Sephora Beauty In A Box: NARS Junkie

It’s been a long time since I have seen a Holiday gift set quite this good. Yes, the limited edition and Sephora-exclusive Beauty In A Box — NARS Junkie ($80) has stolen my heart — and soon enough, a good chunk of my monthly makeup budget.

Before I go on gushing about the set, first let me tell you what it contains:

• Essential Eye Palette — 5 x 0.05 oz Eyeshadows in Night Star (sheer peach with gold pearls), Galapagos (rich bronze with gold flecks), Nepal (rose with shimmer), Ondine (plum with gold shimmer), Thunderball (midnight gray) and 0.03 oz Cream Shadow in Unconditional Love (peach beige shimmer)
• 0.28 oz Lip Gloss in Ophelia (strawberry nectar)
• 0.14 oz mini Multiple in Orgasm (peachy pink shimmer)
• 0.08 oz mini Bronzer in Laguna (brown with golden shimmer)
• Illustrated how-to guides that creates three different looks: “Bronzed Glow, Sparkling Eye,” “Romantic and Radiant,” and “A Sophisticated, Smoldering Eye.”

The Value is — Dare I Say It — Amazeballs!

Here’s a look at how much you get for the price.

• Each Eyeshadow contains 71% of the full size ($26).
• The Cream Eyeshadow contains 30% of the full size ($26).
• The Lip Gloss is a full sized product ($28).
• The Multiple contains 28% of the full size ($46).
• The Bronzer contains 29% of the full size ($38).

Now, it doesn’t seem like a lot until we do the math — this one is for my fellow math geeks:

5 x (71% x $26 single eyeshadow)
+ (30% x $26 cream eyeshadow)
+ $28 lip gloss
+ (28% x $46 Multiple)
+ (29% x $38 bronzer)
= $152

All prices are in Canadian dollars.  Um, hullo? $80 seems a little steep at first, but taking a closer look, you are actually getting a deep 47% discount.

Undercover Detective Swatches

Unfortunately I couldn’t find the set at my Sephora yet, but as a beauty blogger, I felt that it was my duty to find you swatches.  All the products are permanent colours.  Sorry about the poor quality of the photos; these were from my iPhone.

Top row: Nepal / Ondine / Night Star
Bottom row: Thunderball / Unconditional Love (cream) / Galapagos

Orgasm Multiple / Laguna Bronzer / Ophelia Lip Gloss

Who’s with Me?

Are you digging these colours and the price, too?  This set really has exceptional value for the kinds of looks you can create with it.  The matte shade, Thunderball, applied as smooth as the shimmers.  Ondine really blew me away with its gold shimmer.  To be honest, I might even send this blog post to BF as a heavy hint for what I want this Christmas.  Seriously.

Has any value set crossed your beauty radar yet and screamed you-need-me-now-woman!?

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2010. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Makeup, NARS, Sneak Peek, Swatches | Tags: gift sets, now lusting, wishlist

Does anyone ever feel like going on a major makeup haul?  That happened to me today.  Around 3:00 pm at work, it hit me all of a sudden: I want to go makeup shopping.  If I don’t, I think I might explode.  So far, these are in my ohmygodIneeditnowgiveittomenaooo list.

Laura Mercier “African Violet” Eyeshadow

Source: StrawberryNET.com

Of course, the product photo doesn’t do it justice, but African Violet is the prettiest plum/greenish gold duochrome. It’s quite sparkly, but it’s a grown up kinda sparkle. Does that even make sense? I don’t know! But I want it!  Of course TNBTTGSY has the best swatch of it here, from last year’s Laura Mercier holiday palettes.

Chanel “Pink Teaser” Glossimer

Source: chanel.com

It’s Chanel. *sigh* I happen to own no Chanel, and I plan to change that with the Chanel Les Contrastes de Chanel Fall 2010 collection. Perhaps a Glossimer to start?  Swatch here.

Chanel “Enigma” Eyeshadow quad

Source: MakeupAndBeautyBlog.com (photo linked to Karen’s look)

And while I’m at it, I am also eyeing this eyeshadow quad from the same collection.  It costs a whopping US$56, which I’m sure converts to like $200 Canadian.  LOL.

Any Bad Makeup Cravings Lately?

Please tell me I’m not alone.  The Fall 2010 collections have been killing it for me lately.  They are all so gorgeous, making me want to rock a full on dark smoky eyes.  But of course, I can’t.  It’s still too hot to wear that much eye makeup!

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2010. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Chanel, Laura Mercier, Makeup | Tags: now lusting

After work today I stopped by the Holt Renfrew nearby to pick up a sample of NARS Illuminator in Orgasm.  As I was walking around, a lady from the shu uemura counter stopped me to ask if I wanted a quick eyebrow touch up.  ”Two minutes,” she said.  Before I could get a hold of myself I somehow blurted out “Okay!” even though I know it will not be two minutes.

She started by showing me the brow pencil, which she ran back and forth just barely skimming my brow hairs.  Of course, this was the day that I decided to forego filling in my brows, and wow!  What a difference.

So that’s it, we’re done right?  Wrong.  She went on to show me the SPF 30 mousse (amazing, but I just started to use another sunscreen), a bronzy blush (kind of too shimmery, and looked like something I had), then sprayed my sticky humidity face with some water thingamabob.

I decided to go with a matte baby pink blush, glow on blush in m 33 e.

I’ll try to get some pics and swatches tomorrow night.  It is really quite pretty.

And of course, do I leave the shu uemura counter without ooh-ing and aah-ing at the false lashes?  This one, called Lavender Bloom, is like Smoky Layers‘ conservative sister with some deep purple lashes mixed in.  I am convinced that need them!  Maybe I’ll pick them up next time…

Impromptu Makeovers: Yea or Nay?

Do you ever get sucked in to impromptu makeovers at makeup counters?  How do you deal with it?  Do you have enough self-discipline to just walk away? Or are you just like me.

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Geekery, Makeup, shu uemura | Tags: blush, eyebrows, false lashes, now lusting