Since Fall 2007, NARS and Phillip Lim have collaborated for the the past 14 seasons on the 3.1 Phillip Lim runway show during NY Fashion Week. This collection celebrates their work blending Phillip's signature style with NARS' iconic bold style and daring beauty aesthetic.
The nine limited editions shades include:
Anarchy: Angora
Wrong Turn: Graphite
Shutter: Black Sea Green
Other Side: Bitter Chocolate
Gold Viper: Champagne
Crossroads: African Violet
Hell-Bent: Lacquer Red
Dark Room: Blue Denim
Insidious: Black Bronze
I was lucky enough to receive Other Side and Insidious from the awesome PR folks at NARS. Let me tell you just how pleased I am. The only thing that I'm bummed about is that the colors I chose are suitable for crisp winter nights. Well it's a good thing that I love breaking beauty expectations and summer nights here in the Bay Area requires warm layers!
Not only are the colors something to chat about but so is the bottle and brush!
The original square handle could be a bit much for petite hands to handle but now the square top pops off and reveals a traditional brush handle.
And check out the new brush:
vs. the old brush
As you can see the new brush is flatter and wider allowing to cover more surface area with fewer brush strokes. Also, the brush fits nicely along the cuticle. I can cover my nail with just three brush strokes: middle and sides.
Here's Other Side on my nails:
The first application is a bit streaky but I applied the second coat a little thicker and got the opaque results I wanted. I found a nail to be a bit streaky after the second coat so I went ahead and applied a light third coat. That nail didn't look thick and matched the others. I did apply my favorite base and shiny top coat for extra shine. I love this dark chocolate shade even in the summer. Although it gets me anxious for the fall and I also get mad chocolate cravings! I get great wear time with NARS polishes: 3-4 days on my nails and a good 2 weeks on my toes.
Insidious on my toes:
A beautiful blackened bronze that can lead to a deep metallic olive or black brown. I really like this shade with black sandals or even nude peep toe shoes.
The formula also has a new high gloss finish. Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference since I never had a problem with the original formula and bottle packaging. But I can appreciate the new brush. However, I can see a possible problem with the bristles of this brush. If you jam the brush in the bottle quickly or incorrectly, you can splay the bristles and they won't lay flat and nice. I noticed a few bristles askew on my new brush and this was the first time using my bottle. I didn't experience this with my older NARS polishes. I will now have to be careful if I buy another NARS polish as the all the older shades will be phased out and repackaged in the new bottles over time.
First improving the lip gloss formula and packaging and now this?
Well played NARS...well played!
Nail polish - $20/USD
Samples sent to me from the PR department at NARS Cosmetics for consideration.
