Bring it or fling it ? - Nars Eye Paint
Bring it or fling it ? is a series dedicated to product reviews that gets down to the real nitty gritty of make-up and if they truly deserve to be featured in your make-up kit, be it professional or personal.
Our first contestant is a basic but a staple product in any kit - gel eyeliner.
Nars Eye Paint is claimed to be a highly saturated, 18 hour wear, multi purpose product - being able to be used as both an eye shadow base or an eyeliner. There are 12 shades with both matte and glittery finishes in the mix. I currently have three shades at my disposal ( Left to Right)
Black Valley ( Matte Black) , Solomon Islands ( Matte Turquoise Blue) and Iskandar ( Glittery Yellow Gold)
I was pleasantly surprised when first playing with this product that the consistency was buttery smooth and easy to work with. I decided to begin with "Black Valley" to test out its liner strength and was happy to find the pigmentation was definitely strong and left no noticeable patches when used as an eyeliner with a fine tipped brush.
When used as an eye shadow base, buffing it into the eyes with a firm buffing brush, I found the product does start to fall upon some issues. Unfortunately the drying time was fairly quick that you would need to work fast to get an even finish. If you have no quarrels in working quickly you may still find a shade such as "Solomon Islands" to be a beautiful base under eye shadows that will intensify colour and add longevity to your make-up.
I've also found that "Iskandar" is the least pigmented out of the three I own, however this would personally be the most useful in my kit solely as a eye base as I often use warmer shadows on clients.
I have used other brands of gel liner in the past to double up as a shadow base, so nothing 100% innovative here but they are more pigmented than others, even with "Iskandar" being the least saturated.
In comparison to my usual black gel liner, my kit favourite Maybelline Lasting Drama gel Eyeliner has definitely fallen short to Nars in wear time. I have slightly oily eyelids and found when testing out this product on myself the Nars lasted longer with less patches throughout the day. However a 18 hour wear time is debatable ( Who often wears eye liners for 18 hours ??? )
I would recommend for ultra oily lids to use a primer as you may take to this product differently, I always use a primer on clients regardless of the product used for extra security - Especially for those brides !
At £18.50 a pop these little pots of joy are on the pricey side however Nars have a pro discount scheme that can make the price difference between drug store liners and high end seem more considerable for professionals. If you can't access the discount and/or you don't professionally work in the make-up industry you might find the price a bit steep. If it is within your budget they are worth checking out, if not there are plenty of alternatives such as the Maybelline liner I mentioned previously.
Overall I have welcomed these little eye paints into my kit and have decided not to fling it out - price aside - I've found I work well with them and appreciate a good pigmented product. For someone who constantly buys make-up (...I'm not sorry.. ) I may stumble onto another product that will give this a run for its money in the future so watch this space !
Let me know your thoughts if you've also tried this, sharing is caring !
Until next time,
Maisie
