me most of the week but for some weird reason today decided I was worthy of his presence, so he’s been following me around the house and sleeping on my lap.

Yeah, I knew Tabs was big…but he looks ginormous in this picture (they say the camera adds 10 pounds). I don’t know, maybe it’s the angle? That, or he’s just a frickin’ huge-@ss cat.

3. And lastly, the NARS Spring 2013 collection! 🙂

No, literally, it brightened my day. See the blue eyeshadow there in the Mad Mad World Duo…?

That’s bright. Like Katy Perry’s blue wig bright.

And that green is no joke, either. After I swatched and photographed it, I cleaned up, and then a few minutes later noticed that my finger had a green stain!

This collection has some serious Roy Gee Biv action happening — red, orange, yellow, green, blue and — not exactly a violet, but more of a purplish pink.

I have a feeling this one’s gonna drive the color-lovers wild, and because of the amount of pigment these pieces pack, I bet they’ll rock the house on darker divas.

Eyes, nails, lips and faces (there are two face powders in the release, both called Translucent Crystal, one pressed and one loose) have something to look forward to here.

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

nars bouthan — Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow ($34)

nars persia — Persia Single Eyeshadow ($24)

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Bond Girl Makeup Looks Inspired by the OPI Skyfall Collection: From Skyfall, Savarine

November 7th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

bond girls severine skyfall look — A Savarine Bond girl makeup look inspired by the OPI Skyfall collection nail polish in Skyfall

“Bond, I’m going to need you to be on your toes for this next assignment. This group is very dangerous.”

“Whatever you say, M.”

“I’m serious, Bond. Cat ladies are the real deal. They’ve been known to actually persuade spies to abandon their missions and join the cat crusade. They will not stop until the world goes full-on feline!”

“So…does that mean I have to keep my paws to myself?”

. . .

Yeah, so if the curmudgeonly cat lady thing doesn’t pan out for me over the next couple of years, I might just become a full-time, self-employed Bond girl. Seriously! I’d have no problem slinking around the house by myself all day long looking all mysterious and sultry like Savarine, the Bond girl from Skyfall, the latest installment in the series.

I’d be totally fine with that.

In the movie, which opens this Friday across North America, Savarine is played by French actress BÃ©rÃ©nice Marlohe. I’ve forbidden myself from reading any spoilers, even though I desperately want to (just two more days!), but movie stills are okay, especially when the makeup, hair and nails are to die for, like they are in these pics of Savarine.

Ooh, I that gray eye look… It’s kinda smokey, and I dig the cat eye shape.

See how the shadow slightly wings out at the ends? I feel like it elongates the eye. Oh, and peep the inner corners, and how her eyeshadow tracks her tear duct, ending in a slightly pointed tip. Makes it look even more feline, meow! 🙂

I was really inspired today by Savarine’s look, so I thought I’d give it a try this afternoon and wear it with OPI’s dark plummy red Skyfall nail polish.

The eyes: step by step

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Driver, Take Me to NARS 413BLKR Street for the New Duo Eyeshadow and Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

September 14th, 2012 by Karen 46 Comments

nars 413blkr

Sure, you’ve got your beauty bases covered for life’s big events — cocktail parties, baby showers, weddings, the zombie apocalypse — but what about those once-in-a-while mornings when you wake up feeling “meh”?

Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Maybe you woke up with hella greasy hair that smelled like Ritz Crackers. Maybe you just wanted — no, needed a jolt of color to summon your inner foxiness forward.

It’s mornings like those that were made for 413BLKR. 🙂

NARS recently released 413BLKR Duo Eyeshadow ($34) and 413BLKR Velvet Matte Lip Pencil ($24), the two newest numerically-named members of Team 413BLKR (a collection named after the company’s flagship NY store), to celebrate Fashion’s Night Out, a big New York Fashion Week festivity.

You know…I never would have thought to pair these two products together, and that’s one of the reasons why I love NARS. They have a knack for introducing unexpected pairings that just plain work.

Wearing these pieces, I feel like shouting “halleluja!” up to the heavens. “Mama’s still got it!” They make me want to blast Bad Girls by Donna Summer and twirl around in my living room with my arms raised up!

nars 413blkr

nars 413blkr swatches

nars 413blkr
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Meet You at 413BLKR

September 13th, 2012 by Karen 5 Comments

nars 413blkr velvet matte lip pencil — The new NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in 413BLKR ($24; available now at narscosmetics.com)

Wear fuchsia. The password to get it in “Velvet Matte.” Will I see you there?

I Spy a Smokey Eye!

September 11th, 2012 by Karen 6 Comments

NARS 413BLKR Eyeshadow Duo, a shimmery amethyst and a black with red pearl ($34), available now at the NARS Flagship Boutique in New York City and narscosmetics.com.

I’m not sure how the red pearl in the darker shade’s going to play out (sometimes red eyeshadow makes me look like a zombie), but we shall see…

In a Land of Giants, the NARS Andy Warhol Larger Than Life Lip Glosses Take Me to My Safe Place

September 5th, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

nars international velvet
Wearing NARS Larger Than Life Lip Gloss in International Velvet

Look out for shorty!

I gotta get that printed on a t-shirt…

No, seriously. Have I ever told you about my weird knack for crossing paths with swarms of really, really tall people?

I’m like a giant magnet! — and by that I mean a magnet for giants.

Happens all the time. Pretty much every time I’m out walking in a crowded place, and it doesn’t matter if I spot the giants coming from a mile away. Some how, some way, I always end up in their path, darting back and forth between their long legs like a cat in a giraffe stampede!

It’s the weirdest thing…

Happened last Friday in Tahoe, as a matter of fact. There I was, making my way across the casino toward ~~the Kitty Glitter machine~~ the restroom when a pack of really tall dudes suddenly appeared!

Gah! I tried to cut left but was blocked by a line of craps tables, then right but was blocked by a slow-moving couple.

By then, it was too late…

The giants descended upon me like…giants! Instinctively, I brought my hands up to protect my face, as I was carried along the casino floor like a tiny leaf in a rushing river of striped shirts and strong cologne. The creatures barked, too, shouting “Yo, bro!” at each other and slapping high-fives.

I told myself, “stay calm,” and retreated to my mental safe place. For strength, I tried to think of something larger than life…

…like the five new NARS Larger Than Life Lip Glosses from the Andy Warhol Pop Holiday 2012 collection ($26 each). 🙂

nars andy warhol larger than life lip gloss all
From the left: International Velvet, Viva, Candy Says, Penny Arcade and Hollywoodlawn

nars andy warhol larger than life lip gloss all closeup

nars andy warhol larger than life lip gloss swatches
Swatches from the left: International Velvet, Viva, Candy Says, Penny Arcade and Hollywoodlawn
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What’s That Twinkling in the Sky? Oh, That’s a Satellite of Love! NARS Satellite of Love Highlighter Blush

September 5th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

NARS Satellite of Love Highlighting Blush

“Kitty Glitter Enthusiast.” I’m thinking about adding that to my business cards, which currently read, “Assistant to the CEO, Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC.”

Made for cat ladies I looked around online for a place to play Kitty Glitter for free, but I don’t know… I don’t trust those online casinos.

The couple hours I spent hootin’ and hollerin’ in front of that penny slot machine last weekend filled my eyes with sparkles, and I’ve been extra obsessed with glitter ever since.

It’s either that…or NARS Satellite of Love Highlighting Blush.

Like a Snickers bar, this $28 illuminating highlighting powder, one of 22 pieces in the new Andy Warhol Pop Holiday 2012 collection, really satisfies. 🙂 It instantly brightens faces with its sheer, peachy powder and golden glitter.

Lately when glitter calls, I grab a skunk brush and carefully, lightly apply Satellite of Love on my upper cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose and atop my cupid’s bow. Careful is the key word, too; otherwise, we’re talkin’ disco diva territory (which I admit, sometimes I like).

nars satellite of love swatch
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