NARS Blush in Gilda, Roman Holiday Lipstick and Oil Free Foundation in Sante Fe

Sorry for hibernating so long. I’ve been busy after the holidays because I am doing skin care and appreciation workshop nationwide. I’ve been to Baguio and Cebu last week and now I am here in Davao. Tomorrow I am bound to Zamboanga. Plus, I organized a spa party at Terra Wellness Spa in Discovery Suites, Ortigas. What a way to start 2010!

And to bribe myself for all these toxicity, I knew I had to see Lara in the middle of my PRESS rounds. And so I did. I visited NARS in Shang Tower last January 14, 2010 and got the following items: NARS Blush in Gilda, Roman Holiday Lipstick and Oil Free Foundation in Santa Fe. Ooooppsss...one of these is a GWP.

NARS Gilda Blush is a very nice peach blush that gives me instant flush naturally. It is not shimmery and very pigmented that I really have to just apply it with lightly. A little goes a long way with this blush. If you are too acidic, this one can turn too orangey on you. During the makeover that Lara did to me, she contoured my face first with Laguna bronzer then applied Gilda at the apples of my cheeks and presto! I look fresh and blooming already. I must say, the reviews in GT and other blogs are right, it is a must-have NARS blush. Next target, NARS Desire Blush.

NARS Roman Holiday Lipstick is a delicate pink lipstick with sheer formulation. I’ve been lemming this since last year but it is always out of stock. When Lara texted me that it is already available, I reserved one immediately. I was about to buy the Velvet Matte Lip version instead of the sheer lipstick one but I do not have a jumbo pencil sharpener. And I am not ready to invest on a Php 395 worth of sharpener from Lara. And so i got the lipstick version. I love the color! Just enough pink color. Not too cold, not too loud and not too pale too! I was able to try MAC Pink Noveau and thought that it was too loud for me (but my thoughts are now reconsidering getting one since I saw gorgeous reviews about it, I just need more courage!) Revlon Matte Pink is too light for me and makes me look zombie-ish. And so I did not get one. But Roman Holiday just gives me the right delicate pink. I think this one is also perfect for bridal makeup because of its pastel pink color. The only downside I see with this one is its staying power. But I think you can layer it with a nude lip pencil and top again with another layer of Roman Holiday for a stronger staying power. Next lippie project, NARS Niagara or Rouge D’ Enfer. I was eyeing at Jungle Red at first but Lara told me that this is a more wearable one).

NARS Oil Free Foundation in Sante Fe knocks me off my feet! I used to try NARS Firming Foundation in the same shade but I feel though turns oily on me. But NARS Oil Free Foundation in Santa Fe is way different! It lasts up to 8 hours on me without any oiliness at all! I think I will stick to this one. Plus the shade is perfect. I used to think that Barcelona is my shade but since I am a bit acidic, Sante is just perfect! I am NC30 in MAC for reference. I hope Lara would give me Santa Fe Powder Foundation....paging Lara, NARS goddess! Yohoooo!!!!

I am sooooooo happy with my latest NARS haul. These truly relieves my stress over the past 3 weeks. Makeup is really therapeutic for me!

Since I asked Lara to do me a makeover, here are some of our pix and a rundown of what she used on me.

Face:

Oil Free Foundation in Santa Fe

Powder Foundation in Santa Fe

Alhambra Eyeshadow Duo

Ipanema Brow Pencil

Mambo Eyeliner Pencil (lower lashlines)

Laura Mercier Caviar Eyeliner (upper lashlines using NARS Push Liner Brush)

Laguna Bronzer for contour

Luster Blush to add contour

Gilda Blush at the apples of my cheeks

Roman Holiday Lipstick

All for now!

NARS Semi Matte Lipstick in Schiap

Still part of my Hollywood look, I passed by Lara’s counter yesterday and was originally planning to get NARS Roman Holiday Velvet Matte Lip Pencil. But since it is out of stock, the ever chikadora Lara recommended NARS Schiap instead. It was so scary when you see it on display because this is a very hot pink lipstick, just like Barbie’s lips. But when Lara taught me how to make it more sophisticated when applied, i did not pass the chance to grab one. Lara dabbed NARS Schiap on my lips and smudge it using Turkish Delight lip gloss. He then showed me the resemblance of Schiap + Turkish Delight combo and Roman Holiday as he put Roman Holiday on my bottom lips. And believe me, they really look the same! Plus, since it is semi-matte, the staying power is better than Roman Holiday which has a sheer formula. Lara, dear, you are an angel that brings color to our lips and cheeks!!!

Of course, he gave me a cream eyeshadow in Nomad and 2 tunes of the firming foundation in Santa Fe. I also road tested NARS Gilda blush and will sure get this one before the end of this year. Next lippie project: Jungle Red or Cruella? Lara, help!

NARS Blush in Silvana

I’ve been watching the series “Lipstick Jungle” and I love the makeup of Victory Ford there. She’s always wearing a blush on the peach/ tan/ apricot side. And so I am guessing that one of those blushes she uses is NARS Silvana. And finally, I got one for myself. It is also my first time to meet Lara of NARS Shang Tower who was very famous in Girltalk for being a very nice and accommodating MA.
Of course, the very next day I immediately used it in the office. I paired it with one of my MAC technakohls (Smoothblue) and NARS Dolce Vita Lipstick and Dior Lipgloss. See my look below: Face:
Olay Total Effects A Touch of Foundation
ELF Mineral Foundation in Light
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW30 for my undereyes

Eyes:
MAC Technakohl in Smoothblue
Cheeks:
NARS Silvana

Lips:
NARS Dolce Vita Lipstick
Dior Lipgloss
(It doesn't have the shade written on the tube, I got it as a gift from my boss =P )

Evaluation??? I so love love love NARS Silvana, More than my NARS Orgasm. It just gives me the perfect sunkissed look. It has the glow but less the shimmer, which is why I like it more than Sertao or Luster. So Victory Fordish! Plus I can pair it with neutral e/s or even smoky or bold eye makeup. Very versatile for me. I can even use it for contouring my cheeks then top with NARS orgasm for a pinkish glow.


Plus, there’s a freebie from Lara! She gave me NARS e/s in Indian Song which is a very nice neutral e/s. Hmmm, I noticed that I am beginning to like everything ‘Indian’ in NARS. Indian Summer, Indian Song, Indian Red... And I am beginning to like NARS over MAC. I do not know but I am being dragged to NARS everytime I attempt to go to MAC. Addiction, are you there???

NARS Orgasm VS. Lumiere’s Ditto “O” Blush

I really cannot bear it anymore. My longing for NARS Orgasm blush is really intense that finally, last Thursday, I am so lucky to get one from Rustan’s Makati. Since I will be able to get my Lumiere Ditto “O” Blush after the long weekend (because of shipping concerns), I decided I should get NARS Orgasm so that I can sleep soundly that night. This is how impulsive I am.

When I get home and tried NARS Orgasm Blush (I got the regular blush, not The Multiple) on my cheeks, I initially thought that it doesn’t show on my NC30 skin. But after blending and layering, I was able to come up with the right pinkish glow I am dying to have. One thing I just noticed is that NARS Orgasm is less pigmented and glittery than it’s The Multiple version. For that, I am certainly buying the latter one next time. Though I am more comfortable using a blush brush in applying blushes, I feel that it’s The Multiple version is more fuzz-free and easier to apply.

When I road tested NARS Orgasm in an ordinary workday, I noticed that it gets more pink and glowing as time goes by. This makes me love NARS Orgasm more.

Monday on this week, I got my online purchase of Lumiere Ditto “O” blush from http://gettickledpink.multiply.com . As excited as I am, I removed my existing makeup and reapplied everything, but this time using Ditto “O” as my blush. I must that this one is more pigmented than NARS Orgasm because just a little amount of it made my cheeks look like flushing hot! It also has less shimmers but more frost. When you compare the two from their own containers, they really look the same in terms of color. But when I applied it, I find Ditto “O” pink-ier than NARS Orgasm.

The verdict: If I am looking for convenience and I want a glowing shimmery effect, I will use NARS Orgasm. I like it because the packaging comes with a mirror which made touch-ups so easy. But if I want something that can give me the same flush and I have the luxury of time blending and buffing, I would choose Lumiere Ditto “O”. For its price, it’s really a great value for my well earned moolah. Both give that perfect pinkish glow which will surely brighten your face when you are too lazy to do a full makeover.

NARS Workshop at Rustan’s Heaven at the 5th

Since August 21 is a non-working holiday, I went o Rustan’s for my weekly dose of theraphy, make-up window shopping. I then remembered that Robbie, NARS’ SA in Rustan’s Makati told me that there’s a NARS workshop at 2pm that same day. Since I do not intend on buying anything for that day, I just went up at Heaven at the 5^th for the workshop. We were just 10 present in the workshop and the Brand officer Pam entertained me at first. She taught me basic skin care from cleansing, toning to using a makeup primer (NARS has a nice oil-free makeup pri mer,too!). When it’s time for me to try NARS makeup, Michelle (I hope I remember the name right), the makeup artist of Laura Mercier and NARS’ consultant, took over. She recommended that i use Barcelona Oil Free Liquid Foundation in Barcelona (Php 2,550) then set it with Barcelona Powder Foundation (Php 2,750). At first i thought Barcelona is a tad dark for me but when I applied it, it’s just the right color that gives me a little tint of sunkissed look. It made my pale skin warmer a bit. She also applied concealer in Vanilla.Honey duo for my dark undereyes. Although i’m not sold at the concealer because my undereyes turned ashy in some photos.

After concealing, she proceeded with the colors. She used Kalahari Eyeshadow duo (Php 1,750) on me, as she intend to do a natural smokey-ish look. Natural because she uses browns and grays instead of blacks and silvers. Smokey-ish because of the technique she used. She also framed my face by enhancing my eyebrows with Eye Brow pencil in Ipanema (Php 1,150) which i think perfectly suits my hair color. As highlighter for my brow bone, she used the lightest shade in the Indian Summer Eyeshadow Duo. I love the way she arched my brows! It brightened my face and framed my features. She finished my eye look by lining it with Mambo Eyeliner ( a dark bronze eyeliner). I must say, this is the first time that I appreciated bronze/brown eyeliner. I always use black because some brown eyeliners makes me look like I just got out of a bad sleep. This Mambo eyeliner will definitely on my to-buy list next time.

Of course, a NARS look won’t be complete without their signature blushes. Since I told Michelle I’ve been using Orgasm for quite sometime, she used Dolce Vita Blush (Php 1,350) this time. It looks dark on the palette but when she brushed it on my cheeks, it gives me just the right glow! Oh, i am now so in-loved with all NARS items in Dolce Vita (Blush, Lipstick, lipgloss). As finishing touch, she used Bahama Velvet Matte Lip Liner and topped it with Chihuahua Lip Gloss for a little plumping effect.

I was really overwhelmed with the look she created for me so i asked Robbie to list down everything she used on me so that I can blog it out (and who knows, I might be able to buy them soon!).

After the workshop, I went around the mall and went home 4 hours after. When i got home, i rushed to the mirror to check if my makeup is still intact. And indeed, everything is still intact after 4 hours of humid exposure! Oh i am so loving NARS now, not just the blushes and the lippies. I’m starting to like even the eyeshadows and the makeup base. Plus I want to try that Velvet Matte lip Liner in Dolce Vita and Cruella! (Michelle wears Cruella then, and she is uber gorgeous with this red lippie)

Me after going around the mall for hours... Makeup still intact.

NARS Sheer Lipstick and Lipgloss in Dolce Vita

I have been reading raves about these lippies as one of bestselling ‘My Lips But Better” from NARS. As NARS website described it, it is a dusty rose sheer lipstick that flatters practically all skin tones. And I must agree, it is a very safe shade of lippie. Lately, I find myself grabbing this one more than my MAC Viva Glam VI lippie. Luckily, the one that I got comes with a lipgloss in the same shade. When I use the lipstick and lipgloss together, the staying power is uber longlasting. I use it in the morning, eat snacks by 10:30 am then lunch at 1pm, still the color is there, only the gloss was wiped away. But when I use just the lipstick, the staying power is good but there’s a need for retouch after eating. I came to realize then that it lipgloss version is more pigmented as the color stays longer when I use it without the lipstick. But the gloss is way way stickier than the lipstick, or than any other lipgloss for that matter. Perhaps that attributes to its long staying power, it sticks to your lips much.

I read in the website that Dolce Vita has the Velvet matte Lipliner version,too! I’ve tried Velvet Matte Lip Liner in Bahama, and the staying power is nice too. I think i should try Velvet Matte Lip Liner in Dolce Vita too to see if this is an equivalent of the Dolce Vita lipstick plus lipgloss in one tube.