I Try e-Girl Makeup! Feat. NEW NARS "Orgasm X" Cheek Palette and Orgasm ...

This isn't technically a review, but you can see how NARS's new Orgasm X blush builds and blends, and how it differs from original Orgasm blush. This goes on pretty soft and sheer for how intense it looks in the pan, but it definitely layers, and using a firmer, denser brush also deposits much more color than the soft Les Merveilleuses LADUREE one I used.

(Full products listed in the Youtube description box.)

To be 100% fair, it's not a huge difference between the two once they are on, and if you own the original and love it already, you probably won't need or want Orgasm X.

NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint

I really enjoy NARS' regular Skin Tint as a daily sheer base, so when I heard they were launching a Velvet Matte version that was really exciting for me.

With this release NARS promises:

• effortless application
• soft matte soft-focus finish
• soft-touch feel
• antioxidant defense
• shine and pore control

 I've worn it on and off for over a month, and I'll say:

• effortless application - yes, this does glide on and blend out beautifully. I always use fingers to test new foundations (it's the one universal tool most of us have), and this takes minimal effort to smooth out
• soft matte soft-focus finish - if by that you mean satin and non-greasy looking but not a flat powdery matte, then yes; this does leave the exact amount of sheen I like, and creates a very smooth and youthful glow without emphasizing pores, but I would class it as a satin rather than full-on matte finish. It might simply be due to the fact I live in the tropics, but a matte foundation isn't really matte if it only looks matte in dry climates, ya?
• soft-touch feel - yes, once it sets this leaves skin feeling velvety smooth, non-tacky, and does not transfer to your fingers when patted
• antioxidant defense - this contains vitamins C, and E, which is great for providing a bit of extra daily protection. The SPF30 PA+++ also helps if you live in a non-tropical climate without a lot of direct sun.
• shine and pore control - this does a fairly good job for dry and normal skins in hot weather, and I expect it will be pretty good on combination skins in cooler, drier climates as well. However if you are very oily AND live in a hot place, you will probably get some oil break-through in a few hours. Fair enough, because I always recommend you blot it away than try to find a product that absorbs 6-8 hours worth of oil, and leave it all sitting on top of your skin.

With this skin tint, it does respond to what you use beneath so if you wear a matte primer it will take on a slightly more matte finish. And if you use a dewy product it will take on some sheen. Unlike some really matte formulas it will nor take down shine and change the finish of your skin dramatically. 

The coverage is medium-light, meaning you definitely cover a lot more than typical tinted moisturizers which barely even the skin out. It will even out mild discolorations. However if you want more coverage, you CAN build it up to almost a medium coverage by tapping on a bit more product where you need coverage. This is where I would suggest using fingers rather than a brush or sponge, which will just lift a lot of the product away.

I am using Alaska (I'm MAC NC25) and didn't notice any oxidation or darkening over the day. However I do have to say I tend not to experience much oxidation in general so I would try out a sample if your skin chemistry tends to oxidize many foundations.

Bare skin

NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint with no concealer or powder

I don't have the full box in my review kit, and I couldn't find the ingredients list online yet, but I didn't detect any fragrance. If it's there at all, it's extremely mild. I have semi-sensitive skin and this did not give me any breakouts or sensitivities with use. It DOES condition and smooth my skin a little - and while it can't really hide flakiness, it doesn't emphasize them overly either. 

Overall, I do really like this for everyday wear. You get enough coverage to look and feel like you spent time on your skin, and it leaves that polished "expensive skin" glow around the high points of your face, which I prefer to a fully matte powdery foundation. It looks like more perfected, clean, moisturized skin. Not makeup. However this means it's not really "matte" matte, so if you have bumpy, uneven and blemished skin, you will need a lot of matte powder to hide the texture if you want to use this. It probably will not provide enough oil-control for very oily girls either. 

Lasting power is fairly good if you're in air-conditioned environments or a fairly cool place for the most part. But I do find it can break down a bit if you are running about in the heat. This is not one I would personally pick for a full day of running about in Summer or tropical heat. Then again - most foundations can't hold up under those conditions.

The one thing I find a bit lacking is sun protection.

While SPF30 PA+++ is alright for those in cooler climates or with tan to darker skins, it really isn't enough protection for Summer, lighter skins, or anyone living in tropical areas. That's fine for me because I usually wear a separate sunblock (the amount of foundation we apply usually does not give us the maximum sun protection listed on the packaging anyway), but don't assume SPF30 PA+++ is enough. 

If you have light skin, SPF30 only gives you 60-90 mins of protection. That's 1.5 - 2 hours. Enough for a quick run to the grocery store. And PA+++ is adequate but PA++++ is required for optimal UVA (anti-aging) protection.

Still, this one thing is not a big enough point to say don't try this foundation. I think it's a great product for combination, normal and slightly-dry skins, and as long as you exercise basic skin wisdom and wear a separate sun screen or avoid too much sun exposure, it's great.

Launches in Singapore in March 2016.

NARS Audacious Mascara Review

We all know I’m a huge fan of the Audacious lipsticks which launched in 2014. I love the payoff, the range of flattering colors that range from best-in-class classics to modern brights, and I love the satin texture and presentation.

This year, NARS launches Audacious mascara (September in Singapore). And this formula promises to be all all-rounder that is:

• non-waterproof but smudge-resistant formula
• volumizing
• lengthening
• lifting/curling

Sounds like every other mascara’s claims? Well I put it to the test.

2 coats NARS Audacious - not the best idea

I’ll say it’s:

• pretty lasting for me and stiff enough when set to hold curl quite well, which is usually not the case with many non-waterproof mascaras - but my lashes are not super-stubborn so keep this in mind
• easy to remove with cotton pad and cleansing water - no scrubbing and rubbing
• non-smudging on me, but then I do not have oily lids so I am p[robably not the absolute best judge; it doesn’t start running the moment it gets wet but be careful not to rub your eyes too hard
• moderately lengthening; those curved spikes on the wand (see below) that look like the fangs of some carnivorous plant do manage to grab your lashes and coat and separate them well
• not extremely volumizing for me; I did find that it had a tendency to grab some lashes and coat them thickly, but not others, so you end up with inconsistent volumization
• sorta clumpy; this doesn’t turn my fringe of lashes into 5 fat stumps - it’s not that sort of clumpy. But it does have a tendency to deposit fatter clumps around the tips of your lashes if you try to build up the product a bit, because the nature of the formula and the wand makes NARS Audacious mascara lengthen faster than it can build thickness around each strand. Maybe I'm just imagining it. You tell me! 

All in all, I would say this is just not a mascara designed for layering (unless you actually like clumpy dramatic lashes). It CAN give you pretty good results in a single coat as you can see above. I think it’s a great mascara if you want length and separation with moderate volume. But if you like to slowly layer, you will need a clean disposable mascara wand to comb out the clumps between coats.

One extra benefit going for this is how black it is and how well it seems to coat every lash. From what I've seen of demos and other reviews, this is a great one for those with paler lashes, who need a mascara that can really coat every strand properly and make everything more visible. Yep - this does that job.

Note: with any mascara that you layer and layer, you might also be more prone to flakiness. Flecks of black crumbling onto your cheeks over the day. I didn’t experience that with Audacious mascara wearing just one coat, so I daresay you’ll be fine if you don’t try to get TOO audacious with it.

NARSissist 2015 Matte/Shimmer Eyeshadow Palette

The original NARSissist palette was an instant classic.

The 2015 edition is a sort of "NARSissist-lite" if you compare it to the previous, but the shades are still beautiful and pigmentation is actually more consistently smooth and easy-to-use across all the shades, compared to the original. I was especially impressed by the 4 matte shades, Nassau, Maya Bay, Ithaca, and Dogon. These were incredibly velvety and blendable.

The shimmery shades, oddly enough, felt a touch more chalky in comparison to the mattes, but the colors kinda make up for that. Mandchourie and Bonifacio are gorgeous, and the two dark, sparkly shades, Zagreb and Heraklion, surprised me by not having a ton of fallout. Unlike many of the old-school dark sparkly shadow formulas from several brands, the pretty sparkly glitter doesn't just "disappear" when the shadow is applied onto the skin.

The cherry on top of the cake is the sleek mirrored case. I've really liked the recent limited edition release cases. The signature rubbery matte NARS packaging is beautiful, but they don't always stay beautiful because the polymers start to react with air and break down after awhile, and everyone who's owned any number of NARS products is familiar with how they eventually become sticky and start to hang on to every particle of dirt and grime.

This case will not give you any of those problems. (The mirrored top is a fingerprint magnet in its own right, but at least you can wipe this down!)

If you're not really into all-neutral palettes, or just want something a tiny bit different, this one has a single muted khaki which is gorgeous. I actually consider this a palette for matte lovers, because with the exception of Bonifacio, the rest of the "shimmery" shades aren't really that shimmery at all.

Mandchourie has a very muted low sheen, and Zagreb and Heraklion are pretty much matte shades with sparkles. None of these are anywhere near metallic by any means, so I would treat those 2 as mattes. 

The NARSissist Matte/Shimmer Palette is available now at Sephora ION in Singapore. 

Blame It On NARS Summer Gifting Kits: Swatches and Overview

We are in the thick of previewing all the Fall Winter 2015 makeup releases, but I just had to talk about NARS' 3 Summer Gifting kits which launched in Singapore this month.

There are 2 Lip Pencil kits and 1 Blush Palette. And these are all gorgeously colorful and perfect as a nice luxurious gift for someone special.

There are unique paint swirls and spatters on each of the covers. My favorite is probably the Blame It On NARS blush palette (SGD$120), with the pink, yellow and violet swirls. But just based on the contents, this would be the one I would invest in as well. I was very pleased to see that none of the shades within are repeats of the shades in my Virtual Domination palette from the holiday season last year.

Casino is a bronzer I've been meaning to try, so having it in a convenient palette along with 3 other shades is perfect. Daydream and New Attitude are gorgeous soft pink blushes as well. The only shade I am not quite as enamored of is Satellite of Love. It's just way too sparkly, and just not the type of shade I wear as highlighter. (I prefer fine-grained pearlescence so it looks less like fairy-dust, more like a dewy gleam on the cheeks.)

The Kit also comes with a mini Ita brush for you to tint and sculpt your cheeks.

The Lipstick Kits ($85) are worth checking out too.

For soft-lip lovers, Ultimate NARS is the way to go. You get 1 matte pencil, the gorgeously wearable Sex Machine (the rosy plummy bitten lip shade) and 2  Satins, a soft caramel beige Biscayne Park, and a pale cotton candy pink Stourhead.

Stourhead might be a bit intimidating for some, but you can always wear it sheer as a soft tint so you don't go too Snooki.

My personal pick is True NARS Kit for sure.

I love all 3 shades within, and these are colors I'd wear regularly. Yu is a magenta pink, Luxembourg a cherry-red, and the only Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, Provocative Red, is a muted, elegant oxblood.

Each Lip Pencil Kit comes with a sharpener.

NARS Christopher Kane Collection

Here's a quick overview of and first impressions of some products from the NARS x Christopher Kane collection, which launches in Singapore in June. 

First off, the packaging is gorgeous, with the NARS logo in metallic fuchsia.

And the collection is filled with sparkly colors that sort of remind me of Northern Lights. Glowy duochrome violets and greens, beiges and corals. All these colors might look really intense in the packaging, but are designed to just give you a veil of translucnet color and texture. 

Here are the items that I received for review and the swatches for your reference.

I do have to point out that I like the Parallel Universe duo a lot more than the mono shadow, Outer Limits, which was a bit of a disappointment for me.

In the pan, it looks like it would be almost a creamy, intense sparkle shade, but it really has a dry, coarse texture that will just dust right off your skin. You can use it on top of other shadows as an over-coat but I find the best overcoats have silicone binders in them to make them adhere on top of other dry shadows. This one is just dry, so it does not want to stay on top of other powders. My recommendation is to apply it damp, like below, as that gives you more of a sheen and you can better control where the shimmer goes. Otherwise, it all just ends up on your cheeks after an hour.

Another item that was somewhat disappointing was the Multiple in Violet Atom. This is a lavender shade that looks SO beautiful in the tube, and I love the formulation of the newer Multiples (more silky, less sticky and greasy than the older versions). But it's so subtle that it almost can't be seen once it's blended into the skin.

Below, it looks visible, but that's straight from the tube, before blending out. Once you rub out the edges, it kinda melds into your skin. Which is good if you like an ultra-subtle look. But then it's so subtle that you won't be able to see ANY of that lavender-green duochrome color. You just get a very, very soft glow. It's still pretty of course. But I kinda feel that for the price, it should not look that subtle.

But overall, you can see from my swatches that everything is very ethereal and soft. These products work best layered lightly over other products and bases.

In my look below, I applied a tiny layer of grey cream shadow to the outer corners of the eyes and used Parallel Universe on top of it, with the beige-green over the grey, and the lavender on the inner half of the lids. On the cheeks and down my nose, I have the Multiple in Violet Atom (it's barely visible), as well as Adoration from the Dual Intensity blush range, which I - adore.
On the lips I have Nebulous lipgloss.

I did have to apply a grey cream base to portions of my lid and then apply the shadows on top of it for the shading and definition I want. Like a lot of the NARS duos, there is no "definer/highlight" shade. Which isn't a problem for me because I tend to treat all the shades in my duos and palettes as individual shadows that I can mix and match with other stuff, not necessarily with the other colors in the same palette. But I know some of you hate that and want palettes and duos to be a "complete" look.

What do you think of the products? Love em or leave em?

Surprise Chinese Takeout Haul from NARS for the Chinese New Year

This isn't about a new release or anything of the sort. I wish it were.
But one particular press delivery made me chuckle today, so I had to snap some images of it before I dug into the box and ruined it.

In honor of the Lunar New Year which is almost here, the team at NARS sent out a Chinese-takeout themed box filled with a selection of choice goodies. It's better than fortune cookies for sure.

So since I don't really do hauls usually, I figure this is as good a time as any to show an expected "haul" of sorts.

NARS Pro-Prime Instant Line & Pore Perfector

 First is the Instant Line & Pore Perfector, which is like a silicone eraser which you run over fine lines and areas with large pores to instantly blur and mask their appearance under makeup.

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage

 One thing I haven't really tried is NARS' Pure Matte Lipstick range, which is odd for a matte lipstick lover like me. Their regular lipstick line already includes a range of different textures, so I never really found a reason to pick one up from the Pure Matte range. But I'm very glad to see this gorgeous fuchsia here, cos that's going to get some use over the festive season.

NARS Black Room nail lacquer

 Not quite a Lunar New Year shade (I'm sure my grandma would love seeing my jet black nails... not), but very chic nonetheless. I always love a good opaque black so I'm hoping this will be one. I'll just wear it AFTER the New Year. If you didn't know, black is often considered an inauspicious color among many Chinese communities, and wearing too much of it during the Lunar New Year period is often considered a major faux pas.

My previous experience with a NARS polish wasn't all that great - it chipped within half a day - but hopefully that was just a dud and this one will be better.

NARS The Multiple in Portofino

 Ahh.... Portofino... If you were looking for a Multiple that would work great as a blush, you've got it here. It's a coppery coral-red which goes on very sheer and subtle, and can be built up for a warm flush. This isn't sticky and sparkly like some of the older Multiples, so I love it and can't wait to start wearing it.

NARS Olympia Contour Blush

Probably the item I'm most excited about out of all these.

I fall in and out of love with contouring/sculpting, and right now is definitely an "in" period. I've been really loving defining the cheeks subtly (no Snickers bars or dark grey stripes for me), so any product that can be used to that purpose makes me happy.

This is probably a touch warmer than I'd usually pick for a contour shade, but it would work quite nicely for light to medium skins. 

NARS Spring 2015 Colors - Some Swatches!

NARS St Paul de Vence duo

 When someone saw a picture of St Paul de Vence I posted on Instagram, she missed the details in the caption and asked if it was Orgasm and Laguna.

This is actually from the limited edition Spring 2015 makeup collection, and it does have some similarities to the blush and bronzer duo because of the tawny coral-tan tones. But it's a lot softer and more wearable on the eyes of course.

I personally think it's a very nice warm duo, and while I wouldn't necessarily wear both shades together (one is iridescent and the other is satin, but the colors are close enough that on the eyes, the difference is not obvious), they're great for pairing with darker neutrals.

Just for the same of a demo, I wore both on the lids of course. The satin brown on the outer halves of the lids and in the socket line, and the iridescent coral-tan shade on the inner halves of lids.

NARS St Paul de Vence eyeshadow duo worn on lids

 For a soft warm everyday look, you can get away with wearing both shades together. I also imagine this will bring out the color in grey, blue, and green eyes.

The collection also features a lipstick and 2 glosses (of which I have 1 to show you here).

NARS Liguria lipstick and Vent Salé gloss swatches

Now these 2 I don't especially love, because they're not too easy to pull off. 

Liguria lipstick - If you have extremely pale or tanned/darker skin and want a nice caramel beige color, Liguria is actually quite pretty and creamy-feeling. It's a caramel with a soft gold pearl. On my medium-light yellow-based skin, it just kinda fades in. 

NARS Liguria lipstick

Vent Salé lipgloss on the other hand, is tricky. This is a thick pearlescent white gloss that reflects pale mint-green in the light. On its own it does sink into every line on your lip surface. And over other colors, you kinda have to consider what would work well with a green sheen. 

I like an interesting color any day but it does have to be flattering, and while I can see this as a dramatic lip-color transformer, I really can't see this looking that fantastic on most people.

NARS Vent Salé lipgloss

The item that will probably get lots of people excited is the new Illuminating Multiple, St Lucia, which is the first new color they've brought out in awhile.

Unlike the previous iridescent Multiples, St Lucia has a much finer glow and a texture that sets to a dry finish. Many of the older Multiples are obviously shimmery/glittery on the skin, and also have a greasier cream-blush formula which isn't always great for oily skins.

The best thing though - is the color. Most of the NARS Multiples are very warm and yellow-based, which on yellow-toned skins can look a bit too much. St Lucia is a tawny pink-bronze which sits nicely on most undertones.

NARS Multiple in St Lucia, swatched

It's not as pale as Copacabana, so it can't really act as a highlighter for lighter skins, and it's not deep enough to be a bronzer or blush, but it's really pretty all along the upper portions of the cheeks and cheekbones as a subtle blush/bronze sheen if you're wearing bronzer.

On deeper skins, it's a gorgeous highlighter.

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation - First Impressions

Unlike many of the other luxe brands, NARS isn't one to push out a new foundation every year or so. So when they do launch a new one, I take note. Here's a quick first-impressions review and observations after I've used it about 3 or so days.

They've now jumped on what I like to call the "liquid ink foundation" bandwagon a la Armani Maestro, Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet, Laura Mercier Smooth Finish, YSL Le Teint Encre Peau (and many more brands), with a line of foundations that marry an ultra-light almost "watery" texture with very high coverage.

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation texture

Unlike NARS' other staples, Sheer Glow and Sheer Matte, the new All Day foundation comes with a pump that's designed to give you just the right amount of product in a single pump.

I know girls these days like to really load on the foundation, but in this case, if you're using more than a pump, you are either applying way too much, or your brush/sponge is sucking everything up.

The recommended method for application is to tap (not rub) it on with your clean fingers, which is my favorite method for getting a seamless, air-brushed finish anyway.

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation coverage

Coverage

The reason one pump should be enough for most cases is that it has a lot of coverage.

What the foundation does not cover in one pump, you should be using a proper concealer to cover. (And this is true for all foundations in general.)

It's got slightly more coverage than many of the other "liquid ink" foundation options, similar - or possibly even slightly higher than Laura Mercier's Smooth Finish Flawless Fluid, which is more of a dewy option.

Texture

On its own, this foundation has a natural velvety matte finish (somewhat similar to Chanel Perfection Lumiere or YSL Le Teint Encre Peau), so I reckon it would work better on slightly oilier skins than very dry skins. But I daresay most skins can get away with using this depending on what you apply beneath. I applied the foundation over very moisturized skin (I have dry skin), so it ended up with quite a lot of sheen even though it doesn't slide around and smear. Similar to Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet, the NARS All Day foundation does take on a similar finish to whatever you've applied beneath.

This is because unlike old-school matte formulas, these lightweight silicone based foundations don't actually contain a lot of powdery fillers like titanium dioxide and talc, so it does not have that heavy unnatural built-up matte texture. BUT this also means that if you have a lot of texture flaws (scars, acne, etc) this type of foundation won't be able to mask the uneven surface as well as a heavier thicker textured formula.

NARS All Day foundation on the skin

As you can see above, the coverage of the foundation is enough that it can reduce or actually do away with concealer application for most minor flaws. However, it's not opaque of course. I still need a tiny bit more concealing on old acne scars. Which is what I want anyway. Skin should still look like skin if you can get away with it.

But overall, it does give a very much more perfected look while doing a great job of looking natural.

Lasting Power

The foundation does set very quickly, and I haven't had problems with it oxidizing on my skin through a 12 hour day, although it did fade slightly towards the end. I'd say this lasts better than most of the other liquid ink foundations I've tried, although Chanel is probably equally good in this regard.

Of course, everyone's skin chemistry and skincare regime is different, so I'd request for a sample or try it on in the store and let it sit for at least half a day before you decide. 

My Fledgling NARS Eyeshadow Duo Obsession

NARS Alhambra and Habanera swatches

 I have a bit of an obsession with NARS eyeshadow duos. Well - not all, but several of them.
Especially the neutrals and metallics.

My most recent acquisitions are Alhambra (soft apricot-gold beiges) and Habanera (silver-sage and -charcoal-plum).

NARS Eye Shadow Duos in Alhambra (left) and Habanera (right)

Now, many people criticize them for often not being wearable together. E.g. 2 of my absolute faves are Cordura and Kalahari (below), or Isolde - another one of my faves - and the colors are close enough that if you wore them both on the lids, you might not see a huge difference.

Well, compared to typical duos which are designed to be worn together, I see NARS duos as "themed colors". They may or may not work together, but it's a theme. I.e. if you like the left shade in Kalahari, you'll probably also want to own a shade like the one on the right. So they give you both together, even if you wear them separately.

My recommendation is to see them all as single NARS shadows in a more economical format. This opens up your options. I'd pair any of the shades in Alhambra with the dark prune color in Habanera. And I'd wear the silver-sage green in Habanera with any other dark shade from any other palette.

Anyone have a similar weakness for these?