A little bit of a ramble about Nars and 2023.
I was originally going to post a “Top Beauty in 2022” kind of post but then I realized, the majority of my beauty faves I didn’t actually get around to posting about. Whoops. 2022 was a mixed bag for me when it came to sitting down and writing. I hated sitting down to write a review – beauty or otherwise. I felt like they were dry and literally did nothing for me or for the reader (if anyone was reading them!). Reviews feel like pulling teeth for me and time just slipped by while I raved about the products in person – never made it here.
So, while I enjoy the idea of reviews, and I’m using enough products and brands to warrant posting about them. I’m definitely changing up my style. I miss the old days of blogging when people wrote essay-style posts and it felt like they were talking to you like a friend. Today it feels like it’s all ad content and sponsorships and video. I get the hype, but why does it have to be video? My dreaded nemesis.
So I think I’m bringing it back. This is what feels authentic to me in 2023 and I’m going with my gut for this one.
This might mean my post titles will have to change because they will probably feel all like a lifestyle post. I’ll play that by ear.
This year, I managed to actually spend more time in the sun and get a decent tan base going. And I’m not talking about the fact that I just spent 3 balmy weeks in Mexico and am a brand-new skin tone. This summer I got a decent tan that warranted a slightly darker shade of foundation.
I’ve been using the Tarte SEA Hydroflex serum foundation which is a medium-coverage foundation with a natural finish. Light, yet buildable I really enjoy this one. But I was willing to step out and try something new.
I’ve always been a fan of the NARS aesthetic.
This is the first time I’ve purchased any one of their foundations, or really anything that wasn’t lipstick. On the Sephora website, they say it’s “An advanced makeup-skincare-hybrid foundation with a natural finish that quickly blurs and smooths while visibly improving skin’s clarity over time.”
The NARS Light-Reflecting skincare foundation also is medium coverage with a natural finish. My friend loves it, so I thought why not? It’s nice. It’s not quite the right shade for me, either tan or my natural skin tone. I find that it looks nice but it definitely stays on my face like foundation. Where the Tarte one feels like it’s absorbed by my skin, this feels like it’s sitting on top of my skin.
Overall, it’s alright but it’s not something I would repurchase.
But buying foundation means, of course, new lipstick.
And as I’m currently obsessed with eye shadow sticks (those were probably my biggest 2022 purchase) I also grabbed a shade of NARS velvet shadow stick in the shade, Dark Angel. I grabbed the NARS satin lip pencil in the shade, Balboa.
The lip pencil lives up to the hype. It’s a satiny-smooth finish and Balboa is a gorgeous, plum colour. A bit dark probably for the day but perfect for a night out.
Dark Angel is a mocha-brown but it’s much more matte and solid colour than I expected. So, 10 points for pigment. It’s a little harder to blend due to the strong pigment, but I feel like if I experimented more it would do for a lovely smoky eye. I just need to play around with it some more.
But somehow this purchase ended up with things not really great for the day-to-day!
I’ve only used these products a handful of times, especially because I always feel slightly let down with the foundation. That’s the luck of the draw with online beauty shopping!
I’m looking forward to 2023 and getting more posts up regularly and slowly rebuilding my brand and going with this is more intuitive for me. I am attempting videos, but it’s slow going. I’m also unsatisfied with Instagram, so we’ll see how things go there as well.
I feel like 2023 is the year of change and the year of getting shit done! Hope you’re up for the ride with me!
J x
