Monica
Well-known member
When I first read about these palettes on Specktra I was curious about how easy they would be to use.I’ve heard so much about contouring lately and who hasn’t seen this picture making the rounds on pinterest?
I can make myself look like a supermodel with just a few strategic brush strokes? I’m in! So when I received these palettes in the mail on Friday (compliments of Nars) I thought the perfect time to use them would be for date night on Saturday with the husband. I figured I’d give contouring my best shot and if I walked out the door looking more like this:
than at least the dim lighting in a restaurant would be forgiving.
So from what I’ve seen NARS has been the first to jump on the boat and get these niche products to the market. I was impressed by the size of them, they’re pretty large and fit nicely into the entire palm of my hand. You can file them under “blushes” but from the texture and use, they are just pressed powder divided into highlight and low light colors. Having them together in one palette is definitely convenient and as an amateur contourist I appreciate the fact that NARS has put together two shades that compliment each other so I’m not searching for a bronzer that isn’t too shimmery to match with a highlighting powder etc. Here’s a picture of each of the color choices:
When you swipe your brush across the powder it loosens very easily so you get a good amount of product with each stroke. I included pictures of the pans after I swatched them which illustrates this can also make a mess very quickly. I liked that the powder wasn’t extremely shimmery because it made my face still look natural after I applied a few layers.
It was pretty disappointing to have the highlight colors completely blend into my natural skin tone. The colors are swatched in the picture above but they completely disappeared into my skin. I'm very light and thought at first that the lightest shade would be the best for me, however after I swatched them on my arm and saw just how light Olympia really was, I decided to use the slightly darker shade Paloma.
I didn’t get fancy with using different highlighting foundations (I’m just not that skilled) I just applied my primer and foundation and did a simple eye and dark lip. Then I took the lowlight shade and applied it in the shadows of my cheekbones, my temples, and tried to slim my nose a bit by applying it to each side and around the tip. I used the highlight shade over my brows, under my eyes, on the tops of my cheekbones & chin. I also attempted (and failed) to define my jawline a bit more by shadowing under it.
Here’s a sexy before and after shot:
The thing I liked best about this blush set is the definition I was able to achieve on my nose. I think that was the most marked change. It also it helped my dampen my shiny skin. After using the powder I felt like my skin not only looked better but also like I had some control over the parts of my face that I'm not particularly happy with. The husband doesn’t generally comment on my face, other than “you look nice”, but that night as we headed out the door he asked me if I had done something different with my make up. I simply replied, “yes”, and he told me I looked beautiful. Date night was definitely a success!
I hope this information helps you guys and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
*These products were sent to me on behalf of Specktra for my consideration compliments of NARS*
I can make myself look like a supermodel with just a few strategic brush strokes? I’m in! So when I received these palettes in the mail on Friday (compliments of Nars) I thought the perfect time to use them would be for date night on Saturday with the husband. I figured I’d give contouring my best shot and if I walked out the door looking more like this:
than at least the dim lighting in a restaurant would be forgiving.
So from what I’ve seen NARS has been the first to jump on the boat and get these niche products to the market. I was impressed by the size of them, they’re pretty large and fit nicely into the entire palm of my hand. You can file them under “blushes” but from the texture and use, they are just pressed powder divided into highlight and low light colors. Having them together in one palette is definitely convenient and as an amateur contourist I appreciate the fact that NARS has put together two shades that compliment each other so I’m not searching for a bronzer that isn’t too shimmery to match with a highlighting powder etc. Here’s a picture of each of the color choices:
When you swipe your brush across the powder it loosens very easily so you get a good amount of product with each stroke. I included pictures of the pans after I swatched them which illustrates this can also make a mess very quickly. I liked that the powder wasn’t extremely shimmery because it made my face still look natural after I applied a few layers.
It was pretty disappointing to have the highlight colors completely blend into my natural skin tone. The colors are swatched in the picture above but they completely disappeared into my skin. I'm very light and thought at first that the lightest shade would be the best for me, however after I swatched them on my arm and saw just how light Olympia really was, I decided to use the slightly darker shade Paloma.
I didn’t get fancy with using different highlighting foundations (I’m just not that skilled) I just applied my primer and foundation and did a simple eye and dark lip. Then I took the lowlight shade and applied it in the shadows of my cheekbones, my temples, and tried to slim my nose a bit by applying it to each side and around the tip. I used the highlight shade over my brows, under my eyes, on the tops of my cheekbones & chin. I also attempted (and failed) to define my jawline a bit more by shadowing under it.
Here’s a sexy before and after shot:
The thing I liked best about this blush set is the definition I was able to achieve on my nose. I think that was the most marked change. It also it helped my dampen my shiny skin. After using the powder I felt like my skin not only looked better but also like I had some control over the parts of my face that I'm not particularly happy with. The husband doesn’t generally comment on my face, other than “you look nice”, but that night as we headed out the door he asked me if I had done something different with my make up. I simply replied, “yes”, and he told me I looked beautiful. Date night was definitely a success!
I hope this information helps you guys and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
*These products were sent to me on behalf of Specktra for my consideration compliments of NARS*
maybe you can upload bigger ones that we can click on and see products more up close
