NARS

The NARS Pierre Hardy Nail Duos Pump Up the Pigment

April 16th, 2013 by Karen 14 Comments

If I ever procure my dream shoe closet (one so vast that you can’t see how far back it goes, and the walls are lined with shelf upon shelf of heels from floor to ceiling), it’ll have one entire row dedicated to the six new Pierre Hardy for NARS Nail Duos.

A collaboration with famed French footwear and accessories designer Pierre Hardy, the new limited edition summer line, inspired by high heels, pits six pairs of polishes together like shoes.

Note: you do not have to wear heels to strut your stuff in these six $29 duos (but you might want to anyway). Your toes would look just as cute if you wore them in flip-flips. 🙂

I’ve never put on a pair of Pierre Hardy shoes, but based on the nail polishes and blushes in his collection with NARS, I want to.

Apparently, homeboy likes pigment! — because NARS pumped a ton of it into these polishes, and with the exception of the light yellow shade, Sharks Left, they deliver pretty good coverage from one or two layers.

To keep the fairly thick formula, which dries to high gloss finish in less than 10 minutes, from getting gooey on my nails, I empty as much as I can first from the brush before applying.

NARS Pierre Hardy Easy Walking Nail Polish Duo: Easy Walking Left (a shimmery golden bronze) and Easy Walking Right (a creamy yellowish tan)

NARS Pierre Hardy Sharplines Nail Polish Duo: Sharplines Left (a creamy peach) and Sharplines Right (a creamy dark brown)

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Like a Good Pair of Heels, These New Pierre Hardy for NARS Blushes Kick Butt

April 15th, 2013 by Karen 38 Comments

I’m dreaming of shoes… and the new NARS Pierre Hardy Rotonde Blush ($41)

I am a shoe girl…but of course you already knew this. 🙂

Whenever a new shoe-related beauty collaboration comes along, I’m always eager to try it on for size (haha!), even when the link between said footwear and whatever new perfume (Jimmy Choo) or palette (Seychelles for Smashbox) we’re talking about seems about as random as, I dunno, Ryan Gosling releasing his own line of Mrs. Grossman’s stickers, or BeyoncÃ© launching a limited edition Mrs. Carter Dyson vacuum (as a side, I would totally want both of those things if they were real).

Generally, whenever makeup and shoes are involved, you can count me in, which is why I’m deeply fascinated with the new Pierre Hardy for NARS collection that strutted its stuff online today at narscosmetics.com with six nail polish duos and two powder blushes.

I didn’t know much about Pierre Hardy before this launch. I’d thought, “Is that Ed Hardy’s cousin?” (Kidding) But then I looked him up…

A French shoe designer originally trained in fine arts and dance, Hardy’s fashion career took off in 1988 when he designed his first shoe collection for Christian Dior. His heels and high tops often incorporate geometric elements, which I like. His aesthetic seems very chic to me, and yet it doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously.

Thematically, NARS borrows heavily from Pierre Hardy’s summer 2013 collection here, with a mix of orange, nude, blue, purple and gray, which weave their way into the polishes, while a pattern lifted from a bold cuff repeats itself within the two pans of over-sized blush.

NARS Pierre Hardy blushes in Rotonde (left) and Boys Don't Cry (right) — NARS Pierre Hardy blushes in Rotonde (left) and Boys Don’t Cry (right), $41 each

Last weekend I strapped on some leopard heels and took the blushes out for a walk.
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NARS Summer 2013 Collection Pictures and Swatches and Orders From a Demanding Cat

April 4th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

When I got home from the salon this afternoon (took off about 2 inches and got some layers), Tabs was meowing up a storm.

“Mrrroow!?” Where the heck have you been!?

“MRRRROWWW!” If you don’t preview the new NARS Summer 2013 collection for me, I WILL CUT YOU!

And I believed him (seriously, have you seen that cat’s claws? SHARP!).

Let me know if anything makes you purr… 🙂 Reviews and looks coming soon.

NARS Barrow Street Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, $24

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Opening Day! A Look Inside the New NARS 2050 Fillmore Boutique in San Francisco

March 15th, 2013 by Karen 35 Comments

NARS Fillmore Boutique k 0 — If you need me…I’ll be on the mothership, also known as the new NARS 2050 Fillmore Boutique in San Francisco

New favorite plaaaace! 🙂

Poor El Hub. Now when we visit San Francisco together, he’ll have to find something to do while I play with makeup at the new NARS 2050 Fillmore Boutique.

My first observation: there are no man couches in the store. Nowhere to park El Hub while I peruse, so I guess I’ll just have to dispatch him down the street to grab a snack at one of the bustling shops or cafes in the neighborhood (it’s in the Fillmore). “Um, babe. Why don’t you go get a cupcake? Mmm… You like cupcakes. Take your time. I’ll text you in an hour.”

The new store is the third for NARS in the US. They also have stores in New York and Los Angeles.

Welcome, welcome, one and all! The store is very welcoming by design — not intimidating at all — which I like. According to Fillmore Boutique Manager Alexia Ogle, “Like FranÃ§ois Nars always says, ‘Don’t be so serious. It’s only makeup.'”

That’s the kind of environment the company wanted to create. “We want clients to come in and have fun,” Alexia says, “and that’s why we’re here.”

The 700-square-foot store carries everything in the NARS line (including those hard-to-find pumps for NARS foundations, woo hoo!) and provides touch-ups and makeup application, free of charge. If you’re interested in trying a product first before buying, they also offer samples.

The NARS 2050 Fillmore Boutique is open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. If you’d like to get your makeup done by one of the friendly NARS artists, just walk in, or you can also book an appointment ahead of time by calling (415) 757-2485.

Master classes with NARS artists are on the horizon, as are small, intimate seminars for NARS fans who want to learn more about the products and seasonal trends.

Hello! I think I just found a new home away from home. 🙂

NARS Fillmore Boutique ribbon cutting 5 — That’s Louis Desazars, CEO of NARS Cosmetics, on the left at the store’s official ribbon cutting

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The New NARS Satin Lip Pencils: Steeped in Prodigious Pigment, These Creamy, Indulgent Crayons Call for You to Pencil in Some Playtime at Your Nearest NARS Counter

March 7th, 2013 by Karen 39 Comments

NARS Satin Lip Pencil Floralies swatch — Wearing the new NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Floralies ($25), a light apricot, one of 13 shades from the new Satin Lip Pencil line coming March 15 to NARS counters and available now online

You know what I realized this afternoon while coloring in my lips with the new NARS Satin Lip Pencils?

I have no idea what happened to my coloring books…

I used to have a ton of them as a kid. Stacks of coloring books, but somewhere along the way, they disappeared, probably into the same vortex that sucked up my red Hello Kitty lunchbox (she growled, shaking her fist!).

I was always coloring something… Books, folders, pictures of people.

I did that last one a lot, too. I loved coloring in the lips of people in pictures (a harbinger of my lipstick addiction, perhaps?).

Today, as I lined and filled in my pout with the Satin Lip Pencils — creamy, potently pigmented lipsticks with a soft sheen finish — I felt like I was lying on the living room floor with Karrie, my childhood buddy, coloring and watching cartoons. 🙂

Lightweight, non-sticky, smooth and moisturizing, they’re like lip pencils and lipsticks rolled into one. Just line and fill in your lips, and you’re good for 5-6 hours (keep ’em handy, though, if you plan to eat or drink, as they do fade a bit after either).

NARS included some interesting ingredients in the formula — things like pomegranate and yeast extracts, hyaluronic acid, collagen prepeptides and vitamin E to moisturize, soothe and create fuller-looking lips.

Oh…but which color to start with among the 13 shades, which range from nuanced nudes to arresting pinks and reds?

I say go with Floralies if you’re into nudes, Lodhi if you’re a fiend for corals, and Yu or Jardin Des Plantes if you’re all about brights.

NARS Satin Lip Pencils from the left: Floralies, Isola Bella, Biscayne Park, Lodhi, Het Loo, Rikugien, Golshan, Palais Royal, Majella, Hyde Park, Luxembourg, Jardin Des Plantes and Yu

NARS Satin Lip Pencil Isola Bella swatch — NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Isola Bella, a peach beige

NARS Satin Lip Pencil Biscayne Park swatch — NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Biscayne Park, a pink guava

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New Easy, Everyday NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Puts Purple Circles Out to Pasture

February 19th, 2013 by Karen 41 Comments

Remember when dark circles were something that only happened to other people? Back when you had no clue that you yourself would someday be visited by those evil purple half-moon monsters at the crack of dawn?

Yup. Good times…

If you get as nostalgic as I do for those days of yore, let me get straight to the point. Dark circles are a serious business, and we have no time to waste. The new NARS Radiant Cream Concealers ($28) will cover those bad boys brilliantly.

Like a knight’s vorpal sword, they’re designed to vanquish! — only in their case, they vanquish the darkest of dark circles, as opposed to more traditional enemies. 🙂

The new line of under-eye concealers has a thick mousse formula that dries to a satin finish, and NARS says these will disguise imperfections all day long, without creasing, by diffusing light and applying a soft focus filter to fine lines.

The shades from lightest to darkest, according to the official PR:

Chantilly: A true ivory for the fairest complexions

Vanilla: A slight pink cast for fair complexions

Honey: A warm peach tone for light and medium complexions

Ginger: A golden undertone for medium complexions

Biscuit: A medium dark shade with a natural balance of pink and yellow undertones

Caramel: A medium dark yellow with golden undertones

Amande: A medium dark shade with golden undertones

Cafe: A dark shade with warm red undertones

Cacao: A dark shade with deep golden brown undertones

One swipe — just one, because a little goes a long way — of Ginger with the doe-foot applicator, followed by some brief blending with a MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush, and my under-eye area appears noticeably brighter, which in turn makes me feel considerably better/less grumpy.

Sh*t covers EVERYTHING! — yet still looks like real skin. Not heavy or cakey, even with multiple layers. Plus, it stays put and photographs well.

You can use it anywhere on your face, too, like for blemishes and skin discolorations, but it really excels under eyes.

Um…I think it’s kind of amazing, really, and when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror with it on, I’m like, “Who’s that!?” That girl looks almost like the 23-year-old Karen who stayed up all night before graduation and took pics the following day without any under-eye concealer.

Ah, those were the days…

Of course, there is one catch (isn’t there always?).

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Pictures Small — From the left: Chantilly, Vanilla, Honey, Custard, Ginger, Biscuit, Caramel, Amande, Cafe and Cacao

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Pictures Wands — From the left: Chantilly, Vanilla, Honey, Custard, Ginger, Biscuit, Caramel, Amande, Cafe and Cacao

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A Valentine’s Day Look With the New NARS And God Created The Woman Palette

February 14th, 2013 by Karen 45 Comments

Oh, twist my arm, why don’t ya?!

That’s what I said to one of the Sephora gals who mentioned they were offering Valentine’s Day makeovers today. 🙂

I figured it would be a good chance to hang out, try some new products and play a little hooky. ‘Cause, ya know, I’m all about ~~playing hooky~~ multitasking.

When I sat down in the chair, Chelsea, the makeup artist who did this look (thank you, Chelsea!), asked me what I had in mind. I told her my makeup mantra (“No fear!”) and that she could do whatever she wanted, just as long as she incorporated the palette from the new NARS And God Created the Woman Set.

She used a mix of products from NARS, Too Faced, Make Up For Ever, Benefit, Kat Von D and Sephora.

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New Sephora Exclusives From NARS and Make Up For Ever, One of Them in Technicolor and the Other Inspired by Eve

February 12th, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

The new Make Up For Ever Technicolor Palette ($45), available now exclusively at Sephora

Seriously, dude, I go to Petco so often that when I see the Friskies delivery guy there restocking the gravy display, he gives me the “What’s up?” nod in the cat food aisle.

Like we’re buds. Because we see each other so often. 🙂

In my town, one of the upsides of frequenting the local Petco on behalf of my famously demanding feline employer is that there’s a Sephora right next door.

I know! It’s makeup/cat lady heaven…

So whenever Tabs sends me on a gravy run, I try to swing by Sephora (but please don’t tell Tabs, because I don’t want to hear his speech about personal errands on company time, blah, blah, blah…).

Yesterday Miss Thang (Tabs) was running low on Science Diet, Gravy and Greenies, so after restocking at Petco, I wandered next door to the Sephora to quickly look around, and check if the new Hourglass Ambients had arrived yet (nope!).

It was weird… Most of the time when I visit Sephora, I usually see a few guys either trailing their girlfriends/wives or waiting up near the front of the store with their noses buried in their phones, but yesterday, they were everywhere! — wandering the aisles like lost cattle, most of them with blank looks on their faces.

That’s when I realized: Valentine’s Day. I think there was some present shopping going on there…

Most of the dudes, bless their hearts, looked completely clueless, too. I thought, “Let me help you!” LOL! But I was under a tight schedule and had to get back to the office to give Tabs his daily full-body shiatsu massage.

If I had been able to offer assistance, I would have steered the dudes toward the new $45 Technicolor palette from Make Up For Ever first, with its eight powder shadows, four of them brights and four of them neutrals.

My inner film buff likes the inspiration behind it — the era in cinema when movies were transitioning from black and white to color, circa the 1930s — while my practical side loves that MUFE included classic black, brown, beige and white shades to go with the electric yellow, green, blue and purple.

So flexible! Plus, it comes with a step-by-step tutorial and two eye brushes.

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