Nars Ride Up To The Moon Palette - Review

 

Hii Lovelies!

Another Nars review for you lot today!

I'm a big lover of all things Nars and as soon as i clapped eyes on two of their fall release palettes i knew i had to have them. Well, i was a little restrained and only picked up the one... hmph! The two palettes are Ride Up To The Moon which is what I'll be reviewing today, which is a gorgeous tiny (really, its the smallest eye shadow palette I've ever seen) palette that features six earthy hues. I'm a sucker for golds and bronzes, so this palette was right up my alley. The second palette which i passed on (sob) was a more cooler toned purple/grey collection which i knew i wouldn't get as much use of and i think is now sold out as i couldn't find it on the Nars website.

Lets just skip back to the previous section for a second, this palette is small, really small. Silly me forgot to photograph this next to Nars Laguna bronzer because there really isn't too much in the size difference, this fits neatly in the palm of my hand. You get 6g of shadow in total, which putting it that way isn't horrendous, but as this is my first experience with Nars shadows so i was just a little shocked! Priced at £32 it isn't too pricey for Nars but considering the size it still isn't budget friendly either way. Sometimes i think my bank balance weeps.

Out of all the shades i believe only one is limited edition which is Argentina, the top left shade and is probably my favourite out of the bunch. If i could own 50 champagney eyeshadows, i would. The colour selection in this is simply stunning (my love of earthy tones leaves me a little biased though) and next time i travel this will be the palette thrown in my makeup bag. The lighter shades work perfectly for day time looks with a slick of liquid eyeliner and the darker browns are perfect for creating a more evening appropriate smokey eye and the green to add that pop of colour... Perfect! The small size actually acts a plus for travel too.

Top row: Argentina, Isolde, Night Porter.

Bottom Row: Biarritz, Fez, Cordura.

As you can see the pigmentation and colour pay off is beautiful, i just wish Cordura was a little more pigmented as i feel the need to use a deeper matte black for smokey eyes when using this palette. Honestly, I've not much used the Night Porter (the green shade) yet, which is odd since I'm drawn to greens, buy a ton of them and just never wear them! But the other shades... oooft I'm in love! With the weather turning colder the warmer browns will be getting a ton of day use I'm sure. But I'm actually a little scared of running out of Argentina, it is beautiful and works for so many looks!

As first impressions go, I'm pretty smitten with these shadows. I was kinda hoping to not love them because Nars isn't the cheapest and i know full well I'm going to lust over future collections, I've even got my eye on a couple of single and duos.... ooops!

Ride Up To The Moon is limited edition, so if you like the look of it i recommend picking it pretty soon so you're not left disappointed like many wanting the And God Created Woman Palette (like me). So if you're looking for a bit of a shadow splurge I'd highly recommend giving these beauties a little swatch!

You can buy this at Nars counters and online here.

Have you tried any Nars eye shadows?

Feel free to recommend me your favourites! 

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xox

Nars - Pierre Hardy Blush Giveaway!

Hiya lovelies!

A little while ago i entered a Nars Cosmetics UK Instagram competition and i was extremely lucky and chosen as one of the winners! I was also mistakenly given two of the same shade of blush, so I stored it away and patiently waited to do a giveaway for you lovely lot! The product is brand new but unboxed as this is how i received it directly from Nars.

I'm loving my Boys Don't Cry blush and found it perfect for the hot summer weather so i couldn't think of a better time for a little giveaway. This giveaway is open internationally, so wherever in the world you live you are welcome to enter! Giveaway will close on the 11th of August 2013 and the winner will be contacted within 48 hours of closing.

If you'd like to see my post on this bad boy blush just click here.

You know the drill, there is a Rafflecopter Widget below for all your entries. 

Good luck!

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xox 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Top 5 Blushes

 

I love blush.
After foundation, its at the top of my lust list at any given time. As a serial over sleeper a lot of the time i only have a few minutes to slap my face on for the day, i generally don't bother with eyeshadow in a rush so using blush to put some colour back into my face is really important to me. I have a fair few blushes so it was really hard to pick just five, but i gave it a good go! But please excuse the grubby pictures, my blushes get thrown in handbags quite a lot, so they've been well used and some look a bit battered. So, on to my top five!

Sleek Pomegranate is probably my "go to" winter shade, this is my second one of these since i managed to smash up the first one on a night out, oops! It looks pretty scary in the pan, its a deep burgundy pink that gives me that wintery Snow White cheek when used with a light hand. Like all Sleek blushes its extremely pigmented and you run the risk of looking like a clown if you're too heavy handed. Yep, I've done it... more than once. I'm actually looking forward to cracking this one back out for the winter months, its a beaut!

Everyone has their favourite Benefit boxed blush and Bella Bamba is definitely mine. Back in my teen years i was a Thrrrob kinda gal, but after getting through two of those i fancied a change. Bella Bamba is a gorgeous watermelon pink with fine silver shimmer. Since i purchased this last summer I've gone through phases of wearing it constantly for weeks, then forgetting about it again, only the rediscover it a few weeks later. Its so flattering on my skin tone and gives the cheek a real healthy flush. Perfect all year round! But it wouldn't be me if i didn't have my eye on another one... Coralista will be mine!

If you watch any of the American beauty Youtuber's theres a good chance you would of spotted a Milani product or two. These blushes kept popping up and i just had to have one. So i searched eBay for a while until i found this shade for around £8 including shipping which isn't half bad! This is my only real orangey coral blush and i have to fight my Mother to use it since she's pinched it for her dressing table. Its a really lovely orangey coral with silver glitter. Yep, glitter. That is my only gripe with this blush is that i wish the glitter wasn't so obvious, but if we ignore that, it really is a beautiful blush. Its not available in the UK so if you have the chance to get one, do it! I plan to get my hands on a couple more shades in the near future.

Frat Boy... the best thing to ever come out of a beauty box. I ended my subscriptions with beauty boxes quite a few months ago because they just weren't working out for me. But in Carmine's (if i remember rightly) first box appeared this little beauty. Its my one and only theBalm product, but i absolutely love it. Its peachy-pink, nearly matte perfection! I've not seen these in stores but theBalm can be found online on websites such as Feelunique.com.

 

Its cliche, but i really do love it. Orgasm is the most worn blush for nights out for me, if i don't know what to put on i generally reach for this. Its been in my handbag almost constantly for the last year. Now i won't waffle on about it because I'm sure you've heard faaar too much online about it already. Its peachy-pinkness really works with my skin tone and i actually really love the gold shimmer in it as its finely milled and doubles as a highlight! Lovely! At around the £20 mark the price isn't so great, but if you're near a Nars counter go have a little swatch!

Pomegranate - Bella Bamba - Corallina - Frat Boy - Orgasm


What is your favourite blush? Comment below!

xox

Nars Sheer Glow Review & FOTD

Ello lovelies!

Its taken me a LONG time to do, but finally i've gotten round to doing this review. The main reason being my love / hate relationship with this product, which I'll get into later!

I picked this up maybe two months ago at a Space NK, i was REALLY looking forward to being able to see this in person as we don't have one locally. The assistant was nice enough to try it on for me, after battling to get my doublewear off and her applying a smidge too much bronzer i decided i LOVED the finish. So off i skipped with my pretty (expensive) new foundation. We were having a heatwave at the time so we waddled down to the beach for an hour which was lovely! I did have an allmighty shock when i got home and discovered that it really wasn't just a smidge too much bronzer, but i looked pretty tangoed, cringe!

Here's what Nars have to say about it...

"A glowing, satin-finish foundation with sheer and buildable coverage. Replete with skincare benefits and the NARS Complexion Brightening Formula, skin is hydrated, more luminous, softer and smoother. Used daily, Sheer Glow Foundation improves skin brightness, radiance and texture. For normal to dry skin types."

So i've been using this on and off since i purchased it and yes, it is ever so slightly too dark for my skin tone, but blended out its really not that noticeable. The first shade was SO yellow on me it was unbelievable. So this is where my love / hate relationship started... Some days i absolutely LOVED the finish... some days, well not so much. Applied with a damp sponge it gives what the name would suggest, a sheer, glowy finish which i really love.

I had a few fails when trying to apply it in other ways, using a buffing brush it just looked too obvious and even slightly cakey on my skin. Using fingers it applies with much more coverage, not sheer or glowy at all and can be built up to more of a medium coverage without going cakey and more is a bit hit or miss on me. Using fingers is definitely the option of choice if you want / need more coverage. Until the past few weeks i'd be using different primers and i've found that Benefits Porefessional works best for my skin, it makes it SO much easier to apply and actually makes the foundation last quite a lot longer throughout the day.

So that really explains my slightly undecided view on this product. If I'm looking for something quick and easy to slap on, this isn't it for fear of cocking it up. But if i've got a little more time to work with this has been my foundation of choice, using my fingers to work it into the skin. With that method I'd agree with Nars on that it's satin finish, not completely matte, but certainly not sheer or glowy in the slightest as the name suggests. But with its downsides i am enjoying using it and managed to get a few snaps of me wearing it shopping the other day below!

Face:
Nars - Sheer Glow - Monte Blanc
Nars - Laguna Bronzing Powder
Benefit - Erase Paste
Milani - Coralina BlushElf - HD Powder

It’s such a hyped foundation and an expensive one at that, would i buy it again? Erm.... probably not? I say probably because if i manage to have a eureka moment and learn how to apply it properly every time i probably would, although i really dislike spending £30 on a foundation. But if not, it’s a bit too much hassle for me, I'd much rather repurchase my Double Wear or get a new sneaky BB cream, or two.

Have you tried it?
Did you love / hate it or are you still undecided like me?

Nars Sheer Glow is available online at the Nars UK and online and in Space NK stores across the country.

xox

High End VS High Street - Blush

Ello lovelies!

So this is hopefully the first of a series of posts i aim to do in 2012, High End VS High Street. I'm a massive fan of finding bargain bits that rival some of the popular high end goodies so i thought why not start a series?!

As you've probably guessed this is going to be all about the infamous Nars Orgasm blush, and the closest "dupe" I've found so far. So no more blabbering and onto the comparison!

Rose Gold                   -                   Orgasm

I actually own two Orgasms, one singular and one you may have seen in one of my latest posts on the Danmari palette. It is simply a beautiful blush that works for most light to medium skin tones. The other blush I'll be talking about is Rose Gold by Sleek, which has been extremely hyped as a dupe for this.

In pan form (especially in the pictures) there is one large difference. As you can see Orgasm is much pinker in tone than Rose Gold. But swatched is a whole different story...

Rose Gold - Orgasm

I wanted to do a relatively fair comparison, so this is just one swipe of each blush. Rose Gold is SO much more pigmented, which for blushes isn't always a good thing as a light hand is definitely needed with this. But unlike its more expensive counterpart is also very wearable on darker skin tones.

Blended out they are both absolutely stunning, but again you would need a much lighter hand for the Sleek one. Both give a gorgeous pinky peach flush to the cheek, Orgasm is quite glittery in the pan but this doesn't transfer too much to the skin, Rose Gold leaves a lovely sheen.

Overall both are gorgeous blushes. Personally, when/if i finish my Nars ones it's not a shade I'd repurchase simply because of the price, weighing at around £22. The Sleek offering gives you a budget friendly, better quality (in my opinion), almost dupe of this cult classic. Unless your an avid collector, I'd say opt for the high street option! Saying this i still really LOVE Nars blushes, the pigmentation isn't at all bad, and is buildable for a dramatic cheek.

High End 0 - High Street 1

Which is your favourite?

xox

 

Nars All About Cheek - Danmari Palette

Ello all!

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas and New Years!
My posts have been a bit lacking lately, mainly due to being swamped with uni work (BOO) and travelling. So i thought I'd pop up a quick post on one of my favourite Christmas pressies! I'd seen a LOT of Youtube hype on this beauty but was mostly unaware it was available in the UK (I believe it was a Sephora exclusive in the US) so i was exstatic to get this for Christmas! I was in two minds whether to upload this since it's now not available on the Nars UK website but i decided too just in case some of you can still get your hands on it!

Top row: Hungry Heart - Orgasm - Desire

Bottom row: Casino - Super Orgasm - Sin

 
As you can see it contains six gorgeous shades! What i love about Nars blushes (I already own a single Orgasm) is how pigmented they are. They apply like an absolute dream. I do wish they'd popped a different shade in instead of Super Orgasm, my camera isn't picking up how glittery it is, which for some will be off putting. And Casino is faaaaaar too dark for pale ladies like myself! 

Priced at £45 this is on the pricier side and these are about two thirds of the size of single Nars blushes, but for someone who rarely hits pan on makeup like me, this is awesome! I'm adoring Sin at the moment and I'm positive in the summer Desire is going to get a lot of love. This has come in SO handy for travel, the packaging is sturdy and contains (almost) all the shades i need for a short trip!

So yeah, i won't go into any more detail since you've probably heard it all before. But I'm in love! I'm definitely on the look out for some more blush palettes, watch out Inglot and La Femme!

Thanks for reading.

xox