Nars Blush Palette - A Review

It's been a while. I know, I know. Apologies for the lack of posts over the last month or so. I think with all that is currently going on, motivation was lost along the way. I'm sure that many have felt this way through one lockdown to another. I won't carry on, I know we are all in this together. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that we will return to some form of normality sometime soon. 

Ever since starting this blog, I can remember lusting over Nars blush palette posts. Seeing these blog posts, with gorgeous flat lay's showcasing the packaging and the product, made me fall in love. I can remember adding it to my wish list right away, and thinking that one day I may treat myself to one of these beautiful palettes. My dreams came true this Christmas after finding this beauty in my stocking (thank you so much Sam).

Firstly, how pretty is the pink metallic outer packaging?! It's so striking and reflects the light at all angles. The compact itself is slightly weighty, and contains a perfectly sized mirror which will come in handy on the go and when travelling makes a return. The palette contains 6 shades, 3 blusher shades - Let It Burn, Get Lost and Body Talk, with 3 highlighting shades - Tied Up, Deep Down and Drift. I have loved mixing the blush shades together and creating different variations that I can wear on my cheeks. Similarly, the highlighting shades also make such pretty eye lid eyeshadow shades.

The pigmentation of each of these shades is just out of this world. The highlights are so creamy in their texture. If the kind of highlighter you like to wear is more on the blinding side, these shades may not be for you. They're very natural looking on the skin, almost a your skin but better kind of vibe. But I love them for that reason. It's lovely to have the option to wear something more subtle on the daily, but they are definitely buildable, making them more reflective when the light hits the high points of your face. With the blushers, a little goes a long way which is amazing. 

Since opening this on Christmas Day, I haven't put it down. Nars is slowly becoming one of my favourite higher end make up brands. I can 100% see this palette becoming one of my staple make up items in my routine.

Have you tried any Nars products? What are your recommendations?

Amber X

Italy Sephora Buys

Of course there was going to be a Sephora trip whilst we were away in Italy. In fact, I think we ended up going into three, haha. Due to the lack of Sephora's in the UK, I just had to make the most of it whilst I could.. It would have been rude not too. Here are the bits that I treated myself too.

Mac 'Yash' and 'Whirl' 
Technically, Sephora don't sell Mac, but I brought these two whilst we were away, and I couldn't not include them. As after all, who doesn't love a new Mac lipstick?? Yash has been one of my firm favourites of their matte lipsticks, since first trying it in first year of university. I had been missing it dearly since I had used each last bit of it - I had even been using a lip brush to not waste the product at the bottom of the bullet.. So you could say it was well loved, and that it was overdue that I picked up a new one. It goes perfectly with Mac Whirl lip liner. Again, I had sharpened the pencil until it was miniscule and thought it be best if I replaced it. Both are lip products I love to use on the daily, or with a blown out brown smokey eye, for an evening look.

Nars Climax Mascara
There isn't a mascara that has such an impact on my lashes as this one. Only one dunk in the tube is needed to coat the entirety of my lashes, top and bottom. It adds volume, without making clumps as well as separating the lashes, fanning them out. It's one of my all time top favourite mascaras - the wand and formula is just amazing!

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in 'Good Times' 
I was yet to try any of the Nars lipstick range, and this one caught my eye after swatching half of the whole lipstick collection. The shade Good Times is a nude brown shade I would say, and goes really well also, with Mac Whirl lipliner. It's the perfect handbag size and feels super comfortable on the lips. It's a very similar colour to Mac's Yash, but looks darker when it has been applied.

Nars Orgasm Afterglow Lip Balm
After falling in love with this in the Sephora in Rome and it being out of stock, I was gutted. Especially as I knew it was a product that was a part of the infamous Orgasm range. Having stumbled across a second Sephora in Nice, there was one left. I knew it was meant to be. This has been an everyday staple for my routine since buying it. It's super lightweight and gives the lips a lovely sheen, whilst moisturising at the same time. Of course, it would be cheaper to buy a tub of Vaseline, but this lip balm is bloody beautiful.

Here are some terrible swatches of all of the lip products mentioned in this post. As you can see both of the lipsticks are very similar! I didn't actually notice this until they were side by side, but they're both beautiful. If you're a lover of a good nude lipstick, you'd be a fan of either of these. From the bottom: Mac Yash, Nars Good Times, Nars Orgasm Afterglow Lip Balm, and lastly, Mac Whirl Lipliner.

Have you tried any of these make up bits? Do you wish Sephora was in the UK?

Amber X 

Nars Climax Mascara - A Review

Mascara is one of many beauty products that I don't think I try enough of. I simply find one that I like, and never steer far from that one product. There are some great mascara's on the market - Maybelline have some amazing ones! But when my last mascara left me with a horrible rash on my eyelid, I knew that it was definitely time to take the time to find one that worked for me and left my skin alone.

Nars has always been a brand that I have wanted to try more of. Their well known for their cult products such as the 'Orgasm' collection - of which the blush is beautiful and everyone needs to bless their cheeks with. Nars packaging is so luxurious, and as soon as you see it, you know it's Nars. Of course, Nars is on the spectrum of being more high end in terms of their price range, but that doesn't mean you can't treat yourself once in a while, am I right?! The Nars Climax mascara is one of the newer beauty launches, and it comes at £21 a tube.

Packaging 
The tube of mascara itself holds a weight to it - something about that makes it feel more expensive than your run of the mill (but sometimes an absolute gem) drugstore mascara. As well as the weight, the design of the tube is rather different to any other mascara bottle I have personally come across. I love the red colour too.

Wand
I love a chunky mascara wand - I'm not a fan of those tiny little brushes, that don't cover most of your lashes in one swipe. I don't want to spend ages trying to make sure that every lash has some product on. Although small wands can be ideal for the lower lash line, I'd much rather a big, fluffy wand that in one coat, covers all my eyelashes. The climax mascara wand most certainly does that. I've never seen much volume in my lashes either! I was honestly shocked at how huge my lashes used after applying one coat! The wand evenly covers all lashes in sight. Another problem I tend to find with mascara's that claim they add volume, is 'clumpiness'. Yet I didn't find that with this one. Hooray!

Wear 
This mascara is in the shade 'Explicit Black'. Which it definitely is. Sometimes I find with voluminous mascaras, that the volume holds for a couple of hours or so, and then you feel like your lashes look flat as they were before any application of mascara - anyone else with me? However, this mascara did hold volume in my lashes and I was pleasantly surprised with the longevity of it too. I didn't discover any transfer onto my under eye or just below my eyebrows either - this is such a winner! It definitely ticks many of my boxes when it comes to loving a new mascara.

What's your favourite mascara?

Amber X

(Thanks again Sam)