NARS

A few things I learned (and in some cases relearned) in 2011:

1. It’s easy to fall back into old habits, one of which for me was comparing myself to others, but it’s a recipe for misery cake and serves no useful purpose.
2. Tim Gunn is my Obi-Wan! Whenever I find myself in a pickle, I close my eyes and ask, “What would Tim Gunn do?” And then (I like to imagine) he materializes — a life coach/style Jedi — to dispense golden nuggets of advice.
3. Red lipstick could be the most powerful force in the Universe (even stronger than gravity). 🙂

So maybe that third one’s a slight exaggeration, but I will say that red lipsticks always make me feel better — especially bright, cheerful reds like NARS Heat Wave ($24).

It makes even mundane tasks, like trips to Trader Joe’s, a million times more fun. I wore it there a few days ago and made a new makeup-loving friend on the staff.

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Lately (in case you haven’t noticed), I’ve had a thing for red lips. I look at them the same way I look at pairs of black shoes, which is to say that one tube (or pair) is never enough.

There are just so many different spins on the red lip motif, just as there are when it comes to black shoes. With the shoes, you’ve got your black high heels, low heels, stacked heels, platforms, and don’t get me started on the sub-shades of black.

It’s the same thing with crimson lip colors. Every one is unique, or at least different in some small but significant way.

Take NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Damned, for instance. This $24 jewel-toned reddish magenta could moonlight as a crimson crayon in its chubby packaging, and sometimes, when I’m lining and filling in my lips with it, I feel like I’m in art class. 🙂

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Every year around this time, my regular weakness for red lipsticks turns into a serious condition, but even now, it’s usually treatable (with the careful administration of crimson cosmetics), except when I’ve been exposed to a jewel-toned red from NARS.

Then, the only cure is a tube of something like NARS Lipstick in Afghan Red ($24), a rich pinkish garnet. I tooled around town with this particular tube all weekend long, trying to keep the fever at bay…

To be safe, I should probably just keep it in my purse. 🙂

Never mind that my purse is already loaded down with compacts, other lippies, emergency cans of gravy and the occasional acorn, it never hurts to be prepared. Once you’ve been exposed to a shade like Afghan Red, you never know when another red lipstick episode will occur. Trying to predict them is like trying to forecast when terry cloth tracksuits will be back in style (read: impossible to know).

More Jackie than Marilyn, Afghan Red is a refined garnet. It says, “Bonjour, ladies and gentleman,” giving a slight wave of a cupped hand wearing pristine white gloves.

It’s not a color that needs to shout in order to be heard. Dab it on for a whisper light stain, or embrace opaque color by applying a single layer, as I did for these pics.

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NARS Taos Blush ($27) belongs to an elite battalion of blushes in my beauty brigade called the One Swipers, a group of blushes able to deliver all-day color from a single swipe across the pan.

What makes it special?

These One Swipers pack a lot of pigment, so a little goes a long way — which is great when they’re as expensive as a NARS blush. Taos, here, should last until forever, or at least until Bella and Edward break up (whichever comes first).

A platoon leader in the NARS permanent collection, Taos is one of those vibrant colors that I always notice when I walk by an open pan. A bright rosy red with golden shimmer and a wisp of coral, it’s like NARS Torrid’s darker red doppelganger.

I’ll wear it year-round, typically with neutral eyes and lips, but I find myself reaching for it more often around the holidays because of how much I like the way it looks with red lips.

When darker divas ask for blush recommendations, Taos is one of the first blushes that comes to mind, and I think it looks fan-freakin’-tastic on dark complexions, on both warm- and cool-toned babes.

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It’s holiday party time! — but if you’re a busy gal with too many emails to answer and a to-do list longer than your arm, getting ready to party may be the last thing on your mind. If it is, perhaps NARS Night Star Eyeshadow can help.

Now, you know me when it comes to wearing color on my eyes — I love it! But I also like the versatility of neutral shades, and that’s the side of me that $23 Night Star excites. An eyeshadow single in the NARS permanent line, it’s a sheer peach with a golden glitter kick — a perfect pick for office parties this time of year.

When I want to brighten my lids and give a golden sparkle to my eyes, this is the color I grab.

I realize that it’s not easy to gauge how the glitter captures the light in the pics (I tried!), but I think the shade is much more sparkly in person than it appears here. This is one of NARS’ quieter colors, and because of that it probably won’t appeal to everyone, but if you have a thing for sheer neutrals with flecks of mid-volume golden glitter, give NARS Night Star a try.

I’ve heard from some makeup lovers who have issues with fallout while wearing Night Star, and I’ve experienced it, too. I get my best results with it when I wear it atop a very sticky primer, like a MAC Paint Pot (Soft Ochre’s my fave to wear with this shade), and apply it by patting the shadow on my lids with a finger, instead of a brush.
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I’m supercalifragilisticexpialidociously stoked that you decided to take the plunge and try red lips for the holidays. Just you wait! Before you know it, you’ll be raring to rock neon hot pink, sassy coral and heck, maybe even that crazy shade of purple on your Christmas list…

LOL! Sorry, I’m jumping ahead of myself again. I just get excited when my friends try something new. 🙂 As for those red lips you’ve been eyeing, whether you opt for a sheer balm or leap in with a full-tilt matte, you’re gonna need a blush to go with ’em, and I’d like to introduce you to one of my go-to gals, the incomparably agreeable NARS Mata Hari ($27).

NARS infused Mata Hari with a dash of crimson, which is why I think it plays so well with many of the red lip colors I like to wear. Despite its cool tones and how bold it looks in the pan, it’s not nearly as scary vivid on cheeks.

Mata Hari is anything but a run-of-the-mill matte pink blush. It’s enchanting…like RyGos, and able to draw almost everyone who sees it — cool- and warm-toned girls alike — under its spell.

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A friend of mine who loves makeup but is terrified of blush emailed a few days ago looking for recommendations for a blush that wouldn’t leave her looking (and I quote) “like a lady of the night.”

As soon as I remembered how much she likes NARS, I thought about NARS Madly ($27).

It’s one of those shades that I overlooked for way too long. Based on how light and uninspiring it looked to me in the pan, I always just assumed it wouldn’t do much for my tan.

You’d think I’d know by now not to judge a blush by its cover. Thank goodness I finally decided to give it a try. In a word: amazing. AH-MAAAAY-ZING!

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Say the uber-pigmented NARS Lovejoy Blush seems a little too dark and intense for you, but you still want the same two-in-one blush/bronzer effect. Never fear, Luster Blush ($27) is here!

Like Lovejoy, Luster adds color, shimmer and warmth in a single swipe, and the way that it lights up cheeks makes it a good companion for a fading summer tan.

It’s one of those shades that I overlooked for years based on the way it looks in the pan — kinda ordinary and nondescript — but I’m glad I finally gave it a swipe and a chance. When I did, I fell instantly in love.

A sheer golden apricot with fine golden shimmer, it’s sheerer than both Lovejoy and Orgasm, and I think that makes it even easier to blend and apply.

NARS blush swatches for comparison from the left: Luster, Lovejoy and Orgasm
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