Wednesday, August 13, 2008

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


15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dearest Divina,
Nars products are really wonderful, aren't they? And your post was like having a makeup lesson, so that I'm now definitely going to invest in Bohemian Gold and probably the lip gloss too. Sadly, autumn is in the air here, but these lovely things make the passing of summer more easy to bear. (I'm going to lok for a lace shirt too!)
Hugs,
Linda

Anonymous said...

Your eyes are BEAUTIFUL! I never thought green eye-liner would go nicely with something which has orange tones, but you made it work! I love both looks, but voyage seems like something that would work better with my pale skin, and you are right, it does seem very versatile and a great investment. I usually wear white eyeshadow to accentuate the inner corner, but now I am going to try this. It's probably a lot of work, but I hope you show us more makeup looks soon :o)

xo,
Christine

PinstripedZebra said...

Your eyes look fantastic!

The first one especially looks like a professional photoshoot.

//Z

Anonymous said...

Hey! I didn't realise that the photo were of your eyes Divina - they do indeed look absolutely lovely. (forgive the second comment!)

Anonymous said...

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Divina said...

Dearest Linda, yes! NARS is fabulous! The products are of such high quality and the range of colors makes me feel like a kid let loose at a candy store, lol! There seems to be something to suit every skin tone and every style. (I only wish for a few more choices in eyeliner pencils, if I'm honest, then again I use shadows as eyeliners so often I don't really miss them that much!) As for lace, take a look at the new Prada collection for inspiration. I wouldn't go as far as the whole look (no lace bag for me, thank you) but accents here and there, like a lace shirt are a must this season it seems!

Kiss you!

Divina said...

Hey Christine! As for green never matching orange...feh, I don't know, make-up experts always have those do's and dont's, especially in magazines, but I think once someone is comfortable with doing their makeup and is ready for a little experimentation they can try different things and see what works for themselves. (I love that about the NARS makeup book by the way, the looks range from neutral to simply extravagant, yet they all work) I think guidelines are a great thing to follow as a beginner...but its good to let go of inhibitions and free the hand to go for individual expression through make-up once comfortable with using tools and colors. I love how professional make-up artists work, so free.. (wish I was as good myself) I recently had my makeup done professionally for an event and the artist used everything you can imagine, and actually applied shadows with amazing precision with her fingers. The result was stunning - I couldn't believe I was looking at myself. But that's a story for another day :)

Divina said...

Hey Z! Thank you dearest :)

Anonymous said...

Dear Divina,
I absolutely love Nars products and I was really happy to read your post today, especially because I wasn’t aware of these particular products. Both the eye shadows and the lip-gloss look amazing and by the way nice make up tips! I am looking forward to see your views in more Nars products.
Best,
Anna

Divina said...

Linda, it's perfectly fine! :) And thank you for the compliment!

Divina said...

Hi Steily. Thanks for the tip.

Divina said...

Dear Anna,
I am very glad you enjoyed the post and you can be sure I will be reviewing more of their products :)

Abigail said...

Divina,
I almost never wear eyeshadow, usually just mascara and if I have a few moments in the morning liner on the top lid. But when I looked at these photos (of your eyes?! beautiful eyes, lovely pics!) I am about to scamper off to buy this eyeshadow. I have green eyes, too. A very similar color with a bit of yellow in the center. I LOVE the way you put the liner on the inside - I'm going to copy you exactly! (you know how the saying goes...copying is the sincerest form of flattery :-D )

Divina said...

You go ahead and ROCK this look girl! :)

Hugs!

Abigail said...

DIVINA,

I gotta tell you.

I immediately went to Sephora and bought the NARS eyeshadow in Voyage. I bought a dark chocolate brown liner (forgetting actual shade name) to pair with Voyageg because black is a little too intense for me. I also bought a NARS lipstick called Tobago.

LET ME TELL YOU. I have NEVER experienced such amazing eyeshadow in my life. You did not exaggerate. This stuff DOES NOT crease. And my skin is known to literally absorb/eat up everything I put on it. NARS eyeshadow, liner and lipstick are truly amazing. Plus, many in the office (girls only!) Have commented on my new look.

Thank you so much for alerting me to NARS - a truly wonderful product that for once lives up to every single expectation and more!

xoxox I officially crown you my cosmetics fairy godmother xoxxo