by Chrissy Iley
I was walking past the NARS shop on Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, and was seduced by their new ‘sex boxes’ Domination is a limited edition cheek palette and Maitresse is a vivid red lipstick gloss and nail polish. Climax is a hot pink lip/nail set.
The names always do it for me, and once I was in I was enthralled by a collection of new eye shadows called the NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadows (£21.00). They are individual shadows, which you can apply like a normal eye shadow and still get a soft vividness, a great smoky eye with a metallic flair. But if you wet them – and that is the really fun part – and paint them on with a brush you get an entirely different higher intensity. A glossy finish that stays put.
I chose Subra, which is a deep purple. Softly smoky when applied dry but vampishly vibrant when wet. My favourite Callisto is a tarnished silver, which goes from subtle to wild in one easy swipe of the brush.
To go with the new shadows are Soft Touch shadow pencils, retractable eye liners that are super soft, black with a hint of midnight or a hint of jade. They have a lovely glassy finish .They are easy to apply and self sharpening. By that I mean they are retractable and come with a tip sharpener.
Applying the shadows wet was like playing with make-up as a child. You have to discover new ways of exactly how to do it. There is a small learning curve. You don’t have to wet the brush too much. If you do you end up looking like a toy panda.
There is a downside; these colours will ruin normal brushes so I will have to buy a nylon brush, which should be long lasting. I like the new NARS brush but I could not help thinking I wish it was not needed. Other than that they provided hours of fun.
Cases are magnetic so they are harder to lose at the bottom of a big bag; another plus. Each shadow costs £21, you have to justify it by telling yourself there are two very different ways of applying it so it is like you are getting two shades as opposed to one very expensive one.