Wearing products from the new $65 NARS Hearts New York City limited edition gift set

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.

Clockwise from the nail polish: Chinatown Nail Polish, Dolce Vita Lip Gloss and the Eye & Cheek Palette

The NARS Pierre Hardy Nail Polish Duos

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)

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.

Story of my life…

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 Beyoncé 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.

NARS Pierre Hardy blushes in Rotonde (left) and Boys Don’t Cry (right), $41 each

Last weekend I strapped on some leopard heels and took the blushes out for a walk.
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NARS Summer 2013 and my new hair!

When I got home from the salon this afternoon (took off about 2 inches and got some layers), Tabs was meowing up a storm.

“Mrrroow!?” Where the heck have you been!?

“MRRRROWWW!” If you don’t preview the new NARS Summer 2013 collection for me, I WILL CUT YOU!

And I believed him (seriously, have you seen that cat’s claws? SHARP!).

Let me know if anything makes you purr… Reviews and looks coming soon.

The brand-spankin’ new NARS Summer 2013 collection, coming April 15 (tax day!) to NARS boutiques, counters and online

NARS Fashion Rebel Duo Eyeshadow, $34

NARS Euphrate Single Eyeshadow, $24

NARS Barrow Street Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, $24

If you need me…I’ll be on the mothership, also known as the new NARS 2050 Fillmore Boutique in San Francisco

New favorite plaaaace!

Poor El Hub. Now when we visit San Francisco together, he’ll have to find something to do while I play with makeup at the new NARS 2050 Fillmore Boutique.

My first observation: there are no man couches in the store. Nowhere to park El Hub while I peruse, so I guess I’ll just have to dispatch him down the street to grab a snack at one of the bustling shops or cafes in the neighborhood (it’s in the Fillmore). “Um, babe. Why don’t you go get a cupcake? Mmm… You like cupcakes. Take your time. I’ll text you in an hour.”

The new store is the third for NARS in the US. They also have stores in New York and Los Angeles.

Welcome, welcome, one and all! The store is very welcoming by design — not intimidating at all — which I like. According to Fillmore Boutique Manager Alexia Ogle, “Like François Nars always says, ‘Don’t be so serious. It’s only makeup.’”

That’s the kind of environment the company wanted to create. “We want clients to come in and have fun,” Alexia says, “and that’s why we’re here.”

The 700-square-foot store carries everything in the NARS line (including those hard-to-find pumps for NARS foundations, woo hoo!) and provides touch-ups and makeup application, free of charge. If you’re interested in trying a product first before buying, they also offer samples.

The NARS 2050 Fillmore Boutique is open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. If you’d like to get your makeup done by one of the friendly NARS artists, just walk in, or you can also book an appointment ahead of time by calling (415) 757-2485.

Master classes with NARS artists are on the horizon, as are small, intimate seminars for NARS fans who want to learn more about the products and seasonal trends.

Hello! I think I just found a new home away from home.

That’s Louis Desazars, CEO of NARS Cosmetics, on the left at the store’s official ribbon cutting

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