How to Wear Mint: Using NARS Habanera Eyeshadow duo

I received this NARS eyeshadow duo in the color 'Habanera' awhile ago as a gift and it has been taunting me from my makeup drawer ever since! With out a doubt this is my prettiest eyeshadow I own... just look at that mint green! And who would have thought that purple would compliment it so beautifully?? Today I decided to go for it and attempt to make a wearable look using the mint green shadow as the focus. 

Here's the result: 

I used a light nude color (MUG Beaches & Cream) and buffed it into my crease up to my brow bone. Then I used MAC's Soft Brown to further deepen the crease area. These two colors work great as transition colors and make blending SO easy.

Then it was time for the mint! I packed that gorgeous color all over my lid up to my crease. I made sure the color was nice and opaque across my lid. Finally I used the purple color in the duo and very carefully tapped that color into my crease. I did this last step slowly adding layer by layer to make sure it didn't get muddy!

Overall I love the way this look turned out! I think this look is multi-seasonal since you can play up the pastels or iciness of the mint or you can deepen it up further with the rich purple.

Color can be scary but there's usually a way to rock it with out being too 'out there.'  Just work with what you've got and be confident!

xxSJ

Review: NARS eyeshadow duo in 'Silk Road'

Review time! I recently started using an eyeshadow duo from NARS in the color 'Silk Road.' I wanted to let you know my thoughts on this beauty:

The left color is a gorgeous peachy pink shade that is very velvety and soft. It comes off on my light skin looking very beige and neutral. The color on the right is a deeper brown, mauve color. I don't know how well you can see the texture in this picture but this color is VERY chunky and glittery compared to the velvety peach color.  The glitter is a bit hard to control and involves placing it carefully on the lid. There will be some fallout with this color..its unavoidable.

This duo makes a beautiful neutral eye.  I patted the left color all over my lid and I placed the mauve glittery color on the outer edge of my lid. Minimal effort for a gorgeous neutral look! I know many people won't like the chunky consistency of the mauve color but I love it...I like that there are two different textures of eyeshadows in one duo. It makes for a more interesting and fun look. And who doesn't love glitter?!!

The product comes in typical Nars packaging: a sleek velvety plastic container that is beautiful when you first get it but unfortunately attracts every makeup and dust particle...it won't stay pretty forever!
Nars eyeshadow duos sell for $34....it seems steep, I know, however the quality is nice and I think its okay to splurge on a neutral product like this that you will get a ton of use out of it.  Also if you break down the price per gram, NARS eyeshadow duos are actually cheaper than MAC single eyeshadows when you buy them in the pot. Huh...interesting.

Let me know if you have tried other noteworthy NARS duos and tell me what you think!
xxSJ

Review: NARS eyeshadow duo in 'Alhambra'

Ladies. Can I state the obvious here? Makeup can be expensive. I find that my most lusted after products tend to be the hardest on my wallet.... don't get me wrong though!! I love love love drugstore makeup, but sometimes making an investment in a beautiful product from a high end brand is just what you need to add to your collection--a staple product that you can turn to on an important occasion when you just want to make sure you're lookin' good. Enter NARS:

NARS has some truly beautiful products.  Known for its sleek black packaging with white embossed logo in block letters, NARS is a makeup brand that consumes my time in Sephora-- I frantically swatch as much as possible, trying to find the prettiest colors and rarely end up making a purchase because of the steep price. When I finally decided that I was going to just take the plunge and buy an eyeshadow duo, I wanted to make sure it was the PERFECT one that I could wear with everything and was easy to work with.

 I swatched a ton of colors and found an awesome duo called 'Alhambra.' 

As you can see, the left shade is a pinky champagne color with shimmer, and the right shade is a golden peach color with shimmer.  These are my go to colors when I want a basic, neutral eye.  These colors would be super easy to wear during the day and then I could slap a darker brown or purple into my crease if I wanted to vamp it up for the night time. Also check the packaging please: That mirror covers the whole bottom of the case's lid. AWESOME. You go, Nars!

Look at how pretty :) Not chalky. Not chunky. Not disco ball shimmery. No fall out....Just perfect.
I love love love this duo and I'm so glad I made the purchase.  The duo was $34.... I know. Eeeeep.  However, you get a full 4g of product (2g per eyeshadow) which is a lot of product.  To compare, MAC eyeshadows are $15 (in the pot) and you get 1.5 g of product. NARS is still more expensive, yes. But these are colors I am in love with and will be getting full use out of.
Will I be purchasing another NARS duo in the future? Sure, perhaps if I find another set of shades that I can get as much use out of. I definitely wouldn't splurge on say this duo in 'Bateau Ivre':

 Gorgeous but I'd wear it like 5 times a year or at least very sparingly. Understand my reasoning?

I hope this review was helpful and enjoyable!
What are items you recently splurged on and are loving????

xx SJ