Here’s my most recent look. I used a very popular M.A.C. mineralized eyeshadow in Sea and Sky. Sea and Sky came out I think last year as one of the summer collections. It’s a duo with a light blue marbled side (Sky) and a deep, bright blue. I also used a popular technique that intensifies eyeshadows called foiling.
Foiling makes an eyeshadow look like liquid metal…or like the shiny, high gloss surface of foil paper. Not all shadows can be foiled. For one, you generally only use shadows that can be used wet, loose shadows like M.A.C. Pigments and baked, mineralized shadows like M.A.C. mineralized eyeshadow and Urban Decay Baked shadows. Do not use regular pressed shadows unless you are specifically told that its ok. Wetting these shadows can destroy them.
Secondly to get that shiny look, you need to use shadows that have shimmer or glitter in them. Can’t really use a matte colour to create shine (that totally defeats the point mattes!!!)
Lastly you need to use some kind of fluid to liquify the shadow, usually water-based, but whatever works for you. Two of the most popular media are M.A.C.’s Fix+ and water-based Mixing Medium. Some people make their own using a mix of water and glycerin. I use Mixing Medium, but everyone talks about Fix+. I’m going to have to get it!!!
‘The look for the NARS Holiday 2009 Collection is sophisticated and sensual,
featuring shades that are deep and bold with festive shimmer. ‘“For the holidays,
I think it’s a great time to feel beautiful and sexy…with a little bit of movie
star attitude,” says François Nars, Founder and Creative Director of NARS
Cosmetics.
The Details
SOFT TOUCH SHADOW PENCIL New for the NARS Holiday 2009 Collection – the Soft Touch Shadow Pencil has a convenient delivery system and multi-purpose formula. “Pencils are always very handy and easy to use – this one has a wonderful texture and comes in fun, playful shades,” says Nars. It has a smooth, cushiony feel on the lids and great playtime for optimal blending. Use it subtly to line as a highlighter, or more intensely as a base for powders. The pencil comes in three colours:
GODDESS A cool, divinely ethereal, glistening pink champagne that’s worthy of worship.
AIGLE NOIR A smoky, bold black infused with gold shimmer named for the dark, noble raptor that soars the Himalayas – graceful and rare.
SKORPIOS An irresistibly iridescent copper named for the alluring Greek isle of the famous and flamboyant.
POP LIFE VELVET MATTE LIP PENCIL
Coat lips instantly with this bold, bright and modernly matte holly – red hue that
slips on with a velvety texture – a holiday staple with portability and ease of
application.
TOUNDRA VELVET MATTE LIP PENCIL
This richly pigmented Barolo wine shade is creamy, long-lasting and matte for
strong, seamless color and a perfectly defined pout.
ROUGE ANDALOU NAIL POLISH
Lasting and lustrous, like its namesake region – this classic, incandescent candy
apple red nail hue is sultry, sexy and steeped in tradition.
BROUSSE DUO EYESHADOW
Deep, subtly shimmering hues of eggplant and the darkest wood create an
earthy, yet sophisticated palette – a perfect pairing for layering up to the brow
or lining for shape and definition. Try swiping one shade over the eyelid and
applying the other beneath the brow bone to highlight. No matter the technique,
the effect will be decidedly dramatic.
EURYDICE DUO EYESHADOW
Bordeaux with hints of iridescent blues and coal rich with metallic greens make
for a modern holiday pairing. They can be used along the upper or lower lash
line: Swipe on the upper lid for use as a shadow or use underneath the eye as a
liner. Layered or alone, these shades are bold and impressive.
TAÏGA DUO EYESHADOW
A surprising contrast of bright, yet intense hues in the sheerest of textures. Apply
the twinkling frost shade to the inner eye, extending up to the brow to illuminate;
line the upper lid with the glittering garland green for a look that’s faultlessly
festive.
MOUSSON EYESHADOW
This shimmering, spicy pine cream eyeshadow is named for the monsoon –
natural and unpredictable. It has richness and depth, yet is lightweight in texture,
allowing for a surprising range of color and intensity – from daring to delicate.
This looks very women of colour-friendly! I’ve been drooling over everything in this collection! I definitely have to check out. NARS is a great product line and their shadows and blushes are highly pigmented. I started getting into NARS during last year’s winter collection.
This collection is now available online and for more information, visit narscosmetics.com
Quick news: A brand new Sephora is opening at 86th Street & Lexington Ave on Friday, October 30th from 9 am! I went to the opening at the new Times Square location and it was crazy with makeovers, freebies etc., so I’m sure this will be fun!! I don’t think there are many Sephoras on the Upper East Side so this one should be packed!! Check it out!
This is a look that I did earlier this week. I also used Red Cherry Lashes for the first time. And they are pretty good and inexpensive!
I heard A LOT about Red Cherry but did not want to order online, and silly me only just discovered Beauty 35 in NYC! Really it’s a mecca for inexpensive beauty products, hair and makeup supplies. Anyway, I bought one pair of Red Cherry lashes in #DEL just to test them out. They cost about $2.99 and they were very thin, wispy and long! They were easy to put in and felt really comfy. They get a thumbs up from me!
Q: Can you tell me about the inspiration behind the limited edition makeup collection you’ve collaborated on with M·A·C? DA: It’s old Hollywood meets new Hollywood. Our girl is interrupted – she’s on a set, she’s off the set; she’s young, she’s cool, she’s moving – she’s very now, she lives in the moment. Hollywood today is a different story than it used to be. These girls have tons of things to do, they’re on the go.
DE: It’s all about mixing great statement pieces with their own things; she might have a $20,000 jacket that she puts with a pair of ten dollar sweat pants.
DA: Less is more, but more is never enough. Stack it on and mix it up.
Q: It’s such a change, because Hollywood used to be regimented, it used to be so perfected, not a hair out of place and now it’s undergone this huge revolution with a new generation of stars. DE: They’re so young and they’re real, they want to be individual, they don’t want to be dictated to anymore. These girls practically live their whole lives in the public; it’s just not possible for them to keep up that carefully crafted façade actresses used to put up.
DA: Thank God for that – it makes them more colourful, it makes them more interesting. If anybody does anything well it should look effortless, I think the key word for the collection is “Effortless Makeup”; she didn’t spend hours but she looks amazing and, more importantly, memorable.
Q: So can you tell me a bit more about the actual collection that you’ve created with M·A·C? DA: It’s about a very important dark eye, but a multi-hued black, not a flat black.
DE: It’s kind of a “rock-on” makeup statement, but it’s unforced, purposefully messy.
DA: This girl didn’t spend hours doing her makeup but she looks amazing. It’s cooler than being too studied. Young Hollywood doesn’t need to impress anyone; the same goes for the makeup, she’s not about blending it perfectly.
DE: The longer it’s worn in, the better it looks. I love the idea that the application is easy, it’s markers, pencils, powders and you can use your fingers to put them on.
DA: Use Kohl Power Pencil in Feline and Greasepaint Stick with Zoom Fast Black Lash, and then they’re lightened with peacock and violet Greasepaints. After you’ve put all that black on the eye and those two vibrant colours, you add an eye gloss to bring light to hidden things. So the eyes will be really dramatic!
Q: Can you please tell me about the model you chose to be shot backstage for the makeup collection? DE: As this season is inspired by young Hollywood, those young cool girls, they are carefree, cool and easy.
DA: We just thought Valeria was one of the coolest girls in the show. We like those girls that don’t care, you can see it in the way they walk and the way they carry themselves, it’s relaxed. It’s not like she is trying to be a glam goddess, I don’t even think she knows how beautiful she is.
DE: They don’t take themselves too seriously, which makes them cool.
Q: Can you tell me why you decided to collaborate with M·A·C? DE: M·A·C is a part of our family, we grew up with them. We’re Canadian, they’re Canadian, and it started there.
DA: M·A·C has been very supportive of us from the beginning of our design career, so it’s a natural link.
Q: Because you all met when you were quite young didn’t you? DA: We have the longest history with Gordon Espinet. We grew up together, and actually have a lot of things in common. We always used to play around with makeup anyway, so it’s not like Dean and I don’t know anything about makeup. We knew how we wanted the eyes to be, with the colour and the black, coming up with great ideas for the final look was really a very smooth process.
DE: M·A·C is the best makeup brand around. Let’s not forget about that!
DA: Neither company takes itself too seriously, M·A·C is really expressive and DSquared² are on the same trip. We both have strong connections with pop stars, music and fashion – we’re certainly on the same page.
Q: Did M·A·C inspire you when you were starting out? It was so seminal in the nineties, DSquared² was around at the same time and the M·A·C look was so different to anything else on the market. DA: I think M·A·C was probably one of the first cosmetics companies that came out with colours and pigments that you didn’t find, colours that were unusual…
DE: They were and are makeup pioneers.
Q: Was it nice to be able to apply your creative process to a new medium like this? DA: Absolutely, we are very creative people, as is M·A·C. They really understood what we wanted and have stayed true to our vision. Also, because we’ve known each other for a long time, M·A·C knows what we’re about.
