A Quick Look: NARS Spring 2016 Hot Sand Collection

NARS is launching several capsule collections of Spring makeup items, and a key one features 5 items and is centered around one divine peachy-champagne beige shade called "Hot Sand". Previously only a liquid Illuminator shade, the brand has expanded on the shade for a limited time.

Available only at the TANGS NARS counter in Singapore, there are 5 key products:

• Hot Sand Illuminating Multiple (SGD$65)
• Hot Sand Illuminator ($45 - this is a permanent item)
• Hot Sand/Orgasm Blush Duo ($65)
• Hot Sand/Laguna Blush and Bronzer Duo ($65)
• Hot Sand Lip Gloss ($37) 

There is also a Hanamachi Kabuki brush ($65) which I am still trying out at the moment. It's very soft and plush, without any scratchy stiffness (unlike the smaller yachiyo brush in my top image). I can see it being good for applying bronzer or illuminating powders all over the neck, shoulders and down the chest, but I can't really see myself applying bronzer, blush or highlighter with it on my face as it's not small enough and I'm not sure I want blush and highlighter going everywhere.

Here's a look at the Hot Sand shade in its different textures. It looks slightly peachy in the tube/stick/pan, but goes on a beautiful beige. The slight peachy undertone is not apparent unless you have porcelain pale skin, and just adds a tiny hint of warmth that stops the shade from looking ashy or too silvery on deeper skin tones. If you have fair to medium skin tones, it will also look beautiful, if a bit more subtle than other lighter, more metallic highlighting products.

On the skin, the powder especially reminds me of a slightly deeper version of Kevyn Aucoin's classic Candlelight Celestial Powder, which is an illuminating powder which has enough matte pigment thrown in that it never looks too shiny or fake. 

I didn't receive the Multiple in my press kit but I did stop by the counter to swatch it earlier, and in terms of sheen it is a bit more shimmery than the liquid Illuminator and less shimmery than the powder highlighter. The Multiple shade is slightly deeper than the other products in the line as well and I felt it was just a tad too deep to give enough of a noticeable gleam on my NC25 skintone, while the liquid and powder were perfect.

Don't be put off just because you think this is such a "nothing" shade. The product is designed to be completely translucent against the skin, so it doesn't lighten the area or look visible brightened, but just imparts a subtle dewy effect. It's actually extremely flattering and makes it HARD for heavy-handed people to overdo the highlighting/strobing. I would love to end Albatross-abuse and replace it with this in many peoples' makeup drawers.

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. 

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.