Review: NARSissist Smokey Eye Kit

What an absolute thing of beauty. 

If you can behold this palette without becoming a seething mass of desire, I don’t think we can be friends anymore. Its utter perfection in make-up form.

Until quite recently, I hadn’t owned any NARS at all. That seems unlikely for such a dedicated beauty enthusiast, but its true. 

Of course I’d heard all the ravings about its brushes and blushes but I just never had the impulse to get involved.

That all changed when I wandered into Space NK in search of a good nude lipstick and encountered their Satin Lip Crayon in ‘Biscayne Park’. 

Not only was it the perfect nude for my skintone, but the winning finish grabbed me straight away. I felt like ‘Where have you been all my life?’.

Since then, I’ve been on a mission to get more NARS products into my life, so when I saw this kit I had to have it.

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Smokey eyes are really my go to look for evening, and lately I’ve also been loving smaller palettes of shades. 

Perhaps its just the overwhelming sense of choice in larger sets, but I’ve really been liking having a smaller selection of shades I know I will use. 

The Naked Basics palette has been in use pretty much every single day since I bought it, despite owning the larger Naked palettes as well. 

Simplicity is very good in a world with choice overload.

This kit then, could be my go-to choice for night time in the same way that Naked Basics has nailed it for day. 

The eyeshadow pan originally came in a kit with an eyeliner and a brush, but I bought mine from a blog sale so it came on its own – considering the amount of black eyeliners and brushes I own, that could be a blessing in disguise!

The palette features three shades:

Madrague – a warm peaches-and-cream colour with a very slight shimmer

Bali – a rich dark taupe brown which is matte

Mekong – a beautiful blackened brown with plenty of shimmer

The shades have so much more dimension than the standard white, grey, black you find in smokey eye palettes.

I loved the fact there’s a real depth and subtlety to the colours, especially as with brown eyes like mine, flat greys can look quite uninviting. 

Bring in a warm purplish, reddish, brownish tone to those colours though, like NARS have done here, and your eye colour begins to really sizzle.

The beauty of the shade selection has me convinced that this is genius. 

Everyone knows the drill for a smokey eye, but it feels like NARS have brought artistry and a fresh vision to that classic.

Of course the quality of the shadows are outstanding – buttery, richly pigmented, easy to blend. The lasting power is brilliant, especially when paired with a decent eye primer.

There are a few different looks you could do with this – classic smoke, winged smoke, lash gradient smoke or subtle smoke to name a few so this does provide great value for money (especially if you can pick it up in a blog sale like I did)

This is a great little kit for anyone looking to luxe-over their kit with more high end goodies, or looking to streamline their crazy palette collection into a few more go-to options. Big love!