NARS Fall 2011: Haul and FOTD's

When given the time to play at makeup counters, I make the most out of it. I went to the NARS boutique yesterday intending to get 2 Multiples for my friend Vicky, but ended up with almost the entire fall collection. LOL. Story of my junkie life.

Ze haul:

*Please note that some of the items in the photo are for friends, okay thats just two, but still! haha. Please let me shake off some guilt :P

I got the popular Outremer eyeshadow single, Mascate & Montego Bay Pure Matte Lipsticks, Pago Pago Lipstick & Galion nail polish.

swatches for the lipsticks:

(top to bottom) Montego Bay, Mascate, Pago Pago

EOTD featuring Outremer:

Outremer surprised me as I thought I wouldn't be able to pull off the bright blue color, but a little blending with a golden champagne shade (Alhambra) tamed the brightness of the shadow, making it very wearable. 

Outremer on eyes, Beverly Hills Multiple on cheeks, Montego Bay on lips:

as you can see from afar Outremer looks almost smoky, here I asked MUA to pair it with Montego Bay, a rose-pink matte lipstick. This look makes Outremer more appropriate for a "day" look.

Outremer on eyes, Beverly Hills Multiple on cheeks, Mascate on lips:

sorry for the blurry photo, MUA has shaky hands. LOL. with this look, all I can say is WOW, I feel like the gal from Captain America with the matte, bold red lip! It made me look different and a tad more confident! wooo!

Outremer on eyes, Beverly Hills Multiple on cheeks, Pago Pago on lips:

If you don't find matte lips exciting, Pago Pago might be your pick, its an almost nude, sheer pink lip color with fine shimmer to provide that fabulous looking shine. The formula is moisturizing and lasted 5 hours on me, but I think it can go farther than that. I really do! TIP: Pago Pago looks beautiful layered on top of Montego Bay. It freshens it up and makes it more youthful.

for my Manila based lovelies, NARS will be having a consumer workshop for the Fall collection on the 8th of September, 4:00PM at the NARS boutique, Rustan's Makati. Please RSVP Armie @ 63.917.5118400 I won't be able to go but if you can, go enjoy and get some useful tips from the international MUA's! :)

I hope you enjoyed this post. Happy Monday! 

♡,

G

ps. Galion swatches/NOTD will be posted soon! ;)

NARS Tainted Love Set: Review and Swatches

A heaven sent trio for cool pink lovers, "Tainted Love" is by far the nicest value set I've seen from NARS. 

Released in time for Valentines 2011, it contains the new Angelika Multiple (exclusive to the set), Angelika lip gloss and the notoriously hot Schiap nail lacquer.

The Angelika Multiple (face, eyes, lips, body) Tint

This Angelika multiple is just a wee bit smaller compared to a regular sized tube. It contains 13g of product whereas a regular one has 14g.

swatch:

cotton candy pink with silver shimmer

The Angelika Multiple is long wearing (just like Turks & Caicos), highly pigmented and the shimmer does not fall out and travel all over my face. However, it should be applied with a very light hand as it can make you look clownish if you overdo it.

Angelika Lip Gloss

again, a cotton candy pink with silver shimmer. Consistency is a bit thick and sticky, but overall still comfortable to wear. Worn alone, it will enhance your lips and make it smooth and plump, adding a pristine shine. But I like it better when worn over vivid pink lipsticks. The effect is just so pretty! I usually get 4-5 hours of wear with this lip gloss.

swatch:

Schiap Nail Lacquer is a creamy fuschia shade.

NOTD:

This is the first time I'm trying NARS nail lacquers and I have to say consistency is really good, the brush is great, it makes the polish glide on smoothly. Definitely not streaky. You can get away with a single coat as its highly pigmented but on this NOTD I applied 2 coats to make it fully opaque. Schiap reminds me of CHANEL Pulsion, not an exact dupe because the latter looks creamier, and Schiap has more blue undertones to it, but similar.

This set retails for Php3,350 (appox. USD78) at local NARS counters. US price I believe is $59 (damyoo value added tax!) I would recommend it if you like cool pinks, you're new to the brand and would like to try their products at a value price, everything is in full size so you get your money's worth. Get it while you can, I don't think you'll regret it.

Happy Monday!

♡,

G

ps. I apologize for being an evil enabler! :P

NARS Turks and Caicos Multiple Tint FOTD

I went to the NARS counter last weekend to ask for the "New Order" blusher, then spotted this bright, orange, jelly looking stick and swatched it on my arm. Orange. No big deal I thought. But when I went outdoors it turned into this gorgeous shade of pinkish peach. It looked awesome against my skin... I had to have it! 

 A part of the NARS Summer 2010 collection Multiples, Turks & Caicos is a limited edition shade I believe. I know I'm a year late to the party but at least I got to try this! 

love how the NARS print matches the color of the product!

It reminds me of Tarte blushers my sister used to give me when I was younger but this one is not as tacky especially after it sets on the skin. Plus its more pigmented and it lasts the whole day. IN SUMMER! Take that humidity!

I'm not a beach bum, but if I was, and can only bring one beauty product to the beach, I'd bring this... Its very easy to use, I just dab it straight onto my cheeks or lips. No blending skills required.

swatch:

I love how it looks so sheer and natural, it has no shimmer but it gives off a nice sheen to the cheeks/lips.

The only drawback for this product is the price, Php2,150 locally (approx. USD 50) but to justify, its a multi-purpose product and the quality is amazing I'm sure you will love it as much as I do. As for availability, I have no idea if they still have this abroad but if you're in the Philippines, NARS Rustan's Makati still has it in stock.

My bright and summery FOTD:

products used:

BASE: 

DiorSnow White Reveal UV Base in beige

Canmake 5-effects foundation 03

Cle De Peau concealer in ochre

MAC Prep + Prime eye primer in medium

POINT: 

NARS Turks & Caicos Multiple

Esprique Precious Dress-on Shiny Eyes C-4

Shu Uemura Hard 6 eyebrow pencil

Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Bourbon

Majolica Majorca Lash Gorgeous Wing Mascara

Etude House Miss Tangerine Follow Me lip tint #2

I hope you enjoyed today's post. Have a fun weekend everyone!

♡,

G

Fall 2010: NARS Beautiful Life Palette

I'm officially aboard the NARS train to pigmentation! Lovelies, presenting you... my very first NARS product, the Beautiful Life palette. I got this because I thought it has good value for money, and I really wanted to try the super popular Orgasm blusher.:)

iWant: Cream Shadows

Lately, I've been constantly thinking about cream shadows, I don't own a lot of them, just one pot from Coffret D'or which I adore (I usually use it as a shimmery base for powder shadows) and I actually have some duos from ELF too, which are quite nice BUT (and thats a big one) I have one major concern, they crease like crazy and its not a pretty sight when they do. Living in a humid climate, what's the point of getting cream shadows that crease when they're supposed to give you long lasting pigments which should last until you take it off? Imagine having a really nice date out in the park and your date's like, what happened to your eyelids? Uhuh.

Hence, my cream shadow lemming list! :)

Note: The colors in the pots/photos are not necessarily the ones on my list, I just got lazy to look for the exact color photos for some of the products. hahaha! Photos from Sephora.com ;)

Shu Uemura Pearl Light Pink, MUFE Aqua Cream #21 Turquoise, Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in RSVP and Skinny Jeans

YSL FARD LUMIÈRE AQUARÉSISTANT Water-Resistant Eye Shadow in #3 Golden Fern and #19 Riviera Blue, Dior in Undressed Beige, Shiseido Hydro Power Eyeshadow in H7 Green Exotique

Nars Duo Cream Eyeshadow in Camargue and Madagascar, NARS The Multiple in Orgasm

What cream shadow product brands have you tried and would really recommend? I would appreciate the suggestions! :)