I had the pleasure of attending the Nars Pop up store in aid of the launch of their new Dual Intensi ty Eyeshadows which was hosted by Space NK in Soho. More importantly, Nars had managed to rope in the top dogs of the beauty blogging world (in my opintion) to help them host the event.
The event, which was very well organised, consisted of champagne, canapes (in the form of miniature meringues), photography and lots of chin wagging. Lily (of Lily Pebbles) and Anna (of Vivianna Does Makeup) were just as they are when you see them on YouTube ; friendly, modest and very grounded, not to mention absolutely beautiful in the flesh! It was lovely to be able to have a chat with them along with some of the other guests, which unsurprisingly,were a lot of fellow beauty bloggers (I think one or two even had their own You Tube channels).
Anyway, back to the task at hand. The Dual Intensity Collection consists of twelve “transformative” eye shadows. The term “transformative” implies that they can be worn in one of two ways; for a sheer wash of luxurious colour, apply it dry straight onto the eye lids. For a more dramatic, opaque look, apply wet and by wet, I mean damp (not dripping in water) for a seriously intense pop of colour. You can use any flat shading brush, but Nars are one step ahead and have released their own brush, the #49. Wet/Dry Eye Shadow Brush, in conjunction with the launch of the Dual Intensity eye shadows and designed specifically to use with them. I used my Mac 239 dry but then with a spritz of Mac Fix Plus to dampen it.
The texture of the shadows are oh so dreamy and the effect is mesmerising. As you can see from the swatches, applied dry gives you a soft, sheer wash of colour. There is a lot of shimmer present which reflects beautifully in the light. This is great for a sophisticated, polished look perfect for the daytime/office. Applied wet, the colour is amplified and strangely enough, they appear to turn slightly cooler in tone. This is a great way for vamping up your look taking your makeup from day to night. I picked up Himalia, described as a shimmering topaz. In the pan and when swatched dry, it’s a pretty, warm mid- toned gold. Applied wet,it becomes more of a taupe-y gold. The darker shade I picked up was Subra and is described as a “Black Orchid”. Applied dry, it’s a dark, chocolate brown. Applied wet, it transforms into a much cooler brown with a definite purple tinge to it. I guess that’s exactly where the name “Dual” Intensity comes from.
As a gift with purchase on the night, I got a dinky sized blush in the infamous shade “Deep Throat” (still not sure how I feel about the colour names) which is a beautiful matte, mid toned peachy pink, a touch lighter than the equally infamous shade “Orgasm” (Orgasm has a gold shimmer through it). I also got one of their eye shadows in the shade “Daphne” which is a very deep, matte violet. I’m not quite sure that I’ll get any wear out of this but we’ll see.
I’m a big fan of Nars make up (the Radiant Creamy Concealer is a staple in my everyday routine, and their blushes often make an appearance; Orgasm comes out in Spring and Sin cones out in the Autumn) but somehow I’ve never managed to get around to trying their eye shadows but I’m so glad I picked these little babies up. I’ve only worn these a few times but so far I am really enjoying it.
For tips on how to apply the shadows, check out this video by Nars By using a mix of both wet and dry application, you can achieve a multi-dimensional look using just one shade. They are priced at £21 which is a little steep for one eye shadow but the packaging is super slick and comes with a mirror (and it’s also magnetic so you can stack up the eye shadows on top of one another) and the fact that they can give off two different effects depending on whether you apply them wet or dry, it’s essentially like getting two products in one right? (I am the queen of justification when it comes to shopping).
Have you tried the Nars Dual Intensity Eye Shadows? If so, what do you think of them?
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