François Nars- Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself- Book Review

Ten years ago François Nars released the first version of his book Makeup Your Mind, featuring 63 professional model of varying fame level with and without makeup, to show how transforming makeup can be and how to create and apply the looks. This spring Nars brings us Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself, where 60 men and women plucked from the Manhattan sidewalks serve the same purpose

The book is not all Nars, for better and for worse. It was art directed by Interview magazine editorial director Fabien Baron. It's probably a good thing, because I often kvetch and complain about some of Nars' ideas and the way he views women. Still, there's no denial Francois Nars is a wonderful artist- both in makeup and photography. His finished work is beyond impeccable and the chance to learn something about the way he works, his techniques and ideas is absolutely priceless.

The book is divided into three sections: “Play,” “Perfect,” and “Polish, ”and addresses what Nars calls the “everyday needs” of women in their twenties, thirties, and beyond. Whatever. I'm here to see and learn makeup. After the introductions, tips and general advice (more on that later) comes the main event: before and after photos of each person, taken in exactly the same light, angle and size with a transparent plastic overlay between each pair of images that has a template of the makeup used, exactly as it was placed on the subject. It's better than the standard face chart you get at (good professional) makeovers. If that's not enough. in the end of each section there are detailed how-to instructions for each look, including the brushes used.

The photographs are a feast for the eyes and the information would delight any makeup lover. I really like how Nars tells you not just which product/shade he used, but also what kind of color each item is. This way you not only understand exactly what he's done but also can find the right thing in your existing makeup collection, even if your matte black is something from Laura Mercier and not NARS Pandora. The book is not just for Narsaholics and one doesn't need to be closely familiar with the line, though I admit it helps and probably enhances the experience. If you don't know what kind of product and texture is a "multiple" Google is your friend. Be prepared though for some coveting to ensue, even if you already own an extensive amount of makeup. I now know I must get my hands on the single eye shadow in Sophia, a plum brown. Nars uses it in many looks and not just as an eye shadow. Apparently Sophia makes for an excellent blush.

Between the photos, details and general advice, this is in excellent book, both for long-time makeup enthusiasts and those who are just beginning their journey. Nars is surprisingly practical and sensible and comes off very sincere in his desire to teach. The book is so rich with ideas and inspiration I'm going to keep it at arm's reach when doing my makeup.  The one thing I'd urge you to skip is the inanely written foreword by Simon Doonan, the creative director of Barneys. It appears that Mr. Doonan thought he was tasked with composing an email newsletter campaign and not a thoughtful introduction to the work of an artist. He crammed every retail cliche he could find into his three pointless pages. The first time I opened the book it nearly put me off the entire thing. That said, I'm glad I just made a face at Simon Doonan and turned the page to enter the world of François Nars.

Bottom Line: Je t'aime, François.

François Nars- Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself, $24.19 on amazon.com.

NARS Orgasm Illuminator

While the rest of the beauty world has been fawning over the newly released Illuminator colors, I kept my distance, suspiciously eying the two GWP tubes of Orgasm Illuminator (the first one) in my possession. I've had them for some time, put them in my "to test" drawer where I've been giving them the stinkeye every time I reached for something else. I dislike the famous Orgasm blush. It makes me look like a glittered up mango and I'm so over the NARS Beavis & Butthead names. But the tubes were there, mocking me and threatening I'd have to surrender my beauty blogger badge if I wouldn't start using them soon.

So I did. And what do you know? NARS Orgasm Illuminator is quite nice, a lot more versatile and far less orange than anything else in the Orgasm series. The color is an almost natural pink peach with delicate but obvious shimmer. It can be mixed with liquid foundation (or a tinted moisturizer) at your desired ratio, or worn over it. The texture is very nice, non-oily and blends beautifully onto the face and whatever other products you're using. The result, at least on my medium untanned olive skin is a lot more natural than I ever expected. Who would have thought?

Bottom Line: I think I'm going to buy a full size of both Orgasm and Copacabana.

NARS Illuminator ($29) can be found at major department stores, Sephora and narscosmetics.com.

All photos are mine.

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil Baroque & Club Mix

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils were released last week in six colors. I chose two, Club Mix and Baroque, and could probably also wear and enjoy New Lover, but I was careful this time and only went with the first two. Baroque is a warm(ish) -to-neutral  red while Club Mix is a mauve plum. Surprisingly, I actually prefer Baroque, but that might be because the texture isn't quite the same. Yes, that's odd.

Both NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils are soft and hydrating  to the point of actually plumping the lips with moisture (I love it!). Baroque is glossier when applied to my lips (impossible to see in the swatches, though) and also softer. So soft, actually, I need to be careful with it as it breaks very easily. On the other hand it also has a very strong burnt plastic smell when first applied but it goes away within seconds.

Club Mix goes on a bit more dry and requires for me to fill the scar on my bottom lip with a base/primer so the color doesn't pool in there. It shouldn't be an issue for anyone else, though, and the feel of this crayon is as velvety and glossy as in Baroque. I could not detect any odor from Club Mix. The color is a little more brown than I expected when on the lips, which is why I'm now considering the more pink New Lover. I'm not in a rush as the Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils are not a limited edition, so we'll be able to find them in NARS permanent collection.

Other stuff: the pencils are rather small and I seem to be using quite a bit of material every time (plus touch ups after 3-4 hours or a snack. These crayons are more tenacious than regular glosses but nowhere as near as a good lipstick). I already bought a NARS sharpener for my chubby eye pencils, but since the Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils are, well, glossy, one needs to wipe the blade carefully after every use. It's annoying and I would have appreciated if a sharpener was included in the price.

Bottom Line: Other than the kvetching above, these are my favorite NARS lip products.

To see photos and swatches of the other color in this range, I highly recommend visiting The Beauty Look Book. Sabrina did a very thorough work showing and reviewing these pencils.

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils ($24 each) are available from narscosmetics.com and are arriving quickly to NARS counters everywhere.

Photos and snowy back yard are mine.

NARS Ita Brush #21

Continuing the NARS theme, this week's brush is NARS Ita from the Artisan line. Nars offers two different Ita brush-  #21, the regular one I'm reviewing today and the wide Kabuki Ita (I'll talk about it soon). They are traditional Japanese brushes (Hakuhodo has them in several sizes under the name Itabake) and require some practice and experimenting for those of us uses to round face brushes.

According to NARS website, the Ita is meant for blending and contouring. I admit I'm not hugely into contouring unless it's strictly for taking photos because no matter what, it never looks natural in real life. The Ita brush does make things easier once you figure out it's all in the angle. The brush when held horizontally is actually quite wide, at least for my face. But since it's so thin and flat, as you turn it vertically and then in an angle (I'd say about 30 degrees) you actually get the perfect width for contouring that looks more natural and not like a stripe of color. The brush is also soft and fluffier than it appears, so it blends and diffuses color very successfully- once again, you'll need to find the right angle for you, preferably with the help of a NARS artist or at least a brand rep who knows the tools well.

I've had my Ita for over six months and so far it hasn't lost a single hair and has been very easy to wash. I'm not too fond of NARS black rubber-like handles, especially when there's the lovely Hakuhodo wood alternative. On the other hand, the NARS seems like it's more tolerant of brush abuse- I've been experimenting with using it with cream products (blush and highlighters) and so far so good. I'm not sure I'd dare do it with the real Japanese wonder.

Bottom Line: Nice to have but not an essential.

NARS Ita Brush #21 ($39.00) is available at many department stores and narscosmetics.com.

All photos are mine.

NARS Hollywoodland Soft Touch Shadow Pencil Spring 2011 (and comparison to Goddess)

I know it feels like NARS week here and on several other blogs, but the Spring 2011 collection, while not even in quality, seems to offer something for just about everyone. One of the better and most useful item NARS created is Hollywoodland Soft Touch Shadow Pencil. Hollywoodland doesn't have the melty Crayola texture of Celebrate, the other Soft Touch pencil from this collection. Instead, it is similar in consistency to the first batch of pencils from last year and offers an alternative to those who found Goddess too pink for their taste.

Goddess is a pink champagne shimmer while Hollywoodland is a soft gold. I love both and find them among the most useful and versatile one could have in a makeup collection. They layer, highlight, help with quick touch-ups, travel well and require no special tools or skill. Unlike Celebrate, Hollywoodland (and the other pencils) don't melt or crease on me. I use the pale colors as highlighters and the dark ones on the lash lines (upper and lower) with no issue (10-12 hours of wear in non-extreme weather) and absolutely love them. That's why I was so disappointed in Celebrate's sub-par performance. The pencils make an excellent base that ground and illuminates powder eye shadows. Layering gives that coveted lit-from-within look (try it with Dior or Edward Bess eye shadows on top). I'm still finding new ways to use them and hope for more new colors.

Bottom Line: Yes, please.

NARS Hollywoodland Soft Touch Shadow Pencil for Spring 2011 ($24) is available from narscosmetics.com.

All photos are mine.

NARS Celebrate Soft Touch Shadow Pencil Spring 2011

I bought NARS Celebrate Soft Touch Shadow Pencil (one of two pencils released for Spring 2011) before reading Christine's review on Temptalia. Between the underachieving performance she reports and the fact Celebrate has a distinct yellow base and is far less of a parrot green than promised, I'd probably have skipped this one. Truthfully, it wouldn't have been a huge loss.

Right now the NARS Soft Touch shadow pencil range comes in six colors (I'll show and review Hollywoodland in a few days). They vary in texture and perform different tasks, but up until now I liked all of them, including Palladium. Celebrate is the creamiest one of the bunch, which as you can see in Christine's review is  a disadvantage. While I experienced less creasing, the melty texture makes it pretty useless as an eye shadow. I've found that applying more than two coats is a bad idea as well as trying to cover the lid with the product. The only way to make it work is as an accent color along the upper lash line. That's where you can get creative and incorporate Celebrate into your look. That is, if you like the color.

I was pretty horrified with the amount of yellow when I first swatched Celebrate. It looked way too yellow on my arm, but apparently since my lids are darker it looks much better up there. The one perk of sporting my weird skin tone is that it really carries color very well. As long as I don't go to town with these shades and blend everything well, I can use blue and green to enhance my very brown eyes. So, yes, this crazy chartreuse may actually work (I use a beige base and ashy wheat in the crease. When in doubt go with Bobbi Brown). Also, there's a similar shade to Celebrate in  Shu Umeura Morphorium Blue Spring 2011 palette (Christine also mentions MAC Chartreuse), so it can be intensified and anchored. Not an everyday look but quite fun on darker skin tones, and used with caution (as in minuscule amounts) it's not too wild for those of us born long before 1990.

Used as described above I had no creasing or longevity issues, but that's only true when you don't even try to cover the lid, which limits the use of this NARS pencil. It also takes too much trial and error (lots of error) to figure out how to make it work. A simple eye shadow pencil shouldn't require so much effort.

Bottom Line: Christine gave it an F, I'm more in the D- camp, but honestly, you can pass.

NARS Celebrate Soft Touch Shadow Pencil ($24) is available from NARS counters as well as from narscosmetics.com.

NARS Bateau Ivre Eye Shadow Duo Spring 2011

Le Bateau Ivre (The Drunken Boat) is the name of a 1871 poem by Rimbaud describing a boat lost at sea. It has enough colorful imagery to inspire a dozen color stories and makeup looks, though truth be told, some of those symbolic visions are on the wrong side of terrifying and unappealing. Still, it was the inspiration for Francois Nars Bateau Ivre eye shadow duo, the matte blue pair.

The other eye shadow duo from this collection, Nuveau Monde, is just as pretty but I passed because the metallic silver lilac is really not my thing and I already have enough olive green eye shadows. Bateau Ivre won my heart because the colors are quite special,  a little retro and have a rich and full texture. NARS describes the right side as a deep denim blue, but I think it has a little more purple in it to be a true indigo. The left side is as sky blue as they come, a shade I haven't seen in this texture since Chanel Blue Jeans quad from 2002.  Both are beautiful and nicely pigmented, very inviting to play and create various looks. They work just as well on a snowy January day as I imagine they would if spring ever returns.

As is the case with many NARS eye shadow duos, my personal preference is not to wear both colors together (unless layered one on top of the other). This amount of bold striking color rarely looks good in everyday life. These are eye shadows I'd use as a pop of color right on the top lash line, well-blended with neutral muted shades. Both make excellent liners as this duo can be applied with a damp brush.

Bottom Line: Pretty!

NARS Bateau Ivre Eye Shadow Duo Spring 2011 ($32) is now at the counters and on narscosmetics.com.

All photos are mine.

NARS Botan Brush

The huge Botan brush is part of the foursome NARS Artisan brushes (as is the Yachio. I'll review the two Ita brushes soon). When I say it's huge I really mean it: it fills your hand and covers large chunks of face real-estate. The Botan brush is bigger and denser than any of my other Kabuki brushes and has quite a bit of personality. It requires understanding more than actual skill to use correctly. I've been living with mine for the last six months, so I feel it's time to share the love and knowledge.

First, what it's for:
NARS website tells us the Botan has "a large, dense dome shape perfect for loose powder application, buffing and blending. ". This is a finishing brush- the last stage of a full makeup application, when you're trying to achieve a smooth, absolutely seamless finish. The brush buffs away contour lines, removes excess powder and evens out the color on your jaw and everywhere else. You can use the Botan to apply mineral makeup, but honestly, I feel this tasks requires more precision when depositing the color than the brush allows. However, the way it's cut and fits on the face does allow access to crevices, especially around the nose, so I understand why some like to use it with stuff other than just finishing powder.

What's most important to know:
Don't even think of using this brush without first washing it thoroughly. An experienced NARS specialist stressed that it was absolutely crucial to do that, and I guess she was right. The brush definitely felt softer to the touch once I washed it. It also lost some hair and a bit of dye in the process but not since. This is annoying, if you ask me. When a company creates a top tier  product (and prices it accordingly) you'd expect it'd be ready to use. It's even more irritating considering the brush is so dense it takes 2-3 days to fully dry (not to mention the maneuvering and Macgyvering  I have to do making sure the brush stays upside down while drying), so you buy this luxury brush, need to do some work to make it fully usable and then wait.

Once your brush is dry and you're ready to use it, do your makeup as usual, get your favorite finishing powder (note that the Botan brush doesn't fit inside a Guerlain Meteorites tin), start buffing and note the difference- it's all in the details.

Bottom Line: Excellent, but probably not a beginner's tool.

NARS Botan brush ($75) is available at Barneys, Neiman, Sephora and nars.com.

All photos are mine.

NARS Blush-Sin

When it comes to NARS blushes I was a bit of a late adapter. The hype surrounding some of them and the level of shimmer in many has kept me away for too long, but I'm slowly getting there. Sin is right up my alley and I would have bought it ages ago if not for said shimmer and the dingy testers at Sephora. But a creative NARS SA at Bloomie's, who as usual felt I was far too pale for my own good, convinced me to try and loved the result.

Sin is a mauve-plum blush. It has no red, orange or heavy pink tones, making it very neutral on my skin. It's dark and pigmented enough that I prefer to use a light application brush (Yachio, a duo-fiber or a fan), but that might be why every SA and makeup artist I've met go after me with a blush brush. The shimmer is very mild  and I like its golden glow- I don't end up looking like a glitter princess. I can wear it with most makeup looks and find Sin especially nice on gloomy gray days.

Bottom Line: a good addition to most blush collections.

NARS blush ($26) can be found at most decent department stores, Sephora and online.

All photos are mine.

NARS Wide Contour Brush #16

My Sephora brand angled contour eye brush (this particular shape and size has been discontinued for a while now) reached the end of its too-short life. It held for about three or four years, but was obviously not as well-made as I would have liked (it was from the regular line, not the Professional Platinum). But I loved it because the density, angle and the small-medium size were not only unusual but also incredibly efficient. But we're not here to talk about my dead brush but about my (unsuccessful yet) effort to replace it.

NARS Wide Contour Brush #16 is too big and wide to be a true contour brush or to fit in the crease as my old brush did, but it's a great tool otherwise. It's incredibly soft but till dense enough to pick the right amount of color for the entire lid. It can give a wash of a base color and even under the bone highlighting (I have enough lid space to land an airplane) and also does a good job blending whatever I throw at it. NARS No. 16 feels nice on skin and steady in my hand and delivers great results especially for soft and natural looks.

What doesn't NARS Wide Contour Brush #16 do? Real contouring. Or any precise and detailed work, especially with dark colors. It's just too wide and soft for this. But other than misnaming it, I don't have any complaints for NARS regarding this brush.

Bottom Line: Not an essential if you already have enough wide blending brushes, but nice to have, especially because of the somewhat unusual shape.

NARS Wide Contour Brush #16 ($33) is available from some department stores and narscosmetics.com.

All photos are mine.

Let's talk about it: NARS Bento Box Lip Set

This is an open thread about one of the most sought-after (at least in theory) products of the season- the Nars Bento Box lip set.

When I first received the press release about the limited edition Bento Box I did several things:
1.Got a serious case of the Covet
2. Added my name to the wait list on Nars website
3. More coveting
4. Reminded myself that Nars might be my least favorite brand when it comes to lipsticks.
5. Told myself to shut up. Coveting resumed.
6. Pondered the $125 price tag. Can it be worth it?
7. Deciding it probably isn't.
8. Wondering if I'm missing something.

Now here we are a month later. The set is available from Nars website as well as from Barneys, Neiman and Saks. It hasn't sold out yet though it's been out for a week now and supposedly there are only 1000 Bento Boxes in the US market (1000 more will be offered in the UK). I'm still looking at the photo and trying to figure it out.

The colors are pretty straight forward- one is a gorgeous red, the other is a dark pink. The Japanese aesthetics and the concept of lipstick in a cup you slowly apply with handcrafted tools are elegant and appealing. It says "luxury", which is probably why the Bento Box is so attractive to me. In theory.

Now, NARS promised the lipsticks are a new formula enriched with vitamin E, which is a very good thing considering their regular lipsticks are much too dry for me. Still, are they on the same level as Kanebo Sensai,  Cle de Peau and Tom Ford? Is the packaging really worth the price hike? And what about the brush? It looks  like a cousin of my beloved Nars Yachiyo blush brush with its hand-spun black wisteria handle. I use lip brushes quite often, but this is one brush category I never found a huge difference between top and mid-level brands as long as they're thick enough. Besides, if I were to drop top dollars on a special lip brush I'd probably go with this one:

That's the Kolinsky large craftsman lip brush from Hakuhodo, a real Japanese brand that makes professional makeup brushes (hakuhodousa.com).  Their entire Japanese Tradition series is on my wish list as well as the red-handled S100- they look exquisite and will probably get a lot more use than any two lipsticks in a cup.

What do you think: are you buying the set? Have you seen it in person? How do you feel about this product in general? Please share any thoughts you have about this.

Photos: NARS and hakuhodousa.com

Nars Small Domed Eye Brush #12

As someone with large lids and a deep crease, my favorite eye brushes are quite big and wide as to not create harsh lines and edges. But sometimes there's a need for a more precision in the crease or lid, especially when applying very pigmented dark colors to the outer corner. This is where Nars #12 Small Domed brush comes into play.

The unique thing about Nars #12 is that unlike many small brushes for detailed work it is fluffy and not very dense, so it won't pick too much color. The small dome fits into small spaces (which is why this brush is usually a top pick for Asian eyes) and deposits the right amount of dark color where you need it. The fluffiness makes it ideal for blending, and since it's small enough, the color will stay in the right place and won't spread too far.

Less pigmented colors and dramatic contrasts require a denser brush, but for certain colors and looks this is the best brush I've come across.

Nars Small Domed Eye Brush #12 ($27) is available from narscosmetics.com.

All photos by me with the help of Sophie and Giselle.