by Chrissy Iley
The NARS cosmetics store on Melrose Avenue is the crack cocaine of make-up. I can’t resist it. I can’t stop going in there. I can’t stop looking at new colours and their exquisite names. New blushers called Sex Appeal and Deep Throat. An eye shadow palette called Fairy’s Kiss. And another called Ride Up To The Moon.
In fact I went into the store because a friend had asked me if I was wearing my And God Created The Woman Palette (£40.50). I thought if a palette can be that recognisable with its pinkie smoky dark and shimmering colours it must be worth another visit.
This time a make-up artist called Holly who is also a nurse (she lives to make people feel better) told me about a make-up primer called Radiance Enhancing Pro-Prime (£25.00). She talked fast and she applied efficiently. And before I knew it I had a full new face featuring a new gold and purple eye duo that’s halfway between a powder and a cream.
Holly says her mother told her she has the brains of a Corvette and the brakes of a Chevy. And what she does to your face is like a shot of adrenaline – she fuels beauty.
The primer is light optimising, which Holly says gives your face an all over soft focus glow. Like glasses that go from light to dark, the primer refracts and dances with light.
It sounds like a magic trick, but imagine having a face that looks like it came out of a 1930s movie. While on the subject of primers I tried the eye primer, the Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base (£19.00). You put it on and your eye make-up has staying power. Says Holly, ‘You could sleep in this eye make-up and it would still be on the next day. I know we’ve all done that.’
I love the non-judgemental Holly and quite by chance I fell asleep in full make-up and awoke with a deliciously smoky eye still intact. These prime numbers are magic.