A few weeks ago, NARS launched the Summer Solstice Collection for 2021, and I have to say, it’s a good one. Damn good, in fact. True to François Nars’ aesthetic, both pieces come housed in stunning packaging that definitely compliments what’s on the inside. Spoiler: these palettes absolutely deliver.
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Summer Solstice Eyeshadow Palette, limited edition (CAN $62.00) | Bearing a raised sunray pattern in gold on the cover, the palette opens up to reveal a full sized mirror on the inner lid along with 9 lustrous shades. The palette features only 2 matte hues and while that might not be a lot, both are multi-purpose: serving as stand alone colours, transitional shades, or to help ground a look. The shimmers are all richly pigmented and colour-saturated, delivering full opacity with one stroke — although they can also be easily blended out and/or diffused for a softer wash of colour. The formula consists of pure pigments suspended in an innovative liquid binding system, which is the reason behind such high-intensity colour. As someone who’s fairly obsessed with red/gold/copper eyeshadows, this palette stole my heart upon opening and trust me, it does NOT disappoint.
- Delirium – metallic rose
- Dune – matte terracotta brown
- Morongo – shimmering rose gold
- Seven Heaven – matte sand
- Oro Grande – metallic copper brown
- Seduced – metallic rusted pink
- Sunstorm – shimmering golden copper
- Thar – metallic umber
- Indian Wells – metallic ruby
Summer Solstice Cheek Duo, limited edition (CAN $60.00) | Bearing the same packaging but done in coppery bronze, the radiating sunray pattern is repeated on the product’s surface. Note that there is a light shimmering overspray that will get dusted off upon application. The top third of the duo consists of a highlighter, Ibiza — a best selling shade for the brand, with the bottom third is taken up by the bronzer, Laguna — a cult fave shade and one found in basically every makeup artist’s kit. With its “Seamless Glow Technology” formula, both hues deliver that perfect sun-washed look; picture a day spent at the beach (something I can’t wait to do again …). Each segment is also large enough that you can pick up individually with your brush, although I find that the true beauty is when the two are combined. The colour is also customizable with the result determined by which shade of the two you pick up more of. Sweetening the deal further, the powder bears the NARS signature Monoï de Tahiti fragrance, similar to that of the brand’s Monoï Body Glow Oil (which is another of my all time faves) and absolutely heavenly. As seen in the swatches below, this is an effortless shade to wear and can easily suit a variety of complexions from fair to medium (on darker skin tones, I suspect it will come off as more of a gleam).
- Ibiza (highlighter) – soft yellow gold
- Laguna (bronzer) – diffused brown with gold shimmer
There are also a couple of cream bronzer shades released in this collection along with a brush to apply them with, and after being wowed by both of these palettes, I’m seriously tempted to check them out. That said, everything in this collection is limited edition and in my honest option, both the Eyeshadow Palette and Cheek Duo are 100% worth picking up. Seriously … you don’t want buyer’s remorse on these.
Available at Sephora, select retailers and on nars.com
Kindly provided by NARS for my unbiased consideration