Singapore! We’re an eyeshadow now, at least according to Nars. This Fall, the brand’s seasonal colour collection will see a release of a few limited edition products and a newly formulated quad eyeshadow palette – one of which is the Singapore Quad Eyeshadow Palette. It’s launching on 9 August (apt) and will be a hometown exclusive for a month before its global September release.
Now, I’ve always been a fan of Nars’ shade naming conventions and the wonderful and sometimes exotic words it throws up. Its Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow singles, for example, are named after stars. My favourites are: Kari, a soft rosy pink; Pasiphae, a gorgeous olive and brown opalescent; and Subra, a perfect all-occasion purple if there were one. Then there are the duos: 413 BLKR (for the brand’s flagship address in New York), Chiang Mai, Kalahari, Key Largo, Kuala Lumpur (hey, neighbour), St-Paul-De-Vence, etc. The list goes on and on but suffice to say: WE’RE ON THE LIST!
The palette in question, anyway, is part of the brand’s upcoming lineup of quad palettes. They use a new texture that improves the brand’s already impressive shadows. The pressed powders use a system that binds powder to liquid – just some science to say that these are even smoother, blendable, and richer in colour payoff. The palettes will come with a mix of matte, satin and shimmer shades – and the Singapore one itself has a shimmering rose and gold-brown, creamy satin red, and a warm satin brown. There's another one called Mojave that features warm brown shades that's ideal for subtle daily use.
Patriotic excitement aside, the rest of the fall collection is quite spectacular. I’m currently enamoured by the 7 Deadly Sins Audacious Lipstick Palette, a limited edition which packs the brand’s literally award-winning lipstick formula into a handy case. The shades aren’t too bad, either, running from easy mauve nudes to a vivid orange-red, and deep burgundies. It comes with a handy little lip brush for precise application. I think it works as well as any lip brush, but in a pinch dabbing with your finger can work just as well albeit with a more relaxed and diffused finish.
In a bid, perhaps, to delay fall and extend summer, Nars also has come up with the Atomic Blonde Eye and Cheek Palette. Which is essentially a multi-use eye and cheek kit for bronzing. Four eyeshadows in the warm earth tonal family, and a bronzing and highlighting powder means you’ve got nearly everything you need to try and carve up Charlize Theron’s bone structure. I’m just going to ignore that her character in that movie was an icy British/Russian spy and live this sunny fantasy.
