Like many other international brands NARS is unfortunately rather hard to come by in South Africa, but definitely worth checking out and of course trying. There are many ways of obtaining your very own NARS goodies, and like any thing else in the world, you can either order it online, go overseas and pick it up yourself, or receive it in the mail as a lovely gift from an amazing friend, which is how it actually came to be in my collection :) I truly am a luck lady to have such incredible friends and so I thought it, a must share, as you can never brag enough about wonderful people and thoughtful gifts :)
So for those who don't know (which is totally fine hehe) NARS is widely know all across the globe and has for years been used by top makeup artists, youtubers and self proclaimed beauty enthusiasts such as myself hehe. Believe it or not, this handsome fellow, Francois Nars, is the creator of NARS, and a makeup artist, come photographer too! I know right, couldn't quite believe it myself!
He was born in the south of France and was hugely influenced by his Mother and Grandmother to start his own makeup line, it was even thanks to his Mum that he landed his first job as an assistant to some of Paris's top makeup artists (sounds like a dream)! From France he moved to New York and then in 1994 he launched NARS, with only 12 lipstick shades. They sold out almost instantly, and somewhere in between then and now Shiseido bought out NARS, this then helped launch NARS skin, thanks to Shiseido's vast expertise in skin care!
The packaging is absolutely gorgeous and the only way I can think to descried it, is like a subtle squishy, velvet texture! I can just picture Francois in my mind, going through various options of packaging and pausing silently when he felt this one.
What I like most about his iconic brand are the names of each shade, he said in an interview “When I created Nars, I was either going to name them with numbers or give them intelligent names. I wanted to give the products a character and an identity. The names make you dream and transport you to another place. It gives the colours a fun twist.” and this is all too true! "Starscape" the neon pink blush and "Recklace" the skimpy nude number is also a blush (although I love using it as a highlighter), are the perfect examples of his creative name choices and uniqueness.
NARS "Orgasm" blush is said to be the best selling NARS product of all time, and it became so popular they even created an entire range just based on the Orgasm blush. As I read in one article… "I guess now you can have multiple orgasm's"…hahaha, I thought that was brilliant! But again just a great representation of his catch name choices and quirky twist compared to other makeup brands, which I think ads to the popularity of the products and overall brand!
NARS is raved about for a reason and has a special place in the makeup and beauty world! I feel as if they own their space and set themselves apart from all the other brands out there! The pigmentation, color choice, sleek packaging and carefully chosen names all lead to a climax of quality makeup! If you have had the pleasure of trying NARS before I would love to know your thoughts and feelings on the brand, and if not, what do you think, would you give it a try? Leave a comment below and lets chat :) Also a MASSIVE thank you to my amazing friend for such a beautiful and thoughtful gift!! Stay young and fun! Hayls XOXO
