For a lot of people their mother is their inspiration, I know I certainly look up to my mother and most importantly she is my best friend and it seems it was the same for Francois Nars who has created a new limited edition collection as a tribute to his mother.
Typically the limited edition collections from Nars are great but this one really stood out to me. Instead of going along the trend of being overtly sexy, I mean the brand is known for its blushers called Deep Throat and Orgasm, this is the complete opposite it is sentimental which is really quite different for the brand.
Everything about this collection worked for me; from the moment I saw the shades and the packaging I was completely sold. All of the packaging sticks to a black and red theme but it has different images on the packaging so there are hearts, stars and butterflies. Butterflies always remind me of my mother as she loves anything with butterflies on it so I immediately felt a connection to the collection.
For my Birthday this year my Mother purchased a couple of pieces from the collection for me and I have now been using them for a while so I thought I would finally sit down to talk about the products. The packaging and the shades are very easy to be taken in by but are the products actually any good?
St Germain Des Pres - Eyeshadow Palette
The Mini Eyeshadow Palette is the biggest piece of the collection and I have to say it is probably my favourite out of the three products. All of the shades are right up my street and the formula of each shadow is superb. In this palette there is a mixture of shimmer and matte shadows in warm/neutral shades which I feel like anyone would love. This palette can be used to make a very subtle day look or it can create a smokey, intense eye look which is something that Nars are known for.
The shades have all been perfectly selected but my favourite combination is the shimmery gold called Rue de Tournon all over the lid with Nostalgie a stunning plum based warm brown in the crease, that combination is gorgeous! The matte shadows are really smooth and so easy to blend whilst the shimmer shadows are actually quite glittery. Joie is the only shadow which is not glittery, it is more of an actual shimmer, this is the shadow that I use in the inner corner of my eye looks.
This is a six shadow palette, similar to the Orgasm Mini Palette but thankfully the pan size of the shadows is a little bit larger because I thought the Orgasm palette was incredibly disappointing when it came to size. This palette is much more reasonable size and almost justifies the £39 price tag but I would try and get this whilst it is discounted if I were you. I keep an eye on the prices on John Lewis and quite often they either have 15% or 20% off Nars and that is definitely the best time to purchase any of these products.
We might not able to travel at the moment but I think this palette would be ideal to take away with you, it is not over complicated, you can create both day and night looks and it is compact.
Blush Duo
The eyeshadow palette might be the big piece in the collection but I think a lot of people were taken in by the Blush Duo, I know it certainly stood out to me when I looked at the collection. The Blush Duo is a big compact with two blush shades in it for £37. I didn't realise how big this compact was going to be but I was pleasantly surprised.
Not only did the compact itself standout to me (it has butterflies all over the front) but the shades speak for themselves, they are gorgeous. I was taken in by the warm, peachy orange shade on the left and the richer, warm blush on the right looked like it would work perfectly as a bronzer on my incredibly pale skin and I was right. If you have actual colour to your skin you would probably be able to use this as a blush but as I have the colour of someone who has just risen from their grave, it is a bronzer for me. I knew this was going to be a two in one product for me which meant if I do travel I would have the perfect compact but it also made the spend a bit more reasonable.
Now that I have been using this, I have to admit I have mixed feelings. The shades are stunning and exactly what I wanted but the formula is a little bit off for me. I like a blush which isn't overly pigmented as I find it easier to use but I think these blushers are slight too stiff which makes it difficult to get the colour onto your face. You really do have to take the time to build up these shades. This isn't as much of an issue with the peachy blush shade as you only need a small amount of it for your cheeks but if you are using the right hand shade as a bronzer, like me, it does take a lot of time to get the colour to define your face and you have to make sure you are using a dense brush to pick up the colour. I started out using quite a soft cheek brush but had to move on to a more densely packed brush which helped to get the colour built a bit quicker. It isn't the end of the world but it wasn't what I expected as I used this for the first time when I was rushing to leave the house for work. You can definitely get a lovely colour but my god you have to work for it.
The colour combination is great if you are not a fan of pink in your blush. Pink has sort of become a blush default but not everyone looks for that super feminine flushed look and to be honest a pink blush doesn't necessarily work with every look you are trying to create, the two shades in this compact are the perfect antidote to the pink blush trend we are currently seeing.
If I am honest, having tried this I am not sure I would suggest rushing out to buy it. The shades are gorgeous but you really do have to consider if you want to put that effort in to get the colour payoff on your face. Personally on the weekends when I have the time to do my makeup, I love this but when I am rushing to get to work I won't be reaching for this palette which is disappointing at a price point of £37.
Audacious Sheer Matte Lipstick - Anais
The Blush Duo might have been a bit disappointing but the Audacious Sheer Matte Lipstick is a compete winner. I actually have to commend the shade selection in this collection, there are a lot of red lipsticks which is something that doesn't normally get that amount of focus within a limited edition collection but reds very much dominate both the matte and the satin lipsticks in this collection. Even though I do love a red, I actually went for one of the only nude options and the shade I went for is called Anais.
I've tried the Audacious Lipsticks before and I thought they were matte but they have changed it up even more of this collection. This time they have a Sheer Matte Lipstick which is basically a matte formula but it is supposed to be a soft focus velvet finish. This is a limited edition formula for this collection and it is quite unusual.
When you first open up the lipstick, the lipstick looks textured almost like velvet but as soon as you use this lipstick you realise it is very smooth. This actually contains silicone which does make the lipstick feel slightly thick on your lips but it does go on very matte and smooth. The lipstick is quite dry so if you do have any dry skin on your lips it will stick to it and it doesn't look great so make sure you use a bit of lip balm before you apply this lipstick.
When I ordered Anais online, I thought it was going to be slightly more pink toned than it is but when I wear it there is a definite peachy, coral vibe which I love especially for this time of year as we head towards Spring. The colour of this lipstick is brightening and makes you look slightly more fresh which goes perfectly with the eye palette as you can oppose the light playful shade of the lipstick with a dark smokey eye look. Add a bit of the peachy blush to your cheeks and you have a strong look.
Now that I have tried this formula in a lighter nude shade, I would definitely like to buy one of the red lipsticks in this formula as I think the soft focus finish would be great in a red, it would be the sort of look that you couldn't tell whether it was supposed to be worn in or not. I've got my eye on the shade Sylvie so I am hoping to buy that before the limited edition ends.
Nars lipsticks are not cheap at £26 but they certainly feel very luxurious. The packaging is magnetic and it has the most satisfying close when you put the lid on and the packaging is stunning. Well worth treating yourself if you can.
The Claudette Collection is simply gorgeous and a beautiful tribute to what was clearly a very glamorous woman. I think this collection is great and honestly it is something you do not want to miss out on, especially the eye shadow palette! I assumed this might sell out quite quickly as the packaging is so beautiful and to be honest the colour scheme of the products is something that would appeal to most people but thankfully all of these products are still in stock.
Let me know what you think of the collection in the comments.
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