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Nars Cosmetics Spring 2009: What Would You Get?

by 88 Comments

Brick red and berry are bursting at the seams of NARS’ spring 2009 collection.

I’m thinking NARS took a risk with the fall-ish shades in this collection, but you know what they say about risk: it’s the spice of life! Shoot, brick red eyeshadow? That’s all I need to hear. 🙂

“My inspiration for spring was a very sexy woman,” explains Francois Nars, Founder and Creative Director of NARS Cosmetics. “I wanted a bit of a ’70s feeling, somewhere between Guy Bourdin and Chris Von Wangenheim’s photographs — aggressive, but very sensual and fragile at the same time.”

It’s a provocative collection, isn’t it? And heavy on face and eye products…

I think it’s time for another installment of WHAT WOULD YOU GET!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to spend $150 of virtual moolah (or thereabouts) on any combination of products from the NARS spring 2009 collection, and then share your virtual haul in the comments. 🙂

Eyes

  • Baby Girl Single Eyeshadow: cotton candy with golden undertones and gold particles, $22
  • Grenadines Single Eyeshadow: matte garnet, $22
  • Night Sun Single Eyeshadow: bright marigold with gold particles, $22
  • Egea Duo Eyeshadow: frosted sage and smoky lilac, $32
  • Hula Hula Duo Eyeshadow: strawberry with gold particles and hazelnut with gold glitter particles, $32

Lips

  • Sweet Revenge Lip Gloss: sheer pink grapefruit, $24
  • Shrinagar Lipstick: metallic raspberry, $24

Face

  • Vanilla/Honey Duo Concealer: fair complexions, $30
  • Custard/Ginger Duo Concealer: light to medium complexions, $30
  • Praline/Toffee Duo Concealer: medium to dark complexions, $30
  • Hungry Heart Blush Duo: iridescent gold ivory and pink sand with golden sheen, $37
  • Orgasm/South Beach Multiple Duo: peachy pink and apricot with shimmer, $45
  • Cap Vert Multiple Bronzer: medium to dark complexions with red undertones, $37

OOH! I’ve got Grenadines eyeshadow and Shrinagar lipstick on my list.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The only think I love love is the multiple duo! Hula Hula due is nice… but a bit to light for my skintone. Im Medetteranian (cant spell it!! AHH) looking and if it was a tad richer I would be lusting over it.

    But ive seen another multiple duo with a new shade called Riviera in it and i actually prefer that to this combo.

    Im a little dissappointed..usually I love Nars and I always treat myself to an eye shadow or two

    Reply

  2. while i really love nars eyeshadows i am a bit scared about grenadines my undereye shadows look like bruising as it is ( allegrgic shiners the drs call it – reddish tones like this make me look quite scary 🙁

    if i had to choose for 150 bucks:
    hula hula eyeshadow
    night sun eyeshadow
    shrinagar lipstick
    custard ginger concealer – hey a girl can never have enough concealer
    orgasm and south beach multiple duo

    i think the model for this campaign is a bit scary – i get the whole look and all but its a bit creepy to me she looks like she had a rough night or was crying lol

    Reply

  4. is it just me or does the model in the Nars ad look like an alien? I don’t think that red eyed look is at all flattering. It looks very editorial, not something for real life.

    Reply

  7. Hi Katee,

    Hmm, I think it must be the angle. She has really nice features, so I think if the shots were handled differently she’d look a bit more approachable.

    Reply

  8. UGH…that lipstick is to die for. How am I going to cut my spending!? Plus it has an Indian name, and since I’m from India, I gotta support!

    Reply

  10. i had a really awesome one from mac that i was milking till about last year when i went to buy it again they had reformulated the formula and i wasnt enthused – then i tried Correcteur Eclat great coverage but creases like a mofo and was waaaayy to drying – these days i am totally on Chanel’s Pro Lumiere Correcteur Professional Finish – blends fabulously and never feels cakey or creases i have gone thru 2 tubes already this is how much i cannot live without it. I am always scared about new concealers cause i am always failed 🙁 but this works so wonderfully i cant steer away from it when i am looking extra haggard after i set it with powder i tap on with my finger some nars albatross highlighter to brighten
    instant awakeness!

    Reply

  13. The hungry hearts duo, egea and grenadines would be on my list. Grenadines reminds me of an old school lancome i loved and rocked constantly back in high school… The multiple duo looks nice, but I already have Orgasm, and I don’t like it as much as Sin on my complexion…

    Reply

  14. The red-eye look is one I can’t do at all! It makes me look like I need to bust out the Claritin or have just finished a serious sob-fest! That said, it does make my eyes look very blue…. 😛

    I’ll have to underspend on my virtual bucks, but the eye duo in Egea looks lovely (said Li’l Ms. Predictable!)! I’d also take a chance on Hula Hula and snap up that gorgeous lipstick in Shrinagar!

    Side note: I’m happy today because I’m not nearly as sick as I was yesterday! Hooray for recuperating! 🙂

    Reply

  15. Ohhh the shadow duo looks so pretty! I’m a little wary of brick red eye shadows. Being so fair, I can easily go into vampire/sickly territory if I don’t use them just right lol…

    I went into Ulta yesterday and nearly lost my mind with giddy-ness, I LOVE that store, especially when I have my rewards coupons. They have a serious clearance sale going right now, I got a sparkly copper eyeliner for $.49! If they start carrying Benefit, I might have to live there.

    Reply

  16. I don’t mean to be offensive, but the model in the promo seems to be filmed at a bad angle – I think she looks fine but the bangs are at a wrong angle too.

    And the reddish shadow on her lids doesn’t suit her… Red or bright pink or red based brick color, for me, is not wearable; i look like one of those rabbits and my eyes appear so puffy.

    Reply

  17. I agree with all the comments that the model looks strange. I love NARS, but so much of their makeup is glittery. I swatch everything at Sephora before I buy it.

    I’m going to be buying Grenadines and Shrinagar for certain. I probably won’t buy anything else. I’ve had my eye on some of the permanent e/s duos for a while. Since NARS is so expensive, I can’t splurge on it like MAC stuff.

    Reply

  18. Surprisingly, I don’t like this collection at all. I can’t see any of these shades looking particularly nice on me. I do like that they took a risk with this collection though. It’s definitely going to stand out against a couple of the other spring collections I’ve seen so far.

    Reply

  20. MINE:

    Grenadines Single Eyeshadow: matte garnet, $22
    Night Sun Single Eyeshadow: bright marigold with gold particles, $22

    Sweet Revenge Lip Gloss: sheer pink grapefruit, $24
    Shrinagar Lipstick: metallic raspberry, $24

    Orgasm/South Beach Multiple Duo: peachy pink and apricot with shimmer, $45

    $137 total! what fun to virtually shop. I do really, really like the shrinagar lipstick though, and the grenadines. (this might be similar to stila twig, that i already have. but twig is metallic-y)

    Reply

  22. Because having more fun with (bold) color is a makeup resolution of mine, Night Sun and Grenadine e/s is what I would get. Now,if it were up to the entire NARS collection, my list would be a lot longer! LOL

    Have a great Monday Karen!! 🙂

    Reply

  23. Oh gosh, it all looks so yum. I wonder if the light e/s duo will show though?

    I still regret getting rid of my Elsa e/s duo even though it didn’t really show on me…it would look fab on me if I were more tanned!

    This collection is just candy! Yum!

    Snarkattack´s last blog post..won’t eat for a week

    Reply

  24. Hula Hula Duo Eyeshadow: strawberry with gold particles and hazelnut with gold glitter particles, $32
    Sweet Revenge Lip Gloss: sheer pink grapefruit, $24
    was gonna get the lippie, but it looks like Boogie Nights (already have) in lipstick form.
    Hungry Heart Blush Duo: iridescent gold ivory and pink sand with golden sheen, $37

    I’ve not actually seen these, but I’m wondering… Since the pink in Hula looks similar to Baby Girl, which looks similar to the pink in Hungry Heart, is it necessary to have all three? I’m also a little concerned with the sheerness of the eueshadows. While I LOVE Nars, sometimes the shadows are hit and miss in terms of pigment.

    Reply

  25. I’m only interested in the two eyeshadow duos and the Hungry Heart blush duo. I’m going to have to look into Hungry Heart next time I’m at Sephora – I love light, shimmery, highlighter-y shades. 🙂

    Reply

  27. Hi there, cutie,
    What do I want for spring? Besides warm weather and sunshine. . . . First of all, NARS has a lot of imagination and his products are beautifully colored but and as PeeWee Herman said in one of his movies, “Everyone has a big but(t)!!!) hahahaha
    They are too much of the runway and not of the everyday. I love his blushes though and some of the lip colors. But the eyeshadows are a little dangerous. I will not be buying Chanel because I am “mad” at them. The same old stuff recycled over and over again. I have enough quads and glossimers. What were they thinking with that old picture of Stevie Nicks in her gypsy outfit? They need to put that back down in the cellar where they found it. Besides they raised their prices for their items too much and the days for greed are over. You hear that, Karl Lagerfeld. I have bought you your last silver ring. The Dior colors are very nice and they are my newest makeup crush. However, if I am to buy anything, I will be buying the new Smashbox eyeshadow palette and the corresponding eyeliner pencils. The pastel colors are just feminine and gorgeous-buttery soft and silky sheer. There are 10 of them, I think. The lighter shade is on one side and the deeper is across from it. They also have a primer-illuminator which gives a lovely golden glow. Now I have never been a Smashbox fan because I thought that they catered to the young folks. But when I saw these items, I knew that they were for me and it was time for a change!!! Check them out. Hey, Karen, can you send a little of that nice warm weather over here to Pittsburgh in time for the football game on Sunday?? Louise

    Reply

  28. As tempting as this all looks: I am not going to buy anything from NARS, since I try to stay away from companies that test on animals..

    Reply

  29. Sweet revenge lipgloss sounds interesting. Would it be mean to say that model kinda scares me, though? Maybe it’s just too “high-fashion concept” for me.

    Reply

  30. Hey Karen –

    I believe Shrinagar is the name of a city in North India.

    I never like NARS’ promotion photos. The Fall collection was weird too and I don’t think they showcase a good look that people would fall for. Just IMHO.

    Reply

  31. I heart Nars. I would get:

    Grenandines eyeshadow (This is my favorite)
    Hula Hula
    Sweet Revenge lip gloss (Mostly because I like name)
    Shrinagar lipstick

    Karen, I missed a bunch of your blogs because I was away from home for a few weeks and haven’t had a chance to go through them all yet. What are you going back to school for?

    Reply

  33. I already swatched these and these are what i’m going to get:

    Baby Girl Single Eyeshadow
    Grenadines Single Eyeshadow (still debating on this one)
    Hula Hula Duo Eyeshadow
    Sweet Revenge Lip Gloss
    Hungry Heart Blush Duo
    Hula Hula Duo Eyeshadow

    Ya I’m a Nars fanatic.

    Reply

  35. I like these, its a refreshing change from the usual spring colors 🙂
    I would get
    grenadines eyeshadow 22
    hula hula dup 32
    sweet revenge gloss 24
    vanilla/honey duo 30
    hungry heart blush 37
    which puts me at 145, so just enough left over for Starbucks!

    Reply

  36. Have to say I’m not a fan of the model in the pic though, almost a little creepy looking the way she’s holding her neck and with the pale skin and red red eyes lol

    Reply

  37. I would love the multiple duo – seems pretty pricey though? I wonder if it’s huge? I am also interested in seeing the blush duo in person – the description sounds pretty…

    that model looks TERRIBLE – like they chose a really unflattering photo???

    Reply

  39. I like the baby girl eyeshadow….I’m really crazy about pink shades, cause my skin is kind of white…..so every eyeshadow or blush in soft pink shades goes very well on me.

    Reply

  41. Hi YadiQ,

    GAH! I need to try that one. I am not surprised that it works so well — most every skin product I’ve tried from Chanel delivers. Do you top it off with a powder to set it? Or do you wear it on its own?

    Reply

  43. Hi Toni,

    I think that they decided to go edgy with her look — yeah, I dunno if I’d wear it in real life, but you never know until you get it on.

    Reply

  47. Hey Karen!

    I’m not so big on the red – but I have a hard time doubting Francois. He seems to put colors together that just work. That said, I won’t be going after that one anytime soon. But it would be cool to see someone totally rock it.

    Reply

  48. I want: Grenadines, Baby Girl, Night Sun, Sweet Revenge and Orgasm/South Beach Multiple Duo. That works out to $135. 🙂 Sweet!

    Reply

  49. Hi Vivian,

    The shadow seems like a tough one to pull off. When I get to the counter I’m going to ask an MUA if there’s any way to wear this in real life and get away with it. I’m very curious!

    Reply

  50. Hi Odelle,

    Yah, both of those shades are rocking my boat. Can’t wait to see ’em in person.

    What are your NARS faves? I can’t live without Dolce Vita lipstick.

    Reply

  57. Hi Angie,

    There are a ton of pastels that look the same in this… I’m guessing that the shimmer and different warm and cool tones will set each apart, but I dunno. I guess I’ll have to wait ’till I see it in person.

    Reply

  59. Hi Tatiana,

    That seems to be an issue with a lot of people. I haven’t tried red, but hey, ya never know. A few months ago I was terrified of hot pink shadow and now I kinda love it!

    Reply

  60. Hi Louise Gray,

    I will try my best to send you some sunshine. Maybe if I FedEx it via 2-day you’ll get it in time.

    And you crack me up about Stevie… I still heart her, though!

    Reply

  64. Hi Allie,

    Welcome back! How was your trip?

    I left my day job at the literary agency because I did some soul searching and decided that it was time to move on. I’m taking a journalism class to brush up on my reporting skills. The goal is to write full time someday. *crosses fingers*

    Did you have a good New Years? I hope so!

    Reply

  72. Hi Laurie,

    I am really curious about it, too. It’s a different take on spring… dunno if I could pull it off, but you never know until you try, right?

    Reply

  74. Hey Karen…

    fav fav probably the hungry heart blush duo… just because I’m more of a blush person 🙂 I was hoping that they will have a new blush color but the duo will do.

    Ps Love you blog xx

    Reply

  75. Most of this collection is not for me and my coloring, but I like both the lipstick and lipgloss as well as the multiple duo. Funny, I was just on the Nars website where you can see details to a couple of the looks he created for NY Spring RTW 09. Check out the link where you can see a better photo of the “red” eye look he did for 3.1 Philip Lim
    http://www.narscosmetics.com/looks_detail.aspx?SID=1&l=146&id=1658

    It looks much more wearable than the photo for the collection.

    Reply

  76. Ok, if I had $150 to blow only on this Nars collect., it’d be:
    Grenadines Single Eyeshadow: matte garnet, $22
    Egea Duo Eyeshadow: frosted sage and smoky lilac, $32
    Hula Hula Duo Eyeshadow: strawberry with gold particles and hazelnut with gold glitter particles, $32
    Shrinagar Lipstick: metallic raspberry, $24
    Orgasm/South Beach Multiple Duo: peachy pink and apricot with shimmer, $45
    Total: $155 😀

    I am a sucker for their duos! And I think I’d splurge on the multiple duo… maybe.

    Mariah´s last blog post..Weight Loss Inspiration!

    Reply

  80. Hi Karen!
    I look every new (to me) cosmetic brand up on peta.org, before I decide if I order from them or not.
    Among the so called “cruelty free” brands are: MAC, Bobbi Brown, Urban Decay, Clinique, Stila, Smashbox, Essie, China Glaze…
    as well as the numerous mineral make up brands found online.
    There are really many choices, I really don´t feel as if I limit myself, since I love all the abovementioned brands. :o)

    Reply

  82. Hey K,
    You know how i love me some NARS!!! I’ll check out the lipstick/gloss and maybe the hula hula duo. Red shadow? not so much it’ll make me look either a)eczema outbreak or b)i got socked in the eye and either look is not cute! I guess I have to see it in person…

    Reply

  83. Hi again…

    I pretty much love all the Nars blush (I have about 14 Nars powder blush and counting!) but the ones that i have been using quite often are Luster/Desire/Torrid. The stila convertible in gerbera is always nice.

    Ps/ I preorderd the items in the collection that i mentioned from Saks Fifth, will let you know how much I really love them 😉

    Reply

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