Makeup

When NARS does neutral eyes, he gives ’em a little twist. The new Grand Palais Duo Eyeshadow from the upcoming Fall 2011 collection pairs a silvery taupe with a dusty rose in a partnership designed to flatter most skin tones. The combination takes the idea of the neutral eye well beyond simple brown, gray and beige.

Both shadows feel smooth to me, and they’re quite easy to apply. They pack a real wallop, too, when it comes to pigment, yet neither one leaves behind very much fallout at all.

While they’re intended to be worn separately or together, I have a tough time working these colors by themselves. On my NC42 skin, I feel like the taupe makes me look a little tired in the eyes, and the rose makes me look like I’ve been crying. But mixing both shades together? That’s a whole different story. Teamed up, they’re like the Wonder Twins! — an interesting duochrome of reddish, purplish taupe. 🙂

I prefer the way they look paired together on me, but I bet gals with cooler skin tones will be able to rock them together or alone.

Swatches (applied on top of NARS Smudge-Proof Eye Primer) from the left: taupe side, rose side and mixed together

Taupe and rose mixed together on lids
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This trio is totally ruined! But wait — in this case, that’s a good thing.

The ruins at Delphi, where the ancient Greeks worshipped the god Apollo, inspired Delphes ($45; part of the Fall 2011 collection), the latest trio to emerge from the House of NARS.

Can you see the resemblance? — how the ruins, and the plants taking them over, influenced this cool-toned trio of sparkling, sheer peach, matte dove gray and frosty sage?

The ruins of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi in Greece

“Train Bleu Velvet Matte Lip Pencil is perfect for a deep aubergine lip to complement the softer colors of the Trio Eyeshadow.”

–Francois Nars

A few notes about the shades…

• Sparkling Peach — This shade really shines thanks to large pieces of silver glitter, but I have to proceed with caution; otherwise, it ends up in my brows and on my cheeks. With Sparkling Peach, I get better results when I use firm, flat eyeshadow brushes than I get from brushes with softer bristles, and I keep my eye makeup remover close at hand to clean up any fallout.
• Dove Gray — This matte shadow works wonderfully as a liner when I’m in the mood for a softer alternative to black or brown. It should apply fairly smoothly on lighter and medium skin tones, but it might look chalky on ladies much darker than I am.
• Frosted Sage — Despite being intensely pigmented, a super smooth texture makes Frosted Sage a cinch to apply and blend. It’s my favorite of the trio’s three shades, for sure.

Swatches atop NARS Smudge-proof Eye Primer

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Like a bold accent necklace or a fun, floral scarf, bright blue NARS Outremer Single Eyeshadow ($23) does add a certain something special to a makeup maven’s look.

That said, could I see myself wearing it every single day? No, probably not, because I don’t think it’s that kind of shade, which is not to say it isn’t flexible. Oh, no. It most certainly is. 🙂

NARS designed the mostly matte blue Outremer (see the tiny silver sparkles?), the French word for “overseas,” to contrast with the softer green, peach, taupe and rose eyeshadows in the fall collection.

“Fall is the perfect time to play with dramatic shades, bold color and rich textures, like a bright blue eye or a stormy gray nail.

I like the look of a bright blue eye and a pale pink lip, achieved with Outremer Eyeshadow and Pago Pago Lipstick. It’s striking and modern.”

— Francois Nars

Mission accomplished. Striking, it is, and flexible, too, easy to build from sheer to intense in just a few layers.

Swatches of Outremer (applied on top of NARS Smudge-proof Eye Primer) from the left: one layer; four layers; and applied wet
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