Posts Tagged nars
Surprize! A Non-Polish Post – NARS Grand Palais Eye Shadow Duo
I have been delinquent in getting this review out, and I apologize! Nail polish reviews are much easier because you just throw them on, snap a few shots, and go. Personally, when I’m looking at polish swatches I want to know two things – the color, and the formula/application. Wear time is a moot point for me because I don’t wear any color longer than 3 days. I know that some of you likely want to know how long a polish wears, but I’ll never be that gal to give you that info – I’m sorry! Please forgive my inadequacy in that matter.
Consequently, doing a review of makeup is trickier for me, mainly because I want to do a proper review that details wear
time – however, generally if I want a product to wear well I use a primer, which isn’t giving the true efficacy of the product. And, because my brain is always on max capacity, on the days I decide to forgo primer to note the accurate wear of a product, I forget to notice when it begins to fade during the day and my review is henceforth not entirely complete. Damn it! Also, it’s hard to keep it in mind as I don’t really care if my makeup fades throughout the day, I guess because I assume that it should. As long as it makes it past lunch, I’m happy lol. The only thing I want to maintain is my lips, and I personally like reapplying (because that means I’m using up a product – and woo-frickin’-hoo! to that because it means I get to buy more 
). So…once again I’m failing you. Aaaand not selling myself / reviews too well! Don’t hold it against the blog! At the very least, you get to see some fun products while feeling better about yourself due to reading about my own shortcomings. So, ya’ll come back now, ya hear?
ANYWAY, enough of that. Let’s get to the good stuff. Like this eyeshadow duo from NARS – Grand Palais. Wow, I like this SO much more than I thought I would! This was a ‘OMG-I-haven’t-bought-any-makeup-this-month-and-I’m-dying-inside-and-oh-look!-I-have-a-gift-card-for -Mills-so-gimme-something-anything-I-don’t-care-what-it-is’ purchase. Which means that I grabbed this without really thinking or even trying it on first to see if it would look stellar/hideous on me. Thankfully, the Gods were smiling on my shopaholic-self that day and it’s fabulous. Let’s check out why.
The left side, with the taupe shade (my first taupe if you can believe it!), is a smooth, extremely wearable shade, with good color pay-off but quite natural looking on – not too dark or light, nor too shimmery. I always think of the golden color in the Rajasthan Duo, which is also a fantastic shade that works with pretty much everything. With those two colors alone I feel like I have two great base shades – one cool, one warm – that can be worn alone for subtle shimmer or paired with more intense shades as a compliment.
The right side has a dusty rose color which looks gross at first glance. That’s right, I said gross. It just doesn’t look appealing at all. But, in an effort to try something new (and to shop, as I mentioned), I just went with it. I ended up really liking the way it looks on my skin – it’s sort of like a re-invented version of brown, without being quite as expected, and it adds visual interest and dimension to a look. It’s a bit more stiff than the taupe side, but still smooth and applies well.
I tend to wear this duo two ways – either just in the crease, with the taupe shade layered over the rose side to soften it (usually for a no-makeup makeup look), or with the rose shade dusted lightly over the lid with the taupe shade in the crease/outer edge. It sounds reversed, but I found when I wore the rose shade in the crease with the taupe on the lid, it looked strange. With other colors it might work, but not paired together. 
While the rose shade is not really a ‘throw on and go’ shade, it really enhances the eye area when paired with the taupe, and I’m not disappointed in it at all. This duo could have been a real ‘buyers regret’ purchase but thankfully it isn’t at all! I use it quite often. For $38 CDN, I think it earns its value in wearability. It may not be wearable for all skintones though, so I would (smartly) check it out at the counter first.
How often do you make impulse purchases? Do they usually end up a good thing or a mistake?
I’m off to Cape Breton for the weekend to attend a wedding and enjoy the Celtic Colors festival!! I hope everyone has a fantastic long weekend and a great Thanksgiving (dinner)!! 
Back In VERY Full Effect!
Posted by Latoya in Chanel, China Glaze, NARS, Urban Decay on August 21, 2011
I have been back in town for approximately…13 hours, and already I’ve spent far too much $$$ on cosmetics!! Hi, hello, nice to see you all again!! 
Clearly I’ve returned from vacation and am not wasting ANY time jumping – running full-speed – back into my serious cosmetics obsession!! A full week of wearing nothing but braids, sunscreen, and a quick swipe of concealer under my eyes, and I REALLY need a hardcore beauty fix.
As I mentioned before I left, I had concerns that the Chanel Fall line was going to come out when I was away and I’d miss out on the goods, so I made sure to give my list (and my credit card number) to the SA at the counter to ensure I wouldn’t return to a major disappointment. Happily, the collection DID come in, so I was even spending money on cosmetics while I was away! (in a sneaky way )
Today I indulged myself in another few purchases as well – just to round things out, you understand 
Also, I received my end in a swap I was participating in, so that was even MORE treats!! In total, here’s what I’ve picked up in the past few days:
Chanel Purchases:
Le Vernis in Graphite $27
Le Vernis in Peridot $27
Le Crayon Yeux in Khaki Platine $27
Illusion d’Ombre in Émerveillé $37
Dermalogica Ultracalming Mist $45 (@ 20% off at Chatters, $36)
China Glaze Trendsetter nail polish $6.49 (@ 20% off at Chatters, $5.19)
Swap Items
NARS Cream Blush in Turkish Red
Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Mildew
All these purchases – including the items I picked up from Sephora the day we left – make me seem like an insane shopaholic, I know. I’m usually not this cavalier and reckless with my cash, despite my love for cosmetics. Sadly, there is a reason to my madness…something quite surprizing and upsetting happened while I was away and I’m indulging in some serious retail therapy. I’m not quite ready to talk about it just yet but I’ll be sure to fill you all in when I am.
Anyway, not to bring the mood down here! There’s product to be detailed and discussed!!
First and foremost, let me say here and now that I simply CANNOT be purchasing Chanel polishes every season. I just can’t do it. $27 crushes my soul and if I didn’t love these shades so much there is no way I would have picked them up. I was almost tempted to return Peridot, as I find it’s quite similar to China Glaze Peace on Earth from last year’s holiday collection, but I couldn’t part with it. It looks SOO fabulous in the bottle! On the nail, its a bit underwhelming, as I knew from reading other blogs, but it’s still a real standout shade and just this once I’ll excuse my rash behavior.
Second, let me say that I did NOT think I would be picking up Trendsetter from the China Glaze Metro collection – definitely one of those ugly-pretty shades – but I’m getting a bit bored with the same old vampy/murky shades and wanted something different. Unfortunately, they had sold out of Midtown Magic, but they are getting a new shipment in soon and I WILL get my hands on it because it is beautiful.
Another note is that this is my very first Dermalogica (I always want to write Dermatologica!) purchase ever. If there wasn’t a 20% off I wouldn’t have gotten anything from the line – it is majorly pricey!! And I know, I know, $27 for nail polish, but Chanel makes you feel soo luxurious when you use any of their products – Dermalogica’s line is so terribly boring and blah looking – like it should be in a derm’s office (quel surprize!). I know their playing to that esthetic, but snoooooze. I just feel like I’m paying an arm and a leg for a really underwhelming product. I guess we’ll know soon enough if I’m converted once I see how it words on my (lately) hyper-sensitive skin.
I was determined to get Khaki Platine because of the deep sorrow I felt (how dramatic!) at missing out on it’s Springtime sister, Rose Platine. It’s very subtle but does give a great pick-me-up to the eye area super easily. Émerveillé was an additional purchase I picked up today on a whim (oops!) and totally not the kind of item I’d look at, let alone buy – it seems kind of plain: a shimmering peach shade that blends very easily into the skintone. On someone fairer, I think it would come off as a beautiful peachy-bronze that I imagine would look particularly spectacular on blue- or green-eyed gals. On this brown-eyed, brown-skinned gal, it doesn’t have much ‘color’ but it makes my eyes sparkle like nobody’s business. Its subtle in a fan-freaking-tastic way. Totally digging it.
Currently I’m at my parents sans camera (I’m sure theirs is somewhere but I am not privy to this information and they are not home) so unfortunately I cannot take photos *yet* of any of the pretty little things, but believe you me, I’ll be all over that tomorrow
Please, pretty please, everyone fill me in on what’s being going on in the past week! I hope everyone is doing really great – missed you all so much!
This Haul was Brought to You Courtesy of Sephora Canada
Posted by Latoya in Make Up For Ever, Make-up, NARS, Sephora, Tarina Tarantino on May 26, 2011
OMG. So many products to show/review, so little time this week/weekend! I’m going to do a brief post with quick swatches of everything I received yesterday, and then I’ll try to take the time to get some better photos/comments about each product next week. Let’s dive right in!
First up is NARS Lip Gloss in Wonder [0.24 oz (7 g)]. I also put MAC’s Lychee Luxe lipglass as a reference point (bottom swatch), because initially I thought they were similar. Not at all, LL is MUCH more peach.
Next, NARS The Multiple in Laguna [0.5 oz (14g)]. The first shot is what I would imagine it would look like on someone lighter than me (before blending out, of course), and the second shot is what it looked like on my cheekbones this morning when I used it – just imparts a totally believable glow! Less flashy than the illuminator (but no more or less loved by me).
My photos of MUFE Uplight Face Luminizer Gel [0.55 fl. oz (16.5mL)] did not come out as I wanted, so I’ll have to post that the next time around.
MUFE’s Aqua Liner in #5 [0.058 fl. oz (1.7mL)] is much deeper than is reflected in these photos, and has some awesome shimmer (not glitter, not gaudy, just beautiful shimmer). What the packaging shows is pretty much what it looks like. I’m wearing this tomorrow – I think it’ll be perfect on the outer-third upper & lower lash lines!
The Hello Kitty palette contains four eyeshadows and two blush (the blush gets great reviews on MUA). I’m not sure any of the shades will show up well on my skin, but I’ll give them a try! These were really hard to swatch as they’re not very pigmented, and the blush on me look identical – sorry! I’m not super into cutesy stuff either so I’m not really sold, but if I can’t wear the shades, I’m sure I can find a good home for this
As for the Tarina Tarantino products, I haven’t swatched them yet so those will come next week as well.
What are your thoughts so far? Some of these items I totally would have bought myself so I’m really pleased (the NARS items for sure). The HK Palette would never have caught my eye but it’s nice to break out of the same old from time to time.
C’mon weekend!
The Lent Experiment: The Aftermath
Posted by Latoya in The Lent Experiment on April 26, 2011
So… ~scuffs feet while looking at the floor~ I’m sorry I’ve yet to review any of the products I picked up last week, I’ve been a touch busy lately, um…making up for lost time, so to speak. That is, I’ve been pretty much buying every single cosmetic item I can get my hands upon!! Gah!! Damn the malls being open when I’m still off from work! I spent the entire day yesterday hitting up some of my favorite beauty stores – Sally, Chatters (I think this is a Canadian chain?), MAC…and today I popped into Mills Brothers on my lunch break to ‘visit’ my favorite SA’s. Needless to say, I threw down some more of the green stuff, despite my already somewhat ridiculous haul at Sephora. Oh brother, I’m completely out of control! At least I’m not using my credit cards, so I’m not going into debt over it (YET).
For the most part, I’m grabbing items I know I’ll get good use out of and are worth the splurge. Behold my additional list:
1) Joico Moisture Recovery Treatment
2) TheBalm Time Balm in Medium/Deep
3) MAC Cream Color Base in Madly Magenta
4) MAC Lipglass in Lychee Luxe
5) MAC Arena Eyeshadow
6) MAC Nail Polish in Mischievous Mint
6) NARS Laguna Illuminator
7) Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Reviews to follow…I promise! In the meantime, I have to start keeping my wallet at home if I’m going to behave in this manner. Seriously, someone rein me in!! I think I’m pretty much done, almost all of these products I had been lemming for a while but was holding out just because I didn’t really need them. But after being so severely restricted, I have swung the complete opposite way and figure, it’s now or never!! Totally scary behavior…
Does anyone else have Spring shopping fever??? Indulge me
Retail Therapy
Today I bought a $55 foundation merely because I was cranky and needed the uplifting boost a ridiculous purchase can (briefly) buy you. Granted, the foundation is amazing (NARS Sheer Glow - more on that in a minute), but it’s one of those purchases that I a) didn’t truly need, and b) might have a bit of buyers remorse later, which totally negates the ‘good’ feeling I was striving for. In any case…
Work is pissing me off severely the past week and as I have to work to live, unfortunately there’s not a whole lot I can do about it right now. Except shop, apparently.
NARS Sheer Glow foundation is normally not something I would pick up, for a multitude of reasons. First being that it’s $55(CDN) before tax and that’s kind of ridiculous. Second, I generally don’t wear foundation unless for a special event, or if my face is having one of *those* days. Third, its for normal to dry skin, which mine is resoundingly NOT. HOWEVER. I received a sample of the product in a swap back in early summer. The shade was too light for me then but it’s absolutely perfect now. Additionally, my skin has still been acting up terribly the past few weeks and I desperately needed something to cover and hydrate the scaly dry patches of skin. The bottle of Revlon’s Colorstay for Combo Skin just didn’t seem to be a good solution. Insert Sheer Glow. Lovely and hydrating, and miraculously didn’t harm my upset skin in the least – in fact, I think it may have even improved it! The package states that it hydrates and improves skin brightness, radiance, and texture, making skin softer and smoother. Amazingly, it did! My skin looks better now than it has in MONTHS. I can’t entirely contribute this to the foundation, but the fact that it didn’t further irritate my skin and adequately covered the issues without looking cakey or heavy was enough for me to be vastly impressed.
Interestingly, general consensus on makeupalley.com doesn’t give this foundation a very high rating (3.9 out of almost 600 reviews*) so I normally would have given it a pass, but I’m so glad I didn’t. It might be too heavy in the summer, but for now it’s perfect. Sheer, even coverage but still more than enough to deal with any minor discolorations. While I’m still smarting a bit from the price tag, I still feel that it was an entirely justified purchase that I’ll be quite pleased with over time. Anyone else try this product? Are you a yay or nay?
*Curiously, those who consider themselves very oily gave it a 4.7 rating (out of 9 people) and 100% would buy it again.
So Easy to Waste Away the Time!
I’ve determined that if I want to get anything done after work, I have to do it before I settle down for the night in front of my PC, because as soon as I do that, I’m completely useless. I spend hours online looking at other beauty blogs, investigating what’s new and fabulous; and then I turn to MUA where I research countless products that I plan to buy. In fact, I blame MUA for all of it – before I found it, I didn’t spend much time on the computer at all, really. But once I fell ino it’s clutches, it was all over *though I wouldn’t have it any other way *
Tonight, I decided I wanted to buy a few treat items for the Holiday season. I haven’t bought much makeup recently – my last splurge was Urban Decay’s BoS III (NYC) and with 16 shadows to play with, I’ve been kept fairly occupied for the past couple months. I’ve been trying to use up any products I have that are almost finished, and turns out I’m actually running ‘low’ on lipgloss (as in, I have only about…5-6 which in beauty land, that’s almost sacrilege!). As such, I’ve decided its time to pick up a new one. Additionally, I want a product that’s going to give me some major *glow* for all the festive parties of the season. So, here are the options I’ve come up with (I LOVE the newer format on MUA where you can really get specific in your search!):
MAC Plum Foolery blush vs NARS The Multiple in South Beach
MAC Love Nectar lustreglass vs NARS Supervixen gloss
I know these are quite different but the reviews of these particular items were so positive, I felt they had to be all noted as contenders. I’ve put some feelers out there for potential swaps for the blushes and Love Nectar, so hopefully someone will take mercy and indulge me
Ohhhh it never ends!!
The Creme de la Creme Challenge
I research cosmetic products obsessively before I buy anything these days. Ever since that wonderful day I stumbled upon Makeupalley.com, nothing is sacred anymore. I find myself in the aisles at Shoppers Drug Mart, furiously searching products on my Blackberry to make sure they score at least a 4 or more, as well as having been reviewed at least 20 times. If they don’t fit that criteria, I don’t give them a second glance, no matter how pretty the packaging. I’ve been methodically trying out all the top-rated products as a need arises, and have found some pretty great items. Allure does its regular ‘Best Of’ lists, but comparing every product they mention against MUA reviews, they often fall flat. I trust the masses.
However, researching cosmetic champions endlessly takes a lot of time and patience. In an effort to save you from following in my tedious footsteps, I am going to start compiling a weekly list of products I’ve dug up with the best ratings (which I’ve also tried), so you can have a clear, concise list at your fingertips. And away we go…
This weeks’ list:
Tarte Cheek Stain in Blushing Bride – Avg. rating: 4.2, over 200 reviews.
- I actually bought this product well before falling prey to my MUA obsession, so I was pleased to find the good ratings matched my own opinions of the product. Great color, good staying power, and gives the best glow ever. I’ve used it on countless wedding m/u’s and every single time this is the product the bride/bridal party rave about.
Nars Blush in Taj Mahal – Avg. rating: 4.4, over 100 reviews
- The SA at my local NARS counter applied this shade on me and at first I wasn’t entirely sold. Its got shimmer and its bright orange. While it looked nice on, would it be wearable for every day? Answer – yes indeed. The shimmer produces a wonderful glow rather than looking gaudy, and the shade on my caramel coloring is perfect. You just need the smallest amount, so of course it’s going to last forever. Its more of a Summer/Fall shade, but better believe I rock it out then!
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