My thoughts on the new NARS Atomic Blonde Eye and Cheek Palette.
It’s no secret that I am a neutral/brown palette hoarder. I have way too many, but I somehow end up using all of them which justifies keeping them in my collection. This month we have another newcomer to the warm neutral palette family – NARS Atomic Blonde Eye and Cheek Palette ($59) that contains six shimmering face and eye pans to create smoldering looks that will transition seamlessly from summer into fall: Icon Eyeshadow (golden bronze shimmer, LE), Isolde II Eyeshadow (shimmering copper, permanent), Kink Eyeshadow (metallic warm copper, LE), Galapagos Eyeshadow (bitter chocolate infused with gold shimmer, permanent), Last Call Highlighting Blush Powder (shimmery neutral pinkish champagne, LE), Unleashed Bronzing Powder (warm deep brown with golden shimmer, LE).
NARS Atomic Blonde Eye and Cheek Palette (makeup look)
As someone who is passionate about skincare, I don’t like to wear makeup that would distract from my skin. My everyday looks are aimed to enhance my natural features, and I thought NARS Atomic Blonde Eye and Cheek Palette had the perfect colors to complement my complexion in the most flattering way. For this everyday no fuss makeup look I mixed Last Call highlighter with Icon eye shadow and swirled the mix all over the lids. Then I dipped my brush into Unleashed bronzer followed by Isolde II eye shadow, and worked it into the crease, outer corners, and along the bottom lash line. This easy 5-minute hack helped brighten my eyes and make them look more awake and wide open. Also, I am using NARS American Woman Powermatte Lip Pigment ($26) on the lips, which is part of their permanent range. It will give your lips that typical matte liquid lippie look, but it’s one of the more comfortable lipsticks of this type that I tried, because it doesn’t actually feel overly drying.
NARS Atomic Blonde Eye and Cheek Palette swatches.
There is currently a lot of talk in the beauty community about brands using multiple swipes and building up the colors for swatches, which doesn’t really give you a good idea about the texture and the pigmentation. My swatches in this post are all single pass swipes on clean skin, no primer, just so you can see how pigmented and rich they are.
All of them were soft and had an almost perfect opacity in a single swipe, except for the bronzer, which was a little denser in the pan and slightly less pigmented. I don’t mind that with bronzers, though, and pressed facial powders in general. Remember those insanely pigmented Milani blushes? Full-color face products sound great in theory, but for an average person [non-MUA] they can be pretty challenging to deal with. I think I would rather start with a medium opacity and work it up to opaque if needed, than having to wipe off everything because I used too much product.
FYI, you have the option of wearing these eye shadows as shimmers or as metallics – for a metallic look use a wet brush or a sticky primer/glitter base underneath.
The highlighter has a very nice silky texture and doesn’t emphasize my power or skin texture. If anything, it kind of blurs the imperfections so the skin looks luminous and more even. It actually reminds me of the new NARS Light Sculpting Highlighting Powders ($38), which are fantastic by the way! If you want to read my review on those, click here.
You will LOVE it if:
- You prefer to buy palettes vs individual pans.
- You love neutral palettes.
- You prefer to buy warm-toned makeup.
- You like shimmery and metallic shades in makeup.
- You wear bronzed colors a lot.
- You have uneven skin texture.
- You are looking for long-lasting makeup that will stay all day.
- You are a fan of NARS Cosmetics.
You will HATE it if:
- Warm makeup palettes don’t work for your skin tone.
- You avoid talc in makeup.
- You are tired of neutral palettes.
- You don’t like pre-made palettes.
- You are on a budget.
- You only support CF brands. NARS expanded into the Chinese market in 2017 where animal testing is required by law.
- You prefer matte finish.
- You only use 100% natural cosmetics.
- You are sensitive to any of the ingredients.
BOTTOM LINE:
Overall, I think this is a good quality palette, with solid color payoff, longevity, and pleasant texture. I know it’s ‘yet another warm neutral palette’, but if you are into those like I am, you might want to check it out, especially if you are a NARS collector or someone who loves to wear a bronzed smokey eye on the regular.
NARS Atomic Blonde Eye and Cheek Palette will be available 7.25 at Sephora.com and 7.30 at Sephora stores.
What are your thoughts on this palette? Do you like the idea of having another neutral palette option to choose from or are you tired of them? Let me know in the comments below!
