nars

CCL |ˈsē ˈsē ˈel|
abbreviation
1 Short for Crazy Cat Lady. One who spends inordinate amounts of time talking to cats, taking pictures of cats, and wearing cat-themed attire: if you wear a t-shirt that reads, “Tabby, or not tabby — that is the question,” you might be a CCL.

This is going to sound totally CCL (what else in new?), but the main reason I’ve been dying to get my paws on the NARS Calanque Eyeshadow Trio ($45) is because the colors remind me of my favorite husky tabby.

That I know I’ll be able to wear each of the three powder eyeshadows — a sheer shimmery beige with silver glitter, a pigmented pearly golden beige and a shimmery brownish khaki — every day is just a bonus (I’m a ho for neutrals).

Yeah, $45… C’mon, Francois, give a girl a break. 🙂 Why so pricey? The darkest of the palette’s three shadows even drops a little fallout when I use it to give depth to the outer corners of my eyes, or when I’m lining my lash lines with it. Granted, it’s not as bad as the fallout from the brown shade in Clinique’s Milly Pretty for Prints Palette, which deposits an obnoxious amount of shadow on my cheeks, but it’s still noticeable enough to make me snarl (“hrmph!”) at the price.

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When the NARS spring 2011 makeup collection sprung earlier this month, it didn’t strike with the force of a thousand Easter bunnies. In other words, it didn’t knock me off my feet.

I liked the repromoted Angelika and Super Orgasm Lip Glosses but felt the Soft Touch Pencil in Celebrate, the Lip Gloss in Nana and the Pure Matte Lipstick in Madère were just okay. Seriously, what’s a 35-year-old suburban gal gonna do with a neon green eyeshadow (Celebrate) that lasts all of 5 minutes on her skin?

And then came today.

I tried four more goodies from the collection this afternoon — the Lipstick in Tzigane, Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Hollywoodland, Eyeshadow Duo in Bateau Ivre and Eyeshadow Duo in Nouveau Monde — and now NARS is singing my tune.

THESE are the kinds of products I was hoping to find in this collection; until today, I just didn’t know they were here.

They must have been hiding like Easter eggs. 🙂

The look features fresh, exciting eyes with a touch of fun color, and a lovely lipstick I could easily wear to work (or a brunch date!). It’s modern, yet wearable makeup with a springy edge, and I can totally see myself cruising the neighborhood with it on as I walk my plus-sized tabby down the street.

Clockwise from the lower left: Eyeshadow Duo in Nouveau Monde, Lipstick in Tzigane, Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Hollywoodland and Eyeshadow Duo in Bateau Ivre
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Look out! It’s a primer triple threat! From the fertile mind of Francois Nars, the new NARS Pro-Prime Multi-Protect Primer SPF 30 ($32) creates a smooth canvas for your makeup while it supposedly nourishes skin with a bevy of plant-based ingredients.

This newest member of the permanent NARS Pro Prime line has a colorless, lotion-like texture that feels light and fluffy to the touch. Oil-free, it totally reminds of Urban Decay’s Complexion Primers, absorbing quickly without leaving a greasy residue or white cast on my skin.

I like the texture, and I do notice smoother makeup with it on (especially in pictures).

NARS bills this as a “treatment face primer.” Sounds good, right? 🙂 And they identify two plants as key to the product’s many benefits: Gentiana Urnula, a Himalayan flower used in Tibetan medicine for its anti-oxidative properties; and Indian Frankincese, used in Aruveydic medicine as an anti-inflammatory.

I dug around and found a handful of studies involving Indian Frankincense to treat asthma, cancer and arthritis, as well as one directly related to skin care, but I didn’t find any studies pertaining to Gentiana Urnula.

I think it’s cool that NARS is looking to ancient medicine for ingredients (if people have been using the stuff for centuries, it should be good for something, right?), but some data to back up the product’s claims would help, as would clearer language. Which compounds provide which benefits? Inquiring minds want to know.
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NARS Velvet Gloss Pencil in Frivolous

Wait up, guys! I gotta sharpen my gloss first…?

This spring NARS draws the lip gloss out of its shell by putting it into a chubby pencil/crayon.

The six new glosses in the soon-to-be-released Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil ($24) line contain vitamins E and A to moisturize and protect lips while imparting a subtle shine. The six shades launch February 1, but here’s a brief look at one of them.

Frivolous, a rosy, peachy pink with golden pearl, goes on smooth and non-sticky. Neither scented nor flavored, it feels refreshingly light on my lips, but consequently when used alone it only manages to last a couple of hours per application. Francois recommends lining the lips first, and then filling them in.

NARS Velvet Gloss Pencil in Frivolous

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