As promised yesterday, here’s some images and swatches of the NARS Holiday 2010 collection. Due out in the UK in November.
The palette is a trio of cool shades with the almost cobalt blue being the star attraction. Continuing the Japanese theme throughout the entire collection, this little eyeshadow palette is named Okinawa.
I’d love to tell you the names of the rather beautiful glosses (Yinka fell in love with the one on the right, me… the one on the left). But I had a bit of a photographer camera fail.
I have more indepth pictures and some swatches of the NARS Holiday 2010 Collection that I shall post up tomorrow, but here’s a quick sneak peek at the collection as a whole.
Have I got your attention? Come back tomorrow for more!
Check out this Kabuki-inspired Bento Box Lip Set which will be on many a NARS’ fan’s Xmas wish list!
Inspired by the Japanese Kabuki theatre, the set comprises: 2 lip colours (Maiko and Sakura), 2 boxed dish thingies and a rather lovely lip brush. Will the lip colours be in the dishes? I’m not sure… I got a bit confused at that point but it reminds me of a Japanese curio that Lisa Eldridge talked about.
The lip shades are pretty darn beautiful. Look!
Heavily pigmented and smooth, a pair of beautifully bright shades that are sure to tantalise and tempt!
I adore this set, it’s a little bit quirky… a touch unusual but thoroughly useable. What a wonderful Christmas gift this would make… for ourselves of course 😉
No price details or release dates yet, but I shall update as and when they become available.
Do you like it?
EDIT: I’ve now been reliably informed that this set is due to retail in the UK at £95 from November the 1st and will be available at Selfridges.
In Kabuki theater there is a style, Kumadori, which uses shades to represent different emotions and moods: red represents passion and vigor while pink represents cheerfulness and youthfulness. So it is no wonder that François chose to capture the majesty of the kabuki lip with these two colors for the elegant yet modern woman. Maiko, a vibrant red, is the Japanese word for dancing girl and is used to refer to apprentice geishas. Sakura, a hot pink, is Japanese for cherry blossom, the symbolic flowering cherry tree integral to Japanese culture.
Each cup has been hand-filled, weighs the same as a bullet of lipstick, and will provide around 150 uses. Similar to the NARS Yachiyo Kabuki Brush, the lip brush is hand-made and the handle is wrapped in Wisteria, a flowering plant native to East Asian states such as China, Korea and Japan. Only one thousand sets were created for sale in the United States, and just over two thousand in total were created worldwide.
Yes, £95 *jawdrop*. It’s beautiful n’all… but erm… £95? Am I going to have to sell both kidneys to fund this I wonder?
I went to one of those Christmas in July press days yesterday. Plenty of well-dressed ladies, canapes and nonchalant expressions.
Being neither well-dressed nor seemingly able to contain my excitement when surrounded by makeup THAT’S NOT EVEN OUT YET! I felt a little out of place. I wasn’t even carrying a designer handbag.
I may also have let out a little uncontrolled squeal when I saw the OPI Holiday 2010 Burlesque Collection due out at the end of November.
‘Ave a look!
Rising Star – Lustrous glimmering gold.
Ali’s Big Break – Glowing Red Shimmer
The Show Must Go On – Deep Pink Shimmer
Teasey Does It! – Burgundy Shimmer
Drool! Check out the duochrome shimmery goodness of Teasey Does It! and The Show Must Go On.
Extra-Va-Vaganza – Orange Glitter
Glow Up Already! – Green Glitter
Simmer and Shimmer – Blue Glitter
Bring on the Bling – Golden Glitter
Glitter-ama! These bear more than just a passing resemblance to the Alice in Wonderland glitters… I’m thinking OPI know a good thing when they see one.
Sparkle-iscious – Multi Coloured Glitter
Show it and Glow It – Purple/Fuchsia Glitter
Let Me Entertain You! – Fuchsia Glimmer
Take The Stage – Warm Orange Shimmer
How perfect are these for Christmas?
I KNOW it’s only August, and you’re a bit over the Xmas posts already. But how could I not show you these?
I only wish I’d had the balls to swatch them all. But I think that perhaps sitting cross-legged on the floor painting each nail a different spangly colour would have been a step too far. Don’t think I wasn’t tempted though.
You’ll be able to purchase the collection from LookFantastic.com – I’ve already earmarked a couple!
The new face of Pantene Pro-V has been announced as presenter and former model Cat Deeley.
Why Cat? A spokesperson from Pantene said; “Cat Deeley is the ultimate Pantene Pro-V girl, she has natural beauty, and healthy looking, gorgeous hair. Her genuine likeability and infectious charisma have led to her being adored in the UK and now also the US. For us she was the obvious choice to lead the Make A Swisssh movement behind this campaign.”
Excited about her new role Cat said: “Has your hair ever felt so good you can’t help but swish it? – you know that elusive ‘swish’, when hair moves perfectly. It’s that beautiful, healthy looking, enviable hair that we all want – that’s what you get with new Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light.” Cat Deeley
Her work with the brand will kick off with Cat as the face and hair of the new Aqua Light Make a Swisssh campaign launching on the 1st August.
I know loads of you have been using the new Aqualight range for a little while now, still enjoying it?
I’ve been absolutely loving the shampoo this week. My mother in law’s shower is genuinely the worst in Britain. It doesn’t shower me… it dribbles on me. I normally have to stand under this dribble for around 10 minutes until I’m left with no residue. The new Pantene Aqua Light shampoo is rinsing away effortlessly in about 30 seconds!
Not long to go now, I thought we could all do with a quick reminder of what we can look forward to come 1st August when NARS’ Autumn 2010 collection hits the counters.
Daphne Guiness looking resplendant as Francois NARS’ muse and inspiration for the NARS Fall 2010 campaign.
The Single Eyeshadows (£16) – Mangrove is LE.
The Eyeshadow Duos (£23) – Rajasthan is LE
The Lip Stick LE (£17)
The Lip Gloss LE (£17)
The Soft Touch Shadow Pencil LE (£15)
The Blush (£19.50)
For me, I think it’s one that needs to be swatched before taking the plunge and ordering…
Neither of the lip products are calling to me but I’ll be swatching Douceur, Palladium, Tzarine and Rajasthan… Mangrove too, I’m not particularly drawn to it, but because it’s a LE product I *just* wanna make sure!
Are you interested in anything from this collection?
Established in 1980, Paul Mitchell, the professional hair care line is celebrating the big 3-0 and would like to give you the chance to take a friend to Hollywood.
Visit their special anniversary site to learn more about the brand’s history, how they’re commited to ‘giving back’ and of course, the chance to bag yourself an amazing prize! Just remember to take me if you win!
You’ve got one day left to tweet your beauty questions to none other than NARS’ very own Marcel.
They Say:
After weeks of a très chic travel schedule to promote his PRO-PRIME campaign, Marcel Nars is making a special virtual Personal Appearance on Twitter and Facebook!
The companion to NARS’ Founder and Creative Director, François Nars, this classy pooch has learned a thing or two about putting the best possible face forward.
So… if you think the mutt has all the answers, follow @NARSissit and simply submit your question with the special #MarcelNars hashtag by the end of the day and check back tomorrow at 1PM EST (6pm BST) when Marcel will answer questions submitted.
Alternatively, log on to Facebook (facebook.com/narscosmetics) for 2PM EST (7pm BST) tomorrow and you can chat live to the pampered pooch.
One of my favourites, it’s a sheer… which meant that I didn’t like it for about a week when I got it. Until I discovered how easily it layered… and THEN discovered how easily I could use it as a crease colour without giving myself Panda eyes!
A cool toned violet/brown taupe with a hint of shimmer. Urgh, even just describing it makes me wanna take it out and wear it right now (it’s 2am and I’ve washed my face already).
It’s my versatile friend that makes it possible for me to do subtle smoky daytime looks. Without it, I’d be screwed. I’m not being melodramatic, stop looking at me like that.
After my rubbish experience trying to snaffle a bargain but effective gentle cleanser, BeautyBay.com generously stepped up to the plate and offered to send me something that they claimed was a personal hero product.
How could I resist?
Priori is a brand that’s new to me but I was interested to discover that the CEO behind the brand is more than just an expert in the field. He actually developed and launched the world’s first glycolic acid (AHA) product in 1983 – frankly, that’s good enough for me.
Do we know what AHA’s are? They’re generally considered as the slightly harsher big sister to Fruit Enzymes but essentially they’re doing the same job. Exfoliation. Obviously, I didn’t wanna use anything harsh on my skin that’s undergoing laser treatment… but at the same time, I’ve fallen for this method of exfoliation in a big way.
So that was my main concern when I was first reading into and looking at the Priori Gentle Facial Cleanser. The clue however, is in the name. Gentle.
I’ve been using this creamy cleanser nightly for over a month now and I’m pleased with it. No tingling, no irritation, no hint that I’m being exfoliated other than that my skin that is remaining soft, supple and fresh day after day.
The formula is great, one pump dispenses the perfect amount of product with no waste and the cleansing cream glides over my skin without foaming. It also rinses away instantly leaving no residue behind. I’m not a huge fan of the scent which is practically impossible to describe (trust me, I’ve been sat here trying for the last 10 minutes). It’s quite a clinical smell that stops short of being chemical if that makes any sense? I think I might prefer my products to be a little more girly-scented, how tragic!
I’m finding the Priori Gentle Facial Cleanser non-drying (though I still always follow up with a moisturiser) and most essentially it hasn’t aggravated my skin or any areas of redness. This really does appear to be as gentle as it promises.
This kind of exfoliation can increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun so as with any product containing AHAs or Enzymes, I’m being careful to ensure that I’m using a facial sunblock of at least SPF30 every day.
Priori Advanced AHA Gentle Facial Cleanser 180ml is priced at £21 and available from BeautyBay.com.
With my fine hair, I’ll happily admit that I don’t always use conditioner. I love how conditioner makes my hair feel smoother and softer, but I simply feel that with each extra product I use on my hair, the heavier my hair feels once dried. With my current hairstyle (a bob) – it’s important to get a bit of root lift to stop my hair looking lank.
Pantene Pro-V’s new Aqualight Range is designed with one thing in mind. Weightlessness. It achieves this with some clever technology which I’ll try to summarise as well as I can.
1. Slimmed-Down Silicone. The Aqualight Range has re-evaluated the amount of silicone needed in products for those with finer hair. Simple no?
2. Clean-Rinse Technology. Making the products as water-soluble as possible means that not only will the product rinse away faster, it will also leave less residue on the hair.
There were other sciencey things that involved molecules and the way in which they break apart, but I’m not gonna pretend to you that I understood it enough to explain it in layman’s terms!
There are 4 products in the range:
Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Shampoo – New Clean-Rinse Technology allows the products to be rinsed fast meaning hair feels cleaner and lighter. RRP £2.19 (250ml), £3.69 (500ml)
Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Conditioner – New “Liquid Conditioning” ingredients which stay liquid at room temperature and provide optimum conditioning levels without excess deposits. RRP £2.19 (200ml), £3.69 (400ml)
Pantene Pro-C Aqua Light Spray Rinse-Off Treatment – A clever, ultra-light intensive hair treatment for extra nourishment without weighing hair down. RRP £3.99
Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Leave-In Treatment Spray – A lightweight nourishing spray to style and refresh your hair between washes. The clever “dual phase” formulation contains nourishing ingredients at the top and detangling refreshing ingredients at the bottom. RRP £3.99
First impressions from my samples are good. Better than good! After washing and conditioning, my hair feels gently nourished yet light. But where I really notice it making a difference, is after styling.
I shampoo, condition and then style with a root lifting product and the lift seems to last far longer than normal. My idea of ‘styling’ is the rather lame “pointing the hairdryer at my roots and hoping for the best” trick, but I’m delighted with the results all the same.
I’m in love with the Aqua Light Rinse-Off Treatment too which is seemingly doing wonders for my dry ends. Ok, they’re still splitting (need a haircut STAT!)… but they feel smoother and less rough when I roll them between my fingers. Completely unscientific testing going on here! I’m a bit unsure about the Aqua Light Leave-In Treatment Spray though. The whole range smells beautiful and this is no exception.. but I just can’t get it to ‘refresh’ my hair. It gives it a touch of gloss… but at the moment, I’m not noticing much more than that.
Honestly, I’m always seduced by new hair products that work fabulously well for a couple of months before they simply stop working, so I’ll be sure to come back and update this post if anything changes as I work my way through the products.
I think the Aqua Light range has been out in parts of Europe for a little while but I’ve spotted the shampoo and conditioner online at Tesco last weekend, so I look forward to hearing what you guys think about the range too!
Before you go, I’m curious! Would you lovely ladies mind letting me know if I’m alone in shunning conditioner in preference for more ‘swishable’ hair?
Do you use conditioner every time you wash your hair?
You never have to travel far before you come across someone who will happily swear by these iconic pots of cream. Whether it’s the original Cold Cream or some of their more uptodate incarnations, someone somewhere will happily tell you how Ponds is the only moisturiser their Nan/Mother/Sister (delete as appropriate) has been using since 1935 and that she doesn’t look a day over 23.
I’ve been using Pond’s Light Day Cream (£3.99) on and off for a while now and it is indeed (mostly) the bees knees.
Ignore for a moment the parabens, perfume and mineral oil contained within (I know, it’s hard)… these are pretty old school inexpensive ingredients designed to a) make the product stay fresh longer, b) smell nice and c) form a barrier between your skin and the drying effects of the environment. Are there better ingredients that do the same job? You bet. Are there better ingredients that do the same job for the same price? Not so much.
If you’re not sensitive to these ingredients (and I don’t seem to be) then I’m happy to use them. Many people aren’t afforded that luxury, with artificial perfumes being among one of the biggest culprits for skin sensitivity.
But anyway, I’m going off on a tangent slightly… back to the review…
Attractively packaged in a heavyweight frosted glass jar, the cream has a thick but slippy texture. It’s much easier to spread than that refrigerated Nutella texture that is Nivea Creme. It’s also as light and non-greasy as it claims, as long as I’m not too heavy handed. I find that the cream sinks in beautifully and leaves my skin feeling softer and more supple than before. If I get a bit carried away with it, it leaves my skin slightly tacky for about 10 minutes before subsiding.
It’s strong scent loses it a point (or 4)… I know it’s iconic… but I can still smell it 3 hours later! Also, SPF 6… is that it? It’s barely worth bothering is it? I won’t leave the house without a minimum of SPF15 and it’s a shame that this doesn’t supply that extra protection.
There’s one thing I must mention though, it’s the one reason in particular that I will be repurchasing. It’s compatible.
Shall I explain?
I often like to mix things into my moisturiser. Luminizers mostly… but often I’ll add foundations to sheer them out a touch. Things like the new LUSH Colour Supplement blend wonderfully into this cream and apply flawlessly. Oh and another thing? Powder products wear with absolutely no problems over the Pond’s Light Day Cream. I can slap a bit of this on my face first thing and less than 5 minutes later, I’m swirl, tap, buffing my way to a flawless complexion quite happily. Nothing ‘balls’ up under my fingers… it’s just a very laid back, inexpensive and light day cream for the summer.
Loading ...
