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nars

NARS Unsung Heroes: Lovejoy Blush

November 16th, 2011 by Karen 34 Comments

Combined, some words are even greater than the sum of their parts. Take Nutella and doughnuts, for instance. Both tasty treats by themselves, for sure, but stick them together and BOOM!

Magic (super high-calorie magic).

NARS LovejoyI think the same principle also applies to NARS Lovejoy, a $27 powder blush from the NARS permanent line.

NARS Lovejoy does more than combine two — wait, three great words. It also combines two of my favorite products, blush and bronzer.

And seriously, with a name like Lovejoy, how could it have been anything but good?

Around this time every year, with the last vestiges of my summer tan fading from view, I start reaching for bronzers more and more often to add some extra warmth to my face. Not as a replacement for blush, but in addition to it.

But on days when I’m too rushed (or too lazy) in the morning to deal with both, NARS Lovejoy’s mix of rosy plum and bronze pigments and golden glitter totally hits the spot. Its power comes from its ability to combine a rosy flush with a natural-looking bronzy glow, so it’s kinda like getting a two-for-one, with a bronzer and blush in a single pan. I think it really sings on olive skin tones, but I’ve also heard cool-toned gals gush over it, too.

Because NARS gave Lovejoy more than enough pigment, I think it’s easy to overdo. It pays to apply it with a feather light touch, and I like the results I get when I use it with a synthetic skunk brush (for a sheer, natural-looking veil of color).

One layer is usually enough to give my cheeks a flush like they’ve just been pinched, and because I don’t have to use much, the pan should last, oh, roughly three lifetimes. 🙂

Even if you fear sparkly stuff, don’t be scurred of Lovejoy’s golden glitter. It may look intimidating in the pan, but those flecks are super fine and don’t shine a spotlight on pores or fine lines. Just enough shimmer to keep skin looking glowy and fresh.

And to top everything off, Lovejoy lasts all day long on my combination skin.

Ahh, Lovejoy… I love that you bring me so much joy.


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There are 34 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, NARS, Unsung Heroes Keywords: nars, unsungheroes

With the NARS Mandchourie Duo Eyeshadow, NARS Blue It in the Best Possible Way

October 21st, 2011 by Karen 18 Comments

nars Mandchourie Duo Eyeshadow

Don’t you hate it when someone else shows up to the party wearing the same outfit? That’s probably how the neighbor’s Russian Blue felt today when she saw that I was wearing the new NARS Mandchourie Duo Eyeshadow.


I’m all up in your catnip!

You know how cats are… Divas. They think they’re the sh*t, especially when it comes to the color of their coat, and until today, my Russian comrade held the undisputed title of Smokiest Blue on the Block.

But things have changed. Now, with the shadows in this powder duo on my lids, old blue has some serious competition.

MEOW! 🙂

The duo, my new go-to girl for sultry, smokey eyes, hails from the new NARS Holiday 2011 collection, a bizarrely cohesive mix of browns, blues, plums, peaches and golds, with a smattering of red, silver and black.

“Its French name conjures the geographical region in northeast Asia, as this golden-infused denim paired with a rich navy delivers a yin and yang effect to the lid. Each hue can be worn on its own, but when applied together — the darker shade in the crease or as a liner; the lighter color on the lid or as a highlight — the result is one of perfect balance.”

— NARS Cosmetics

For me, blue isn’t the first color that comes to mind when I think of quick smokey eyes, because with it there’s usually some extra patting and blending involved (and sometimes extra time for cleanup). But Mandchourie makes blue surprisingly easy.

To my eye the lighter shade resembles a shimmery greenish denim blue with flashes of shimmery gold. I like to apply it with a firm eyeshadow brush, and then buff that out with a fluffy domed brush, which transforms the color into a soft, smokey gray.

Pretty!

The darker shadow, a matte navy, is the more reserved of the two, and I think it compliments its lighter sibling well.

nars manchourie eyeshadow
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Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: nars

You Have the Right to Glow Quietly with NARS Miss Liberty Highlighting Blush

October 18th, 2011 by Karen 57 Comments


Wearing NARS Miss Liberty Highlighting Blush on my cheeks and drinking a pumpkin chai latte!

Let’s band together, fellow makeup revolutionaries, and declare our freedom from big chunks of glitter! — because we, the blush lovers of the world, have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of a subtle glow.

And this year, victory is ours! Demure, shimmery cheeks are just a NARS Miss Liberty Highlighting Blush ($27) away. After you don a few layers of this sheer, shimmery peach, don’t be surprised if you suddenly feel the urge to raise your fist, power-to-the-people style. I did (and then quickly lowered it when I remembered how long it’s been since I shaved my pits, whoops!). 🙂

Miss Liberty, a member of the NARS holiday collection corps, calls attention to cheeks without shouting. A warm peach speckled with tiny pieces of silver glitter, it beautifully balances both color and shimmer.

nars miss liberty blush
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Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: nars

I Pine for More Time and NARS Ponderosa Cream Eyeshadow

October 18th, 2011 by Karen 52 Comments

I can’t even remember the last time I finished everything on my daily to-do list. Let’s see — when was that again? Maybe six months ago?

But no matter how poop-tacular it is to be as busy as we are, I try not to let it get my inner optimist down. Being busy, after all, is a good excuse to streamline your makeup routine, which can be a lot of fun, especially when it leads to products like the new NARS Podorosa Cream Eyeshadow ($23; from the Holiday 2011 collection).

After moseying through last weekend wearing this glossy, glittery golden brown shadow, I can safely say that it’s almost everything I’d want from a creamy brown.

Ponderosa gets its name from the tall timber pines indigenous to North America. For a sheer eye look, apply it to lids with a fingertip, and blend well. Or, for more saturated color, build it up in layers.

Pigmented, yet lightweight and thin, Ponderosa’s non-greasy texture blends easily into my skin. With it, I barely have to exert any effort (or whip out brushes, for that matter) to apply.

For a fast, fresh and sexy look, I’ll prime my lids first with the unstoppable NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, pat Ponderosa on top with my fingers, and then smooth out the edges.

Yeah, baby! 🙂

Now, brown shadows aren’t necessarily the first shadows that come to mind when I think “sexy,” but this one definitely revs my engine. Not in a tight red dress and sky-high heels way, though, but more of a button-down plaid shirt, worn jeans, Chucks and cherry Chapstick kinda way.

The glossy finish gives the color an informal ease that keeps it from appearing too formal, and when I wear it with some of the quieter shades from NARS Holiday, like Albatross Lip Gloss and Miss Liberty Highlighting Blush, I feel so California cool…

nars pondorosa cream eyeshadow
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There are 52 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: nars

NARS Noms

October 16th, 2011 by Karen 4 Comments


Want a bite?

There are 4 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty Keywords: nars

Lips Look Fly in Creamy Golden NARS Albatross Lip Gloss

October 15th, 2011 by Karen 15 Comments

nars albatross lipgloss

The new limited edition NARS Albatross Lip Gloss ($24 and part of the NARS Holiday 2011 collection) really put me in a fowl mood today…

(Sorry! 🙂 I couldn’t resist.)

Based on how it looked in the tube, I was sure I’d only feel “Eh” about it, but once I got it on my lips, I totally changed my tune.

For more on the NARS Holiday 2011 collection, check out…
  • NARS Holiday 2011: Product Pics!
  • NARS Holiday 2011 Swatches
  • Celebrating the End of the Week with NARS Joyous Red Lipstick

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There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: nars

What’s in a Name? With NARS G-Spot Multiple, A Lot

October 15th, 2011 by Karen 22 Comments

Oh, NARS! You and your cheeky naughty nurse names. 🙂 I would love to sing the praises of your new G-Spot Multiple ($39; part of the new Holiday 2011 collection) to every woman in my life, but as much as I love the color, I can’t bear the thought of mentioning it to my mom…

I can hear it now — she’d like the color and would say, “I really like that G-Spot!” or “Thanks for the G-Spot!” or “Next time you order online, would you get me a G-Spot?”

Sure, Mom, okay, anything, can we please talk about something else?

It’s like that time we were stuck in traffic when George Michael’s I Want Your Sex was playing on the radio, and my brother yelled, “TURN IT UP!”

Now THAT was a long ride home, but I digress…

About G-Spot’s rosy golden hue, I think it looks kinda dark at first, but blended in this cream blush produces the most perfectly coy “Please be gentle with me” flush.

Love. love

For more on the NARS Holiday 2011 collection, check out…
  • NARS Holiday 2011: Product Pics!
  • NARS Holiday 2011 Swatches
  • Celebrating the End of the Week with NARS Joyous Red Lipstick

And it gives my cheeks a good bear hug, too, latching on to my dry skin for a good five or six hours, which is not too shabby, tabby — especially for a cream product.


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There are 22 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: nars

NARS Holiday 2011: The Larger Than Life Eyeliners in St. Marks Place and Campo De’ Fiori Make Quite a Team

October 14th, 2011 by Karen 18 Comments

nars st marks place campo de fiori

Like other classic pairings — peanut butter and chocolate, Lady and the Tramp, Ryan Gosling and shirtless-ness — the purple and bronze Larger Than Life Eyeliners ($23 each) in the new NARS Holiday 2011 collection are even better together than they are apart.

If you haven’t tried any of the Larger Than Life liners yet, the cosmetics camaraderie between vibrant violet St. Marks Place (has a matte finish) and shimmery bronze Campo De’ Fiori, the only two liners in the holiday release, makes them a great place to start.

Both of these highly pigmented, super soft liners cling to lash and water lines like raindrops cling to roses. I applied both of them before lunch yesterday, and they were still hanging tough a full eight hours later.

For even more NARS Holiday 2011 coverage…
  • Celebrating the End of the Week with NARS Joyous Red Lipstick
  • NARS Holiday 2011 Swatches
  • NARS Holiday 2011: Product Pics!

I haven’t had an opportunity to put their water resistance through a rigorous test like the nervous breakdown I had in the middle of heavy traffic a while back, but since the other colors managed it well, I see no reason why these wouldn’t also be up to the task.

If you’re curious about eye color and looking for ways to incorporate more of it into your looks, here’s one idea: apply purple St. Marks along your upper lashes, and bronze Campo along your lower lashes and at the inner corners of your eyes (the sides closest to your nose). I’m wearing both of them here with a smokey blue/bronze/gray eye (using the NARS Mandchourie Eyeshadow Duo from this same collection), but you could just as easily wear them with other colors or have them fly solo on bare lids.

nars st marks place campo de fiori
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Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: nars

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