Notes from the Editors of The Lipstick Page Forums: A Dedication to the Art of Beauty and Fashion.

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On This Page
· Nars Collections 2003 to 2004
· Nars Spring 2008: Shanghai Lily
· Beauty Notes: What I've been into, lately #2
· More Nars & other porn...
· Another handy source of Nars and other porn...
· NARS: The Consummate Stocking Stuffer
· Nars Holiday 2007: Siren Song
· Beauty Notes: What I've been into, lately
· Beauty Notes: Mom Makeup: The Early Years
· Beauty Notes: Mom Makeup
· The perfect blush: then and now
· Beauty Notes: Chanel Moiré lipstick part 2
· Major Nars blush porn link
· Nars Fall 2007: Modern Odyssey
· Eye makeup for green eyes: then and now
· Nars Jezebel Duo Eyeshadow, plus a link to some nice Nars "porn"
· Nars The Multiple in Malibu
· Sephora Emeryville review
· Nars duo eyeshadow ponderings...
· Closing in on a signature lipstick
· Stash musings
· Finally, Nars Summer 2007 has been sighted, Net-wise...
· Ever bought a beauty product purely for its shade name?
· Nars Summer 2007, brief commentary
· Cosmetics ennui
· Favorite "high end" beauty products
· MAC Strawberry Blonde lipstick
· Beauty breakthroughs

Comments
· January 18, 2008 4:31 PM by Blogger Dain
· January 18, 2008 4:57 PM by Blogger Colleen Shirazi
· January 18, 2008 8:54 PM by Blogger Dain
· January 19, 2008 3:28 PM by Blogger Dain
· January 20, 2008 1:53 PM by Blogger Colleen Shirazi
· January 1, 2008 9:42 PM by Blogger Dain
· January 3, 2008 11:17 PM by Blogger Colleen Shirazi
· November 7, 2007 3:14 PM by Blogger Dain
· November 7, 2007 5:13 PM by Blogger Dain
· November 7, 2007 11:49 PM by Blogger Colleen Shirazi
· October 25, 2007 3:35 PM by Blogger Dain
· August 13, 2007 7:16 PM by Blogger Dain
· August 13, 2007 8:41 PM by Blogger Colleen Shirazi
· August 10, 2007 8:18 PM by Blogger Dain
· August 10, 2007 8:35 PM by Blogger cmm
· August 10, 2007 8:47 PM by Blogger Colleen Shirazi
· August 11, 2007 7:46 AM by Blogger cmm
· August 11, 2007 8:25 PM by Blogger Colleen Shirazi
· July 22, 2007 11:23 PM by Blogger Dain
· July 23, 2007 12:18 AM by Blogger Colleen Shirazi
· June 20, 2007 6:44 AM by Blogger Dain
· June 20, 2007 6:45 AM by Blogger Dain
· June 20, 2007 1:06 PM by Blogger Colleen Shirazi
· June 3, 2007 8:36 AM by Blogger cmm
· June 3, 2007 9:49 PM by Blogger Colleen Shirazi

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The Lipstick Page Forums Beauty & Fashion Blog


Nars Collections 2003 to 2004
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Monday, January 28, 2008 6:45 PM (Eastern)

Nars Raw Glamour - Fall 2003
Nars Flirtatious Fantasy - Spring 2004
Nars Tropical Heat Wave - Summer 2004

These are from our now-defunct New Releases blog, and are included here for reference purposes.


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Nars Spring 2008: Shanghai Lily
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, 6:34 PM (Eastern)

nars spring 2008 collection shanghai lily



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Beauty Notes: What I've been into, lately #2
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Friday, January 18, 2008 3:14 PM (Eastern)

I think we need a label for this, somehow...a blend of favorite things and Jack Bauer and Tony Almeida at a Drive-Thru.

Anyhow. Shall we commence?

Ava Luxe Voyage earrings

ava luxe earrings


I'm not affiliated with Ava Luxe, I should mention. I just like her stuff. Here I thought this was beautiful, a binary combination of kyanite and labradorite, strung on karat gold. Sometime I will do something similarly binary...I can't wear 14KT gold earrings, but I'm hoping someone will come up with a wearable golden leverback cheaper than 18KT gold. mumbles...


handmade sapphire earrings


Here is my own stuff. Less spectacular for sure, but keep in mind, there can be a difference between making something to wear, and making something to sell. With the emphasis on "can be."

It's been on my mind lately, because I tend to acquire less for the sake of owning something beautiful, and more for that of owning something useful. Sometimes the twain meet, oh, take this for example:

nars eyeshadow duos


I've gotten the most mileage from Island Fever (far right). In the pan: a gorgeous shimmery sea blue shade, plus a medium shimmery iridescent grey. It should be pretty, but useless; something you bought on a whim because it looked nice. But it isn't useless by far. The blue shade, applied very lightly, is the most natural, unobtrusive shadow I own. It shouldn't work but it does.

Hence, the Ava Luxe earrings could well correspond to this concept. Bright and pretty, but potentially utile as well.

My little hoops (these are the most conservative earrings I've made thus far) would be more like this:

nars mambo eye pencil


Nars Mambo, the unsung eyepencil. I paid $19 for you at Sephora, and momentarily felt a complete idiot; you can buy a perfectly decent deep brown eyepencil at Longs Drugs for four bucks. Then I started using you.

Mambo is deep brown, yet possesses hints of purple and red--making it subtly ideal for green or blue eyes, and making it go with everything. Thereby replacing brown, purple, and bronze pencils for me. No, you don't swatch particularly well, but on, you are a minor genius.

perfumes


The Scented Salamander follows up on the Bond No. 9/Liz Zorn Perfumes story:

Trademark Questions Over The Use Of The Word "Peace" / Q & A with Laurice Rahme of Bond No.9, Liz Zorn of Liz Zorn Perfumes, & Sarah Horowitz -Thran of Creative Scentualization

Dwelling in lawyer-infested California, I suspect the entire thing was less of a shock to me. And I found some people seemed to turn it into a girl-on-girl fight--not good for business, for either party. Oh well. I see Zorn has some samples on her site; you might want to check them out.

aspirin mask screenshot


And finally, for your perusal--Michelle Phan, aka RiceBunny, demos the aspirin mask (here with honey): RiceBunny's Xanga Site - Aspirin = Beautiful Skin

No, I'm not into this myself. I'm far too lazy. But the idea of using aspirin and honey as a mask makes perfect logical sense. You are exfoliating. Exfoliating is good.

Have a great weekend!


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5 comment(s)  
 
January 18, 2008 4:31 PM, Blogger Dain said...

I've been trying "just notes" for random things, but I'm not sure how it might work.

I like labradorite; from a design perspective, it would go with so many things. Pearls, watery green amethysts, mm... it's just pretty to look at.

I think the reason why the blue might work is the fact that it may be a perfect contrast. A perfect contrast works better than a near match. Someone with brown hair, for example, might do well with green.

Hm, it's interesting that she was able to get an interview with Laurice Rahme. I don't really buy it, though, it is insincere. But I'm tired of the issue, and I still think Bond is a silly brand, just from a purely aesthetic standpoint. It is really the sort of thing that could go back and forth forever, and I think it was very wise for Liz Zorn to drop it.

 
January 18, 2008 4:57 PM, Blogger Colleen Shirazi said...

Yeah...I just didn't want to leave it hanging. There was a big splash about it, then nothing. From the article, it would appear this sort of thing happens fairly regularly...and from what I've seen of lawyers, I wouldn't be too surprised.

Every few months in California, you get something in the mail informing you there is a class-action lawsuit you might be able to participate in. At first I thought hey, great...then I read the thing. Usually it boils down to, you sign a form and mail it back. By signing, you agree the settlement is final, yadda yadda...and if the suit is successful, you are entitled to a $15 voucher toward, say, renewing your contract with your wireless phone company for another year...or $50 toward the purchase of a new stove.

It's a joke! The settlement "terms" are invariably next to worthless. It's clear to me that lawyers simply file these "class-action lawsuits" against major corporations...the corporations probably settle (cheaper than taking it to court)...whoever bothered to sign the form gets their $15 gift certificate. And the lawyers collect a fat percentage of the settlement. If I were cynical, I'd say they split the take with the lawyers for the major corporation, but I'd like to think they're far too honest for that. lol

 
January 18, 2008 8:54 PM, Blogger Dain said...

It seemed absurd to me at the time because in cosmetics, people copy each other all the time, and it's not something trifling like names, it's like, NARS makes a gold-pink-peach blush with a clever title, and everyone from Chanel to Milani has something like a year later. It seems like copycatting in this business is a given.

Oddly enough, it has come up in fashion, too. I was just reading an article on Marc Jacobs' derivativeness in W today. Apparently, it caused quite the furor, and all things considered, it must have been far nastier. Fashion is bitcher than even Hollywood.

 
January 19, 2008 3:28 PM, Blogger Dain said...

I think that gold-and-sapphire earring is especially rich. The colors kind of resonate with each other in a way that the silver doesn't. If it doesn't get too heavy, some vivid green drops at the bottom would add some extra intensity.

 
January 20, 2008 1:53 PM, Blogger Colleen Shirazi said...

Mmmm...the gold ones did come out prettier. I got some 14KT gold beads to try out...as usual, the cost per bead is relatively low, but they go so fast. Suddenly every piece "could use some of those." rolls eyes

I've found it's entirely different buying jewelry, and making it. If you're buying, then I can see jewelry minimalism. That's when you would want to get the most impact out of your pieces, because you have to pay the markup.

If you're making it, there's no point to minimalism. That's when you want to experiment and develop your own designs--which tend to be specific to you. When I'm making anything, I don't tend to lay it out, I tend to put it on. I'll try it on as I'm making it.

Now if you're selling it...that's when the design itself would take precedence. Because you have no idea who's going to wear it.

I have some tiny emeralds actually, I got them at the same time as the sapphires. It's amazing how tiny these things are. Imagine cutting and drilling them.

I was going to make something similar to these hoops using emeralds...but also thinking of combining the stones somehow.

 
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More Nars & other porn...
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Tuesday, January 01, 2008 12:30 AM (Eastern)

Happy New Year!

I'm not exactly sure what attracts me to Nars. I seldom feel like buying a lot of it...because...I just don't. It's well to be judicious about an expensive brand; a few carefully-chosen items from such a brand will be cheaper, over the long run, than quantities of less expensive makeup, even at a lower overall cost: the better stuff works better. But you will lose that edge if you acquire many expensive items. Then it becomes the same as buying masses of cheaper stuff, except...you'll be way more broke.

And yet...I really like Nars porn. (There are some other brands there too, such as YSL, Bobbi Brown, Majorica Majorca, et cetera.) There's something a bit touching about someone carefully setting out their Nars and taking tender photographs of it. If I'm honest I'll admit I don't like makeup porn in general, only Nars (and you will note I don't link to makeup porn in general).

Anyhow enough preamble, bring it on!

http://nyarorin.at.webry.info


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2 comment(s)  
 
January 1, 2008 9:42 PM, Blogger Dain said...

"There's something a bit touching about someone carefully setting out their Nars and taking tender photographs of it." lol

 
January 3, 2008 11:17 PM, Blogger Colleen Shirazi said...

Yeah sometimes you can feel the love. :D

MAC porn tends to be prosaic, practical, like a picture of...wrenches. It's great if you need a wrench. But Nars porn has that odd intimate feel to it. I'm not sure there is such a thing as an objective photograph of Nars.

It's not the cost; Chanel porn is just as wrench-like as MAC imo.

 
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Another handy source of Nars and other porn...
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Wednesday, December 12, 2007 9:13 PM (Eastern)

nars holiday 2007Nars Duo Eye Shadow

This site contains various other brands of makeup porn including something called Lunasol (owned by Kanebo?), Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, Shu Uemura, Sisley, and sundry other brands. I linked to the page above because that's what I was looking for...

Here's the previous one for your reference.
Major Nars blush porn link

image courtesy www.narscosmetics.com

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NARS: The Consummate Stocking Stuffer
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Thursday, December 06, 2007 3:02 PM (Eastern)

So you want to snag a lil' something for your best girl's stocking this year. And you're thinking: "I have no idea what to get. What if she hates it?"

Enter the makeup palette, which performs for cosmetics what perfume samples do for fragrance. You give your gal a whole bunch of options, the opportunity to try various shades of this or that, at her leisure. The key is to choose a good brand, a universal brand even, so that some of the shades are bound to work.

nars artist palette

Here is the whompin' Nars Artist Palette. $60 at Sephora.com

Palette includes eye shadows in India Song (soft butter yellow with a hint of shimmer), Night Star (sheer peach with gold pearls), Night Clubbing (black with gold pearls), Ondine (plum with gold shimmer); The Multiple in Copacabana (glistening pearl) and Malibu (pinkish brown); and lipstick in Honolulu Honey (satin flesh toned beige), Dolce Vita (sheer dusty rose), Gipsy (sheer warm berry), and Trans Siberian (semi matte ruby rose).

On a personal note, this palette contains several shades I've been meaning to try since forever, plus one shade that is my holy grail blush (the Malibu).

nars fame palette

The Fame lipstick palette $65 at narscosmetics.com (scroll down some) contains a full dozen shades of lipstick in a range of hues.

For a more compact, red-oriented lip palette, consider the Nars Hot Sauce palette $30 at Sephora.com:


Palette includes lip colors in Tobago (sheer warm taupe-grape with soft shimmer), Dolce Vita (sheer dusty rose), Gipsy (sheer, warm berry), Catfight (semi matte nude-rose), Flair (sheer burnished berry), and Captiva (sheer currant).

If all of these seem a bit too practical to you, you might go for something more luxe and sensual (not a bad idea this time of year), such as the Nars Body Glow set $98 at Sephora.com (also available on the narscosmetics.com site):

nars body glow set

"In the tradition of French Polynesia, Monoï de Tahiti oil is the result of macerating the native Tiare flower (Tahitian gardenia) in refined coconut extract for at least ten days, a process that slowly infuses the oil with Tiare's delicate, natural fragrance." The set includes a bronzed version of the oil, to rekindle the heat of summer (sighs), and an untinted oil containing an authentic tiare flower. (You'll note either bottle may be purchased individually as well.)

Finally, if she's already pretty Nars-savvy, you'll want to skip the palettes, and maybe even the body oils, and get straight to the Nars e-Gift Certificate (available in denominations of $50, $100 and $200):

nars e gift certificate



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Nars Holiday 2007: Siren Song
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Wednesday, November 07, 2007 2:24 PM (Eastern)

nars holiday 2007
nars holiday 2007

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3 comment(s)  
 
November 7, 2007 3:14 PM, Blogger Dain said...

Hm, I think NARS collections of late have been rather lackluster. Though... I don't really mind, how cares about color stories so long as they have good products?

 
November 7, 2007 5:13 PM, Blogger Dain said...

I have been suffering from the oddest spelling mistakes today. Maybe I woke on the dyslexic side of the bed today. "... WHO cares about color stories..."

 
November 7, 2007 11:49 PM, Blogger Colleen Shirazi said...

Those double-ended doodads look kind of cool.

 
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Beauty Notes: What I've been into, lately
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Thursday, October 25, 2007 3:07 PM (Eastern)

nars mambo

Nars Mambo eyepencil. I haven't felt like wearing eyeshadow, much, so eyeliner is key (and faster to put on, anyway). I had three liners back in August of this year, and found I reached for this liner more and more, to the point I tossed the other two (which were getting old) without needing to replace them.


dr. hauschka lip products

Dr. Hauschka lip products. I wouldn't have guessed these would be so good (no offense, but I always thought of Dr. Hauschka as the skincare guys, not the color cosmetics guys). It makes logical sense though, if you think of lip products as (tinted) skincare for lips.


nars malibu

Nars The Multiple in Malibu. This is really useless as a multiple-purpose product, at least this shade is. It's too dry to use as lipstick, and mediocre as eyeshadow. But it's my ideal shade of warm-toned bronzed-rose blush, wearable year-round.


montale aoud blossom and boise vanille

Montale perfumes. These are so strong, I spray some in the palm of my hand and apply it that way. Perhaps the perfect cure for ephemeral scents, and the ordinary.



24 - Jack Bauer and Tony Almeida at a Drive-Thru

24. If you've watched this show even once (or eaten at an In 'n' Out), you'll immediately recognize the references in this parody. If you haven't, I would highly recommend both!

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October 25, 2007 3:35 PM, Blogger Dain said...

Those Montales sound amazing... I hate weak, derivative perfumes!

 
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Beauty Notes: Mom Makeup: The Early Years
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Tuesday, August 28, 2007 1:16 PM (Eastern)

Hm. Last night, after I published Mom Makeup, I realized that was "old Mom Makeup," and that the average new Mom would probably burst out laughing at the idea of having time to wear eyeshadow, so...

new mom makeup

The top row is what I considered necessary (actually minus the blush, since I didn't own it back then): sunscreen (here it is tinted) and powder (because I have oily skin).

Eyepencil is the quickest way to look as if you bothered, so you will need at least one good eyepencil.

Lipstick is something you can put on in the car (not while driving obviously, I never really got that). In fact to this day, I keep the lipstick I'm using in my purse, in a mirrored case like these:

lipstick cases

There are some years when you will need to get by on the items you consider bare necessities. These items have to work, since you won't have time to fuss with them. I never bought into the notion that a woman suddenly becomes a different creature when she gives birth. Don't give up your makeup, or the concept that you're still entitled to looking good, but do hone your routine to fit into the time you have.

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Beauty Notes: Mom Makeup
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, 1:08 AM (Eastern)

mom makeup

Along with Mom Clothes, there should be Mom Makeup.

I already had one of my kids, and was pregnant with the second, back when I discovered beauty messageboards. Part of my makeup quest has always involved time. Quick application, minimal touch-ups or fuss...minimal shopping. Something affordable, both in terms of money and of time.

Here is a quick collage of the makeup I wore today. Top row, left to right:
  1. Tinted sunscreen. It's an old pic, from my old site, most of which dates from 2000-2001. You can see how long I've stuck with this same concept; it's much faster and easier to apply and blend than regular foundation and already includes SPF.

  2. Nars the Multiple in Malibu. This is relatively new to my stash. :D Before Malibu, I usually skipped blush, but this is so quick and easy to apply, after tinted sunscreen and before pressed powder. It lasts well too; no disappearing blush.

  3. MAC Blot pressed powder. The date on this pic is December 2003. Blot is, thus far, simply the best pressed powder I've found for oily skin. In the San Francisco Bay Area climate, I need apply this only once, in the morning, to keep my face from getting greasy all day.

Bottom row, left to right:
  1. Nars duo eyeshadow in Jezebel. The Nars duos are incredible time-savers, since they already contain two shadows that work perfectly together. Of the four duos I own--Babylon, Ireland, Island Fever and this--each contains a perfect lid shade, paired with an ideal crease shade. These keep well too; they don't turn hard and funny.

  2. Nars Mambo eyepencil. At first I thought, wha'? $19 for an eyepencil? I tried it mostly out of curiosity, plus I had no chocolate brown eyepencil after my Prestige Expresso got old. The more I use it though, the more I like it. It holds a lovely point and goes on, if not satiny-smooth, at least without dragging, and goes with everything, including the Island Fever and Ireland duos that I used deep grey liner with before. It's a quiet pencil, but with an odd bit of genius within.

  3. Dr. Hauschka #01 Amoroso lipstick. As much of a no-brainer as my previous go-to lipstick, MAC Strawberry Blonde, but still in production. Amoroso is a lovely coral red, works well with warm coloring, doesn't require liner, doesn't have too much transfer (I find that highly annoying), lasts reasonably well on, feels good on lips, and is next to edible, to boot.

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The perfect blush: then and now
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Monday, August 13, 2007 1:41 PM (Eastern)

Then: The Lipstick Page Forums Beauty & Fashion Blog: The perfect blush

Now: Hm. I agree with Dain, that blush should be regarded as a foundation product, rather than as a color cosmetic. It's true you can create entirely different looks using different blushes, and if you employ a wide variety of lip colors, you might want a few blushes to coordinate with these (warm blush with warm lip, cool blush with cool lip, delicate blush with red lip), but the word is "might." You might not want to, or need to, if you have already found the perfect blush.

nars malibu

I love this blush! It's Nars The Multiple in Malibu. Note how it works with the different lipsticks (left to right): Chanel Moiré, MAC Strawberry Blonde, and MAC Sophisto. I could have gone through the bother of coordinating blush with lipstick, but there's really no need to.

I have never found a drugstore blush that could do what a spendier one does, although there are good drugstore blushes. L'Oreal tends to make good ones...they're not as complex as their Lancôme counterparts, with less, but still respectable, staying power. Jane used to make good blushes too but I haven't tried the "new new" Jane...the original brand produced some excellent blushes, then blushes with utter mediocrity, like half an hour's worth of lasting power; now I have no idea.

Milani was another shooting star of the drugstore blush world, with their beauty-board "lemmings" of Luminous and Mango Tango blushes. Now I understand they've tanked their blushes in favor of a bronzer-blush duo (with the bronzer outranking the blush). Luminous lives on--I believe it was the only one Milani kept, albeit in bronzer-blush form--as the famous look-alike to Nars Orgasm blush.

Imo there is no easy way to choose a blush. I went through a lot of beauty advice rigamarole, such as going for a peach blush (my coloring is on the warm side), or rose, or mauve, or...? You really have to try some on. Ultimately what worked for me was a complex blend of rose, the slight warmth of peach (the defunct Lancôme Rose Charmant) or bronze (the Malibu), slightly muted but not too brown. A definite base of rose, not red, peach, pink or brown.

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2 comment(s)  
 
August 13, 2007 7:16 PM, Blogger Dain said...

I think it may have much to do with the fact that I'm a minimalist, but I invariably wear the same family of lipcolors, and I think it's true for most women, at least insofar as "best fit" colors are concerned. In that case, a single blush will do, except in cases where you don't want the blush to dominate, then you'll just want something subtler...

Perhaps La Femme Golden Amber Dew will suit you when your NARS Malibu runs out. It's cheap, but pigmented, and the color is complex. It reminds me of Malibu.

 
August 13, 2007 8:41 PM, Blogger Colleen Shirazi said...

I'll be sure to check that out. I've never seen La Femme around here, but I'm sure I can find it online. :)

 
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Beauty Notes: Chanel Moiré lipstick part 2
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Friday, August 10, 2007 5:45 PM (Eastern)

chanel moire lipstick, nars jezebel, mambo and malibu

Okay, I give up. It's not that plummy. To my eye it seems plummy, but it's more rose than plum. I also have Nars Jezebel, Mambo and Malibu on in this pic, and my hair is completely wet.

Happy Friday!

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5 comment(s)  
 
August 10, 2007 8:18 PM, Blogger Dain said...

Mebbe you could call it mauve?

 
August 10, 2007 8:35 PM, Blogger cmm said...

Its really pretty. Alittle different than your usual everyday choice of color,no?

 
August 10, 2007 8:47 PM, Blogger Colleen Shirazi said...

I suppose it could be sort of mauve-y. It has some red in it...it's just an odd color...bricky red, plum, a bit o' brown...

It is different, but even I have become sick of sheers and YLBB. The newer lipsticks seem subtler than the old...I remember a time when just about every lipstick I tried, screamed "lipstick!" and required a lot of other makeup to balance it off. This is still pretty much wear 'n' go.

 
August 11, 2007 7:46 AM, Blogger cmm said...

I like it!
You have lovely lips! LOL!
I suffer from lip envy though. I've got itty-bitty little Betty Boop lips.

 
August 11, 2007 8:25 PM, Blogger Colleen Shirazi said...

I have hair envy...but I figure, you can make whatever you have look good. It's just not as effortless. I'm jealous of y'all having to wash hair as if it were heavy silk. I'm happy that at least mine doesn't look stringy anymore. :)

 
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Major Nars blush porn link
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Wednesday, August 08, 2007 2:54 AM (Eastern)

my NARS blush collection

The blog itself is in Chinese (drat!): http://blog.pixnet.net/snowkei

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Nars Fall 2007: Modern Odyssey
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Tuesday, August 07, 2007 2:08 PM (Eastern)

nars fall 2007: modern odyssey


I feel a bit remiss here, if only because it occurred to me only today that taking screenshots of the Nars collections was way easier than downloading the images. And I'd like to keep track of the collections.

So what looks good here? Brazil looks kind of cool actually.

image courtesy www.narscosmetics.com

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Eye makeup for green eyes: then and now
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Friday, August 03, 2007 1:48 PM (Eastern)

Eye Makeup for Green Eyes #1
Eye Makeup for Green Eyes #2
Eye Makeup for Green Eyes #3

I was going back on some older posts to index them (you can now pull up posts by clicking the Features, Categories and Tags labels to the right ->), and came across this series of posts I made two years ago.

Some of the images are missing--likely linked to images in the reviews section, which we've also recently overhauled--is it worth restoring the images, or even indexing the posts?

The short answer is no. I no longer have even the same philosophy regarding eye makeup as I had back then. Things have changed...I'm no longer willing to buy products I know will last less than a year, either quality- or interest-wise. To me it's not worth it; my time is worth something, and has to be figured into the cost of the item.

cheap chic by caterine milinaireThere is also the classical Cost Per Wear factor, which I first encountered in Caterine Milinaire's Cheap Chic (1975). I don't remember how that book got into my hands...it was a library book...but I found it fascinating. Ms. Milinaire went through an exercise calculating the cost per wear of a dress...I want to say it was an $80 dress, extravagant back then...and how, if the dress were of good quality, in a style that lasted some years, its cost per wear was less than that of a $20 dress that didn't wear as well.

I've come to have a similar philosophy regarding makeup, although I do believe it's important to draw a line. Higher cost in cosmetics does not necessarily translate to higher quality. Sometimes it does; sometimes it simply means you pay more. It's been well pointed out that women are new to the concept of having their own money, and like any other nouveau riche, we are surrounded by an infinite number of people with their hands out, trying to grab a chunk.

So! what has ended up in my green eyed makeup stash these days?

Nars Jezebel duo eyeshadow:

nars duo eyeshadow in jezebel

This is to die for. Although, to my eye, it is a teeny bit warm, and may not suit you if your overall coloring is cool. The darker shade is purple-tinged, coppery brown; the lighter shade is matte lilac with a hint of pink.

When I put this on, I don't get anything screaming "brown eyeshadow!", I think largely because of the shot of purple in the coppery shade. (I have not seen this exact color anywhere else, in nine years of avid makeup junkie-dom.) The lilac shade is the perfect foil for it.

Prior Nars duos, left to right: Babylon, Ireland and Island Fever:

nars duo eyeshadows in babylon, ireland and island fever

These are still going strong. They haven't turned hard, the way most of my other shadows have (knock wood). Nars duos currently retail for $31, meaning I buy them very slowly; however it's well to mention the cost is comparable to that of two single shadows from any number of "less expensive" brands.

Eyepencils: Nars Mambo; MAC Bordeauxline and Grey Utility:

eyepencils: nars mambo, mac bordeauxline and grey utility

The Mambo is new to me. It's described on the Nars site as "chocolate brown," but when I swatched it, I detected a definite hint of red (perhaps plum as well) that I knew would look good with green eyes.

The MAC's I've had for two and a half, and two years, respectively. Quality is still good.

Um...that's it. I've tossed my cheaper shadows in the main, and put aside some others. I'm seldom in a hurry to throw out expensive shadows, but I do see the solution as simply buying less to begin with, or buying more slowly.

Cheap Chic image courtesy www.enokiworld.com

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Nars Jezebel Duo Eyeshadow, plus a link to some nice Nars "porn"
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Sunday, July 22, 2007 11:01 PM (Eastern)

nars jezebel duo eyeshadow

Isn't it perfect?

Some nice Nars "porn"

It's in Japanese...nice pics!

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July 22, 2007 11:23 PM, Blogger Dain said...

I've always wanted Jezebel, but always convinced myself otherwise because I know I don't use browns. If only one could customize!

 
July 23, 2007 12:18 AM, Blogger Colleen Shirazi said...

Normally I don't do browns. At least not often. I like bronzes, maybe "brown and"...brown cut with gold, something like that.

But this is a brilliant brown. It's purplish. I swatched it at Sephora and got purple...and copper...a little bit o' taupe. The purple is what attracted me. I was swatching Stage Beauty too, even had it in my basket...it was the purple in both shades of Jezebel that sold it to me.