NARS

What if Starbucks started selling makeup?

“Good morning! What can I get you?”
“Hi! Oh, uh…could I please get one of those Artisan veggie sandwiches, a lemon scone and a NARS Vent Glacé?”
“Blended with room for whip cream?”
“Does a cat snore in his sleep?!”
“…”
“Yes, please.”

Some of the nuances differentiating the cool-toned platinum and silver shades in the NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Vent Glacé ($34; it’s French for “icy wind,” who knew?), are probably lost on my NC 42 skin tone, but man! — I sure do love how they look blended together on top of black eyeliner.

That’s how I’m wearing them here (also with the NARS High Society Trio, from the very same fall 2012 collection, on my lids), smudged on top of black liner along my lower lash line.

They merge to form a silvery greenish gray gradient that’s all kinds of awesome.

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I think I just saw a glimpse of my future this fall, and in it I was wearing purple smokey eyes.

The new NARS Eyeshadow Trio in High Society ($45) has been one of the coolest things I’ve come across in a while — cool because of the color temp of its shadows, and cool because it’s a quick-change artist able to go from demure to diva in seconds with a little help from a black pencil liner.

High Society hails from the new NARS fall 2012 collection, a nine-piece release that couples cool jewel-toned eyes with pink or rose cheeks; warm brandy, auburn, burgundy or red lips; and moody gray nails.

Flexibility without fallout — that’s the deal here. I don’t detect a speck of fallout and hardly any creasing, even after wearing these lavender, greenish gray and amethyst powder eyeshadows for a full eight hours. They range from sheer to medium opacity and blend like a good smoothie.

Say I’m in the mood for a soft purple look. I might (and probably would) start with NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, followed by the trio’s lavender shade swept on my lids with a domed shadow brush. Then, I’d push one of the darker colors along my lash lines with a small angle brush.

Abracadabra! A soft and smokey purple eye. 🙂

To crank up the smokey effect and give more depth to the look, I used a black eyeliner as a base, which I think also brings out the richness of the colors.

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