NARS Eyeshadow Palette Ride Up To the Moon

NARS has recently released the Fall 2013 Collection but what really excited me was the Fall gifting sets that were released with the Fall collection. Two eye-shadow palettes were released and I chose the warmer of the two; Ride Up To The Moon ($45.00).  The eyeshadows in these palettes include shades from NARS regular line of single and duo eyeshadows plus one LE shade but, of course, in much smaller sizes.  

“A sophisticated six-shadow palette of celestial smoky hues to create a high-fashion haze or otherworldly effects.”

 

NARS Ride Up to The Moon has warmer colors in it; a gold, bronze, browns, a deep blackened green and a blackish brown. It is definitely the more versatile of the two palettes in that the shades can be use for day as well having stronger shades for night.   It is a great palette that would be great to travel with for touch ups or vacation time; this one palette could easily be all you'd need for days.

Top Row: Argentina (LE), Isolde (II), Night Porter (III)
       Bottom Row: Biarritz (I), Fez (II), Cordura (III)

Argentina - Metallic gold  

Isolde - Frosted ginger

Night Porter - Black with green pearl 

Biarritz - Neutral cream beige 

Fez - Velvety cocoa  

Cordura - Shimmering sooty dark brown

Available on NARS website

NARS 'Some Like It Hot' Lip Bag (Nordstrom Exclusive)

Another item that I pick up from the Nordstrom Anniversary sale was the NARS Some Like it Hot Lip Bag ($49).  It is “a scandalous threesome of luxurious lip textures in modern nude hues and whisper-soft pinks.”

Set includes:
- Full-size Pago Pago Lipstick a shimmering Nude Pink
- Mini Gold Digger Larger Than Life Lip Gloss Sparkling Peach Shimmer
- Mini Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Bettina a  natural rose beige sheen
- Limited edition covetable carry-all NARS tote bag.

L to R: Pago Pago, Bettina, Gold Digger

Now I already have Pago Pago in my lippie collection but I love it so much that a back up is not a bad thing.  See it reviewed previously here. Gold Digger is described as a peach shimmer and that is pretty exact. It’s a lighter peach with multicolor shimmer that is beautiful on its own or layered on top of anything.  One thing I did notice is that the Larger Than Life glosses smell ten times better than the original NARS glosses, which has a plastic smell. The LTL have almost no scent at all, me likey that much better.  Bettina is a pretty mauvey rose shimmer that is little more fall looking in my book so I definitely see myself wearing a ton in the fall and winter. It looks awesome topped with the Gold Digger gloss.  Overall a great lip bag with stand out NARS products. NARS also released a deeper wine lip bag as well for the Sale, so if that is more your thing check out the Baiser de Feu Lip Bag.

NARS Satin Lip Pencils in Biscayne Park & Rikugien

NARS recently released Satin Lip Pencils ($25) which are a selection of high-impact, fashion-forward shades in a rich, creamy satin finish that stays on all day.

What Sephora says:

What it does:
The Satin Lip Pencil dresses up lips in statement shades that seduce with rich, color-bright pigments, while drenching them in decadent moisture. This modern, long-wearing, vitamin-enriched formula for lips looks sumptuously saturated and dramatically defined.

What else you need to know:
The Satin Lip Pencil Category shade designations are all named for parks and gardens around the world.

Left: Rikugien    Right: Biscayne Park

Biscayne Park Satin Lip Pencil is described by NARS as a pink guava. To me it’s a medium nude with brownish pink undertones. This color is a warm nude that is very versatile (work friendly) and will be easy for most skin tones to wear.  Biscayne Park applies smoothly with opaque coverage.  The finish and texture is super creamy with a definite satin finish, hence the name.  I didn’t find this formula drying at all but it was super moisturizing either.

Rikugien Satin Lip Pencil is described by NARS as a rose pink. I found it to be a medium pinky rose with a frost finish. It gives mostly opaque coverage, not as much as Biscayne Park; the color can be built up. The texture is also creamy and glides on lips easily. Overall both shades are a win for me!

 

NARS Pago Pago Lipstick

NARS describes the Sheer Lipstick ($34) formula as: “A beautifully sheer formula infused with ingredients to improve the condition of the lips. Sheer, long lasting color pigments have been suspended in this translucent formula to provide a sophisticated shine. Each NARS lipstick is "enriched with vitamin E to increase wearability and keep true color intact." While at Sephora the other day, I picked up the color Pago Pago which is described by NARS as a "shimmering pink".

Pago Pago is a pink-beige with subtle shimmer with a creamy base. I have quite a few pinky-beige lipsticks but nothing quite like this one. I think the shimmer gives it a little something different although the shimmer is not very noticeable until you get up close. The color applied is warm, subtle, and natural; wearable for most skin tones. Because it is sheer, your natural lip color will enhance the color of the lipstick. Pago Pago pulls pretty pink on my lips due to my lips already having a bit of color to them.  Overall, Pago Pago is a lovely addition to my collection and one of my new favorite everyday colors.

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Madere

NARS Madere Pure Matte Lipstick ($25.00) is the only product I picked up from the NARS Spring 2011 collection.  It is a pale pink-fleshy beige with a true matte finish. The coverage is quite opaque and really nudes out your lips.  This very light matte nude when swatched nearly matches my skin color right now.  What I found that I like to do is use this color as a base to wash out the color of my lips when using other nude/light colors.  It provides a great base for that. Overall a great nude to add to your collection. It can be used in so many ways with other lip products.

NARS Madere Swatched in NC20 skin

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils

 Along with their Spring 2011 collections, NARS launched a new product: Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils ($24). The collection launched with six shades ranging from nude to blackberry. I picked up two colors, Hopi and Frivolous. Both colors have a natural finish and are not super pigmented, almost like a glaze. They offer a smooth texture with a super glossy sheen and contain Vitamin E, making them moisturizing. After applying and wearing the formula, it’s very lightweight and lasts for a decent amount of time. Now onto the colors…

Hopi is a peachy nude (no shimmer) and is the most pigmented of the two colors.

Frivolous is an iridescent pink and is very sheer, subtle when swatched and applied on the lips.

October Favorites!

Where does the time go! It’s already November so that means it’s time to gear up for the holiday season. Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here in a flash.  Here is what I have been loving in the month of October, Enjoy!

~bareMinerals Flawless Definition volumizing mascara - Love the volume & length this mascara gives.  One coat does wonders!
~Chanel Mat Lumiere foundation - Great coverage, long lasting & doesn't break me out.
~MAC lipstick in Hug Me - Oldie but a goodie, a beautiful neutral fleshy pink. Goes with everything!
~NARS Pure Matte lipstick in Bangkok - love the formulation and color. Great to throw on whenever.
~Chanel Glossimer in Petit Peche - this gloss looks beautiful on its own and over top any lipstick. I found myself using it almost everyday this past month.

What products are you loving right now??

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Bangkok

Pure Matte ($25) is the newly released lipstick formula from NARS Cosmetics. This product was first sold exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue but just recently it has popped up at Sephora and other retailers.  Pure Matte comes in six shades ranging from nude to deep plum and promises to give a matte look without drying our your lips. The lipstick contains vitamin E, acai oil and mango butter to condition your lips. There has been quite a buzz about these lipsticks, so I had to give one a try. I decided on Bangkok, a soft rose.

The product comes in the slim stick packaging just like the earlier released Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatment.  It applies very creamy and is nicely pigmented. I found that it has a decent staying power; it lasts about 2-3 hours on me.  The formula seems to be more of a soft matte compared to other matte lipsticks that can be very drying and harsh in color. Bangkok has just a slight amount of shimmer/sheen to it that makes the color look softer when applied.  Overall, I am impressed with this product and would like to see if NARS will expand the color range in the future.

Foundation Search

 As I mentioned in my earlier post on my foundations, I had gone to Sephora and picked up three samples of foundations that I wanted to try.  I got samples of NARS Sheer Glow, Make Up Forever HD and YSL Teint Resist. Here are my thoughts after trying all three…..

Out of all three foundations I tried, I would say my favorite is the YSL Teint Resist ($55).  The color I was matched to was #4 Sand which is for light to medium neutral beige complexions.  This is an oil-free foundation with a spf 10 that claims to smooth out your complexion and absorb excess oil.  First, I noticed that this foundation has a nice clean smell. Some foundations I can’t use because they smell awful.  Teint Resist applies nicely with a foundation brush and provides a light coverage although it can be layered to create heavier coverage if needed.  It found that this foundation wears very well and doesn’t feel tight on my skin like some oil-free foundations can.   I didn’t need to touch up with Blot powder hardly at all through out the day, which is always nice because I can get pretty oily.  All in all, I am pretty impressed with this foundation and might possibly be purchasing a bottle in the near future.

Next, I tried the Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($45) in the color #120 which is a soft sand color for medium light complexions with yellow undertones.  I have read so many reviews were people have raved about this foundation so I finally gave it a go.   This is also an oil-free foundation that offers medium to full coverage and give you a flawless finish.  Swatches of all the shades available can be found on KarlaSugar’s blog here.

The last foundation that I tried was NARS Sheer Glow ($42) in Fiji (light#5).  Once again, I had read and seen amazing reviews about this foundation.  I was a little hesitant because it was not oil-free, which is not always good for my skin.  This foundation offers a satin finish that gives you lightweight coverage and glowing skin.  When I first applied this foundation it seemed light and non-greasy. It gave a nice coverage and did give my skin a subtle glow.  After time though, my skin became greasy looking and felt greasy, which led to endless blotting sessions.  I really do wish I could use this foundation because I like the coverage I get with it but my skin will not deal with it not being oil-free.  If you have normal to dry skin, you should definitely give NARS Sheer Glow a try. Swatches by KarlaSugar here.

Favorites: Cream Blushes

I have always been a powder blush kinda girl. Having combo/oily skin, I never really had an interest in trying cream blushes because I thought they would be greasy on me. That all changed when my local MAC artist used one of their cream blushes on me during a run through for my wedding. I never realized how long lasting and dewy looking cream blushes could be and from then on I was hooked. Since then, I have accumulated a few cream blushes that I really love and use all the time. Here are my favorites….

NARS Penny Lane, MAC Ladyblush, Jouer Petal, MUFE HD Quickie

MAC Ladyblush blushcreme ($18.50) was the first cream blush that I ever purchased and I love it. MAC blushcreme’s are very pigmented, so a little goes a long way. Ladyblush is a beautiful cool pink with a cream finish, no shimmer here. It leaves a rosy, healthy glow when applied on the apples of the cheek. I either use my fingers or my handy MAC 109 brush to apply.

 

 

MAC Ladyblush

 

Jouer cosmetics is a brand that I first read about in various fashion & beauty magazines. I purchased a few of their products a couple years back and have loved mostly everything I have gotten. One of the standout products for me is Jouer’s Cheek & Lip Tint ($20) in the color Petal. Petal is a soft rose pink with a soft shimmer finish. It’s almost not even a shimmer but a sheen. The formula isn’t super pigmented so you don’t need to worry about using too much and it’s very blendable. I keep this in my handbag for on the go cheek/lip touch ups! If you have a chance you should check out Jouer’s website for all their great products. (www.jouercosmetics.com)

Jouer Petal Tint

I received a deluxe sample at Sephora of Makeup Forever HD Microfinish blush in #6 Quickie. MUFE released this new blush formula. This is a cream formula that comes in a pump form. Quickie is a salmon coraly pink that is super pigmented with a cream finish. One thing about this packaging is that you need to be careful and not pump out too much product. Since it is so pigmented you only need half of a pump. I have swatched it unblended and blended. This color is a little bright, but once it is blended, you get a nice peachy pink flush that lasts and lasts.

 

 

MUFE HD Blush in Quickie - Left swatch Blended out

 

The last of my favorite cream blushes is from NARS in the color Penny Lane ($26). This is a cream to powder blush with a sheer cream finish. Penny Lane is a soft nude pink color that is perfect for my NC25 skin. I love using this color when I do a strong smokey eye because it gives the perfect pinky nude color to the cheeks that doesn’t compete with your eyes. The cream to powder finish is nice because it doesn’t feel sticky at all. It almost has a silky feel when you blend it in.

NARS Penny Lane

As you can see Penny Lane is very light nude and is the lightest of my cream blushes. I hope you enjoyed hearing about my favorite cream blushes and if you have any suggestions on one's I should try, let me know! Talk to you soon!

August Favorites

Here are my favorites for the month of August. What products are you loving right now?

1. Urban Decay NAKED palette
2. Edward Bess Ultra Luminous Bronzer in Daydream
3. NARS Cream Blush in Penny Lane
4. Burberry Lip Glow in Cameo Pink
5. Bobbi Brown Extreme Party mascara
6. Estee Lauder Crystal Lipstick in Crystal Baby

NARS Fall 2010 eye shadow duo in Tzarine

I stopped by Sephora the other day and decide to pick something up from the NARS Fall 2010 collection. The eyeshadow duo in Tzarine($32) was the only product from the collection that really called to me. It’s a beautiful duo of champagne gold shimmer & steel gray shimmer with flecks of gold.

Both shadows are very pigmented and are very long lasting.  Some of the NARS shadows can be very buttery in texture and some can be too chalky. I was glad to see that both of these shadows were very buttery and smooth when applied. Over all I am very excited about my fall NARS purchase and can’t wait to create a great smokey look with it.