Brand Spotlight: NARS Cosmetics

Hey guys,

A while ago I asked on Instagram Stories if you would like a new Brand Spotlight series and you voted yes. I will have new post every four to six weeks in this series.

If there are any brands you’d like to see featured, then please let me know either on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, in the comments section on this post or by emailing me.

I will have posts on high end and affordable/drugstore brands.  As you can tell, today’s post is the first in this new series, and is all about NARS Cosmetics.

I was first introduced to NARS products was a few years ago when I got their Narsissist eyeshadow palette and Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and since then I have amassed quite a few NARS products.  The Narsissist palette is such a throwback for me.  It was the first

To this day their eye base is still the best I’ve used.  I have tried many others and none come close to that and how well it works. 

The eyeshadows in the palette are lovely to use.  They’re pigmented, creamy, blend well and don’t fade or crease throughout the day.  I have a single eyeshadow in the colour Cairo, which is a mink-brown colour.  It’s a beautiful shade but the pigmentation is pretty poor. 

No matter how much I apply or build it up, it just doesn’t build.  I’ve tried applying with my finger and again, the pigmentation just is not there. 

I have one of their eyeshadow sticks in the shade Iraklion, which again, is a soft brown colour with a soft metallic finish.  Rimmel’s Scandaleyes eyeshadow sticks have better pigmentation and they wear better too.  I’ve found that Iraklion tends to fade and sometimes crease on me, but Rimmel’s Scandaleyes eyeshadow sticks don’t.

As well as containing three blushes, there is also a highlighter in Albatross and bronzer in Laguna.  Albatross looks stark white, but on the skin its more of a golden sheen.  It’s very pretty and looks lovely on the brow bone and inner corner, to add a nice highlight.

Laguna is cool in tone so I prefer it as an eye shadow rather than bronzer.  Because of how cool it is I don’t feel it suits my complexion well.

In the below photo you can see Cairo, Iraklion and Istria swatched.  Iraklion was layered 3-4 times to achieve the level of pigmentation in both the above and below photos.  Cairo was layered four times with my finger and still the pigment isn’t great as you can see.  Istria was swatched once.

The lip gloss in the above palette was called Istria and is a lovely sheer pink.  The lip gloss wasn’t too sticky or tacky and didn’t feel uncomfortable on my lips.  It was the only gloss from NARS that I have tried as I’m not a big gloss wearer so I rarely ever buy them.

I really like their blushers, Orgasm is one of my favourites.  It’s a peachy pink with a gold sheen that isn’t shimmery or glittery. Their Blush, Contour and Lip Palette is equally as gorgeous, again, not shimmery or glittery.  Their blushes are really lightly pigmented, so they are easy to build up to your desired intensity.

Earlier this year NARS released an Orgasm collection, which included their blusher and several other products, including a loose illuminator which is stunning.  It’s a beautiful light rose gold highlighter that works well as an eyeshadow too.  

You can see above that it’s quite light in colour so it’s great for those of us with pale and light skin.  It’s a lovely product to use.  There are no chunks of glitter of shimmer, it applies, blends and wears well. 

Although I love this, I really dislike the packaging.  I just find it very messy. As soon as you take the top off, you have a cloud of product around you that settles onto your clothing and vanity.  Their Soft Velvet Loose Powder has the same packaging, which is also just as messy.

Their Soft Velvet Loose Powder is a lovely translucent powder to use.  It doesn’t look heavy or cakey, it sets my base perfectly and my makeup lasts well with it.  It was only this year that I started using their foundations and concealers. 

I have their Sheer Glow and Radiant Longwear Foundations as well as their Radiant Longwear concealer.  The concealer is one of the best I’ve ever used and has become a staple for me.  It’s extremely like Pro Longwear by MAC, the only differences between them are the prices and packaging, other than those, they are identical.

Their foundations are excellent.  Long wearing, good coverage, apply and blend out beautifully and they look great on my dry skin.. They don’t cling to dry patches, emphasise any dryness and they don’t look heavy or cakey. 

Their Radiant Longwear foundation is exactly as the name suggests it is — radiant and longwearing.  It has a beautiful creamy consistency that blends out easily and quickly.  It has a beautiful finish and is medium to full coverage.

Sheer Glow I would describe as medium to full coverage with a very glowy, but not greasy looking finish. It’s absolutely beautiful and my favourite of the two. Just like Radiant Longwear, Sheer Glow is longwearing with a creamy consistency that blends out effortlessly.

My only gripe with Sheer Glow is that is doesn’t come with a pump and for a foundation that is €40+, I expect a pump to come with it. Radiant Longwear does come with a pump which I love. If you’re a regular follower you will know that pumps are my absolute favourite dispensers for foundations.

I really like NARS as a brand and their products are good quality too, with the only exception being the Cairo and Iraklion eyeshadows—but its possible mine are duds, so I wouldn’t imagine that all their pencil and single shadows are like Cairo and Iraklion.

What are your favourite NARS products?  I would love to hear.

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