nars

True story: I was so starstruck when I briefly met Francois Nars last year that I lost all control of my vocal cords. With my head tilted ever so slightly and my eyes locked on his, I asked, “Did you ever know that you’re my hero?”

Yup, I’d quoted Wind Beneath My Wings… If there was anaward for World’s Biggest Dork, someone should’ve handed it to me right then and there!

I appreciate that Francois Nars didn’t bust out laughing at me that day, but I admire him for something else — how he handles his seasonal color collections.

As cheesy at it sounds, I think his color stories are metaphors for how I want to live my life. He’s always dancing to the beat of his own drum and clearly having a blast while doing it.

For his fall 2010 collection, he added a smattering of kooky colors to a base of everyday wearable shades. I’ve been playing with six items from the nine-piece collection, which debuts online on August 5 before arriving in stores this September July 15 and in stores this August, methinks Francois was feeling experimental.
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Last night I had a makeup dream, except that in this dream there was an ice cream truck, and instead of ice cream it sold the new NARS Multiple Tints ($38 each). 🙂

Okay, now here’s where it gets REALLY weird. Instead of applying the sheer, buildable tints to my cheeks and lips, I gobbled ’em up like they were sweet, creamy treats!

Available in three eye-popping shades — Beverly Hills (a bright red tint), Cadaques (a bright fuchsia tint) and Turks & Caicos (a bright orange tint) — these do look a lot like desserts, don’t they? Kinda like Push Up Pops, yum!

But don’t be fooled by their vibrant shades. Each adds just a whisper of highly wearable color.

I’ve been playing with Beverly Hills, the red shade, on my cheeks (NOTE: I also tried it on my lips but didn’t like the flavor…like an odd mix of concentrated Hawaiian Punch and Sour Patch Kids) this week, and, impressively, it lasts for a good 6-8 hours! — even without a primer.
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I was out fashion hunting at the mall yesterday afternoon, rutting around for a respectable pair of jeans (more on that in a few), when I bumped into a gal with skin that looked smoother than a porcelain doll.

My curiosity got the better of me; I politely asked for her secret, to which she replied, “I don’t really do anything.”

B*tch…

Just kidding! 🙂 Kinda…

With the otherworldly size of the pores of my face, sometimes I forget that there really are (lucky) people out there who simply never have to worry about their skin — no big-@ss pores or annoying fine lines.

For the rest of us, there’s NARS Pro-Prime Skin Smoothing Face Prep ($30 for a .26-oz jar).

One of two new summer primers from NARS, it’s an invisible, lightweight product designed to be layered beneath foundation or patted on top of makeup for spot treatments (by reducing shine) and to smooth the appearance of fine lines, pores and rough patches on the face.
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I gotta give props to Francois for his ability to think outside the beauty box, this time with a twist on traditional summer lips.

Described as a sheer apple brandy, Coup De Coeur Lip Gloss ($24) reigns supreme as the lone NARS lipgloss for summer 2010.

Gosh, it takes me back… To the ’90s! And Buffy the Vampire Slayer, baby t’s, spaghetti strap dresses and those little black backpacks of days gone by. 🙂

On me I think it looks like a creamy reddish brown (maybe a little more fall than summer?) that lasts about three hours on the lips, and it shares the same smooth, non-sticky feel of other NARS glosses like Supervixen (LOVE! ).
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Ya know, I can’t handle spicy hot food. A little chili pepper — no problem, but no can do if my tongue’s sweating bullets. El Hub, on the other hand, can drink hot sauce from the bottle! And if he’s not gripping the side of the table, rocking back and forth after each bite, he’s just not happy.

Now, as for me and spicy makeup? I’m there! 🙂

This summer NARS attempts to bring the heat with their new Cayenne Cream Shadow ($22), a rich, creamy brown from the NARS Summer 2010 collection.

When I held the wee compact in my hand, visions of layered bronze and gold shadows danced in my head. NARS rarely lets me down, so I looked forward to adding this cutie to my summer makeup stash.
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