All posts tagged: nars

FOTD: Here comes the sun

So, after a long hiatus from mixing it up and dressing up and making myself reach for non-offensive “everyday” makeup, I’ve lately been making a bit of extra effort to, in my opinion, “look nice.” This particular look was brought about by a suggestion from my housemate, Ale, for me to wear yellow eyeshadow because I had become particularly tan. (Thank you, English summer?) The days have grown significantly colder, so these are sort of last-ditch attempts at bringing a bit of summer sun with me, I think. I’ve worn yellow eyeshadow before (see: 1, 2, 3), but funny how the overall effect differs with just a change of lip (or, in this case…  haircut, and uh… everything else). (RE: the title and potentially coming across as crass or doing something in poor taste… I know that it’s very rainy in Metro Manila right now, and I hope everyone’s doing more or less okay.) The eye look’s pretty simple: cool, reddish mid-tone brown in the crease with a warmer terracotta brown on the outer crease …

Traveling: What I Brought Along vs. What I Should Have Brought Instead

I have always been an overpacker. As a child, I would tote incredibly heavy bags filled with shit I didn’t need. I used to carry a DSLR, a laptop, and all my books and notebooks to school as a college freshman. Over time, I’ve learned to take only the essentials with me (usually), and on my last trip to Japan, which happened about two weeks ago, I thought I did a great job of streamlining everything—at least, when it came to my makeup bits. I didn’t want to deal with a proper base, so aside from my moisturizer, I brought along the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (review), which I’ve been setting with the Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder (review). I’ve also got a small bottle of the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (review) and the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette (review) for the rest of my face. For eyes, I’ve got my MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork, the NARS NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette (review), and the Le Métier de Beauté Anamorphic Lash Mascara …

Swatch Post: NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Kauai

I mentioned on my Instagram (follow me: @presidents!) a few weeks ago that I had finally gotten NARS Kauai in the mail, after ordering it in January. Kauai is part of their Spring 2014 collection, High Seize, and is the more coveted one of the two duos released. One side is “gold lame;” the other, “iridescent smokey orchid.” I swiped the leftovers of each shade on top of each other in the third swatch. To be honest, these shadows are pretty buttery and smooth and all of that, but I’m not sure how I can wear them without looking all blinged out. It’s pretty weird that I actually took to China Seas, essentially a blue and purple duo, a little bit better. Here’s a fuzzy swatch: The gold is kind of… flake-y? It’s pretty, for sure, but it’s a bit messy to use, in my opinion. I have to play around with it more, though. The orchid side is really pretty. You can see the undertones via sparkle in this fuzzy swatch. As of now, …

FOTD: Neutral Natural with NARS Charade

Look! An FOTD from a few days ago. 🙂 It’s just a pretty neutral look since I wanted to use a hot pink blush. I basically just used the NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Charade—the rosy shade all over the lid and the purple to deepen the outer corner and smoke out the lower lid a little bit. I used a bit of the rosy shade as a gradient, too. I used a liquid liner and mascara, and that’s mostly it for the eyes. For the lips, another NARS product, the Satin Lip Pencil in Decanso, which is limited edition and gorgeous. I kind of want to buy a backup, but I don’t want to be that kind of person anymore. I chiseled out my cheekbones a little with the Illamasqua Cream Foundation, then added a pretty blended out application of Tarte’s Flush on my cheeks. I tend to apply blush higher up on and towards the edges of my face and not on the apples because my cheeks are quite full. Here are some of …

Tried & Tested: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

In a fit of consumerist desire, I bought the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer near the beginning of the year. I got it along with the NARS Sheer Glow (review), which I absolutely love. I’m not really a concealer fiend, so I was very unsure of this purchase (but so quick to throw away the money!) and I felt even more unsure when I felt like I had gotten the wrong shade for me. My Sheer Glow shade is Punjab, which NARS has straightforwardly categorized as “Medium 1.” You would think that I had enough sense to pick up the Radiant Creamy Concealer in, similarly, “Medium 1,” but I went against this basic instinct and picked up “Medium 2,” or Ginger.

Say hello to the NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette, because I got it. Of course.

Oh NARS, you have done it again. But let’s stop pretending that we didn’t know this was going to happen… A few of you actually asked me if I was planning on buying the NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette when it first came out. I was yoyo-ing with my feelings (haha) and was coming up with pretty good reasons as to why I shouldn’t get this palette. After all, it’s another neutral palette. On the other hand, I’ve been meaning to get more into NARS Eyeshadows (for whatever reason). This palette has 14 permanent shades, plus 1 LE shade that was just released, so this would be actually be great introduction for a NARS n00b. The NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette launched into a chorus of mixed reviews. A lot of people said that the shadows in this palette weren’t on par with the originals. As someone who is pretty familiar with the ‘NARS Syndrome,’ I knew that the shades would be hit or miss… but I wasn’t expecting a discrepancy in quality. Finally, after much deliberation, I just …

Crossed Out Shopping List: NARS Duo in Charade & Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Damned

You know sometimes how you keep on putting off buying certain things, but then can’t get them out of your head that you eventually cave? Yep, that’s the situation right here. These are two NARS makeup items that I finally got around to “crossing off” my imaginary shopping list—the Eyeshadow Duo in Charade and the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Damned. The eyeshadow duo is, I admit, very much an influence of Ingrid/Missglamorazzi on YouTube. When she started her channel, she was pretty much a NARS loyalist, so I knew I could count on her opinion when it comes to eyeshadow duos. I actually went into NARS to buy this, but was unimpressed and left with both Grand Palais and Dogon instead. Well, I couldn’t forget about Charade.