Tag Archives: NARS Cosmetics

October Favs

November 1, 2016

I’m thinking it’s time to resurrect the favorites. I used to pin them and realized that board is long overdue for an update. I’ll get on that by way of also checking in monthly. Starting with some new and old discoveries that I could not get enough of this month.

First, this Artis brush! After seeing pretty much everyone rave uncontrollably about these brushes, I just had to see what it was all about and I am so on board. I went with the Oval 7 since it was the most versatile in size. You can use it for pretty much all things face and I do. It blends foundation flawlessly with ease – no product is absorbed into the brush so coverage is better. And, it’s less of a blend and more of a swipe. It really is a different experience altogether. I use it with my Glossier Skin Tint and even though that formula is sheer, this method elevated the coverage.

I have been trying to find the Anastasia Modern Renaissance palette for MONTHS – literally, since July I think? – and I gave up. But I did make sure I snatched up the Master Palette by Mario (makeup artist to Kim K!) as soon as it was available. These colors are earthy and rich. The textures are smooth and they are so pigmented. I get why they sell out instantly.

The Nars answer to liquid lipstick is phenomenal. It glides on like a gloss and with time, fades to a velvet stain. I do pit this in more of a lip gloss category because it takes a while for the oils and moisture to absorb into your lips. I’m obsessed with the color Bound – it’s a mauvey pink, neutral with a kick.

Seasonal changes are rough on my skin and I noticed some of my usual go-to concealers were caking around my nose (where I have the most redness and need it!) and around my eyes. I have been loving Too Faced Born This Way Concealer – solved those problems easily. It has a thin creamy consistency and that I find melds with your skin instead of sitting on top. I use the Light shade for under eyes and for redness.

Another complexion discovery that I find myself using almost every day is bareMinerals Bare Pro. It’s a powder foundation but I usually don’t use it beyond my t-zone. I’ve been opting for lighter complexion products – Glossier Tint and concealer, mainly – so this is the perfect companion to amp up the wear time without adding weight.

I really pulled one out of the archives — MAC Pink Cult blush. I’m so glad I never got rid of this in a cleaning frenzy (it survived two moves!) because it’s my perfect dusty pink. I love the barely there cheek for fall since I’ve been focusing more on my eyes.

What were your October favs?

Under Things

August 8, 2016

How was your weekend? I found cotton candy grapes at the grocery store yesterday and also made this barbacoa beef in the crockpot so I’m feeling pretty good and accomplished. I also relaxed in bed for a few extra hours on Sunday morning and realized I need to do that more. The bedroom in my new apartment has three giant east-facing windows that fill the room with light. I can’t be in there enough.

All of that loafing around has me thinking about beauty in a stripped down way. I’m all for no-makeup makeup days.

I’ve been layering on bareMinerals Butter Drench at night and waking up with soft, plumped up skin. I love this for summer because it’s heavy without the weighty feel on skin. It’s deeply moisturizing in an unassuming way. I’m impressed with the new bareMinerals skin care range overall – the oil cleanser is a part of my evening routine now, too.

Did you know there’s a subscription box for minimalists? Irony aside, I’m loving everything that Minimalism.Co has to offer – they deliver quarterly parcels that you can opt into filled with essentials for travel, home, closet, beauty. The last parcel was all about grooming and brought me the Henne Organics Luxury Lip Balm. I keep it on my nightstand and use it before bed and when I wake up. It’s been helpful now that I’m testing so many different matte liquid lipsticks!

Speaking of matte liquid lipsticks, it isn’t made for shortcuts. Liner is a must – fill around and in for best results. I picked up the H&M Lip Liner in the pinky nude Choc Therapy and find it is also a great lip color on its own with a bit of balm.

Becca Backlight Priming Filter is hands down one of the best things I’ve bought all year. It’s a great makeup primer but also perfect for no-makeup days. It has just the right amount of sheen and blurs out any blah skin. Sometimes I mix it with Glossier Priming Moisturizer to dilute it a bit and give my skin more moisture.

I also wear NARS Pro-Prime eyeshadow base on most days even if I’m just doing a wash of shadow. It’s the best eye primer out there.

I’ve been seeing the Aerie billboards all around Chicago and really love how they project body positivity. I always had this idea that this brand was for younger girls but am impressed with their range of under things. The Vintage Lace undies (10 for $35 right now!) are a total knock for Hanky Panky thongs and I’m loving the Mesh Sporty Bralette. It does great things for your chest and is beyond comfortable.

A Day for Lipstick

July 29, 2016

Lips are making headlines today. We’ve got ourselves a beauty holiday with National Lipstick Day. If there’s a case to be made for making this a gift giving holiday, I’m game. I’d love another pinky nude lipstick, please. I wear my reds occasionally and there’s a mood that calls for a bright but everyday is for pinky nude lipstick. I used to try and push myself to other colors because who needs THAT many lip colors that are essentially the same but you love what you love. Plus, it’s a category in itself. There are so many nuances to appreciate. Some are more brown, others rosy or pink. Textures vary from sheer to matte or glossy. When you find your color, go all in and discover!

I’ve rounded up my favs as of late for a National Lipstick Day tribute.

The Go To…Nars makes a mean lip color – I love their pencils but their classic tubes should not be forgotten. Rosecliff was a color that came out last fall that I was immediately drawn to (duh). Love the pinky brown and how conditioning it feels on lips.

The One That Feels Like Silk… Pomegranate and rose make up this organic lipstick from Vapour in the shade Au Pair. It’s more mauve in tone and glides on to lips like silk. Vapour has a seriously impressive range of pinky nude lipsticks.

The Satin Finish…Ciate teamed with Olivia Palermo and the results were obsession-worthy (remember that palette?!) The lipstick in Truffle gives me vintage beauty vibes. It’s opaque – one swipe and you have full coverage – so a little goes a long way.

The Luxurious One…Marc Jacobs New Nudes Sheer Gel in Role Play. Not actually sheer – which I love – and the tube is extra fancy. On lips, it’s a saturated dusty rose hue.

The One You’ve Never Heard Of… This indie beauty brand from Australia captured my attention majorly with their handcrafted organic lipsticks. Nudus 27 Kisses is a universally flattering neutral rose with 27 active ingredients – vitamins, cold-pressed oils, colors from flowers, fruits and minerals, etc. The color is much darker in the tube but it doesn’t translate that way on lips.

The New Generation…Already on my second tube of Glossier Generation G in ‘Like’ – a soft pink. These are magical tubes – they are a sheer matte lipstick. It’s diffused the moment you put it on – like you had a popsicle.

The One that is My Lips But Better…Ilia is OG when it comes to organic lipstick. For summer, they ditched the silver bullet and instead packaged up up the lip conditioners in a sleek white metal tube and added SPF 15. Kokomo is a sheer pinky mauve that looks just like my natural lip color.

Any colors you just can’t stop wearing?

NARS Na Pali Coast, Date Night Makeup and Realness

February 15, 2014

Cheers. It’s the weekend! I’ve got a busy one planned. Taking Betty to a dog birthday party, beauty date with Christine at Arch Apothecary and a dinner date with my man. Somewhere in there I am squeezing in as many House of Cards eps as possible. We just started watching the first season and as expected, we are hooked. Here’s a few reads + beauty tidbits to share from the week!

The NARS Na Pali Coast Multiple has been on my cheeks constantly. It is a rosy peach with a bronze shimmer that is giving my complexion life.

This list of beauty trends your man hates is spot on. But I still love dark lipstick, so compromise, right?

Thinking about picking up these earrings. I’ve started to wear ear jewels again, all thanks to the cuff.

Kara put together a really pretty date night look using the Naked 3 palette.

I heart the realness in Elizabeth’s post. Also…YES to that Revlon Matte Lip Crayon.

One look at how cute this pink coat is on Grace and you will be running to Zara. Meet you there?

Some much needed outfit inspiration from The Vault Files.

15 ways to use this rosy balm! Sign me up.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my diptyque giveaway. And, if you live in Chicago, there’s a special bonus!

The List: February 2014

February 3, 2014

Congrats, we survived January. While February is just as wintery, I like it so much more. Related news: I will spend five days this month on a beach in Mexico. That tops my list this month! I’ve also got my eyes on pretty pink beauty and accessories and plan to update my bra wardrobe with everything Free People. Love the back straps on these two.

I’m down for positive reinforcements, especially when they are stamped onto one of my favorite Bobbi Brown products. The Antigua Illuminating Bronzing Powder has never looked so good. I want everything in Illume’s new “Go Be Lovely” collection for spring. And, this iPhone case by The Everygirl is a must.

Making it my mission to finally master applying falsies this month. ESQIDO mink lashes are the lash extension alternative I’ve been looking for!

I can’t quite commit to shopping for warm weather clothing yet, but lighter versions of my winter staples…YES. This J.Crew Silk Snood (with poms!) will be mine.

This leather clutch in pink, though the mint and cornflower blue are equally tempting.

NARS Bimini looks like the perfect, wear with everything gloss.

I love every color in Essie’s Resort collection. The plummy Under the Twilight will be the perfect balance to all of these soft pinks!

Jennifer Aniston Crushes it in NARS

September 17, 2013

Oh, Jen. We have so much in common. We both do pilates. Except your body actually looks like you do, but whatevs, beside the point. We both have stick straight hair that requires long layers to really have any movement. And you own that look on formal occasions. Way to teach me to work with what I’ve got. We both use Living Proof — which you co-own. Such a smart investor! You star in Aveeno’s ad campaigns…I use Aveeno. And we both wear NARS Biscayne Park Satin Lip Pencil, though you to red carpet movie premieres and me to walk my Boston Terrier. Parallel lives, I tell you. Doesn’t she look incredible? I need to mimic her beauty look from the ‘Life of Crime’ premiere in Toronto. The pairing of pinky nude (but not too pale!) Biscayne Park lip with the smoky steel grey of the NARS Transvaal Eye Paint is everything with her blue eyes, which I have as well. JA is also wearing one of the not-yet-launched NARS Matte Multiples in Laos, which I am eagerly awaiting the launch of come January. She really can do wrong.

Low to Luxe: Liquid Eyeliner

August 22, 2013

I favor the liquids when it comes to eyeliner. Sure, I use pencils and gels, too, but when it comes to my every day makeup, it’s usually liquid liner. It’s easier for me to work with and just a subtle line along the lashes makes my eyes look brighter and wider. Like the eye in the ‘Marc Jacobs’ look above. And on other days the slightly winged ‘Stella McCartney’ — love that! I’ve gotten several requests recently for liquid liner recommendations, so thought it best to share my top picks with everyone low-to-luxe style. You’ll notice a theme, here. These liners all look pretty similar, right? Trust me when I say felt tip “pen” style is the way to go. You don’t have to be an expert to use any of these liners. I promise.

My absolute favorite is NARS Eyeliner Stylo in Carpates, a glossy black. This skinny little tube has hundreds of applications in it and each one of them is budgeproof.

Physician’s Formula makes a ton of different eyeliners and the best, in my opinion, is the 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum. If you like an inky look as I do, make sure to look for the darkest shade possible (Ultra Black). The others don’t have as deep of an intensity. This is a fab budget buy and with regular use, should last about 4-6 weeks.

I’ve been using L’Oreal Lineur Intense for the longest! I really love the felt tip applicator and have great makeup memories with this.

Falling square in the middle of my low-to-luxe spectrum is the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye. I like the black color, yes, but the real perk here is the colors Stila offers. Moss is a favorite of mine as a more interesting option than brown for a more subdued look. And you can really have some fun layering with the Turquoise, Cobalt and White shades.

If you favor high-end beauty, it doesn’t get much better Le Metier de Beaute. And the brand’s Precision Liquid Liner in Noir is all that. The application is foolproof – perhaps the most user-friendly eyeliner pen ever.

To all my liquid liner fans out there, what are you currently using?

Neutrals by NARS at NYFW

February 15, 2013

It’s not just about the fashion anymore at Fashion Week, but also the hair and makeup coming down those runways. In fact, the New York Times did a feature on the growing presence of beauty bloggers backstage at the shows. Just as fashion houses debut their fall collections, makeup brands are too premiering their wares launching later this year. I sifted through a ton of runway footage and have determined that NARS wins Fashion Week for me. While makeup on the runway doesn’t always translate into the real world, NARS created several wearable looks that have me digging through my makeup drawers to find these staple shades.

At the Naeem Khan show, NARS lead artist used one of my favorite duo eye shadows in Alhambra. Lips were muted out with concealer and Alhambra was also used at the bow of the lip as a highlighter. The shimmery pale gold and pink are so eye-opening and when blended together, create the most awesome rosy gold.

At Helmut Lang, the look was all about glowy skin and a neutral eye. Eyelids were dewy, courtesy of the new for spring Cythere Velvet Gloss Pencil (a metallic rose gold) layered with All About Eve, the perfect flesh-toned duo of neutrals.

Is this not the sweetest look yet? For the Tanya Taylor show, NARS did a more dramatic cat eye with Caprates Eyeliner Stylo. My everyday go-to eyeshadow is NARS Abyssinia, which was used as a highlight here. Lips were neutral with Belle du Jour Velvet Matte Lip Pencil and skin was brightened with the Copacabana Illuminator.

Any thoughts to share?

Models/face chart photo credit: NARS Facebook