Fragrance Bouquet Loves NARS : Bohemian Gold, Voyage and Positano Reviews

NARS – it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call the brand miraculous. The products are of the highest quality and consistently find themselves in both editors’ as well as readers’ choice awards, the range of colors can only be described as astounding and the creator, François Nars is simply a genius with the brush who can hide flaws as well as accentuate and flatter each face’s natural beauty like no other. His book, Make Up Your Mind, is my make-up bible. I haven’t managed to get my hands on NARS’ fabulous Fall 2008 collection yet, so while I am eagerly anticipating trying out the new looks, I have decided to show you some older favorites and create a couple of looks that are perfect not only for these summery days, but indeed, for fall as well. I created both looks this Sunday and took pictures of both the same day but under different light conditions which accounts for the slightly different skin color: Voyage is shot in sunlight, while Bohemian Gold in the shade, a little later in the day.



· Voyage: This is an amazing single eyeshadow, whose color – a gold flecked warm beige – perfectly matches the hue of beautiful golden sand. This is an incredibly versatile shadow that can be used as an accent with countless other colors, as a highlight at the inner corner of the eye, or as a clever tool to light up the eyes and camouflage fatigue when used on the lower lid. In short, this product is a great investment! My favorite way to wear it however, is as shown, used as an all-over wash of color to create and intensely summery look that works day or night. Yes, it is amazing that you can create such an amazing, complete, eye-shaping look with just one eyeshadow! Also used in this look: Eyeliner Pencil – Black Moon by NARS, Mascara – Masterpiece by MaxFactor and Eyebrightener (Concealer + Primer used all over lid, eyebrow bone and undereye area) – Vanilla by NARS



· Bohemian Gold: Another gorgeous eyeshadow product by NARS, this time a duo consisting of Metallic Taupe which is warm and glowing and Iridescent Copper which gently changes color as it catches the light, its hue ranging from soft metallic salmon to deep and beautiful rosy copper. I love using this duo in the evenings during the summer and during the daytime during the colder months to add a splash of warmth. These are highly pigmented shadows that deposit color evenly and glide effortlessly on the skin, thus allowing for precision work. They don’t crease and last forever without losing their intensity over time or migrating on the skin. Another wonderful thing I have noticed with all NARS shadows I have used is that they practically leave no fall-out during application, an important feature when using darker colors. As is the case with all NARS shadows, these can be applied dry or wet, and the taupe works particularly nice with a wet brush as a lower lid liner. For this look I have used the copper boldly, lining half of my lower lid, the inner corner of my eye and extending upwards and outwards to the half of my upper lid, while I used the taupe on the outer part of the both the upper and the lower lid, extending outwards to create an almond shape. As you can see from the picture, the colors match each other perfectly, to the point that it is hard to tell when one ends and the other begins. Both the texture and the perfect match of the colors means that minimum effort is required for blending. Also used in this look: Forest Green eyeliner pencil – brand unknown, Mascara – Masterpiece by MaxFactor and Eyebrightener (Concealer + Primer used all over lid, eyebrow bone and undereye area) – Vanilla by NARS

· Positano: This semi-sheer lipgloss is the perfect shade for fall! Officially labeled as Cinnamon Rose, on my lips this turns out a warm chocolate berry color. Highly pigmented, even one coat deposits enough color to make the lips stunning, but its absolutely non-sticky consistency allows you to build the color to the intensity of your choice. It is incredibly glossy and smooth, creating the “vinyl shine” effect I’d been looking for, ever since Dior discontinued their Diorific Plastic Shine glosses. Positano is long lasting and its beautiful consistency makes for precision application and sharp results. The slightly chocolate-y color means it’s perfect for adding a touch of glam-rock appeal to this fall’s pastel colored clothes – it will be a wonderful match for pistachio, lilac and beige. A more wearable version of the gothic dark lips we saw on the YSL runway, this will be the perfect shade to wear with sophisticated pant or skirt-suits in rich autumnal hues, preferably worn with de rigueur lace shirts.

All NARS products featured in this article can be bought directly from the official NARS website.

Images: Author's Own