“I am very lucky to have an extremely beautiful, glamorous, and elegant mother on whom I was always able to practice makeup” — François Nars.
In homage to his absolutely gorgeous mother — who also happens to serve as one of his muses, François Nars was inspired to create The Claudette Collection, Claudette Says. All I can say, is that if his mom is anything to go by, then the hype about Parisian women is most definitely real. I mean, just look at her!
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family portraits
The press package that the collection arrived in, literally stopped me in my tracks: not some cheap plastic & useless thing-a-ma-bob, but a lacquered solid metal case with an oversized mirror on the inner lid that held the collection snugly inside. I mean … WOW. Absolutely display-worthy and an item I can’t wait to repurpose.
St Germain des Prés Eyeshadow Palette (CAN $62.00/value $136.00) | The adorable heart-printed lacquered case opens up to reveal a full sized mirror on the inner lid and 6 new shades consisting of 3 shimmers (top tier) and 3 mattes (bottom tier). The formula is created with pure pigments suspended in an innovative liquid binding system resulting in rich, high-impact colour from the very first stroke. The texture of all shades is buttery smooth, with no fall down seen upon application and displaying a wonderful blendability. When worn over primer, all hues last beautifully without fading.
- Envie – shimmering taupe
- Joie – shimmering champagne
- Rue de Tournon – shimmering bronze
- L’Éphémère – matte rust
- Nostalgie – matte cinnamon brown
- Libération – matte deep brown
Claudette Cheek Duo (CAN $59.00/value $179.00) | If you thought the heart print on the eyeshadow palette was lovely, how cute are the butterflies here? The gorgeousness continues on the inside, where you’ll find 2 complimentary blush hues in pans large enough that they can be applied individually, or swirled together for a customized hue. It’s well -known that NARS makes some of the best blushes out there, and this duo is no exception. The texture is buttery smooth and easy to blend out, and you can either layer them up for more intensity, or apply simply as a light wash of natural looking colour. Staying power when worn over primer/foundation, is also excellent.
- Croisette – satin/matte bright peach
- Ninotchka – satin/matte toasted amber
Audacious Sheer Matte Lipstick (CAN $43.00/each) | NARS has taken the Audacious cult-fave formula and given it a soft-focus finish; it’s like taking some pigment and patting it onto your lips, as a way of better understanding the finish. The red cases have 4 prints in black: butterflies (2), hearts (2), 4-leaf clover (1), and stars (1). The six shades all display sheer to medium coverage, with the deepest hues providing the strongest colour payoff, but all are definitely buildable. The finish is petal-soft and slightly powdery, but in a good way (not the chalky kind). Another surprise is how comfortable they are to wear, with no drying feeling imparted to lips.
Note: of the 6 shades, Anaïs, Mathilde, and Bérénice are available at Sephora, while the other 3 shades are an online exclusive.
- Anaïs – pink nude
- Mathilde – rose beige
- Bérénice – warm brick red
- Sylvie – berry red
- Anouk – red
- Sandrine – scarlet red
Audacious Lipstick (CAN $43.00/each) | The cases here are the reverse of the previous ones, with a black background and a red print (but still so stinking cute). All four are new shades in the brand’s Audacious formula, which provides single-stroke full coverage (it’s unreal), and leaves lips feeling thoroughly hydrated throughout wear. What I find so touching, is that all four shades were named after the most inspiring women in François’ life: his mother, Claudette Augustine, and his grandmothers, Léa and Ginette.
Note: Ginette is an online exclusive, the rest are available at Sephora
I’m calling this “lipstick camouflage”
- Claudette – rust red (but I see coral there too)
- Augustine – taupe nude
- Ginette – burgundy
- Léa – spiced rose (how pretty does that sound?)
François Nars turned to nostalgia as the creative inspiration behind this collection, and paid a loving tribute to the key women in his life in the process. Calling up the irreverent spirit of 70s Paris Rive Gauche, all the pieces in the collection work symbiotically together, but can easily stand alone as well. In my opinion? This is one of the best releases from the brand to date and worth a look-see. Just remember: limited edition … you know the drill.
Available at Sephora and online
Kindly provided by NARS for my unbiased consideration
