NARS gift sets are now online at NARS.com on the theme of Modern Kabuki Holiday. These are high end gift sets packaged to impress. Above is the Nars Hanamichi Palette ($65) that is detailed here and here applied on Messy Wands. The Nonblonde’s recent review is here.
The set of four colors comes in a modern design that is beautifully executed. The palette comes with a small brush and velveteen case and is much larger than a typical Nars blush or eyeshadow duo–the compact size is just over 2 x 3 inches.
The set comes is beautifully red-ribboned box that’s very Nars-inspired. This will sell out quickly, and may have already at some locations. I know that I’m not supposed to compare the two products (they are so different, seriously), but the NARS Hanamichi is more “my style” compared to the Guerlain peacock-themed Parure de Nuit highlighter (reviewed here).
Unlike some Holiday palettes, I believe that this would make a beautiful gift for women of a very wide age range–from someone in their 20′s all the way through her 60′s. Because mine has arrived (although I haven’t played with it yet), I thought I’d use my own image for this palette rather than the NARS stock photo.
On to the rest of the sets:
NARS is also offering NARS Mie Kabuki Mini Soft Touch Shadow Pencil Coffret ($55). I played with these at a counter, and found the quality excellent. The small size of the pencil is just right for these bold colors. The colors are Tall Tale (deep metallic purple), Magic Moon (deep metallic navy blue), Ballets Russes (silver), Aigle Noir (black infused with gold shimmer), Palladium (turquoise with silver glitter) and Skorpios (copper). Why are mini’s so cute?
The Kadoki Kabuki Lip Coffret ($125) is a luxurious set of three lip colors (Takebue, Ougi, and Botan) packaged with a lip brush. If my life were less active, this might be seriously tempting. It seems very elegant. The colors–a deep red, a deep pink and a nude–seem well selected for a range of beautiful shades.
One item is I may cave on is the Nagauta Kabuki Brush Set ($225). I’ve purchased the Nars Yachiyo brush and found it very impressive–this wooden bento box with a red lacquered interior holds five similarly styled brushes, including two new brushes exclusive to the set. This includes the Kabuki Eye Brush (exclusive to the set), the Botan Brush, the Ita Brush, the Yachiyo Brush, and the Kabuki Lip brush (exclusive to the set).
I believe that high quality brushes are an excellent investment-no matter what type of makeup you wear, it’s going to look better applied with a good brush. A woman needs her tools, yes?
Finally, there is the Kuroko Kabuki Mini Nail Polish Coffret ($35). This set holds four kabuki-themed colors.
These include Yoshiwara (red), Shiro-Nuri (white), Kata (black) and Senryou (gold). The polish bottles are mini-sized.
The additional NARS news is that the the NARS Larger than Life lipglosses ($24) have started to arrive at Sephora stores. The texture and tone remind me of the Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss–they have an opacity and shine that’s very pleasant and wearable. Although I didn’t have time to go through with a purchase, my favorite shades so far are Tiber (a deep nude), Como (a pink-mauve) and Gold Digger (a shimmery nude).
It seems I’m going through a NARS phase lately. I think every one does from time to time. Obviously, the Holiday Kabuki gifts are limited edition. Thankfully for me, most of the rest of the is permanent, including the Larger than Life lipglosses.
