Andy Warhol once said that everybody in the world will be famous for 15 minutes. I guess certain celebrities never got the memo as they extend their 15 minutes into years. If only Andy were still around for the height of reality celebrities…I guess it would just be new material for him to work with. But I digress….
Last week I took a few goodies from the upcoming NARS/Warhol collaboration for a spin. I graciously received a few items from the NARS PR team for review. Without further delay here are the goods…
Soft Touch Shadow Pencils ($24/USD) in Empire (Black) and Heat (Teal) - pictured above.
Larger than Life Gloss ($26/USD) in Viva (Rich Rose) and Satelite of Love (sparkling gold sand) highlighting powder ($28/USD):
Larger than Life Long-Wear Eye Liner ($23/USD) in 47th Street (Black with silver glitter). Sorry, I don’t have an image but it is featured in a few images below.
I also received one of the nail polishes ($18/USD) in 15 Minutes, a lemon yellow with a very subtle shimmer. Here it is on my daughter:
I did two different looks with the soft touch shadow pencils inspired by Warhol’s Superstar - Candy Darling. Candy was a male-to-female transsexual actress with undeniable beauty. She is my new inspiration when I want to take risks in my beauty repertoire.
Here’s my first look with Empire pencil along with a photo of Candy that inspired my look:
I blended a matte creamy beige with a shimmery champagne on my lids, from lash line to brow bone. I then used Empire to line my top and bottom lash line. I drew a line at the orbital bone and then lightly filled in my outer-v with the same pencil and with a fluffy tapered brush, I blended all the harsh lines.
I liked the feel of this pencil, it wasn’t too creamy but it wasn’t too dry either. It was very easy to blend with a brush and the color set pretty easily. I finished with a few coats of mascara, a peach blush, Satellite of Love highlighting powder and I used Scarlet Empress on my lips.
When using the teal pencil, Heat. This image immediately came to mind. Therefore, I am dying to buy this gift set at Sephora.
I drew thick lines of Heat from lash line right up to my orbital bone. This pencil is very creamy, almost greasy to the feel. The color budges so I’d wait a few seconds for it to set before blending. I then took the black from the Pandora duo and blended into my crease. I line with the 47th Street Larger than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner on my top lash line and a third of the way in on my lower lash line. I finished with black mascara, orange-pink cheeks, and rose lips. I used Viva Larger than Life Lip gloss on top of Never Say Never Velvet Matte Lip Pencil.
Here’s a quick swatch lineup on my arm:
L to R: Satellite of Love highlighting powder, 47th Street Larger than Life Eyeliner, Soft Touch Shadow pencils: Empire/Teal, Viva Larger than Life Lip Gloss.
So far I am quite pleased with this preview, if anything it makes me anticipate the launch of the gift sets from both the ‘Pop‘ and ‘Silver Factory‘ collections. I’m also surprised - I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Larger than Life glosses because something about the formula would make my lips itch and I didn’t like the thickness. After spending three days with this gloss, I learned to love the consistency and it didn’t make my lips peel or itch like past colors I have tried in the past. Satellite of Love highlighting powder didn’t show up very well on my tan skin so if you are like me, you may have to be heavy handed with your applications. I need to do more experimenting with the Heat pencil - the color is nothing like any of the shades in my existing collection of pencils and shadows. I know it’ll make an awesome base for other shadows once I can master the consistency. 47th Street eye liner also disappointed a little, the glitter fallout is heavy if you use this line your lower lash line, so keep a makeup remover soaked q-tip handy and do not use this on your waterlines, as the glitter may accidentally scratch your eyes. I do still like this liner despite the fallout.
I will say these products and shades will definitely bring out the inner superstar in you. My favorite Warhol quote is, “If everyone isn’t beautiful, then no one is.” I think this collection will enhance the natural beauty of each wearer as it will spark reinvention by turning the meek into a fierce superstars. Isn’t this what Andy would have wanted?
The products I reviewed are part of the the core color collection that will be featured in Sephora and department stores as well as online.