Monday 18 April 2011

Sneaky Peak: NARS Summer Collection 2011 (including swatches!)

If this weekend's fabulous sunshine didn't manage to get you in the mood for summer, then a sneaky peak at the new NARS summer collection certainly will!


The collection comprises of a good mix of colours from the boldest of brights to pretty neutrals, I really think there will be at least one must-have item in this line up for everyone!


Eyeshadow Duo in Dogon (Above left, £23.50) "Named for the Mali-Based culture, this metallic taupe (with icy green sheen) and charcoal black duo eyeshadow delivers an unexpected twist on an otherwise neutral colour combo"

This duo has to be my top pick from the collection. It's not the product that initially caught my eye but is definitely the item I would pick for not only being the most wearable, but the most subtly pretty too. The taupe shade is simply gorgeous. If MAC's Satin Taupe and Club (two of my all time favourite eyeshadows) had a baby, this would be it! It has a very subtle green shimmer to it which looks stunning all over the lid. Add a little matte black to the lashline to add drama, or a little more to create the perfect smokey eye. This is definitely my must have product from the collection.

Eyeshadow Duo in Exotic Dance (Above right, £23.50) "A well coreographed pairing of metallic white with silver sheen and metallic gold, creates a dazzling duo eyeshadow"

This duo on the other hand did catch my eye in the pan, but once swatched, it wasn't quite what I'd hoped for. While the gold is stunning and a lovely smooth consistency, the white is chunky and difficult to work with (think MAC lustres!)
Eyeshadow Trio in Cap Ferrat (Above, £33.50) "Inspired by the Alpes-Maritimes fegion in southeastern France, this trio eyeshadow of sea blues - icy sea foam, silver green and icy turquoise - delivers a cool wash of colour to the lids"

The first thing I noticed about this trio is that the three eyeshadows are all separate, something I believe is a first from NARS (love it!) The colours are gorgeous, especially for the summer. While the bright shades aren't for everyone, they are more wearable than you would think (see the swatches below!) and would look beautiful on darker skin tones or with a tan. They are all soft and easy to apply and blend as I've learnt to expect from NARS eyeshadows... a lovely little trio!


Highlighting Blush in New Order (Above, £20.50) "A soft pink blush with gold and silver shimmer, highlights cheeks with the softest hint of radiant colour"

I wanted to love this blush so badly. It is absolutely stunning in the pan, a pale lilac-pink with silver shimmer. As with many of the NARS blushes, the problem is that the so called 'shimmer' is actually glitter, making it very hard to pull off on a day-to-day basis. Although this is undeniably a gorgeous colour, I was disappointed that I couldn't wear this all day, every day. Definitely more of a night time shade!

Top: New Order Blush
Bottom (l-r): Dogon, Exotic Dance, Cap Ferrat

Soft Touch Eyeshadow Pencil in Queen (Above, £16.50) "Regal, easy, portable and long-wearing. This smooth and creamy soft touch shadow pencil, in a majestic and modern citrus gold glitter can be swiped on lids and blended with a fingertip"

This is easily my least favourite from the collection. The colour isn't what I'd normally go for anyway but the pigmentation of this pencil is very sheer with chunky glitter. Everything about this pencil seems cheap to me... the colour, consistency and glitter content is something I would expect from Barry M, not NARS!

Lipgloss in Wonder (Above left, £17.50) "This shiny, sheer manadrin orange lipgloss is laced with pink and gold shimmer for a pop of citrusy colour"

This bright orange shade looks scary in the tube, but having learnt from my experience with the gorgeous 'Nana' lipgloss from NARS' Spring collection this year, I made sure to swatch this before I passed judgement (a good move!). It's actually a very pretty, sheer orange gloss that looks great layered over the Bolero Velvet Matte Lip Pencil. The consistency is smoother than the other NARS lipglosses I've tried too, not sticky at all.

Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Bolero (Above right, £17.50) "This pink canteloupe, velvet matte lip pencil is as subtly suggestive as the seductive, slow-tempo latin music after which it's named."

I keep seeing this pale pinky-coral shade in upcoming collections. Be it in the form of nail polish, lip products, blush or eyeshadow, it's definitely going to be an 'in' colour for summer! It looks scary at first, but applied with a good lipbalm underneath (I'd recommend Lanolips) I think it looks gorgeous.

Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage (Above left, £18.50) "Named for the string of cities that line the gulf of Tunis, this matte, hot pink hue saturates lips with ruch, bold colour."

Definitely not one for the faint hearted! This pink is bright but definitely beautiful. Being matte makes it a little harder to pull off, but if there is any time to wear this shade, it's in the sunshine!

Lipstick in Mayflower (Above right, £17.50) "This nourishing sheer raspberry lipstick delivers subtle colour with a shimmery finish"

This really is the perfect 'your lips but better' lipstick for me. A sheer, natural pink with a glossy finish that leaves your lips feeling soft and moisturised. I'm a big fan of this one, I can see it becoming my everyday summer lip colour.

l-r: Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Bolero, Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage,
Lipstick in Mayflower, Lipgloss in Wonder

Nail Polishes in Ecume (Above left, £13.50) "An opaque white nail enamel that is at once vintage-inspired and avant-garde in sensibility"

White is a gorgeous colour for summer nails, but I wouldn't splash out and buy one from NARS... save your pennies for the rest of this collection!

Nail Polish in Kismet (Above right, £13.50) "Fate, Destiny, a predetermined course of events. This metallic sunflower nail polish was simply meant to be."

This colour is absolutely stunning and quite unique. As I said above, I don't like spending a lot of money on polishes that can be easily duped for a few pounds. Unique colours however, are definitely worth the more hefty price tag! (and this would look fabulous on tanned toes!)

On the whole, I was really impressed by this collection. I think the choice of colours offered something for everyone, while still managing to offer bright, fun colours for summertime.

The collection will be available in May.

My Quick Summary!

Must Haves:
Mayflower Lipstick, Dogon Eyeshadow Duo

Worth A Look:
Cap Ferrat Eyeshadow Duo, Wonder Lipgloss, Bolero Lip Pencil,
Carthage Lipstick, New Order Blush, Kismet Nail Polish

Give it a Miss:
Queen Eye Pencil, Exotic Dance Eyeshadow Duo, Ecume Nail Polish
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36 comments

  1. Oh my god, some of these products are amazing!!!! :) Your so lucky getting to try them out first! :) The mayflower lipstick is really nice xx
    Have you seen MAC's Summer Collection? It's AMAZING too!
    I did a post on my blog a few days ago! :) Check it out if you haven't!

    Great post :) xx

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  2. Nice. Unfortunately I have to travel quite a distance to get nars. It was nice seeing what I'm missing! :-D like the summary bit. Esp since i tend to read everything backwards (back to front) saved me quite some time.

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  3. The Wonder lip gloss and Bolero lip pencil are seriously making me swoon, they're gorgeous!

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  4. love the wonder lipgloss!! so beautiful!

    xoxo,

    insidelook19.blogspot.com

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  5. The blush looks so nice :-)
    http://beautyandbanter.blogspot.com/ <3

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  7. "If MAC's Satin Taupe and Club (two of my all time favourite eyeshadows) had a baby, this would be it!"
    HAHAHAA! you're too funny! I like the lip pencil..but do you think Dogon would go well on olive/tan skin? Or would it look too dark?

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  8. Very honest and most definitely helpful post. Thanks! xx

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  9. The New Order Highlighter blush is so pretty! Thanks for sharing. :)

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  10. The lip pencil looks stunning x

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  11. woah i want the blush and the lip pencil soo badly looks stunning....xxx go on blog tv tonight tohttp://www.blogtv.com/people/katiiee30000

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  12. Thanks for this post. I must admit i am not thrilled by any colour really...

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  13. I think I need all of the lip products! The eyeshadow trio looks amazing too.

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  14. Of all of them, the matte pink is the one I would choose. I have a bright pink that has a nice sheen, but nothing matte.

    The rest I already have products in that color that I am happy with, aside from the New Order blusher... I don't have a blush that color but I don't think it would look good on me.

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  15. I love this collection, the lip products are gorgeous colours, especially the lipgloss in wonder! and the blush is really pretty, and the eyeshadow duos are too!
    pretty much I love everything!! haha, definatly have to get somehing from this collection, thanks for the fab post! x

    http://vanessasbeautyfix.blogspot.com/

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  16. Im so excited for this collection! Thanks for the review! xCx

    www.saidshewhat.blogspot.com

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  17. Thanks for such an honest review!

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  18. Those shadows looks so lovely but so pricey as well :S
    Glad to have you back, Fleur xx

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  19. I love your youtube videos :) im a subscriber :) I love nars too ! cant wait till the collection comes out :)
    please follow me :) im following you :)
    this is my blog-
    www.loveletter-olivia.blogspot.com

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  20. Everything looks fabulous!!

    beautybarista.blogspot.com

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  21. Looks lovely! Can't wait to get a few of the items.


    xo

    crosswiredreamers.blogspot.com

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  22. I saw a gorgeous colour on Penelope Cuise the other day (on a mag cover) and I got obsessed with it! I think Bolero is really really close! I want I want I want!

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  23. Love the look of New Order and Bolero. The velvet touch matte lip pencils are my fav, so glad they're making another paler shade. <3 Nars!!
    Thanks for posting this!
    x

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  24. I looove all the colors!! So fun and pretty! :)

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  25. Im def going to get the lipsticks they look gorge!! xx

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  26. I'm in love with everything in this collection, the colors are so pretty! I just don't like the nail polishes.

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  27. i COMPLETELY agree with your reviews!! although maybe wonder lip gloss would be a must-have too, for me.

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  28. All the lip products I need. Ahh!!! And that eyeshadow trio is just so so SO gorgeous! My poor bank account.

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  29. So jealous! I want Carthage!

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  30. Those colours are gorgeous and I really want Carthage it would be so perfect for nights out in summer!

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  31. I'm so excited for all of these products! Woah! It's going to be a broke summer for me!

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  32. Love the eyeshadow duos!! x

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