Nars Sarah Moon Holiday 2016 Collection

Nars is without a doubt one of, if not, my favourite makeup brand. Everything I try from the brand excels in quality with a great shade range and selection to chose from as well as the uber sleek packaging. When it comes round to Christmas, Nars are always on top form with their amazing holiday collections and this year was no exception. This year’s collection was based around Sarah Moon, a French photographer with packaging inspired by her work. Instead of the usual gift sets that I am always going for, this year the colour collection appealed to me again.

I picked up two products from the colour collection, an eyeshadow duo and a lipstick. Starting with the eyeshadow pick, I have always had my eye on some of the Nars eyeshadow duos but never picked one up. When I caught my eye on Quai Des Brumes, I just had to pick it up, isn’t limited edition products such a great marketing trick! The duo features two grey toned shades, one a silvery mauve lilac shimmer shade and the other a charcoal grey with specks of gold shimmer. The shades are super unique, particularly the shimmer shade and they both work so beautifully together. They are both amazingly pigmented too however one problem I have with the duo is the longevity. These shadows seem to disappear in no time on my lids! I may have to try out a few different primers because the shades are too beautiful to not use!

The other product I picked up was a lipstick (of course!). The collection features a selection of the slim Nars lipsticks which I had not previously tried. Named the Moon Matte lipsticks, I picked up the nude shade Indecent Proposal. The colour is my perfect shade, a gorgeous warm rosy nude brown which a matte finish. What I love the most about this lipstick however is the incredible formula. For being a matte lipstick, it is incredibly creamy and comfortable. Probably one of the best matte formulas I’ve came across!

Are you a fan of this collection?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

Nars Lip Pencil Collection

The Nars Lip Pencils are without a doubt one of the best lip products I’ve ever tried yet they appear to be rather underrated too! I have gathered quite the collection now both from the matte range and satin range and I thought I would share all the shades in my stash and why these are worthy of a splurge!

In order of colour from lightest:

Descanso (Satin) (LE) : This is the lightest in the bunch being a gorgeous peachy rosy nude. It comes in a satin finish so is beautifully creamy and has a nice sheen to it. It’s one of my least worn shades from the bunch but I definitely need to reach for it more as it is so pretty! Sadly, this shade was limited edition from the Holiday 2014 range.

Torres Del Paine (Satin) (LE): An exotic sounding name with an equally exotic colour. This colour is similar to Descanso but leans more peachy and coral-y. It is a bit more bright too so works lovely as a go-to Summer shade. Again annoyingly this was always limited edition from Christmas, sorry!

Iberico (Matte) (LE) : One of my favourites, think Mac Lady Danger, a gorgeous vivid orange-y red. Again this is such a lovely colour for Summer as it is super striking and bold. This one is in the Velvet Matte formula which is definitely my favourite of the two, whilst it’s matte, it is still comfortable yet long wearing. Again this was also from the Holiday 2014 collection so sadly no longer available but as I mentioned Mac Lady Danger appears very similar!

Yu (Satin): Yu is a gorgeous bright bold fushcia pink and is totally unique to my collection. This kind of bright pink was my go-to back in my younger teen days yet now I tend to lean towards mauve-y plum shades of pink. However I still love having this option in my stash and when I did finally try this I was incredibly blown away. The lasting power on this is incredible, I literally couldn’t get it off my lips it was that long wearing! The pigmentation is also amazing as well as having a lovely creamy formula!

Bahama (Matte): One of the newer shades in my collection yet one that is probably the most ‘me’. This is a gorgeous rosy mauve brown shade, which appears much darker in the swatches! This is a great everyday shade with a really nice matte formula.

Walkyrie (Matte): This is another newbie for me, similar to Bahama but more reddy brown instead of pink-ish. It is also a bit more bold but still a great everyday shade and a great pick for those who love their brown-y nude colours.

Cruella (Matte): Everyone needs a staple red lipstick in their collection and this is mine. I absolutely love this shade, it is a deep red that looks so beautiful at this time of year! The formula is one I can always rely on too for being long wearing and comfortable to wear, great for an evening out! Definitely one I would recommend to try!

Mandore (Satin) (LE): This is the perfect Autumn shade (although the next shade is that too!) Mandore is a gorgeous deep oxblood red so the perfect Fall/Winter shade. This one is in the satin formula with a creamy comfortable finish that has a slight sheen but it still remains pretty long wearing. This was limited edition again from the Holiday 2014 collection but still seems available from the Nars website!

Damned (Matte): Lastly another new addition to my collection is this gorgeous deep berry magenta shade which again is perfect for this time of year. I’ve only worn this once but I’m impressed so far, I just need more courage to rock a bolder lip more often!

Have you tried the Nars lip pencils?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

Brand Focus: Nars

If I had to choose my favourite makeup brand I would probably have to pick Nars. I have collected a variety of products from their range and I am still yet to be disappointed. From their base products to eyes to cheeks to lips, they have something for everything and the continue to create great quality products. Whilst their price tag is in the higher end spectrum, everything I’ve tried has justified the price with the quality excelling each time. Having tried many of their products, I thought it was about time I did a little rundown on some of my favourites!

BASE

Whilst I have only got two base products from Nars, both are must-have, holy-grail quality products. I have spoke about them countless times before on the blog but it is time to mention them again, sorry! The first being their cult foundation Sheer Glow. This is without a doubt the best foundation I’ve ever tried, it provides great long lasting coverage whilst also looking flawless on the skin with a gorgeous satin finish. Check my full review here. The next is the dreamy Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer which is the perfect match alongside the Sheer Glow foundation. This concealer is thick and creamy offering incredible coverage yet is still comfortable on the skin and long-lasting. Review here.

To try next: Matte Skin Tint and Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer.

CHEEKS

As well as base products, Nars also have a collection of great face products from bronzers, blushes and highlighters. Starting with bronzer which happens to be one of my first ever Nars products, the favourite Nars Laguna bronzer. As you can see I have hit pan on this which pretty much lead to me being scared to use it again, anyone else? Nevertheless, this is a great all round bronzer, it isn’t too dark or orange-y at all on my pale skin. (Major throwback review here) Another product to try from Nars is there fab blush range. I have two shades, the cult Orgasm and Dolce Vita both with a great soft texture and pigmented colour. Basically every gal needs a Nars blush in their life! Lastly in their face range is their Illuminator in the shade Copacabana. This is a gorgeous pearl-y champagne liquid highlighter. Coming in a 30ml tube, it is one that will be in my collection for a long time!

To try next: Nars Sin Blush.

EYES 

Nars’ eye makeup range is one I have explored a lot more recently. From the range I have only tried from their eyeshadow selection but nevertheless I have found some goodies worth checking out. I have a couple of their singles eyeshadows, one from the Night Series range and the other from the Holiday Steven Klein collection which is one of my favourite single eyeshadows, super buttery with a gorgeous shimmery finish to the lids. Review of that here. As well as their cream eyeshadows and eyeshadow sticks, they also have their Dual-Intensity range which is worth a look. I have the palette which offers a range of gorgeous wearable shades that can be worn dry or with a damp brush. Review here.

To try next: Smudge-Proof Eyeshadow Base, Audacious Mascara, Nars Duo eyeshadow Hammamet and Isolde.

LIPS 

Lastly, their lip range is seriously worth the pennies! Their Satin/Velvet Matte lip pencils are some of the best lip formulas I’ve ever tried. The satin formula is creamy yet incredibly long-wearing whilst the matte offers much the same with yet a comfortable formula. From the matte range, I love Cruella, my perfect red, and from the satin range I love Yu, a gorgeous bold fuchsia shade (review here). I also have a lot of love for the satin pencil in Mandore (sadly LE) which is a pretty berry red shade (review here). Aside from the lip pencils, I also have one of their lipsticks (sadly again a LE one) which I haven’t really had a lot of wear out of but nevertheless it has a super creamy formula.

To try next: Audacious Lipstick in Anna and Velvet Matte lip pencil in Bahama.

What are your favourite Nars products?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer vs Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer

If there is a question that most beauty lovers want to know, it is what is better; the Nars Radiant Creamy  Concealer or the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer. I have been lucky enough to try both so I thought I would share my thoughts on what I think really is the better concealer. The Nars one has remained my ‘holy-grail’ concealer for a long time now for covering blemishes yet when I reached the near end of the product I was desperate to try the newly cult UD concealer. So after giving both a good try, here is my run-down on the two cult concealers…

PACKAGING 

Starting with the exterior and look of the actual concealers. They are both fairly similar and what you would expect, the usual concealer wand with a doe foot applicator. The Nars one is packaged within a square style tube with a matte black lid which can get messy with fingerprints but that doesn’t personally bother me. Whereas the UD one is in a cylinder style tube with a metallic lid and is slightly shorter than the Nars tube. The UD applicator is also a lot more sponge-y than the Nars one and it carries more product too. The only issue with the UD applicator is that if you pull it out the tube too quickly some of the product may splash out. The Nars concealer contains slightly more product with 6ml compared to UD having 5ml.

PRICE

In terms of the price, there is a clear winner. The Nars concealer retails for £22.50 and the UD concealer for £17.50. It is also quite easy to nab a little discount on these prices too if you use online retailers like Feel Unique and ASOS. Obviously with the UD concealer being much cheaper it does make it that little more attractive.

SHADE

Both concealers have a very decent shade range so there should be something for everyone. For the Nars concealer, I have the shade Vanilla which is Shade 2 which is the perfect match for me. Unfortunately, I don’t quite have the right shading when it comes to UD as I picked up the wrong shade! I have the shade Light Neutral which is just a bit too dark for me. I did stupidly order this one online instead of being colour matched so my fault there but I do find the UD range quite confusing to understand so I would definitely recommend going to a counter!

COVERAGE & FORMULA 

Both concealers are very similar but the formula differs a little. The Nars one has a very thick consistency which personally I find too heavy for under the eyes but it works a dream for covering large and hard to cover blemishes. I know that a lot of people have an issue with the consistency of the Nars one but personally I find it very creamy (as the name would suggest) and also not drying on the skin. The coverage of this one is also superb and what makes it my holy grail, it definitely excels in that department. On to the UD one, as the name for this one suggests it is pretty weightless. The consistency is a lot more lightweight and thinner which I am sure many people will prefer. Yet it still offers very decent coverage although I would probably say the Nars one just pips it to the post on that. The UD concealer also has a slight scent to it which personally doesn’t bother me but is something to take note of.

So overall, two very good performing concealers which both feel comfortable on the skin and still offer good coverage. The UD one has been slightly more difficult to test due to my shade being wrong but I still really like it and I will definitely be picking up the right shade in the future! I do prefer the Nars one for coverage but the price for the UD one makes it a lot more appealing and I wouldn’t be surprised if it replaced my coveted Nars one!

Are you a fan of these concealers?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

2015 wishlist

 

New year, new long list of expensive beauty items I don’t particularly need. Last year seen the start of my makeup obsession and lets just say my purse wasn’t too happy with my shopping decisions. Getting to experiment with different brands and products has allowed me to become more aware of my makeup needs and what products I really need to achieve the best results. Its no surprise I have really took to high end brands and it looks like this year is going to be filled with trips to Space NK and House of Fraser.

Anyway on to the list, I have picked 8 items but lets be real here if I picked every item I wanted to buy then I don’t think it would be quite possible to cover them all in the one post so I’ve stuck to the top 8 most wanted.

First on the list is the best primer I’ve ever tried. Its the highly raved about Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation primer. I have had no luck with primers and I recently got a sample of this and tried it out and lets just say the results amazed me. It is pricey but its hella good. Next is the dream duo from Nars, the Sheer glow foundation and creamy concealer. You may recall seeing this on previous wishlists of mine and as you can tell I have still not spent the cash on it but this year is the year! I also want to try the Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette in Streak, it just looks so heavenly and these shades seem perfect for my pale complexion. Now that my Naked palette collection is complete I need my hands on the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette. The shades look so beautiful and the palette is always the talk of good reviews so why not! Being stuck with a cheap and terrible pair of eyelash curlers is doing me no good. After hearing constant rave reviews from pretty much every blogger particularly Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup these Shu Uemura curlers are meant to be the bee’s knees. No surprise that Nars made the list again with the Copacabana illuminator which looks like such a beautiful and effortless highlighter. And last but not least after converting my usual stippling brush in favour of a buffing brush for foundation I have noticed far superior results. It is so much easier to blend but I would love to get my hands on the Bobbi Brown Full coverage brush which I have seen so many bloggers using recently. Its pricey but it seems to get flawless results.

So what is on your 2015 wishlist?

Autumn/Winter Lust List

 

Hello everyone 🙂 Short but sweet post today displaying the items that have been on my wish list for quite a while now and that I am desperately wanting to add to my collection. All of the above products are high end.. thats what beauty blogging does to you eh!? Hopefully by the end of the year I will be the owner of these to-die-for products but please do let me know your opinions on them? Have you used them, are they worth the expensive price tag? Thanks guys, next post on Wednesday!