NARS

The NARS Summer 2019 Collection: Swatches and First Impressions

April 25th, 2019 by Karen 1 Comment

SURPRISE!

Guess what? NARS just did a traditionally summery summer collection.

Wha!?

Yup, NARS has been all about artsy, edgy non-summery summer collections for a few years (last year’s looked more like a fall or holiday release to me), but the Summer 2019 collection is the most summery collection I’ve seen from them in a really long time.

Technically, the “Summer 2019” collection is one a few summer season NARS collections, and it’s the one actually called Summer. The items are all limited edition and available now on the NARS website. There are two $59 face palettes, each with four eyeshadows, one highlighter and a bronzer; four new $27 Satin Lip Pencils; and four new $27 Velvet Matte Lip Pencils.

First impressions…

The eyeshadows: Sumptuously silken, they feel softer than satin sheets. These are powders, but they could almost pass for creams. They’re the closest things I’ve found to Chantecaille’s awesome Mermaid Matte Cream Shadows, which practically meld into lids and blend crazy well. I can’t even tell where these shadows begin and end.
The highlighter and bronzer: Also powders, and also creamy like the eyeshadows. I’m REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THESE! (Although I’m mystified as to why NARS omitted a blush?)
The Velvet Matte Lip Pencils: Is it weird that I’m shocked that all of these lip colors are so summery and wearable? I’ve tried Good Times and Take Me Home so far, and like the other Satins and Velvet Mattes, they’re on the drier side…similar to a MAC Matte Lipstick, but they’re still very smooth, which is convenient because they’re also super opaque.
The Satin Lip Pencils: Um…one is called “Golden Gate.” Holla! BAY AREA ❤️ LOVE.

nars summer lights face palette — Summer Lights Face Palette ($59)

nars summer 2019 satin lip pencil velvet matte lip pencil — From the left: Satin Lip Pencils in Balboa, Exbury, Giusti and Golden Gate; Velvet Matte Lip Pencils in Dance Fever, Good Times, Promiscuous and Take Me Home

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Swatches of the Nine New NARS Lip Glosses

April 1st, 2019 by Karen 14 Comments

new nars lip gloss spring 2 18 — Introducing nine new NARS Lip Glosses, and nine new reasons to shine!

NARS recently added nine new shades of lip gloss ($24 each) to their permanent line, and yes, some of them have scandalous monikers.

Incidentally, awkward is seeing a picture of yourself grinning nonchalantly on the Interwebz with the words “Sexual Content” next to your head.

Outrage!

You know what they say, though… No Regrets.

The standouts for me among this new crop o’ colors are the mid-tone rose, berry and brown shades. NARS poured all of the pigment into Sexual Content, Fever Beat, Mythic Red, No Regrets, Pulsion and Love Me Do, and there’s so much intensity there that they could pass for glossy liquid lipsticks.

Thumbs up! I’ve been wearing Pulsion and Mythic Red the most, usually with taupe or golden brown eyeshadow.

On the sheer side, there’s creamy coral Outage (which I LOVE, especially layered on top of a light coral lippie), pale pastel purple Color Me (bluh, patchy) and golden glittery Sexy Time (which is grrrritty).
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10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves: NARS Multi-Use Gloss

March 20th, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

nars multi use glosses — The lightest and loveliest non-sticky gloss for your lids, cheeks and lips

The 10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves series shows off some of *the best* makeup for speedy (but sensational!) skin, eyes, cheeks and lips.

Oh, how do I love 10-minute makeup? Let me count the ways… LOL.

I’ll spare you the lengthy soliloquy, but here’s the gist of it: I like putting on a full face without spending HELLA YEARS applying and blending. Sometimes it’s just nice to do a quick makeup look that doesn’t look like a rush job. That said, even *I* get a little tired 😴 of doing the same brown smoky eye with peachy coral cheeks and a nude lip every day… I mean, I LOVE THAT LOOK, but sometimes you need to switch things up when you’re feeling “makeup restless,” ya know?

That’s where these new NARS Multi-Use Glosses come into play…

These glittery glosses are limited edition and available now on the NARS website for $24 each, so if you see something you like, you better grab it sooner than later because they won’t be around forever.

They feel like lip gloss and look like lip gloss, but you can wear them on your lips (of course), your eyes and your face (as a highlighter!).

nars multi use gloss swatches — My favorite shade is Relentless, the rose-gold with tiny flecks of glitter.

nars multi use gloss applicator — The applicator is a thin, flexible paddle.

All five of have the daintiest flecks of graceful glitter, so they sparkle and shine, which kicks them up a level.
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The New NARS Exposed Collection: Swatches, Quick Look

February 12th, 2019 by Karen 19 Comments

Exposed! — a new collection from NARS — is NOT (I hope) named after flashers, because I was flashed several times when I lived in San Francisco, and let me tell ya…it ain’t pretty, folks.

This collection, on the other hand, is gorge. 😍 There’s a new $59 six-pan blush palette (a.k.a. the Explicit Cheek Palette) with an allegedly new NARS formula and three mini lip kits (called the Explicit Lip Duos), with a matte pencil and a shiny gloss and $22 each, all coming to the Ulta website, and very likely other places on/after, February 17.

nars exposed collection swatches — Swatches of the Cheek Palette and the Lip Duos

nars exposed cheek palette — Exposed Cheek Palette

nars exposed collection 2 — Clockwise from the lower left: Explicit Color Lip Duo in Intimate, Explicit Color Lip Duo in Sex Machine, Exposed Cheek Palette and Explicit Color Lip Duo in Dragon Girl

In other news…

Chapter 27 in the never-ending saga that is my teeth…

Yay! I have to go to the dentist again! 😬

My bite has been funky since my last filling, and it hurts when I chomp down on my right side, which is not at all amusing when you’re mildly addicted to 🥕 eating carrots (especially baby carrots).

Speaking of carrots, what’s up, doc? 🐰 How are you doing today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Going for the Glitter? Get Thee a Fluffy Brush, ASAP!

December 12th, 2018 by Karen 17 Comments

nars ignited palette k — Glitter during the daytime hours? WHY NOT!

Friends, please raise your coffee mugs and join me in congratulating my dayum self!

Now, you might be asking, “Um…Karen, what the heck are we toasting to?” And if so, fair enough. 😊 See, I’ve come to the life-changing conclusion that using a fluffy brush to apply glitter changes lives.

Why a fluffy brush?

Correction: It has to be a specific type of fluffy brush. What you want is a fluffy flat or angled eyeshadow brush — something like the MAC 275S or my fave, the Sephora Pro Angled Shadow Brush #13, which, sadly, is discontinued.

Basically, though, a fluffy flat (or angled) brush deposits the perfect amount of glitter onto lids while simultaneously minimizing fallout.

I’ve only just started doing this because I normally just use a finger to press the glitter on my lids to pack that ish in place, but the thing is, when I wanna wear glitter during the daytime, BECAUSE WHY NOT, this approach can be a little too disco.

nars ignited palette k2 — Pretty subtle as far as glitter goes. I’m wearing the NARS Ignited Palette, by the way. It has lots of pink and purple and warm reddish browns, and methinks it looks ***good*** with rose-colored tops and dresses.

Sheer, but precise

Fluffy brush, though? Yes, life-changing! The key is the low density of the brush head. The fluffiness sheers out the glitter just enough to leave you with a dusting of elegant sparkle on your eyes, as opposed to full-on rave glitter (err, do people still call those parties raves? #datingmyself). The shape of the brush head is also a may-jah player. Since flat or angled eye brushes are precise, and much more precise than, say, domed or tapered eye blending brushes like the MAC 217 or 224, so you can put your glitter exactly where you want it.

I mean, of course you’ll have to tap off your brush first, and then pat, rather than sweep, the glitter on your lids to reduce as much fallout as you can (obvi), but using a fluffy brush results in a sheerer, more elegant and subtle application that *totally* works for daytime makeup.

Fix that fallout

And if you do end up with fallout, no worries. Just use a little Scotch tape or the sticky part on the back of a Post-it, and gently press it onto any wayward glitter flecks to lift them away!

What I’m wearing in these pics

I used the Sephora #13 brush to apply some glitter from the new NARS Ignited palette ($59, limited edition, available at Sephora) that I wore last week, and it was a look I also happened to be wearing when I picked up Connor Claire at preschool.

nars ignited palette packaging — I like the packaging, too.

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