Oh, NARS.  What have you done?

Made me spend $79 on an eyeshadow palette, that’s what.

I have never in my life spent that much money on eyeshadow.  Granted, I just started getting into makeup a mere five months ago, therefore never spending any money on any makeup is more like it.  Now, however, I will drop $40 on foundation without a blink, $22 on lipstick with nary an eye twitch.  I’ve been desensitized to high-end makeup prices.  It’s because I want to own all the things.  We’ve discussed this already.

Anyway, saw the NARS NARSissist eyeshadow palette on the internet somewhere, and immediately fell in obsessive stalkerish kind of love.  Look at all these beautiful neutral, smoky colors:

Gah!  I die.

The colors are not displayed on the palette itself, or even the box it comes in.  So I stole this information off the internet.  Top to bottom, left to right, the names are All About Eve I, Madrague II, Fez, Bali, Coconut Grove, Madrague I, Nepal, Ashes to Ashes, Brousse II, Mekong, Bellissima I, Lhasa, Bad Behavior, Dogon II, and Pandora II.  I’m not ashamed to admit I printed out the names on my label printer and stuck them to the back of my palette.  Big dork, right here, y’all.  Sorry.  (Not sorry.)

I am an obsessive compulsive, anal retentive, perfectionist.  Just putting that out there as a disclaimer for all the weird crap I do in future blog posts.  Cuz there be several.  Guaranteed.  And don’t worry about me destroying the sanctity that is the purity of the NARSissist palette.  The labels are in extremely tidy, kempt rows, evenly distributed and pleasing to the eye.  In fact, I think I’ve actually improved the aesthetic of the whole thing.  Trust me, it’s perfect.

Anyhoo, back to my point.

I received this in the mail over the weekend after an insanely long one week and one day wait.  It was absolute torture, believe me.  So much torture that I even told my husband I was expecting it any day now, and therefore admitting I bought more stuff.  I think we’re still married, so all is well for now.

One thing about this palette is that these shades are not new.  They are all part of the NARS collection, so if you are a die-hard NARS fan, you may already own these either in singles or part of a duo.  The benefit of owning this palette would simply be a nice, neat place to keep these all together (OCDers, rejoice!).  Or, if you are like me and do not own any NARS shadows, you can purchase this kit without reservation and enjoy.

So I’ve been using this palette for the past three days, mostly in the blue/pewter or taupe/purple family, throwing in a matte beige for the crease and deep black for emphasis.  And I swear I’ve been trying very hard to do such a good job but I tell you what, if you want to spend light years blending in your eyeshadow, then you’re in for some fun.  I was quite literally running a big fluffy brush through my outer V for about 20 minutes and still not satisfied.  So I gave up, accepted it for what it was, and moved on.

Can’t say I’m unhappy with this palette.  I still have several other shades to try which I will get to later this week.  I just feel slightly bummed that my expectations got the best of me.  And that I’ve been extra late for work two days in a row.  If they only knew what was happening in my bathroom in the morning.  Blending, blending, blending, napping, blending, blending, blending … It’s a nightmare.

Maybe I need to practice my eyeshadow skills in general before attempting to use this palette.  I mean, I’m no expert.  Sometimes I attempt those fancy manuevers you see on You Tube only to be left with a prostitutey mess.  I will say after purchasing some proper brushes, I’ve gotten better but still feel I have miles to go.

So take this review with a grain of salt.  I am a beginner, and I might have reached for the stars too soon.  If NARS wants to be a little complicated, then by all means go for it.  Perhaps my definition of complicated is simply from a newbie’s perspective and I should just zip it.  I dunno.  But if you are a master of makeup, and you’ve tried this palette, I am interested in hearing what you think.