NARS Haul and Mecca Cosmetica Event!!

So a couple of weeks ago I had a day off work, wandered into Mecca and started wreaking havoc on their NARS products. I was playing with everything from blush colours, bronzers, eye shadows and lip colours. My hands and wrists were a mess! (this dictates how much I love a product…or how indecisive I am feeling on the day). I WANTED EVERYTHING…but, as I am saving up for my trip at the end of the year, I convinced myself it could all wait…only to have myself rush home and do a haul online. The girl in the shop let me know about a NARS event they were holding where some cosmetic experts were coming from over east to train their staff and do make-overs. I made a booking and went to it yesterday.

The Make-Over:

They didn’t to anything new or exciting, but I did learn a bit about a new way to create a smokey bronze look. What they did that surprised me was putting ‘himalayas’ directly over the top of ‘cordura’ to give it a sort of pinkish rainbow sheen. It surprised me that they didn't use anything directly under my brow as a highlighter, but it worked either way. The main thing that impressed me with my eyes was the Via Veneto eyeliner they used, I never knew it even came with a little pencil sharpener attached on the end! Will be picking this one up next time I do an online shop. I might get the 'cordura' shadow duo if I ever get fed up of my natural eye palettes. They also used 'nepal' in my socket and 'bali' on my brows. I didn’t get a change to take a photo straight away as I went out that night but here are a couple of shots from when I got home. (I probably need a better camera to do this...)

What I ended up redeeming on the day (the booking was $50 fully redeemable on product), was a blush in ‘orgasm’ (officially initiating me into the beauty blogger community) and a lipstick in ‘cruising’ which I am really impressed with! They picked out the lip colour for me and I was shocked at how I couldn’t have found a more perfect colour myself. I love it because it is natural and I can wear it with ANY look. The pink works perfectly for me and seems to be a little bit darker than the natural colour of my lips. I can wear it to work and keep re-applying it whenever I need to without worrying about how my lips look in-between applications or after eating and drinking because the colour is nice and subtle. It is slightly shiny and glossy in the light. I can't seem to capture the look of it properly with my camera so have not included a swatch. This lip colour also goes perfectly with 'Orgasm'. I was surprised at how glittery 'Orgasm' was because my other NARS blush 'Gina' was completely matte. Another example of the great range of different products that NARS provides I guess!

My NARS Sheer Lipstick in 'Cruising'

The all famous 'Orgasm' blush

I got a free gift sample of the soft touch shadow pencil in ‘Aigle Noir’. When I swatched it I was surprised to see a black liner with shimmers and specks of gold all through it. I can’t wait to use this one. I also got a tiny ‘orgasm’ blush that looks just like the original package just in miniature. Since I bought a full sized one of this today I might include this in a little give-away pack if and when I get 100 followers haha! I don’t have a photo of the swatch because my camera just didn’t do it justice, sorry!

Aigle Noir

The Haul:

This is what I bought online (here), before the event, to introduce myself to the NARS cosmetic range. I hadn't been shopping at all in about to weeks which I think many will agree is A LONG TIME and I had worked 13 days in a row with my separate jobs....so yes, I spoiled myself. 

The Haul: Yachiyo Kabuki Brush, Sheer Glow Foundation, Blush, Bronzer, The Multiple

When the girl in the shop was helping me try on the blushes and bronzers on my face she used the Yachiyo Kabuki Brush. I loved it straight away because it felt so amazingly soft on my skin. When I received my order I still loved it because it picked up the colours so easily as well as blending the blush so quickly. I use it for both blush and bronzer because it is so versatile in this way (and soft!). The only reason I find it more designed for blush is because it is a little bit small for when you want to take your bronzer and put it all over. The size and shape specifically works for shaping cheek contours, which would be a bit difficult if it was any bigger. I can still work with it for bronzer though.

Unravelling the box...

Shape and size

front and side view

I dont find the Sheer Glow foundation sheer at all. It is super smooth, easy to apply and best of all, it is completely build-able for any level of cover. I have the second lightest shade - 'Dauville'. I only wish I bought the little pump that you can get separate, as you need to just cover the top with your finger and shake it to get any out.

I bought the multiple in 'Copacabana' as it was listed as one of the best-selling products at Mecca and I loved the texture and colour as I tried it on. My imagination went wild with all the different ways I was thinking of using it. So far I have been using it as an illuminator under my eyes and on the top of my cheekbones (it is beautfiful!) but I can't wait until it is warm enough to start wearing some slightly more revealing tops and singlets so I can use it over my neck, collar and shoulders as an all-over shimmer.

I didn't have a bronzer and the girl in the shop made it look so good on my skin so I decided my first bronzer would be another Mecca all-stars best-seller 'Laguna'. I am very pale  but I can still use small amounts of this all over to give my skin a bit of warmth and contour over foundation. 

And a swatch, not much point though because my camera is so bad...

The blush I chose at this time without any research into the selection available at NARS was 'Gina'. I went for this one because it was different to any other blush I had tried before as it has a peach tone. I only have pink or red toned blushes so it was easy for me to justify this one. I really like it because it gives me a cute bright 'fresh' look.

That about wraps it up. I am looking forward to snapping up 'Via Veneto' in the future as well as trying some NARS eyeshadows eventually (if I can decide which ones). Comment if you have anything to add, if you agree or disagree, or if you have any recommendations of which NARS products I should try next!