NARS

For Spring 2013, NARS Is Putting Peppy Pigments on a Pedestal

January 10th, 2013 by Karen 42 Comments

nars spring 2013 makeup collection — A gander at the new NARS Spring 2013 collection…

3 things that brightened my day…

1. The realization that I’m finally, again (since I watched the show once before), on the last season of The Hills.

I KNOW! Allegedly, Kristin and Brody have decided to get back together…

Whatev. I haven’t really been paying attention since LC left (and I also remember what happened from watching it the first time), but I feel like I’m in so deep that I can’t stop now.

2. Tabs has been so totally into me all day long! 🙂

He had been ignoring me most of the week but for some weird reason today decided I was worthy of his presence, so he’s been following me around the house and sleeping on my lap.

Yeah, I knew Tabs was big…but he looks ginormous in this picture (they say the camera adds 10 pounds). I don’t know, maybe it’s the angle? That, or he’s just a frickin’ huge-@ss cat.

3. And lastly, the NARS Spring 2013 collection! 🙂

No, literally, it brightened my day. See the blue eyeshadow there in the Mad Mad World Duo…?

That’s bright. Like Katy Perry’s blue wig bright.

And that green is no joke, either. After I swatched and photographed it, I cleaned up, and then a few minutes later noticed that my finger had a green stain!

This collection has some serious Roy Gee Biv action happening — red, orange, yellow, green, blue and — not exactly a violet, but more of a purplish pink.

I have a feeling this one’s gonna drive the color-lovers wild, and because of the amount of pigment these pieces pack, I bet they’ll rock the house on darker divas.

Eyes, nails, lips and faces (there are two face powders in the release, both called Translucent Crystal, one pressed and one loose) have something to look forward to here.

nars mad mad world — Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow ($34)

nars bouthan — Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow ($34)

nars persia — Persia Single Eyeshadow ($24)

[Continue reading…]

Bond Girl Makeup Looks Inspired by the OPI Skyfall Collection: From Skyfall, Savarine

November 7th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

bond girls severine skyfall look — A Savarine Bond girl makeup look inspired by the OPI Skyfall collection nail polish in Skyfall

“Bond, I’m going to need you to be on your toes for this next assignment. This group is very dangerous.”

“Whatever you say, M.”

“I’m serious, Bond. Cat ladies are the real deal. They’ve been known to actually persuade spies to abandon their missions and join the cat crusade. They will not stop until the world goes full-on feline!”

“So…does that mean I have to keep my paws to myself?”

. . .

Yeah, so if the curmudgeonly cat lady thing doesn’t pan out for me over the next couple of years, I might just become a full-time, self-employed Bond girl. Seriously! I’d have no problem slinking around the house by myself all day long looking all mysterious and sultry like Savarine, the Bond girl from Skyfall, the latest installment in the series.

I’d be totally fine with that.

In the movie, which opens this Friday across North America, Savarine is played by French actress BÃ©rÃ©nice Marlohe. I’ve forbidden myself from reading any spoilers, even though I desperately want to (just two more days!), but movie stills are okay, especially when the makeup, hair and nails are to die for, like they are in these pics of Savarine.

Ooh, I that gray eye look… It’s kinda smokey, and I dig the cat eye shape.

See how the shadow slightly wings out at the ends? I feel like it elongates the eye. Oh, and peep the inner corners, and how her eyeshadow tracks her tear duct, ending in a slightly pointed tip. Makes it look even more feline, meow! 🙂

I was really inspired today by Savarine’s look, so I thought I’d give it a try this afternoon and wear it with OPI’s dark plummy red Skyfall nail polish.

The eyes: step by step

[Continue reading…]

Driver, Take Me to NARS 413BLKR Street for the New Duo Eyeshadow and Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

September 14th, 2012 by Karen 46 Comments

nars 413blkr

Sure, you’ve got your beauty bases covered for life’s big events — cocktail parties, baby showers, weddings, the zombie apocalypse — but what about those once-in-a-while mornings when you wake up feeling “meh”?

Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Maybe you woke up with hella greasy hair that smelled like Ritz Crackers. Maybe you just wanted — no, needed a jolt of color to summon your inner foxiness forward.

It’s mornings like those that were made for 413BLKR. 🙂

NARS recently released 413BLKR Duo Eyeshadow ($34) and 413BLKR Velvet Matte Lip Pencil ($24), the two newest numerically-named members of Team 413BLKR (a collection named after the company’s flagship NY store), to celebrate Fashion’s Night Out, a big New York Fashion Week festivity.

You know…I never would have thought to pair these two products together, and that’s one of the reasons why I love NARS. They have a knack for introducing unexpected pairings that just plain work.

Wearing these pieces, I feel like shouting “halleluja!” up to the heavens. “Mama’s still got it!” They make me want to blast Bad Girls by Donna Summer and twirl around in my living room with my arms raised up!

nars 413blkr

nars 413blkr swatches

nars 413blkr
[Continue reading…]

In a Land of Giants, the NARS Andy Warhol Larger Than Life Lip Glosses Take Me to My Safe Place

September 5th, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

nars international velvet
Wearing NARS Larger Than Life Lip Gloss in International Velvet

Look out for shorty!

I gotta get that printed on a t-shirt…

No, seriously. Have I ever told you about my weird knack for crossing paths with swarms of really, really tall people?

I’m like a giant magnet! — and by that I mean a magnet for giants.

Happens all the time. Pretty much every time I’m out walking in a crowded place, and it doesn’t matter if I spot the giants coming from a mile away. Some how, some way, I always end up in their path, darting back and forth between their long legs like a cat in a giraffe stampede!

It’s the weirdest thing…

Happened last Friday in Tahoe, as a matter of fact. There I was, making my way across the casino toward ~~the Kitty Glitter machine~~ the restroom when a pack of really tall dudes suddenly appeared!

Gah! I tried to cut left but was blocked by a line of craps tables, then right but was blocked by a slow-moving couple.

By then, it was too late…

The giants descended upon me like…giants! Instinctively, I brought my hands up to protect my face, as I was carried along the casino floor like a tiny leaf in a rushing river of striped shirts and strong cologne. The creatures barked, too, shouting “Yo, bro!” at each other and slapping high-fives.

I told myself, “stay calm,” and retreated to my mental safe place. For strength, I tried to think of something larger than life…

…like the five new NARS Larger Than Life Lip Glosses from the Andy Warhol Pop Holiday 2012 collection ($26 each). 🙂

nars andy warhol larger than life lip gloss all
From the left: International Velvet, Viva, Candy Says, Penny Arcade and Hollywoodlawn

nars andy warhol larger than life lip gloss all closeup

nars andy warhol larger than life lip gloss swatches
Swatches from the left: International Velvet, Viva, Candy Says, Penny Arcade and Hollywoodlawn
[Continue reading…]

What’s That Twinkling in the Sky? Oh, That’s a Satellite of Love! NARS Satellite of Love Highlighter Blush

September 5th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

NARS Satellite of Love Highlighting Blush

“Kitty Glitter Enthusiast.” I’m thinking about adding that to my business cards, which currently read, “Assistant to the CEO, Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC.”

Made for cat ladies I looked around online for a place to play Kitty Glitter for free, but I don’t know… I don’t trust those online casinos.

The couple hours I spent hootin’ and hollerin’ in front of that penny slot machine last weekend filled my eyes with sparkles, and I’ve been extra obsessed with glitter ever since.

It’s either that…or NARS Satellite of Love Highlighting Blush.

Like a Snickers bar, this $28 illuminating highlighting powder, one of 22 pieces in the new Andy Warhol Pop Holiday 2012 collection, really satisfies. 🙂 It instantly brightens faces with its sheer, peachy powder and golden glitter.

Lately when glitter calls, I grab a skunk brush and carefully, lightly apply Satellite of Love on my upper cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose and atop my cupid’s bow. Careful is the key word, too; otherwise, we’re talkin’ disco diva territory (which I admit, sometimes I like).

nars satellite of love swatch
[Continue reading…]

Bucking Holiday Trends, NARS Introduces Nails to Andy: The New NARS Andy Warhol Nail Polishes Pop On Fingers and Toes

September 4th, 2012 by Karen 18 Comments

nars andy warhol nail polish
NARS Andy Warhol Pop Collection Holiday 2012 Nail Polishes from the left: 15 Minutes, TV Party, Superstar, New York Dolls and Back Room

When people ask you what you did over the holidays, you say, “I don’t do reindeer sweaters, Santa hats or candy canes.”

And one year, when you won a 10-pound Costco fruitcake at the company Christmas party, instead of having it for dessert, you hurled it through a window (who no one was watching, of course).

If traditional holiday fare doesn’t light your fire, cheer up, my little emo buttercup! NARS may have a cure for your inner grinch.

nars andy warhol nail polish
From the left: Back Room, New York Dolls, Superstar, TV Pary and 15 Minutes

The new nail polishes in the NARS Andy Warhol Pop Holiday 2012 collection ($18 each) might not restore your faith in Rudolph and Frosty, but they may make you say “hrmpf!” a little less often than you do when you see super traditional holiday nail polishes in shades of red, green, silver and gold.

The five creamy, limited edition shades arrive on Sephora shelves and sephora.com next month, along with the rest of the new 22-piece (!) holiday collection for eyes, cheeks, lips and nails.

Black Back Room, purple New York Dolls, teal Superstar, lemon yellow 15 Minutes and vivid orange TV Party take a detour from the usual holiday nail polish route and look more like something you might see a cocky rocker chick wearing in a smoke-filled club.

nars andy warhol tv party
TV Party

nars andy warhol 15 minutes
15 Minutes
[Continue reading…]

A Foundation Makeup Tutorial With NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer and Hourglass Oxygen Foundation Powder

August 2nd, 2012 by Karen 55 Comments

how to apply foundation tutorial 0

Sir, Mr. Tabs? I think I have an answer for the riddle you gave me.

“Meow?”

Yes, well, it’s obvious, really. I mean, not at first, but I’ve given it some thought, and well…What do good houses and faces have in common?

“Mrrrow?”

It’s foundation, sir. Houses and faces should start with a good foundation.

“Meow! Meow!”

Thank you, sir. It was a good riddle. You’re a very clever cat.

Yup, today we’re talking faces! — namely face makeup, like the combination I’ve been lovely lately, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer and Hourglass Oxygen Foundation Powder.

Together, they deliver medium-to-full coverage in a lightweight blend that looks like real skin, and so far, knock on wood, it hasn’t given me breakouts.

In this tutorial, I’ll describe how I apply ’em for pictures, and/or whenever I have a good chunk of time to get ready.

Just a quick reminder, though — this is just one of many ways to apply foundation, and that includes techniques and brushes. As always, it’s all about what works for you. 🙂

Before we get started, let’s gather the products we’ll need…

how to apply foundation tutorial products
From the left: Hourglass Oxyen Foundation Powder in No. 4, Tarte Foundation Brush, Hourglass No. 2 Foundation/Blush Brush, Laura Mercier Finishing Brush, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in St. Moritz and Cuba

how to apply foundation tutorial swatches
Swatches from the left: NARS St. Moritz, NARS Cuba and Hourglass Oxygen Foundation Powder No. 4

And because there’s nothing else you really can do but smile when posting bare-faced pictures of yourself on the Internet…

how to apply foundation tutorial 0a

Yep, that’s me without makeup. 🙂 Not a drop!

As you can see, I have a few dark spots around my chin and mouth left over from a gnarly breakout last spring and some darkening beneath my eyes… Hopefully, after we’re done here, most of it will be covered.
[Continue reading…]

The NARS Foreplay Cheek Palette Is Such a Tease

July 17th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

NARS Foreplay Cheek Palette

Okay, this blog’s a family show and all, but c’mon! You can’t expect me not to enjoy the perverted wordplay possibilities afforded by the new NARS Foreplay Cheek Palette ($49).

Fore-play? Four blushes, one of them a big ol’ pan of Orgasm? Oh, FranÃ§ois, you so crazy! 🙂

As a fellow diner at le buffet de beaute, you’re probably well aware of NARS Orgasm blush’s wonderful reputation. Makeup lovers have been lavishing praise upon it for years, calling it a universally flattering peachy golden pink that looks great on just about everyone.

I wear it, love it and reach for it often in the NARS Orgasm/Laguna Duo, which I never leave home without.

Seriously. I don’t think I’ve taken a trip without it once over the past three years.

Recognizing the product’s popularity, NARS decided to make Orgasm the main dish in Foreplay, a new limited edition cheek palette available exclusively at Sephora.

nars sephora foreplay

The palette serves up a big pan of Orgasm and three tasty sides — a matte rosy peach that reminds me of a sheerer NARS Amour, a matte hot pink that resembles a sleepy Mata Hari, and a shimmery golden yellow highlighter which, hello! — has glitter for days (starts off on my cheeks, ends up on my chin, weird!).

There’s been some rumbling about the blushes in Foreplay being different than their namesakes in the NARS permanent line, and I have to agree. The Foreplay Orgasm (did I really just type that?), for instance, sure looks more glittery than its permanent collection counterpart does to me, and the golden pearl glitter bits look larger, too, as do the grains within the powder itself.

Heck, I can see the blush sitting on my skin, which is something I’ve never noticed with my older pan of the big O. The overall effect seems more intense and less natural than the effect I get with the Orgasm in the Orgasm/Laguna Duo.

nars foreplay cheek palette swatches

Same goes for the glitter bits in the shimmery golden highlighter. They’re big, and they have a tendency to wander.

I’m definitely diggin’ both of the mattes, though, which remind me of Amour and Mata Hari, two of my favorite NARS blushes of all time.

nars foreplay cheek palette
Wearing the matte pink shade
[Continue reading…]