Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Do you remember where you were when NARS announced the NARSissist Palette? Ah, I remember it like it was yesterday. Not really. I can't even remember what I did yesterday. I'm assuming I saw it and then proceeded to wipe the drool off my mouth. 

The NARSissist Palette includes 15 signature NARS eyeshadows. 

NARS NARSissist Palette

NARS NARSissist Palette

(From top left to right:)

  • All About Eve #1 - a flesh-toned neutral. It's a bit more yellow-toned than what the picture shows and it's definitely frosty. It applied opaque and smooth to work with.
  • Madrague #2 - a matte caramel. This is a fantastic transition shade to put in your crease. Opaque and nice to work with.
  • Fez - a velvety cocoa. I have no clue where they got that description as this is a nice copper-bronze. This shade was a dream to work with. Super soft, buttery and opaque.
  • Bali - a neutral. I would describe it as a matte taupe-y brown. Bali on my arm was horrible. It was patchy and would sheer away in seconds. Bali on my eyelid was completely different. It was pigmented and nice to work with. Go figure.
  • Coconut Grove - a deep brown infused with reflections. I have no clue what reflections they're talking about as this is a matte warm brown. Same issues with Bali. Sheer on the arm but pigmented on the eye. 
  • Madrague #1 - a matte cream. Definitely yellow-toned. It was a bit chalky on my arm but showed up better with primer. A bit stiff.
  • Nepal - a soft sheer rose. I would describe it as a nice rose gold with a frost finish. Another shade that was perfection to work with. Soft, buttery and opaque.
  • Ashes to Ashes - a shimmery violet based brown. Gorgeous color and great opacity. Smooth to work with. Buttery and soft.
  • Brousse #2 - a black violet. I would say it's more smokey than blackened. It was a tiny bit dry to work with but manageable. Pretty good pigmentation.
  • Mekong - an espresso infused with shimmer. It's more of a matte shade with some shimmer in it if that makes sense. Patchy on the arm but really nice on the eyelid.
  • Bellissima #1 - a shimmering beige with subtle glitter. When I swatched this on my arm, it barely showed up. On my fingers and eyes however, totally different story. It was pigmented and stunning. It's a bit powdery but workable.
  • Lhasa - a lavender grey. Another hard shade to swatch. On the arm, it was super patchy and hard to work with. A bit stiff. On the eye, it was pigmented and nice to work with.
  • Bad Behavior - a deep pewter. This is a grey with teal shimmer that refused to come out for swatches. I swear, it's there. Great color pay off on the eye and smooth to work with.
  • Dogon #2 - a charcoal. I thought it was a deep navy and actually had to recheck other's reviews to make sure. It's a navy with super subtle shimmer. On the arm and the eye, it was meh for me. Stiff to work with. 
  • Pandora #2 - a matte black. Another meh for me. It's black. It's patchy. It sheered away. 


Let me just say that these were the worst eyeshadows to swatch. Each shade on my arm was completely different than how they looked on my eyes. That's good news for people who don't go around wearing their eyeshadow on their arms. I've also come to the conclusion that all of these are way better when using primer underneath. Some eyeshadows you can get away with not using one but I think there's a drastic difference between using a primer with this palette and not using a primer. Go with a primer. 

(Lid: Lhasa | Crease: Madrague #2 | Outer Corner: Brousse #2 | Inner Corner: Bellissma #1 | Bottom Lid: Fez and Madrague #2)

There were some hits and some misses in this palette, for sure. I fell in love with Fez and Nepal. Bali, Coconut Grove and Pandora #2 didn't do anything for me. So, the million dollar question: Is it work $80? Yes and no. Yes, if you don't mind working with some shadows. I find that almost all of these are fine when you use a primer. No, if you don't like using primer or don't want to spend $80 on a palette that isn't perfection (I totally hear ya!). 

Buy: Beauty.com | Price: $79
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