ask asb: what did you get from nars?

Yesterday I was SO pleased to get mail from my fave NARS Cosmetics!! I’m as excited as the next pretty girl over new makeup, but rarely do I ever get surprised with it – I always know what I’m getting. From color to product, most people (in their own best interest, probably) don’t try to give me makeup as a gift or have the chance tell me something I don’t know… I’m always the one giving advice and offering up my ideas. So, just imagine me as a small excitable little girl on Christmas morning as I opened up these beauties to see what colors were in store…

It took all of my self-control not to rip open the boxes or see if I could remember the color per its name. It’s casual, whatever.

DO YOU DIE. (don’t, because first you need to try)

The most suspenseful part is over – I’ve been waiting to post that picture since last night. I was THISCLOSE to posting it… So I selfie’d instead. It’s a defense mechanism at this point, deal. Anyway, here’s the important part for my stone cold beauties, actual discussion of the goodies. From left to right: Coeur Battant – blush, Union Libre – polish, Cambodia – eye shadow, New Attitude – blush, and Stourhead – lip crayon.

Stourhead | Satin Lip Pencil

I know I’ve said this many times before, but I love love love the NARS lip pencils. My favorite one is the velvet matte, but I like the Satins because they layer and mix well. When I put this on last night, I tried it a few different ways… If you put on a few coats of JUST this color, you will achieve the opaque, light pink lip. Once I blotted it down and sheered it out slightly, I got this great rosy light pink that I loved – see it on Twitter. This would be a great color to use alone as I did or to put over another color and mix together for something unique. This is part of their Final Cut Collection which is currently available, exclusive only to Nordstrom. You can get this pencil or check out the other colors here.

Coeur Battant | Blush

This was from the Guy Bourdin collaboration so it’s super fucking major. If you weren’t aware of this collection, you can get caught up with this article from Temptalia. So: It’s. Bright. Magenta. I’m totally obsessed, this was one where I opened it and then turned into that googly eyed heart faced emoji. My all-time favorite is Cactus Flower (another NARS), which is this great fire engine red/burnt orange with shimmer that is a now discontinued cream blush, so I love dramatic colors on the cheek. As soon as I swept this on, I knew it was a match made in our outrageous corner of heaven. If you’re someone who doesn’t wear lots of eye makeup or is scared to commit to wearing a bright lip, trying a brighter blush is a great way to test colors against your face.

Union Libre | Nail Polish

This was one of the polishes released over the holidays as part of the Guy Bourdin collab as well. If you are capable of doing your own nails, or care enough to bring your own polish to the nail salon (I do!), NARS polishes are great. My favorite is Chanel – I think the texture and consistency is the best – but NARS polishes are up there with those. It’s a better consistency than Essie, which I know is a standard favorite among most girls, myself included. To me, it means that if you’re applying it yourself, painting inside the lines and giving yourself a high quality job will be easier, plus you can fix your chips at your leisure. This particular color is rad, it’s muted but still vibrant – I would call it an edgy pink.

Cambodia | Eye Shadow

Amazeballs. Remember how I just talked about how I love velvet matte lip crayons? The Cinematic line is the velvet of the eyes. This is a sassy shadow that I will definitely have some fun playing around with. I’m partial to copper/gold shimmer shadows as regular wear, and this is like an amped up version. First thoughts: Pair with a super bold, bright red lip. Perhaps matte? Stay tuned and we’ll find out. Grab this color or check out the rest of the line by going here.

New Attitude | Blush

Like I said this morning on Twitter, this is one of those universally flattering blushes. I am pretty sure everyone needs to buy this one, it’s available as part of the Final Cut Collection. This one is bright, but not in a jarring way like the other bright blushes I’ve talked about wearing, where you need to pay attention or factor it into your overall look for the occasion. When I put this on, I felt I had a bright, but natural flush – the actual blush itself blends really well and sets on your skin naturally. I usually set my blush with Pink Explosion, a powder blush from Chanel but this is probably going to take over as my new go-to. I’m really impressed with how right they got the pink tone… Everyone needs this color in their life.

Are You a NARSissist?

Let me know if you’ve bought or tried any of these products, or in different colors! I hope everyone has bought into the pink for spring trend as hard as I have… I’m also feeling florals, which will be really complimentary to all of this. Comment or tweet me your thoughts! My favorite topic is obviously all things makeup and and getting pretty, so I will definitely want to discuss.

xx SCB