The NARSissist Palette

I know, I know, it's about time, right?! Like the rest of the beauty community, I seriously lost my marbles when I heard the smallest sliver of a rumor of this palette! It's no secret that NARS is my favorite brand. I don't own MANY products from them because, well, it's not exactly a student-budget-friendly brand, LOL! Having said that, the products I've had the pleasure to own or play with have been exceptionally amazing. I've always wanted to dive into their eyeshadows but I could never justify the price or the size. The size of the pan comapred to the price was actually quite good because the pans are HUGE but ... who needs THAT much of ONE shade? So when I saw that they were releasing this NARSissist Eye Shadow palette, featuring 15 shades from their line of singles and duos, I was sold, instantaneously!

I didn't want to review this as soon as I got it because that seems to be what a lot of people did which has resulted in a clusterfuck (oups :D) of mixed opinions. You either really love it or are severly disappointed with it. I, after having it and using it for about a month, have come to the conclusion that it is a magically magnificent palette, haha. Okay, with a not so magnificent price of $75. The price is steep. There's no skirting around it, because it's, well, yikes. I've done the math for you and it comes out to $5 a pan and each pan has .003 oz of product, which is still ACK. But beauty addicts are not concrete mathematicians and depending on how much we love something will reflect on wether or not we think it's worth the splurge. Does that make sense? Haha, I hope so.

Now that price and math is out of the way, the packaging. Simplistically and classically NARS with the rubberized black packagining. The palette is the same size as their One Night Stand blush palette. It comes equipped with a super handy and large mirror for make up on the go. The one gripe is that the packaging will get dirty and quick. Personally, I don't mind that because it shows the wear and love of a products, but if it bugs you that's something to note!

On to the shades themeselves! I'm absolutely in love with the left half of shadows and super intimidated by the right half of darker shades. The quality of the shadows varies throughout the palette, and honestly some of the darker colors are on the dry side, but they're still smooth when applied to the lid with a fluffy brush. The lighter shades and the more taupe ones are super smooth and more buttery My favorites are the first three in the top row and the second of each the middle and bottom row. Oh, another thing, I have no idea what these shadows are named except for Mekong. I know they have them on the NARS website, but I, for the life of me, can't tell which is which, which, (take three shots) well, sucks. The pigmentation is still great on a majority of them, as well as the lasting power. I've been super lazy lately and just not even bothering with primer and these pups stay on so well for a good 4 hours, up until I start rubbing at my eyeballs, haha. Over primer, forget about it- they'll last until you go to rremove your make up!

SO, all in all, I really think this is a stand out palette. I'm ecstatic to have it in my collection and it has been getting so much love from me. The price tag is a bit crazy, but what do you expect from NARS? If you're a fan of NARS eyeshadows and don't have any or just a few of them, this is a great way to try them out and have a whole collection in just one palette. Can you live without this palette? Absolutely, but if you can afford it and want, I say give it a go and see for yourself. It's a great palette with a variety of shades, tones, and finishes. It'll be great to travel with because of the large mirror, how compact it is and how versatile it can prove to be. I'd say it's better than the NAKED palettes, but that's an opinion I'm sure I'll be in the minority of having ;D 

What do you guys think of the NARSissist palette?

Loving Lately #1

Have monthly favorites been outdated? I hardly see any on my dash when the end of the month rolls around these day! I've always been a fan of reading them but never writing them. I always felt too much pressure to 'love' certain products every month and my versions of those posts were always so lame. I still want to share products I've been loving during longer periods of time so I've created this "loving lately" series. I know, super original title, amiright? Instead of doing it monthly, I'll be doing it sporadically when I feel like I have a bunch of stuff I love that I must, must, must share. Hurr we go!

• Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist in Carried Away | Carried Away is my favorite scent from Bath & Body Works. When I worked there it was the only scent I was really good at selling and I wanted you to go home with at least the shower gel. In an attempt to ration the last bit of my One Direction perfume, I've started reaching for my large collection of fragrance mists. Of course, I reached for this one first with it's delicious notes of raspberries, bergamot, jasmine, and vanilla. MMM, MMM! Just wish the staying power was longer :/
• Benefit's gimmeBrow | I wasn't totally in love with this when I got it because I was bitter about practically being forced to buy it, but now my feelings have changed. Brows still aren't a part of my daily make up routine but on occasion I do enjoy sprucing up my brows to make them look less fuzzy wuzzy and give them more shape. It's especially great for work when I wan to look put together, but not to over the top. I don't know, I can't describe it (which is really helpful for you guys, isn't it? haha) but I do love this stuff!
• Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer | This concealer has been the only concealer I've used since I bought it! I love the coverage and brightness of all the Wake Me Up products from Rimmel. I've raved on and on about them for quite some time and still to this day I won't use anything else. I'm actually running low on it, but may refrain from buying another just to use up the rest of the concealers that are lost in the "forgotten".
• Candy Cane flavored Chap Stick | MMM, MMM! You can't go wrong with peppermint and candy cane flavored things during any time of the year honestly. It's equal parts minty and equal parts sweet which makes for a tasty combination! This crazy cold weather has just been the worst to my lips, so I'm glad this guy not only tastes delicious, but keeps my lips nice and moisturized for hours!
• NARS Narsissist Eyeshadow Palette | I've saved the best for last! I know reviews on this palette from NARS have been mixed, but just know that I LOVE it. It's all I've been using and reaching for as of late to create eyeshadow looks. My thoughts on it are coming really, really soon, I promise, along with crazy model shots of it (LOL) and swatches! It's all set up in my drafts, but school is making it rather hard to write up the dang thing! Long story short; I LOVE IT. MONEY WELL SPENT!

What have YOU been "loving lately" Har har ;)

The Ultimate NARSissist

(image source)

NARS will always and forever be my most favorite brand of make up. I don't own many of their products because they are on the pricier side, but whoa mama, when I have the  money to I love to splurge on NARS. Now they've gone and created a completely drool and fookin' (sorry, sorry, twas' the only appropriate word) lust worthy palette. MOVE OVER NAKED, because NARS just came out with the sexiest nude/neautral palette ever. I wasn't going to post about it on here but I can't not talk about it and I figured some of you might not yet know about the gorgeousness that is the NARS NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette. It comes with 15, count 'em FIFTEEN of NARS' signature eyeshadows for a whopping $79. I know, I know. I'll give you a second to let your heart start back up. But, but, but I still have such a yearning for this palette. I don't have ANY NARS eyeshadows and it's not because I can never justify the price but more so because their pans are huge with so much product I wouldn't know how to go about using it up, but THIS. With this palette I can have a much bigger array of shadows all in one convenient palette. It contains all the shades you know you've always slightly lusted for like Galapagos, Mekong, and Lhasa! Sure the pans are smaller, but I've yet to hit pan on any eyeshadow palette I own. Even though the price tag is astronimical (yes, no matter how you justify it, you're a nut for shelling out 79 buckaroos for this sexy piece of make up) I really think I'm going to get my hands on it any way I can! As of right now I know it's being sold on the NARS website right now and it's going to be in department stores as of February 1st! I hope it comes to Sephora because I have a $39 store credit that will make it just that less expensive! 

So now I'd just like to know what your opinions are on this new release? Are you excited? Tempted to buy it? Or are you going to put your make up blinders on and try to resist the urge? Let me know! Maybe some of you can disuade me from spending almost a C-note on this, haha!

NARS | Guy Bourdin One Night Stand

First, there was the Danmari blush palette that sold like super hot hotcakes. Now, NARS bring to us another stellar blush palette in collaboration with Guy Bourdin. Sure, I'm sad I missed out on the Danmari, but the NARS One Night Stand palette is exponentially better. Buckle your seat belts because this is going to be a rave review like you won't believe! One Night Stand is a cheek palette that's got you covered with 0.14 oz of four blushers, a bronzer, and a highlighter.

• Devotee Highlighter (highlight glow)
• Mistinguette Blush (bubblegum pink)
• Deep Throat Blush (flirty sheer peach)
• Laguna Bronzer (diffused brown with golden shimmer)
• Orgasm (peachy pink with gold shimmer)
• Goulue Blush (medium pink)

A regular sized NARS blush will run you $29 for 0.16 oz. This cheek palette costs $65 and each pan carries just 0.02 oz less product, but let's be real, how many blushes have you hit pan on? I know I haven't yet, haha! So you get six cheek products for the price of about three which in my eyes is such a steal! The pigmentation of these is not even a topic of discussion- it's amazing. Just enough pigmentation to leave you with the desired color on your cheeks without being able to go over board. The texture is very smooth, finely milled and not at all chalky. You get a nice variety of colors so it doesn't feel like the shades are overly similar. In the Danmari palette they had Orgasm and Super Orgasm which, who really needs both? My favorite is Mistinguette, which is such a lovely bright yet pale cheek color. It makes no sense until you see it on, haha. The packaging, as always with NARS, is the classic black with rubberized case and the large NARS letters with a splash of red to display 'Guy Bourdin's' name. Absolutely love, love, LOVE it. The packaging will no doubt get a bit dirty in time, but I quite like it, shows a bit of love <3 The whole One Night Stand palette is a just a smidge smaller than the whole of my hand, but it'd be perfect for traveling and has seriously got you covered for any event your cheeks may attend, haha. 

So, final verdict? I think it's a great palette overall! You're getting a great array of shades, with stellar pigmentation, for an amazing price. It's something that should be on every beauty junkie's wishlist, I think. This would also make a great gift for any makeup/cheek product crazed person on your list! If you can get your hands on it, I'd say go for it, without hesitation. I can almost guarantee you'll be sorry if you didn't!

What do you think of the One Night Stand palette? Has it made your Holiday wishlist?

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Current Craves | NARS Eyeshadow Singles

Nooooo! I shout in horror because today I'm starting the spring term of college and I'm not excited. After two months off, would you be so thrilled?! I'm way too comfortable just sitting in bed, sipping on tea, blogging, and creating these wishlists!

From the sleek packaging, to the creative product names and great quality product it's safe to say that I'm a big, big fan of NARS. They may very well be my favorite high end brand, even though I only have a few of their products. I have their four cheek products and one eye shadow duo. I never really ventured into lusting or even giving too much thought to the single eye shadows until I came across this blog that featured a single shadow in an amazing smokey look! Then another blogger blogged about a more neutral shade and I knew I needed to take a closer look at these! On Friday I stopped by a Sephora in the city on my way home and took a look at all the single eye shadows and these are the ones that I am now lusting after!

• Galapagos | rich bronze with gold flecks 
• Mekong | espresso infused with gold
• Night Star | sheer peach with gold pearls
• Baby Girl | cotton candy pink with gold flecks

I got the descriptions off of Sephora.com because I couldn't accurately describe the different dimensions to each shade I swatched. They're each so unique and in the pan look like shadows you can probably find dupes for in your collection, but when swatched ...  *sigh* they're so pretty! They're also really rich in pigmentation and smooth! I hope to one day own all these colors!

Do any of you have a NARS shadow you love/want? Which one would you choose out of these 4?

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How Much Does My Face Cost?

Andrea from Andrea and the Beauty Blog came up with this brilliant post idea! As soon as I saw her comment with this idea I got so excited and made sure that the next time I wore my sort of 'everyday make up' I would keep track of everything! This is more of a summer every day routine. I'll be sure to do one in the winter as well! Now let's see how much damage there is to my wallet to make my face all purrrrty...

• Caudalie Beauty Elixir $18.00
• L'Oreal MagicLumi $13.00
• Sephora Liquid Liner $11.00
• Make-Up Forever Aqua Liner $18.00
• Smashbox Eyeliner $19.00
• CoverGirl 24HR LashBlast Mascara $10.49
• Benefit's Hervana Blusher $28.00
• NARS Laguna Bronzer $34.00
• EOS Lip Balm $3.00
• M.A.C. Venus Lipstick $14.50

GRAND TOTAL: $168.99

Consider my jaw on the floor. WHAT? Holy guacamole! This is even more of a reason for me to just stop shopping. This is for just one look! And a summer look that doesn't need as much make-up. Oy, I'm ashamed to look at this. 

I challenge everyone to find out how much their everyday face costs them! Link it to me in the comments!

xo

Weekend Wishlist #01

I've been in the city twice this week. Once, because I thought I was going over to Mihai's house and the second because of a dentist appointment. I was around M.A.C. and Sephora and I didn't buy anything *gasp My little sickness has put me in quite a level headed move, meaning I wanted it all but knew I didn't need it. So I decided I'd share with you what I had my eyes on!

1. NARS Smudgeproof Shadow Base

Urban Decay Primer Potion just isn't cutting it anymore!

2. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

I NEED THIS. The colors are so ... agh. I feel like I'd wear this more in the winter time so I figured I'd wait until then to get it (hopefully a Sephora coupon will come my way!)

3. Butter London Toff

Such a pretty purple color! At Ricky's NYC it was $15 and I thought that was just ridiculous when it's only $14. I know, I know it's only a $1 but every dollar counts!

4. Sephora & Pantone Universe Shades of Nature Palette

I adore the colors in this palette! All the shadows are gorgeous and silky smooth to the touch. The price is steep and it doesn't have the greatest application for that amount. I'm gonna wait for Sephora to knock the price down of it and then it's all mine!

5. Cover Girl 24HR. LashBlast

Oup, I lied. I did end up buying this! I needed a really good waterproof mascara :)

6. M.A.C. Blushes

I went in to get Fleur Power, couldn't find it. Found three amazing blushes that I am now dying to have and then found Fleur Power. I might be go next week to get a Blush Palette along with the giveaway winner's prize!

I know. I'm cuckoo bananas. It's just ever so tempting with all these awesome products out. I'm quite impatient and think if I can't buy it all now I'll wait till I can. Especially since next week is the release of  LUSH's Emotional Brilliance line (EEEEEEEK!). I know I'll just be snatching up pretty much everything.

What are on your wishlists? If you haven't enetered my giveaway yet, make sure to do so here!

xo

Summer Picks!

Here are my top beauty picks for this Summer!

1. NARS Laguna Bronzer: I'm new to the world of bronzer and don't see myself always wearing it. But what I find is that I do love wearing this on it's own just as a contour, without blush or highlighter. *gasp Beauty faux pax I know but I feel it looks more natural like that. Bronzer is just perfect for a sun kissed face!
2. NARS Orgasm Blush: Everyone has their favorite seasonal blush and Orgasm is mine! It's the perfect blend of pink, orange, and shimmer which I think are the top things I look for in a summer blush.
3. EOS Strawberry Sorbet LipBalm: No matter the season your lips always need to be moisturized and EOS Lip Balms are the best (and funnest) ones to just throw in your bag. They are also made in awesome summer flavors!
4. Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti: I find that wearing lipsticks in the summer time is just way to hard to keep up with reapplying it. I love the Lip Butters (in any color) to add moisture and color without feeling like you're wearing it at all!
5. Essie Turquoise & Caicos: If you're a lover of teal or turquoise you will LOVE this color. It's that perfect spring and summer color that's awesome for the day and the beach!
6. China Glaze Riveting: This polish is the color of the shimmering sun. That is the sole purpose of it being my summer pick. Sun? Summer? Anyone? Haha
7. Bath & Body Works Fine Mist Fragrance: Okay I'm about to go on a tangent with these Fragrance Mists. They are a wonderful blend of delicious scents and lightness to it that no one is walking passed you choking on it (too much?) There is a scent for everyone and the summer scents are impeccable! They also come with mini's that are perfect for travel!

I'd love to know, what are some of your must haves for the summer?

xo

Review: NARS Mediterranee

NARS eyeshadow duos are notorious for either being a total hit or a total miss. My take on this is that you've got to LOVE both colors or it's going to seem like it has fallen short. I have blue eyes and I know that what compliments blue is orange. Since oranges and corals are in, I've been dying to find an brilliant orange that I'd want to wear forever. Originally I had planned on looking at MAC Rule or MAC Orange but the orange in this duo caught my eye before I even got the chance to look at the former. 

I had only swatched the Orange when I knew I had to have it. The NARS duos retail for $34 dollars which isn't a steal, but it's not a total bust. The NARS Mediterranee duo comes with a very light, almost  peachy, shimmering orange and then a true, albeit slightly on the deeper side, orange. The color pay off of the lighter shade is slightly sheer, while the orange shade swatches like a charm. I can honestly tell you guys that I was about to buy this duo (the $34) without even looking at the other shade. But these two colors can be paired so well together and with other colors that I'm glad I gave it a glance ;) The few times I've used the duo together I put the lighter shade on 3/4 of the lid and then the orange shade on the outer V and a little in the crease. It's subtle and effortless. It's a very fresh, summery look that I think would look great on anyone. These colors really blend well and I think this is one of those knock out duos that NARS has created.

If you've got baby blues or are just loving the orange/coral trend, I'd highly recommend you give this duo a try!

Retail Therapy: Sephora & M.A.C.

In celebration before the day of IMATS my friend Julia and I decided to break in our wallets and shop around the city. What we should have probably been doing is breaking in our shoes. I still can't feel my feet. We went to Sephora and M.A.C. to get things we thought would be essential and something we couldn't get at IMATS. Here's what I walked away with.

Sephora

• Benefit Watt's Up
• Benefit Hervana
• Nars Eyeshadow Duo (Mediterranee)
• Sephora Collection Eyelash Curler (Aquamarine)

M.A.C.

• 4 Eyeshadows in: Arena, Sumptuous Olive, Satin Taupe, and Cranberry
• M.A.C. Wipes (30 pack)
• Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer (NW15)