My Fledgling NARS Eyeshadow Duo Obsession

NARS Alhambra and Habanera swatches

 I have a bit of an obsession with NARS eyeshadow duos. Well - not all, but several of them.
Especially the neutrals and metallics.

My most recent acquisitions are Alhambra (soft apricot-gold beiges) and Habanera (silver-sage and -charcoal-plum).



NARS Eye Shadow Duos in Alhambra (left) and Habanera (right)

Now, many people criticize them for often not

Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow Review and Swatches

Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadows: Comex Platinum, Titanium, Comex Gold, Vintage Black Gold


What they are:



These are neither cream shadows nor loose pigments. They are very interesting and unique. These are intense metallic pigments suspended in a light fluid silicone/wax/crosspolymer base. It’s more like curdled milk than a cream shadow, because the dry pigments are not

Navy and Gold Evening Look with "Frankenshadows"!

I like blending and mixing my own shadows. I do this mostly with loose mica, glitter, and binders, and sometimes I crush up unwanted shadows, mix them with other shades, and then press them into something entirely new.








In the nail polish community, your own blends of varnishes are called Frankenpolishes. Well, these are my Frankenshadows.





What I used here were:

Nightmoth:

Neo Noir: Dramatic Metallic Look

I wanted to revisit the classic dark-eyes-dark-lips noir look, but update it a little with muted, mysterious colors on the lids. It's actually quite a simple look to recreate.

I'm using limited edition crushed metallic pigments from MAC, but you can easily find alternatives in the permanent range. You will need:

Black pencil
Bright teal-green (Rain Drop pigment; alternative: MAC Steamy

Product Highlight: Coastal Scents Paradise Rose Sky Mica

Pure Micas don't tend to work as well as some pressed shadows and pigments from brands like MAC, because they don't adhere very well to the skin. Under most circumstances, I wouldn't recommend buying micas for use straight-up as a shadow since they don't perform that well.

BUT - that said - Coastal Scents' Paradise micas are actually blended with cetyl

Evergreen Metallic Winged Eyes (L'oreal Color Infallible Shadows in Permanent Kaki and Endless Chocolat)

Time to whip out some of my drugstore loves, after the recent features of high-end products!

Since I've been on something of a green kick recently, L'oreal Color Infallible Shadow Permanent Kaki (which had up to now been passed over repeatedly when I played around with the testers at the drugstore) suddenly caught my eye.



Now, let me first tell you not to trust what you see in the