SICKA THAN AVERAGE

My love of Nars Cosmetics is epic. I remember searching for the perfect shade of red lipstick years ago and finally stumbling upon their Jungle Red lipstick — that was a "Eureka!" moment like no other. A few months later, I scoured beauty stores for a pink lipstick that wasn't too precious, that had a bit of edge, and I found Klute, a frosty lilac pink that lights up your whole face. I could go on and on about similar moments, but you atch my drift. Nevertheless, it should come as no surprise that, when it comes to Nars, I expect quality and innovation. As I assessed their Fall 2009 collection, then, I was most anxious to try out the Silk Road eyeshadow duo (pictured at top), the Mekong eyeshadow (pictured second from top), and the Damage lipstick (not pictured above— for the sake of clarity, let me reiterate that the image above is of a much lighter shade and that, for a better idea of the shade, you should refer to the swatch below).

What surprised me most about these shades is how different they look when you apply them. The Damage lipstick almost looks like a terracotta shade with pink undertones but, when you glide it on skin, you'll see that it's more of a mauve-ish grape color (scroll down to view a swatch of the shade). It's a gorgeous, versatile shade, but it is rather different from what you might have expected. For me, it was a pleasant surprise as the resulting shade captures the icy glamour of winter.

I also liked the Mekong shadow, a dusty, dark espresso brown with gold speckles. It's important to note, however, that the shade is considerably darker on the skin than it appears in the packaging. On the skin, it looks almost black and has a sooty quality to it (see the swatch below). Still, the gold speckles add just the right amount of shimmer without making you look like a disco queen.

The Silk Road Eyeshadow Duo probably packed the most surprises. While, in the packaging, the lighter shade looks like a semi-matte beige shade, on the skin, the color looks like an ethereal,golden pink with snow-like microparticles that add a heavy dose of shimmer. The accompanying shade, meanwhile, looks like a rose gold color saturated with gold speckles when applied on the skin. Both shades are lovely and complement each other well but, due to the heavy amount of shimmer, you may want to consider integrating a matte shade as a base when creating a really elaborate look.

Below, you'll find swatches of these shades, as well as a photo of a simple look I created with them.

Silk Road Eyeshadow Duo:

Mekong Single Eyeshadow:

Damage Lipstick:

Finished Look:

To create this look, I applied the lighter shade of the Silk Road duo along my lids and brow bone, then layered the darker shade atop, focusing only on my lids. Next, I applied the Mekong shade to the outer half of my lids. Once I'd blended the shades together, I finished off the look by using an eyeliner brush and applying the Mekong shadow along my upper and lower lash lines. Finally, I applied the Damage lipstick (can't neglect the lips, right?).