NARS Fall Collection 2013 - Eyeshadows

As much as we are all enjoying the glorious sunshine and warm weather - well I'm assuming we're all enjoying it - it's safe to say that it probably won't last much longer and we'll be reaching for those cable knits and 100 denier tights in no time. It seems that while we wish for the heat of the sun beating down on us, we don't actually like it all that much and I've seen more moany tweets about the current weather rather than happy happy joy joy ones. Us Brits, we're just never happy.

Although we're basking in the sunshine, makeup brands have started churning out their autumn/fall collections and it seems as those dark and sludgy colours are going to be creeping back in to our makeup bags whether we like it or not. One brand that launched their fall collection today is NARS and  when I saw their promo image I have to admit that I wasn't too moved by it.

Now I love NARS as much as the next girl but it seemed that this collection was a little bit, well, confused. There are matte eyeshadows to create a smoky look then a random pale pink lip pencil with some metallic liners and a deep red satin lip pencil, all topped off with deep purple and silver nail polishes. It just seemed weird to me but I have no doubt that it'll be a sell out, especially that red lip pencil.

I took a look at the smoky eye tutorial that NARS Lead Makeup Artist of the Bleecker Street store, Cindy Rodriguez, did using the collection and then went to work on myself.

Before I show you my version of the matte smokey eye, I should say that I am, in no way, a make up artist so I'm allowed to have dodgy eye makeup that isn't symmetrical. It's my face. Ha!

I used the three eyeshadows from the new Fall collection which, in all honesty, aren't colours that I usually opt for. I've never really done a complete smokey eye before because I'm actually terrified of black eyeshadow which is what I automatically think of when I think "smokey". Well, that and looking like a hooker. An expensive hooker, mind you.

The descriptions given for each colour on the NARS website are as below:

Namibia - Grey moon

Yamal - Maple sugar

Kamchatka - Navy smoke

So, I know you're all dying to see my attempt at a smokey eye so here you go...

I pretty much followed what Cindy did in the tutorial but substituted a few things as I didn't have the exact colours or products she used. I used MAC 'Black Black' Chromagraphic Pencil to line the lid and smudge in to the crease before layering on 'Kamchatka' around the eye, patting on 'Namibia' in the middle of the lid and using 'Yamal' to blend out the edges so they didn't look harsh. I then used my Revlon Photoready Mascara and Bare Escentuals Buxom Amplified Mascara to coat my lashes and make them all spidery to complete the look. I probably could have gone heavier with the 'Kamchatka' and smudged it in even more on bottom lash line but I fear that my eyes might have disappeared in to a black - or navy - hole of eyeshadow if I had.

The three shades, while they are pretty, aren't anything particularly special and probably can be duped by cheaper brands on the High Street. They were soft and easy to work with but I was expecting them to be a lot more pigmented than what they are, especially 'Kamchatka' because it looks like such a gorgeous navy blue in the pan but didn't translate as well as it could have done on the single finger swatch. However, that being said, the colours work quite well with each other and while I probably wouldn't use 'Namibia' on a daily basis, I'm sure I could work with both 'Yamal' and 'Kamchatka' again by using the former as a blending colour for other eyeshadow looks and the latter as an eyeliner when I don't want to go for a harsh black. There is another shade in the collection called 'Bavaria' which is a shimmery deep sea blue that I definitely would get a lot of use out of so I may pop down to a counter and add that to my collection but other than that and the red velvet lip pencil, I'll probably wait until their winter collection comes out because that is guaranteed to be a showstopper.

The entire NARS Fall Collection 2013 is out now and available from counters nationwide as well as the NARS website. Prices start at £14.00.

What do you think? Is there anything from this collection that you think is a 'must-have'?

Amrita xoxo


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