Show & Tell: NARS Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself - Eyes Set

Two weeks ago I was invited to the launch of the new NARS book, Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself, and was also given a look at the new sets that are to coincide with the book - You can see a full run down of the book and more info on the sets HERE.

I was allowed to choose one set to take home with me so being the big eyeshadow buff that I am, I obviously nabbed one of those and was sent on my merry way. This set is priced at £65.00 and comes with 4 products that are either full size or a generous sample size which is pretty good and handy if you want to try a few products from the brand but don't want to pay full price for each.

This is what you get inside the kit:

The eyeshadow base and eye makeup remover are XL sample sizes I believe but the eyeshadow palette and mascara are full size so it's a good balance of products.

A closer look...

Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara

I've never used a NARS mascara before and actually have never heard anyone talk about them so I'm interested to see how well this one performs seeing as I'm on the hunt for a new one. The only thing I'm not too keen about it the brush as I find jumbo sized brushes like this usually fail in giving me the oomph and fluttery lash effect that I yearn for. Only time will tell how this ranks and I'll be sure to give you all a complete review once I've decide.

Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

I love my Urban Decay Primer Potion and have never strayed from it in the last couple of years because it performs so well in keeping my eyeshadow in tact, even after almost 15 hours of wear but I have been told that this NARS eyeshadow primer is as equally good, if not better. Now, I'm not sure if there is a primer out there that is better than the UDPP but I'm more than happy to give this a try and see how it matches up. The consistency is pretty much the same as the UD version and the only difference I have noticed that the product itself is white as opposed to the nude/beige shade.

Eye Makeup Remover

I find eye makeup removers a bit of a pain sometimes as there are so many out there so it's all about finding the one right for you. I love Lancome Bi-Facil, as do plenty of other people out there, but it isn't for everyone and I know that there are equally the same amount of people that either hate it or it doesn't suit their skin. For those that haven't tried Bi-Facil before, it is a blue liquid and looks like the liquids have seperated inside it but all you need to do is give it a shake and it's ready to work the magic. The NARS Eye Makep Remover looks like it has the exact same concept in that it needs to be shaken so the two liquids can mix before you use it to remove your eye makeup. Seeing as I'm coming to the end of my third (or was it fourth!?) bottle of Bi-Facil, this is another product that I'm looking forward to using and seeing how it matches up. Watch this space!

Eyeshadow Palette

This was the reason that I picked the Eyes kit in the first place and I knew that I had made a good choice when I got it home and got to swatch it properly. There is no actual name for the palette but I love the shades in it as they are all very wearable and there are a number of looks that you can achieve, depending on how dark or light you want to go.

Swatcheroonies - Without primer:

This is what all the colours look like with one swipe of the finger and without any primer underneath for them to hold on to. I was actually expecting a lot of fall out from Galapagos as in the palette, it seems that it has chunks of gold glitter but this wasn't the case at all and I actually had no fall out. So weird. Another stand out colour for me was Silk Road (II) as it definitely one of the shades that I would wear on a daily basis to add some colour to my face and then maybe adding any of the other shades to give it some depth. All the shades appear to have some sort of shimmery sheen running through them in the pan but it didn't quite translate once they were swatched on my arm which did confuse me a little. I mean, where the hell did all the sparkle and shine go?!

Swatcheroonies - With primer

That's where it all went! There was a massive difference in the shadows after I used the Pro Prime Smudge-Proof Eyeshadow Base underneath and suddenly it seemed that all the shades came to life. Abyssinia no longer looked like a flat white-pink shade but slightly more shimmery, as did Silk Road (II). Strada caught my eye straight away as it seems that there is a gold base to the lilac shade which looks so pretty but also reminded me of Parfait Amour by MAC, although the latter has a deeper lilac tone to it and hints of pink. Galapagos, Fuji and Brumes (II) definitely came to life when paired with a primer and the look like the would look fab when paired with the lighter shades above.

Overall, I think the set is worth the £65.00 considering there are two full sized products in there and the palette itself is probably worth £40+ and the mascara £15+. It's also great to give someone as a gift as it contains all the products you would need to create a fab look and take it all off at night, making their life easier. The stand out products for me are the Pro Prime Smudge-Proof Eyeshadow Base and the Eyeshadow palette but I am intrigured to see how the other two products pan out. I'll keep you all posted on how I get on with them and if you should invest your hard earned money in them!

The NARS Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself - Eyes kit and the other two kits in the collection are all limited edition and only available from Harvey Nichols London until 28th May 2011.

I shall leave you with this quote from Francois Nars, the mastermind behind the brand:

Until next time...

Keep swivelling those hips in your