NARS

Bucking Holiday Trends, NARS Introduces Nails to Andy: The New NARS Andy Warhol Nail Polishes Pop On Fingers and Toes

September 4th, 2012 by Karen 18 Comments

nars andy warhol nail polish
NARS Andy Warhol Pop Collection Holiday 2012 Nail Polishes from the left: 15 Minutes, TV Party, Superstar, New York Dolls and Back Room

When people ask you what you did over the holidays, you say, “I don’t do reindeer sweaters, Santa hats or candy canes.”

And one year, when you won a 10-pound Costco fruitcake at the company Christmas party, instead of having it for dessert, you hurled it through a window (who no one was watching, of course).

If traditional holiday fare doesn’t light your fire, cheer up, my little emo buttercup! NARS may have a cure for your inner grinch.

nars andy warhol nail polish
From the left: Back Room, New York Dolls, Superstar, TV Pary and 15 Minutes

The new nail polishes in the NARS Andy Warhol Pop Holiday 2012 collection ($18 each) might not restore your faith in Rudolph and Frosty, but they may make you say “hrmpf!” a little less often than you do when you see super traditional holiday nail polishes in shades of red, green, silver and gold.

The five creamy, limited edition shades arrive on Sephora shelves and sephora.com next month, along with the rest of the new 22-piece (!) holiday collection for eyes, cheeks, lips and nails.

Black Back Room, purple New York Dolls, teal Superstar, lemon yellow 15 Minutes and vivid orange TV Party take a detour from the usual holiday nail polish route and look more like something you might see a cocky rocker chick wearing in a smoke-filled club.

nars andy warhol tv party
TV Party

nars andy warhol 15 minutes
15 Minutes
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A Foundation Makeup Tutorial With NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer and Hourglass Oxygen Foundation Powder

August 2nd, 2012 by Karen 55 Comments

how to apply foundation tutorial 0

Sir, Mr. Tabs? I think I have an answer for the riddle you gave me.

“Meow?”

Yes, well, it’s obvious, really. I mean, not at first, but I’ve given it some thought, and well…What do good houses and faces have in common?

“Mrrrow?”

It’s foundation, sir. Houses and faces should start with a good foundation.

“Meow! Meow!”

Thank you, sir. It was a good riddle. You’re a very clever cat.

Yup, today we’re talking faces! — namely face makeup, like the combination I’ve been lovely lately, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer and Hourglass Oxygen Foundation Powder.

Together, they deliver medium-to-full coverage in a lightweight blend that looks like real skin, and so far, knock on wood, it hasn’t given me breakouts.

In this tutorial, I’ll describe how I apply ’em for pictures, and/or whenever I have a good chunk of time to get ready.

Just a quick reminder, though — this is just one of many ways to apply foundation, and that includes techniques and brushes. As always, it’s all about what works for you. 🙂

Before we get started, let’s gather the products we’ll need…

how to apply foundation tutorial products
From the left: Hourglass Oxyen Foundation Powder in No. 4, Tarte Foundation Brush, Hourglass No. 2 Foundation/Blush Brush, Laura Mercier Finishing Brush, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in St. Moritz and Cuba

how to apply foundation tutorial swatches
Swatches from the left: NARS St. Moritz, NARS Cuba and Hourglass Oxygen Foundation Powder No. 4

And because there’s nothing else you really can do but smile when posting bare-faced pictures of yourself on the Internet…

how to apply foundation tutorial 0a

Yep, that’s me without makeup. 🙂 Not a drop!

As you can see, I have a few dark spots around my chin and mouth left over from a gnarly breakout last spring and some darkening beneath my eyes… Hopefully, after we’re done here, most of it will be covered.
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The NARS Foreplay Cheek Palette Is Such a Tease

July 17th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

NARS Foreplay Cheek Palette

Okay, this blog’s a family show and all, but c’mon! You can’t expect me not to enjoy the perverted wordplay possibilities afforded by the new NARS Foreplay Cheek Palette ($49).

Fore-play? Four blushes, one of them a big ol’ pan of Orgasm? Oh, FranÃ§ois, you so crazy! 🙂

As a fellow diner at le buffet de beaute, you’re probably well aware of NARS Orgasm blush’s wonderful reputation. Makeup lovers have been lavishing praise upon it for years, calling it a universally flattering peachy golden pink that looks great on just about everyone.

I wear it, love it and reach for it often in the NARS Orgasm/Laguna Duo, which I never leave home without.

Seriously. I don’t think I’ve taken a trip without it once over the past three years.

Recognizing the product’s popularity, NARS decided to make Orgasm the main dish in Foreplay, a new limited edition cheek palette available exclusively at Sephora.

nars sephora foreplay

The palette serves up a big pan of Orgasm and three tasty sides — a matte rosy peach that reminds me of a sheerer NARS Amour, a matte hot pink that resembles a sleepy Mata Hari, and a shimmery golden yellow highlighter which, hello! — has glitter for days (starts off on my cheeks, ends up on my chin, weird!).

There’s been some rumbling about the blushes in Foreplay being different than their namesakes in the NARS permanent line, and I have to agree. The Foreplay Orgasm (did I really just type that?), for instance, sure looks more glittery than its permanent collection counterpart does to me, and the golden pearl glitter bits look larger, too, as do the grains within the powder itself.

Heck, I can see the blush sitting on my skin, which is something I’ve never noticed with my older pan of the big O. The overall effect seems more intense and less natural than the effect I get with the Orgasm in the Orgasm/Laguna Duo.

nars foreplay cheek palette swatches

Same goes for the glitter bits in the shimmery golden highlighter. They’re big, and they have a tendency to wander.

I’m definitely diggin’ both of the mattes, though, which remind me of Amour and Mata Hari, two of my favorite NARS blushes of all time.

nars foreplay cheek palette
Wearing the matte pink shade
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Why Wear So Much Shimmer on Your Cheeks? The New NARS Multiple in Undress Me Has Multiple Reasons

July 16th, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

nars multiple in undress me

With all the smokey purples and shimmery platinums blazing on eyes over at NARS fall 2012, I can see why FranÃ§ois Nars (can I call you FranÃ§ois, Monsieur Nars?) decided to go the sheer pink route with the new Multiple in Undress Me ($39). Smokey eyes and chill cheeks? — a classic pairing, like a more beautiful version of peanut butter and jelly (incidentally, my dinner tonight, because I was too lazy to cook).

But because it’s from NARS, this creamy, multitasking stick, which is designed to lavish both lips and eyes, comes with a twist. Yes, it’s jam packed with oodles of silver glitter. More like buckets, really. I’m talkin’ so much glitter that my shimmer-loving, sequined-covered, feathered-headdress-wearing inner drag queen snaps in full approval.

After I swipe a single layer of Undress Me on my skin and buff it down with my fingers, the glitter reveals itself like a phoenix rising!

nars multiple in undress me product shot

nars multiple in undress me swatch
Undress Me unblended (left) and blended (right)
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It’s a Crime How Much I Love NARS Outlaw Blush

July 13th, 2012 by Karen 19 Comments

nars outlaw blush

NARS Outlaw Blush “You better head outta town, Outlaw. Marshall Tabs come lookin’ for ya!”

If you NARS Amour or Taos Blush as much as I do, I reckon you’d do just about anything to get your hands on this Outlaw.

The first time I set eyes on a pan of new NARS Outlaw Blush ($28, from the NARS fall 2012 collection), I thought, “What in tarnation?! Is that Taos kinfolk?” but it actually applies like a rosier golden version of Amour instead.

Because this rose with its golden shimmer packs so much pigment, I’ve been using a fan brush to apply a single layer; the fan brush deposits less product per layer than a regular blush brush does.

A skunk brush would probably also be a good choice.

nars outlaw blush product shot

nars outlaw blush swatch
NARS blush swatches from the left: Outlaw, Taos and Amour
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July 13th, 2012 by Karen 25 Comments

nars vent glace eyeshadow

What if Starbucks started selling makeup?

“Good morning! What can I get you?”
“Hi! Oh, uh…could I please get one of those Artisan veggie sandwiches, a lemon scone and a NARS Vent GlacÃ©?”
“Blended with room for whip cream?”
“Does a cat snore in his sleep?!”
“…”
“Yes, please.”

Some of the nuances differentiating the cool-toned platinum and silver shades in the NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Vent GlacÃ© ($34; it’s French for “icy wind,” who knew?), are probably lost on my NC 42 skin tone, but man! — I sure do love how they look blended together on top of black eyeliner.

That’s how I’m wearing them here (also with the NARS High Society Trio, from the very same fall 2012 collection, on my lids), smudged on top of black liner along my lower lash line.

They merge to form a silvery greenish gray gradient that’s all kinds of awesome.

nars vent glace eyeshadow product shot

nars vent glace eyeshadow swatch
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Are You Cool Enough for High Society? The New NARS Eyeshadow Trio in High Society

July 12th, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

nars high society trio eyeshadow

I think I just saw a glimpse of my future this fall, and in it I was wearing purple smokey eyes.

The new NARS Eyeshadow Trio in High Society ($45) has been one of the coolest things I’ve come across in a while — cool because of the color temp of its shadows, and cool because it’s a quick-change artist able to go from demure to diva in seconds with a little help from a black pencil liner.

High Society hails from the new NARS fall 2012 collection, a nine-piece release that couples cool jewel-toned eyes with pink or rose cheeks; warm brandy, auburn, burgundy or red lips; and moody gray nails.

Flexibility without fallout — that’s the deal here. I don’t detect a speck of fallout and hardly any creasing, even after wearing these lavender, greenish gray and amethyst powder eyeshadows for a full eight hours. They range from sheer to medium opacity and blend like a good smoothie.

Say I’m in the mood for a soft purple look. I might (and probably would) start with NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, followed by the trio’s lavender shade swept on my lids with a domed shadow brush. Then, I’d push one of the darker colors along my lash lines with a small angle brush.

Abracadabra! A soft and smokey purple eye. 🙂

To crank up the smokey effect and give more depth to the look, I used a black eyeliner as a base, which I think also brings out the richness of the colors.

nars high society trio eyeshadow product shot