Nars Contour Blush in Paloma: Reviewed

So, recently I've been rocking a bit o' contour. Shocking probably only to me, but still, let's share this moment.

I had read an awful lot about the Nars Contour Blushes and was very eager to try them (I am too far from a Space NK to try out the Kevyn Aucoin Contour Powder... gutted). I went for the shade Paloma, the medium shade, as Olympia was too pale to do anything whatsoever on my face and surprisingly pinkish in hue. With only three shades, I'd say these contours are pretty darn limited in terms of who can wear 'em - I reckon if you're darker skin-tone-wise, you may well be disappointed.

Paloma is actually quite warm in tone (now that I've looked at a million other contours out there) and while I do think I was able to "make it work", I also think this is probably not a Holy Grail, be all and end all product, and I would urge you to do more research than I did before picking this up.

As you can tell from my little swatch on my arm, the pale shade really, really doesn't do a lot - truth be told I've now stopped trying to use it as I've yet to notice a difference from it. The swatch of the contour shade looks very warm, maybe a touch warmer than it did in real life, and on the cheeks it is cooler still -  you can see me wearing it here:

So the long and the short of this one is that Nars Paloma is a bit of a meh product for me. I think I'm just gonna have to bite the bullet and get my hands on Kevyn Aucoin's version when I get fed up with this guy.

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils: Review and Swatch Fest

Oh man, do I love a bold matte lippy. I know glosses are meant to be the next new trend and we're meant to be downing lipsticks and rocking all things sheer and shiny from here on out, but I am so not ready to embrace the trend yet, especially with the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils chillin' in my makeup bag.

Just look at them:

I currently own all the shades I am likely to purchase from the line (I also own one of the Satin Lip Pencils in Yu, which I actually don't think is anything special) so it felt like the perfect time to flex my beauty blogging muscles with a good old fashioned swatch sesh.

I mean, swoon. Love love love. Let's get on to the swatches, then I'll be back to chat you through my thoughts at the end...

Cruella

This one is oft described as a berry red, but for whatever reason on me I looks like a slightly darker, blue based red. Possibly it's my skin tone doing its thing, who knows, but I am still on my quest for the ultimate berry red.

However, this is possibly not necessarily Cruella's fault but rather my own expectations? Who knows.

Damned

My first Velvet Matte purchase and my first Velvet Matte love, Damned is a super flattering and easy to wear berry shade that I imagine would suit most skin tones. This guy, you may be able to tell, is now a little drier than its younger siblings but I still consider it one of my favourites and is joint first for the most worn of the lot. I used it in my Parisian Chic Look and you can check that video out here.

Dragon Girl

Dragon Girl was the one that I originally felt the least enthusiastic about but has recently become my go-to red lip. I've not got any other reds quite like it: it's got a real pinkiness to it that makes it stand out and looks best with a really minimal eye. Love.

Red Square

Orange for wusses is how I would describe Red Square - it's a lovely mix of red and orange that makes it so much more flattering than some of the more catwalk, bold shades that have been hyped up of late. For me it's as orange as I'm willing to go for the moment and will probably be my bold summer lip for this year. If you want to see me using this bad boy, I used it as one of my lip options in my Fresh Faced Spring Makeup look here.

Train Bleu

Oh Train Bleu, Train Bleu, Train Bleu. It's a lot darker even than how it looks here, a real deep deep purple shade that walks the line of chic and gothic incredibly well. This is one that will turn heads for sure and the one that I turned to last winter when I wanted to look über cool without that much effort. I love this guy. If you'd like to see my tutorial using it, you can do so here.

So, on to the review: you may have guessed I am a fan of these guys. At £17.50, they are anything but cheap - but here's some beauty blogger maths: if I were to buy a decent lip pencil and matte lip stick, say from MAC, it would easily cost almost as much of two of these so... you're basically saving money.

Basically.

Amazing logic here gang.

They are long lasting - not particularly moisturising but hey, they don't really dry your lips either - and they are so convenient, so easy to chuck in a handbag and apply on the go.

I think these are a lovely luxurious splurge for those of you that really do love matte lips; but bear in mind they are wasteful little pains thanks to the need to sharpen them.

But I love them. That's what I am trying to say.

I hope you liked this review - are there any shades catching your eye at the mo?