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UNBOXING | NARS x Sephora 500 Beauty Insider Points Perk

Unboxing NARS x Sephora 500 Beauty Insider Points Perk

So I know I did one of these last month but yeah, I hit VIB Rouge and had 1000 points so I spent the remainder on this kit. The items included are some of NARS most popular products so I'm very excited to give them a try!
Finally, the long-awaited NARS Unboxing (you were waiting for it with bated breath...right?). It took a while for me to try out the products because I had so many other things to try out but finally, the jury is in. The box is no longer available on Sephora's website, but the items are individually available! Let's jump in and see the verdict, shall we?

--THE BREAKDOWN--

  • Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base -- The doe foot applicator makes it easy to apply. Retails price: $28 for 0.26 oz ($107.69 USD for 1 oz). 
  • Blush -- With a wide range of 27 shades, you'll be able to find one that tickles your fancy :) Retail price: $30 USD for 0.16 oz ($187.50 USD for 1 oz).
  • Satin Lip Pencil -- Comes in 13 colors, each one costs $25 USD for 0.07 oz ($357.18 USD for 1 oz). There's also a Velvet Matte and Velvet Gloss formula for matte lovers and gloss lovers, respectively. 

nars smudge proof eyeshadow base ingredients
I don't like foil packets so I didn't want to open this up and use it. Once something is open, it's exposed to the air and so many other contaminants. Since this was going on my sensitive eyes, I didn't want to take any risks. This will probably be given away to my brave friends or something. I've heard that it's really good for very oily eyelids. I like my UD one (Original, Sin, etc.) just fine and at $20 USD for 0.37 fl oz/11 mL ($54.05 USD per oz), it's a much better deal. The tube packaging makes me feel like I can get all the product out opposed to a doe foot kind.

nars larger than life long wear eyeliner via veneto swatches
Eyeliner is a nice way to darken a simple eyemakeup. I feel like eyeliner makes my eyes more defined and bigger. Black isn't my go-to anymore as I feel like it's too harsh. Still, I gave the NARS Larger than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Via Veneto a try and I like it. It's a bit like the MUFE Aqua Eyes Eyeliner--drier and not as pigmented as the Tarte liners. It is long wearing on my oily eyelids. I haven't tried it without eye primer but I always use eye primer so yeah...On my upper waterline, it lasted about 3 hours before I started getting serious smudging and panda eyes. I don't wear eyeliner in my lower waterline but if it can't last in my upper tightline, it has no chance. It was easy to smudge for a softer look. Performance-wise, it's not better than my HG MUFE, and at $19 USD for 0.04 oz ($475 USD for 1 oz), it's a much better deal. Hurts me to think I'm shaving off black gold practically when I sharpen the darn thing.

nars blush deep throat swatches
How freaking cute is this mini blush??! I didn't think I would like this blush at first. It isn't anywhere as sparkly as NARS Orgasm, quite tame actually. However, the name put me off for a long time (I know the product itself is more important but I they could've named it anything--why this???) It is a satin finish but the sparkles don't show up on your face unless you look really closely. The warm peach is really pretty but it gives me a nice, barely flushing pink. Not complaining since the color is really natural on my cheeks but the color in the pan would've been nice too. The formula is smooth and soft. This is quite pigmented so go with a light hand! The small packaging was a bit troublesome at first because I couldn't use it with my favorite fluffy blush brush which I like to use with pigmented blushes. However, my e.l.f. blush brush (which I use as a contour brush for a soft wash of color), with its tapered tip, fits into this pan nicely. The Real Techniques Contour Brush and e.l.f. angled blush brush also fits into this pan easily. 

NARS BLush in Deep Throat
I applied blush a bit heavier than usual so you can see how the color looks on me.
nars satin lip pencil rikugien swatches
Last up is the Satin Lip Pencil. After her Bobbi Brown Art Sticks recommendation, Shari of THE MISTY MOM convinced me that I need some of these in my life. I'm particularly interested in Luxembourg after seeing it on Beautifymeeh and Lodhi after seeing it on Shari but Rikugien is a rosier, pinkier version of my lips. It looks totally natural and not like I have product on. Brightens my complexion well, this is perfect for my everyday looks. While I would call them moisturizing, they don't dry out my lips and wear really well. I can get 5 hours without wear with light drinking. These fade after meals so a touch up is a must. I find that it wears off kind of weirdly and leaves a lip liner ring on my lips. Luckily, the color isn't that much different from my natural lip color that it doesn't look off but keep that in mind.

NARS Rikugien SWATCHES
Extreme close up--eep!

--BOTTOM LINE--

I haven't done a price breakdown of the samples included in this kit. It's almost 2 AM and I'm too tired to punch in numbers in my handy dandy calculator right now so look for an update in a few hours. I don't think I'll be purchasing any of these products full size. While they do work well, the enormous price tag, especially the eyeliner, puts me and my wallet off. The only thing I could consider buying in the future are the Satin Lip Pencils, but even those cost an arm and a leg. My favorite chubby pencils atm are the Bobbi Brown Art Sticks and at $26 USD for 0.2 oz ($130 USD for 1 oz), I don't see a need to grab a ton of the NARS. I'm kind of bummed that they included a foil packet in a 500 freaking point perk but I can see why--everything is sooo expensive! If the Satin Lip Pencil and Blush wasn't included, I would be a very angry and sad--mostly sad-- chick right now, especially since the BareMinerals box and Tarte box look so much better (and you should know by now, I love me my BareMinerals and Tarte). 

Final Look! I'm smiling but I am not entirely satisfied with this box >.<
FOUNDATION: Stila Perfect & Correct//Tone
CONCEALER: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer//Custard
EYESHADOW BASE: Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow//Seashell Pink
EYESHADOW: UD Naked 3 Palette//Limit & Buzz
EYEBROWS: e.l.f. EyeBrow Kit//Medium
MASCARA: Revlon Grow Luscious//Waterproof (still think it sucks)
**Everything else is using the NARS products in this kit.**
So there you have it, My opinion on NARS products, i.e. overpriced. They are good but my money is best spent elsewhere. I'm glad I got to try out some NARS products as I can see why lots of people are devout followers. Maybe they'll release a collection that I'll completely fall in love with and I'll have to eat my words. But for now, I'll be sitting in my no-buy ban isolation room so I don't get tempted to buy those Satin Lip Pencils...

XOXO,
MWAH ♥
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Disclosure Statement: All products mentioned were purchased with my own money. I am not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned above and was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own. Links are not affiliate links and are provided for the readers' convenience. I cannot guarantee that the product(s) will work for you. I do not approve or endorse the products or information available on these sites. Proceed at your own risk.

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