In my previous post you saw the afternoon I spent with NARS international makeup artist Marco Castro in Rustan’s. Today, you’re going to see swatches of four NARS shades – Space Odyssey and Endless Night from the Holiday 2011 Collection, Kismet from the Summer 2011 collection and the iconic Jungle Red which is the brand’s top-selling nail polish of all time.
Let’s start with Space Odyssey.
François Nars named this polish after the series of science fiction novels and films by Arthur C. Clarke.
They describe Space Odyssey as “a futuristic-looking metallic, aluminum-colored nail polish.”
I call it crazy silver.
You know this – I usually don’t go crazy for silver polish.
I like seeing it on other people but I always think I couldn’t rock it.
But for some crazy reason, I am really loving Space Odyssey.
Maybe it’s the formula – I love how the micro-glitter is packed, how it’s opaque in two coats and how it dries to a smooth finish.
I think this would make the perfect holiday manicure.
It’s the perfect shade for tearing into Christmas presents.
Marco is right – the holidays are the perfect excuse to play with shimmer and color.
But I don’t think Space Odyssey should only be worn during the holidays.
In fact, I am wearing it now.
It’s too awesome to be kept hidden the rest of the year.
And there’s more than one way to wear Space Odyssey. You can wear it alone, sure, because it becomes opaque easily, but you can also wear it as a top coat.
Marco says he loves seeing it over Galion.
So naturally, I wanted to try it.
This is NARS Galion, from the Fall 2011 collection, which you’ve seen two million and five times on this blog.
I can’t help it, I love it so much.
This is Space Odyssey over Galion.
Crazy, right?
I tried to make Space Odyssey as light as I could because originally I just wanted a smattering of the micro-glitter, like stars in the dark sky.
But because Space Odyssey is super packed with glitter, that was impossible.
The lightest coat left a ton of sparkle on Galion.
Which isn’t a bad thing at all.
I think it freaking rocks.
This is Endless Night.
In the bottle, it looks almost burgundy.
But it’s really an insanely deep purple.
You can see its purple base when you open the bottle.
NARS describes this is “black-grape.”
That’s pretty accurate. And I love it.
I am a huge fan of vampy shades. I think colors like Endless Night are crazy sexy.
The formula was fantastic – the polish applied super smoothly and the finish was super glossy.
You’d need two or three coats, depending on your brush strokes and how thick the coats are.
And if Space Odyssey is the perfect manicure for opening gifts, I can totally see Endless Night wrapped around a wine glass at a New Year’s Eve party.
Sexy.
This is NARS Kismet.
This shade was released with Ecume for Summer 2011.
NARS describes Kismet as “metallic sunflower.”
I love the description – it makes me think of the powerful sunflower in Plants vs. Zombies.
I thought this color would be similar to Desperado.
But it is a brighter, happier color.
It’s a very yellow almost metallic shimmer.
Once again, great formula.
I used two coats.
And finally, Jungle Red.
Jungle Red is NARS’ top-selling polish.
And when Marco told me the history of its name and how it was inspired by an old Joan Crawford film called “The Women,” I knew I couldn’t leave Rustan’s without buying it.
It did not disappoint.
NARS describes Jungle Red as a “bright red.”
It is a gorgeous red.
A classic red that will never go out of style.
It’s sexy sexy sexy.
A lot of women have pledged allegiance to Jungle Red. And now that I’ve worn it, I’m not surprised.
Again, fantastic formula. Super smooth, super glossy, super sexy.
Marco said, “Red lipstick gives you power.”
I’d like to think that red nail polish is the same.
But here’s the funny thing. Check out the page I was reading as I was swatching this shade. (Yes, I read while I swatch. Yes, I’m weird)
A hilarious coincidence. And I feel sorry for the character in the book who can’t appreciate red nail polish.
Because seriously, she’s missing a lot.
Jungle Red, you rock my world.
Sigh, NARS, I love you.
NARS Fall 2011 Collection is now available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source. The Holiday Collection will be out in November. Jungle Red, Kismet and shades from the permanent line and previous collections are also available. Each bottle is ₱995.