3 Unique Looks With NARS' Newly Formulated Eyeshadows

NARS Cosmetics has been one of the most talked about beauty brands in the industry. Aside from its iconic and cheekily named blush, Orgasm, the brand also has an assortment of cosmetics that beauty fans around the love and swear by — such as their flawless foundations, beachy bronzers, liquid lippies and of course, their stunning range of eyeshadows.

Back with a beautiful new collection, NARS is reinventing their eyeshadow collection with 92 existing and new eyeshadow shades. The new line of single and duo eyeshadows have been reinvented with advanced technology to create eyeshadows with stronger pigments and longer-lasting power. The new formula comes in a buttery texture that glides on smoothly and finishes with a velvety and almost-satin-like texture upon application.

So good news, if you’re wondering how these eyeshadows fare on the lids, continue reading because we’re doing a quick rundown on the basics that we achieved from the NARS Single Eyeshadow collection.

From natural nudes, to a sweet summery look (and of course, your classic sultry smokey eye), we tried our hands with the new Single Eyeshadow collection from NARS.

Look # 1: Natural Nudes

Natural makeup is the effortless look we’ve been chasing for years. There are often times where we confuse a natural makeup look with no eyeshadows but truth be told, there’s a whole lot more to nude eyeshadow than just that.

Look #1: NARS Single Eyeshadows in Nepal, a shimmering soft rose, (left) and Noumea, a sienna (right)

So what’s the secret? Work with the tones in your skin. For this look, we’re going for a nude smokey eye that’s exactly what it sounds like, a nude rendition of the classic smokey eye, with flattering shades the blend into each other. Here, we used two shades from the Single Eyeshadow range — Nepal and Noumea.

Look #1: Natural Nudes Eyeshadow Look with NARS Single Eyeshadows

After priming your eyes with the new NARS Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, add Nepal to your lids to be used as a base for the next step to your eye look. Then, using a small pointed eyeshadow brush, add Noumea to the outer corners of your eyes, before going over with Nepal again to blend it all together. Top it off with an eyeliner like the one from NARS in Altiplano, to further define your eyes.

Makeup Used:
NARS Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Medium, $40
Eyeshadow: NARS Single Eyeshadow in Nepal and Noumea, $33 each
Eyeliner: NARS Kohliner in Altiplano, $40
Lips: NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in Somebody To Love, $40
Blush: NARS Blush in Orgasm, $50

Look #2: Sweet Summer

A bright blue makeup look is a classic summery look that should always be in your arsenal. After all, bright eyeshadows are often neglected in many eyeshadow palettes, so here’s a fun way to use them.

Look #2: NARS Single Eyeshadows in Douro, a bright matte yellow (top left), Bali, a matte deep neutral taupe (top right), Showgirl, a shimmering electric blue (bottom left), Rio De La Plata, an iridescent soft gold (bottom right).

We’re kicking things off a notch by showing you how to work these bright and bold colours into a bold but still wearable makeup look with the NARS Single Eyeshadows in Douro, Barley, Showgirl and Rio De La Plata.

Look #2: Sweet Summer Look with NARS Single Eyeshadows

To achieve this colour scheme, start with a shimmery base like Rio De La Plata. Follow up by adding some depth to the creases of your eyes with a deeper shade like Bali. Before moving on to the next eyeshadow step, use a liquid eyeliner to define your eyes. Line both your top and bottom lashline with the NARS Eyeliner Stylo in Carpates. Then, using the blue eyeshadow in Showgirl as an eyeliner, spray a push eyeliner brush with water to dampen before tapping it on your hand to remove excess water. Follow up by pushing the brush into the lashline with the eyeshadow in feathery strokes for more definition.

We can all agree that yellow is indeed 2018’s iconic colour. But if you’re one who still shies away from the colour, then an alternative (and easier) way of pulling off this shade is to apply it to the inner corners of the eyes (similar to the look shown in the picture above). Using the NARS Single Eyeshadow in Duoro, pat and blend some of the yellow shade at the top of your lids, making sure that there aren’t any harsh creases.

Makeup Used:
NARS Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Medium, $40
Eyeshadow: NARS Single Eyeshadow in Douro, Bali, Showgirl and Rio De La Plata, $33 each
Eyeliner: NARS Eyeliner in Carpates, $42
Lips: NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Le Palace, $40
Blush: NARS Blush in Amour, $50

Look #3: Soft & Sultry

It’s not always about the black/grey eyeshadow shades that define a smoky eye. If you’re looking to achieve a smouldering eyeshadow look without going heavy on the black eyeshadow, this new technique might just do the trick.

Look #3: Isla Bonita, an iridescent white gold (left) and Argentina, an iridescent violet with blue shimmer (right)

Always start with lighter colours and work deeper, just like the Isla Bonita shade from NARS. When you start with a lighter base, you have more control over the saturation of the finished look. It also helps with the darker shades that you’ll be layering over, making it easier for you to blend things out later on.

Look #3: Soft & Sultry Look with NARS Single Eyeshadows

But here’s the twist — instead of using a dark eyeshadow shade, we’re using the eyeliner from NARS in Sorrento to line our eyes before buffing it out. Taking a tiny smudge brush, start at the outer corner then work inwards to smoke out the line that you’ve created with the eyeliner (this includes your bottom lashline as well). By doing so, it helps to mimic the natural shadow of your eyes, and it balances the depths of your eyes so it doesn’t look too heavy on the top! Then, complete your look by lightly blending Argentina over for a diffused yet striking effect.

Makeup Used:
NARS Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Light, $40
Eyeshadow: NARS Single Eyeshadow in Argentina and Isla Bonita, $33 each
Eyeliner: NARS Kohliner in Sorrento, $40
Lips: NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Playpen, $40
Blush: NARS Blush in Madly, $50

Single Eyeshadows

On top of that, these brilliant eyeshadows also come in a wide range of finishes to suit any occasion — these include Hardwired Sheens, Precious Metals, Pure Pops and Soft Essentials.

Hardwired sheens – Multidimensional glitters to add dramatic shine.

NARS Single Eyeshadows – Precious Metals

Precious metals – Metallic shimmers to create soft pops of colour or build dimension.

Pure Pops – Bright vivid shades to add an unexpected a burst of colour.

NARS Single Eyeshadows – Soft Essentials

Soft Essentials – Essential basic and neutrals, in buttery mattes and smooth satins.

Aside from that, the Single Eyeshadows make customising your dream palette ever-so-possible. What we love most about it is that the eyeshadow pans are magnetic, and can easily be removed and snapped onto other palettes. And believe it or not, there’s already a term for that, depotting. No, we’re not dealing with plants, but we’re talking about placing all your favourite shades into one palette. It comes as no new secret that depotting is still prevalent and remains a daily topic of discussion, but as far as we now, it definitely saves a lot of time, space and money.

Duo Eyeshadows

You know the saying, “Two is better than one”. Well, there’s no disagreeing on that. NARS Duo Eyeshadows come in complementary shades that work well with one another and can be applied with a brush or finger. One of their bestsellers, the Kuala Lumpur palette, comes in shades of rose gold and boysenberry infused with gold, which goes effortlessly well on all skin tones for a soft, shimmery and feminine look.

Bestselling Single Eyeshadow shades from NARS – Mendoza, an iridescent bronze with pink shimmer (left) and Melrose, an iridescent pink with gold sparkles (right).

So if you’re wondering which ones are the bestsellers out of all the shades available from the collection, we’ll be glad to let you know that they are — Melrose and Mendoza. Simply use your ring finger to press the shade on the center of your lid to bring instant light to your eyes. They’re super wearable and versatile — it practically fits any occasion, be it day or night!