A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Yeah, Christmas again!  Sorry!  Bite me.

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?

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?

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.

Being Marcel Nars typing fingers…. what a job eh?

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.

Thanks Francois, you’re the best.  No, really.

I was reminded of my NARS Mediteranee (£23) duo yesterday when talking about neon orange eyeshadow.  This isn’t neon… but it is bright.

Perfect for Summer!

My NARS Mediteranee duo also happens to be one of the most buttery shadows I’ve ever had the pleasure to swatch (esp the orange half).  I adore it, but do have to use with an incredibly light hand thanks to it’s immense pigmentation!

Scary!

It’s a wonderful duo for darker and olive-toned girls but I was determined to make it work for me too.  The warm tones really bring out the green in my eyes.  I’m wearing a tiny amount of the orange in this FOTD… just a speck and then dragged out towards the end of my eyebrow.

I think it’s probably the brightest eye shadow I own.  What’s your favourite Summer bright?

Makeup Your Mind by Francois Nars

It’s my first makeup book, and I fear it may herald a new addiction.  I already have more coffee table books than room for coffee tables thanks to my passion for photography, but I’m on the hunt for more!

Tell me, what are some of your favourite makeup books?

***

In other news, thanks so much for your kind ‘get better soon’ wishes yesterday, I wasn’t well enough to make it up to London today, so Mr L has promised to take me to Gunwharf Quays and spend aslong as I want in the CCO instead.

I did make it to the doctors yesterday and I’m looking at what appears to be either a stomach ulcer or a  cholecystectomy which has left me with a bile leak.  At least I feel less of an e. coli carrying skank.  Bwuahah, every cloud and all that!

…this Alhambra eyeshadow duo from NARS.

I wanted something that was soft, fairly pale and neutral… and I found exactly what I was looking for the last time I went to the NARS counter at Liberty.

Alhambra is a soft, romantic nude duo.  It’s perfect for daytime wear or if deepened with a darker crease colour you can create a beautiful smoky look.

I reach for this when I’m feeling lazy… admittedly I usually reach for one side or the other rather than wearing both together.  A sweep of the ‘pink champagne’ side paired some brown eyeliner and mascara gives me a fresh, wide-awake look that’s polished but not at all overdone.

The shadows are soft, pigmented and shimmery with a metallic look rather than glittery or frosty and I imagine the shades would easily complement many skintones.

NARS Alhambra Duo is priced at £23.00 and available at counters nationwide or online.

Do you like?  Or is it a bit plain for you?

Following on from the NARS Summer Collection, have you guys seen these yet? (probably, I’m not too quick with the old releases).

Available in 6 shades, these are lip treatments that as you may have guessed… are sheer colour washes.

SPF 15, Mango Butter, moisturisation and protection are the key words to take from this little line up of safe but rather lovely colours.

Due out on the 1st May, there’s already a waiting list at Selfridges.

Oh Francois…

I can’t hear anything over the sound of my rapily beating heart *insert melodramatic music and excessive swooning*… it’s a new collection… and it’s coming very soon!

Do you care what I think? Probably not… but I’m a sharer…

Burn It Blue Duo Cream Eyeshadow – Iridescent ocean blue / turquoise

I’m not crazy for NARS Cream Eyeshadows…  they absolutely HAVE to be set with an additional shadow ontop to avoid creasing and even then, I only get a maximum of 6 hours wear out of them.  But I freaking love these colours…. if it were a powder duo, I would have been all over it like an embarrassing rash.

Coup de Coeur Lip Gloss – Sheer apple-brandy

Apple-Brandy… is that like a red/brown?  Hmm… It doesn’t sing to me… but I’m often surprised by NARS Lip Glosses, it’s a swatch job ‘cos I guess it could really take a nude lip to another level.

Versailles Nail Polish – Opalescent, champagne-gold

Sheer? Not Sheer?  That is the question… I’m reserving judgement, but it sure looks beautiful in the bottle *swoon*

Love Devotion Lipstick – Sheer guava

Looking at the promo image, it’s not for me.  It looks coral and bright.  Reading the description… I love the sound of it.  I adore guava shades which seem to work beautifully on my pale pink skin… the perfect pink/coral combination.  Not only that, but I adore my NARS Cruising semi-sheer lipstick from the Spring collection so I’m definitely going to be having a closer look at Love Devotion before writing it off.

Cayenne Cream Eyeshadow – Spicy, deep brown

I’ve already said why I’m not sold on the NARS Cream Eyeshadows, it needs to be a stonking shade for me to bother picking it up… and this… isn’t.  It’s reliable and it’s magnificently wearable, but if I’m gonna go to the effort to layer a powder over a cream for a stunning effect… it won’t be for this shade.

Lamu Multiple – Fresh, glazed apricot

I have a love/hate for Multiples… I love their multi-use aspect and I always take my Antibes with me when I’m on holiday but I find them quite hard to work with.  “Fresh, glazed apricot” sounds like it may be a bit too warm-toned for me anyway.

Enchanted Cream Blush – Soft-peach

OK, now this I’m on board with – woo woo! *makes train noises*…. I love cream blushes in a pan like this… cream blush + stippling brush = blush heaven.  Soft peach? Yes please!  I’m insanely excited about this release.  Can you tell?

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Quite a mixed bag of thoughts then, please excuse what is essentially an internal conversation between me and my makeup buying alter ego spilling out over the keyboard.  There’s definitely a few pieces that I want to see in person before passing final judgement… overall, promising!

The NARS Summer Collection will be on counter from the 1^st May.

Anything there that you’ll be paying some extra attention?

Second in my highlighter series is the highly regarded NARS Albatross (£19.50).

Albatross looks an almost pure white in the pan (as the name would suggest!) But when swatched, gives the most beautiful pale gold sheen that flatters most skintones pale or dark.

My one observation would be that it’s quite easy to go overboard with this highlighter.  Instant disco ball.  I generally use a fan brush to pick up the powder before sweeping lightly over my cheekbones.  I also use this on my cupids bow, tip of my chin and on the brow bone.  It’s a beautifully versatile product that I whole heartedly recommend!

I never generally use more than 2 or 3 eyeshadows at once, I know lots of ladies manage to create spectacular looks with 5 or 6 shadows all expertly blended across the eye lid.  But I’m pretty cack-handed and can barely stop 2 from muddying together.  That and I just don’t have the time anymore to play, so here’s a very quick smoky eye…

Please excuse the stupid expression, even though I have no excuse.

Face:

~ No7 Essential Moisture Foundation in New Ivory mixed with NARS Orgasm Illuminator

Eyes:

~ eBay Generic Gel Eyeliner used as a cream shadow (Shimmer Skyline) – hard to blend but worth it.
~ Laura Geller Fire/Water Eye Shadow pressed onto lid (water half of the duo)
~ MAC Naval Blue pigment blended (badly) into the crease and above
~ L’oreal Super Liner Carbon Gloss Liquid Liner in Black
~ L’oreal Voluminous Mascara in Black

Lips:

~ NARS Cruising Lipstick

I can’t get enough of blue eye shadow at the moment, anyone else going through any shadow phases?

The other NARS AW/10 runway look I wanted to share comes from Phillip Lim’s show:

It’s punchy but delicate all at the same time no?

Here’s the lowdown:

INSPIRATION: Disco-punk. “This is a youthful, rebellious look that exudes a strong sense of confidence. Energy radiates within the girls through their makeup with eyes that have a bit of a rock and roll feel,” said designer Phillip Lim whose inspiration stemmed from an image of Blondie’s Debbie Harry.

LOOK: “This look has many layers,” said NARS lead artist Lisa Butler. “The eyes are punchy and edgy while the skin was kept healthy and glowing. The lips are a soft, sheer pink for the elegant punk-rock princess style that Phillip was looking for.”

FACE
•  Riviera Multiple
•  Douceur Blush (NEW for Fall 2010); try Lovejoy or Madly Blush for a similar effect
•  Luxor Multiple

EYES
•  Abyssinia Single Eyeshadow
•  Nymphea Single Eyeshadow
•  Coconut Grove Single Eyeshadow (NEW for Fall 2010); try Bali Single Eyeshadow for a similar effect
•  London Eyeliner Pencil

LIPS
•  Bangkok Pure Matte Lipstick (NEW for Fall 2010); try Sex Machine Velvet Matte Lip Pencil for a similar effect

I’m loving the look of the new matte lipstick but groaning at how long we have to wait for it….

I can totally see Debbie Harry in the inspiration too.  She’s one of my favourite beauty icons ever (along with Jean Seberg, Anna Karina & Edie Sedgwick) so I’m not hugely surprised to find myself in love with this look.

I haven’t posted the Thakoon look ‘cos it’s a bit bronzey nuder and doesn’t do a whole lot for me, but check it out here.