NARS · Wildfire Collection, Spring 2017

Always drawing inspiration by his many travels, the NARS Wildfire Collection for Spring 2017 is filled with shades that may initially appear soft, but somehow manage to pack quite an impact just the same. Trust François Nars to create a collection that’s made up of utterly wearable colour, masquerading as neutrals.

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On a side note, I was so thrilled to note that one of the eyeshadow duos is named after the part of Greece where my family hails: Thessaloniki — a beautiful city whose harbour and iconic White Tower are instantly recognizable; a city that straddles the line between being a modern metropolis yet still honours its strong classical history.

The other eyeshadow duo of the collection is inspired by a city in Northern Thailand that was once the capital of an ancient kingdom. Situated amongst the highest mountains in the country, its picturesque architecture and breathtaking vistas have earned this city a spot as one of the must-see places to visit in the world. ∗runs to add it to the bucket list∗

The White Tower, Thessaloniki, Greece

Thessalonique Eyeshadow Duo (CAN $43.00) | Say what you will, but NARS creates some of the most exquisite eyeshadows and this brand’s duos rarely disappoint. The cooler leaning palette of the collection, the shades here are filled with complex ultra fine shimmer and display a buttery soft texture. Some powdery kickback is seen when swirling a brush across their surfaces, but that’s easily solved by a quick tap before application. Blendability is excellent and staying power over primer is bang on.

iridescent seashell pink (champagne ivory highlights)
iridescent violet smoke (plum/taupe hints as well)

Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand

Chiang Mai Eyeshadow Duo, limited edition (CAN 43.00$)| The warmer leaning of the two palettes, I was immediately drawn to the Summery vibe of these shades (I’m a water baby, after all) then fell hard for how stunning they look together. Applied with a dampened brush does all kinds of wonderful for this aqua, while the saturation of the coppery hue makes it a perfect crease shade.

shimmering sea blue (with a healthy aqua undertone)
copper (deep rose gold base)

Velvet Shadow Sticks, limited edition (CAN $35.00/each) | If you’ve yet to try this brand’s Velvet Shadow Stick formula, all I can say is that you’re totally missing out. Housed in a retractable pencil format, these all have a creamy texture complimented by rich colour and complex shimmer — and all are easily layerable for a stronger depth of tone, or sheered out for a wash effect. You do need to work fast if you’ll be blending these out because once they set, they’re pretty much iron-clad (over primer).

Siros – soft bronze
Belle-Île – shimmering Mandarin orange
Grand-Large – metallic sky blue
Usbek – vivid purple

Bumpy Ride Blush (CAN $38.00) | Described as a “shimmering candy pink” is spot on; what that fails to say, is that this is not a 1-dimensional Barbie pink hue, but one filled with ultrafine pearly shimmer and bearing an almost creamy-to-the-touch kind of texture. There is some powdery kickback upon swirling a brush across the surface — easily solved by first tapping off any excess before application . The colour is interesting; what appears as a straight-up cool shade has enough pale coral undertones to make it wearable on those with warmer complexions as well. TIP: apply to the apples of the cheeks and blend up & out (towards temples) to add a touch of brightness to the face.

Asphalt Jungle, limited edition Lip Gloss (CAN $33.00) | Described as “shimmering Sangria”, this has got to be one of the best mauve/taupe/blush gloss hues I’ve ever tried. Showing good opacity from the first swipe, the formula is filled with incredibly fine shimmer that adds a nice depth and the texture never feels sticky, while the doe-foot applicator makes application easy-peasy.

Aragón Lip Gloss (CAN $33.00) | Described as “red chestnut”, this unique shade appears to ride the line between brown and red and gives such a lush look to lips, it’s almost indecent. Pigmentation is amazing and gives complete coverage from the first swipe, while the resulting finish is nothing shy of brilliant.

Breaking Free Semi-Matte Lipstick, limited edition (CAN $35.00) | Described as “neon coral”, this shade really excited me at first glance; sadly, that’s as far as it went. Maybe it’s the semi-matte formula, but I found application here to be rather uncooperative and unless your lips are in perfect condition, expect this to catch on and emphasize every flaw/flake. The colour is truly unique and I can see this working in a more editorial setting; the only way it works on me, however, is with a gloss on top.

Kiss Me Stupid Satin Lipstick, limited edition (CAN $35.00) | Described as “burnt sienna”, I would amend that to “burnt sienna light”, instead. There’s a lush creamy feel to this formula and it glides effortlessly along the lips, while the resulting finish has just enough radiance to keep things interesting. Not groundbreaking colour-wise, but a stunning dark nude just the same.

I would just love to be at a NARS brainstorming session and see how they go about creating each collection because of all the brands out there, this is the one that is consistently the most unpredictable (but in a good way, as in marching to the beat of their own drum). Out of everything in this collection, the one that fell short for me was Breaking Free lipstick, although that doesn’t mean someone else can’t make it work on them. If there’s one standout, then I’d say that was Thessalonique (you probably saw that coming, am I right?) as both hues of this palette have to be seen & tried to be believed. The overall look of this collection may definitely be Spring-like, but something tells me that I’ll be wearing these shades long after the season has come and gone …

Available at The Bay, Sephora and online