by Neat and new to Me
Unlike my Unsung Heroes series, which features permanent collection products I’ve known and loved a long time, the Neat and new to Me series showcases permanent collection products that slipped under my radar for a while, but then I discovered them! — and now I think they’re neat and new to me.
I wore the NARS Alhambra Eyeshadow Duo last weekend to shop for maternity jeans, and you know what? You know your eyeshadow is doing something ideal when you’re shopping for jeans (which is normally traumatic enough as it is) in your sixth month of pregnancy, and you feel extra huge, and you’re in a dressing room with the worst florescent green lighting known to womankind, and you look in the mirror and think, “Dayum! My eye makeup looks good…”
Thank you, NARS Alhambra.
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You can make a woman feel good in gold, even when she’s in sickly greenish lighting.
On one side of this warm-toned powder shadow duo lives a metallic rosy gold; on the other, a golden champagne.
They might look a little scary and frosty in that swatch below, but trust! — they aren’t that shiny or brash on lids once they’ve been blended (which is easy to do because they’re both also exceptionally soft).
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Like a superhero satin, the finish shines, but it’s about six degrees away from “discotheque,” so you can tell your fine lines to chill. Alhambra’s got this.
I’m still doing my makeup using a 15-minute timer often to stay on task (like on my tinted moisturizer, blush and nude lipgloss days), and Alhambra works great at those times. I’ll pat a single layer of either shade from the duo on my lids with a flat eyeshadow brush (both are very pigmented and last all day on top of primer), or often I’ll mix them together. then I’ll sweep a matte brown in the crease (usually MAC Cork or NARS Blondie) for definition, then sloosh/blend everything together with a tapered blending brush. then I tightline my upper lash line and finish with mascara.
POOF! Fifteen minutes and I’m ready to manage those horrible dressing room lights. (Seriously, what gives? Why are they so bad??)
By the way, my NARS foundation shade is Stromboli, which is a medium with olive undertones, so for me, Alhambra is a lot more of a lid shade than something I’d use as an inner corner highlight. If you’re a lighter lovely, you must be able to use the champagne gold as a defining crease color, among other things.
Alhambra hangs out in the NARS permanent line, and it’s $25 for the pro palette refill shown in this post; a duo with a compact case and mirror is $35.
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You can find Alhambra now at NARS boutiques, counters and online.
Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,
Karen
