I was very excited to see some of the new NARS eyeshadow singles pop up for sale on Nordstrom Rack. I have really enjoyed the formulation and have wanted a few more shades but never got around to buying them. As far as I can tell these items are just overstock and the shades are still available as part of the permanent range from NARS. If you have been wanting to try their new eyeshadow formula but didn’t want to pay that much for a single shade, now is your chance.
Here are swatches of the 3 shades I already own.
L to R: NARS Guayaquil, Noumea, and Fez
The 1st and 3rd shades swatched are $9.97 on the Nordstrom Rack website as of March 6, 2020:
The center shade (Noumea) is not on sale right now on Nordstrom rack, but it is a permanent shade available for regular retail and available wherever NARS is sold.
Noumea, Sienna, $19.00
Are you a NARS eyeshadow fan? What shade is your favorite?
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The highlight is a dense formula, but I never find it difficult to pick up on any brush I use. I wish they offered another color that fell in between this one (H106) and H312 (shimmery gold copper highlight). I think that shade wise that would suit my skin tone better because this can look icy if I’m not careful. I do have dry skin and often find that it makes it more difficult for me to wear highlights without them looking dry and accentuating the texture on my cheeks. I think that more normal or oily skin types might find that this shade melts into the skin more and may not come off icy or dry on their skin.
You have to be careful with this blush shade, it can get intense very quickly. I like it applied best with a fluffy blush brush and I don’t have an issue getting it to blend well. I prefer using my Estee Lauder blush brush ($42) with it which is a natural hair brush. If you don’t like natural hair brushes or the price tag on the Estee Lauder brush, the Sigma F10 ($25) is the same shape and the brand website has very frequent sales.
Make Up For Ever Artist Face Color H106 and B402, $23.00 – Swatches
H106 – shimmery champagne and B402 – vermillion blush
Before we get into pricing I want to forewarn you that these items are sold individually in a plastic case that is intended to be temporary. MUFE is a makeup artist brand, so the intention is that you build the palette you need for the jobs you work. The brand does obviously cater to the general public as well, but they stick to their artistry roots. So you will have to purchase a sturdier case for these items unless you already have space in a zpalette or similar magnetic palette.
$23.00 per shade (compact to hold the pan is not included)
All compacts regardless of size are $2.00 (you need the small size to hold 1 blush)
Bundle deals:
Buy 2 shades + a large compact, $35.00
Buy 3 shades + an extra large compact, $45.00
If you like MUFE, I have also posted swatches of their eyeshadows that you can check out by clicking here and here.
Have you tried any of the artist face colors? Let me know your experience with them in the comments section below.
Clinique Fig Pop (top) and Black Honey Pop (bottom)
The Clinique Cheek Pop blushes are a popular product on the market that seems to work out well for most people. This is a baked gelee blush formula that requires a firm or dense brush to pick up the product well. I do not have an issue picking up pigment with a softer brush, but that does require more building of the color. Here are some brush examples that I find to work well with baked gelee formulas.
Top to Bottom: Bobbi Brown Blush, Smashbox Precise Blush, Ecotools Precision Blush
Bobbi Brown Blush Brush, $62 (Pictured is a natural hair version, but the brand has changed this brush to synthetic hairs.)
Smashbox Precise Blush, $34
Ecotools Precision Blush, (I think this style has been discontinued. I have seen a brush with the same name in stores, but the bristles look longer than the one I have.)
If you are a person that is nervous about blush looking too intense, you may prefer this buildable aspect in your blush formula. I find this to be one of the easier baked gelee formulas to work with. I am acne-prone in the cheek area and these blushes give a healthy sheen to my skin without accentuating any of my texture issues. The Clinique Cheek Pop Blushes retail for $30.00.
Update May 21, 2025: Clinique reformulated these blushes to remove talc. I haven’t tried the new formula, so I’m not sure how it performs now or if the colors have remained the same.
Disclaimer: I purchased all products featured with my own money. This site receives a minimal commission from participating in the WordAds program. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
The MAC Lip Liner formula is one of the drier formulas I have tried, but it is still my favorite liner to use. When I use lip liner, it is typically to create a smoother transition between my skin tone and lighter shades of lipstick. Sometimes I’ll use a liner to help a sheer formula last longer, which these liners also work well for. The reason I like these so much for lining is that they blend extremely well with various textures and finishes of lipstick. I’ve never come across a lipstick that didn’t blend well with this formula.
Update June 13, 2025: MAC recently revamped the lip pencils, so I’m unsure if the shades are the same in the new formula.
Left Column, top to bottom: chestnut, plum, cork | Right Column, top to bottom: auburn, burgundy, mahogany
Left Column, top to bottom: chestnut, plum, cork
Right Column, top to bottom: auburn, burgundy, mahogany
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Disclaimer: I purchased all products featured with my own money. This site receives a minimal commission from participating in the WordAds program and using affiliate links. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
If you are not opposed to a high sheen in your blush, then you may want to check out some of the colors from MAC’s extra dimension blush line. In my experience, Faux Sure and Hushed Tone have a more subtle sheen than the other shades pictured. There are no large particles but I feel like, for me, they are getting close to a more metallic finish and I prefer satin and matte finish blushes.
Blush compacts, left column, bottom to top: telling glow, cheeky bits, sweets for my sweet Blush compacts, right column, bottom to top: hushed tone, faux sure, hard to get
Swatches, top row, left to right: telling glow, cheeky bits, sweets for my sweet Swatches, bottom row, left to right: hushed tone, faux sure, hard to get
It looks like at some point they discontinued the shades telling glow. You may be able to find telling glow in a CCO (Cosmetics Company Store) for a discount if you live near an outlet mall that has one. If you are not sure if you are near a CCO, you can check here (Tanger outlets) and here (Simon Premium outlets) to find out.
The extra dimension blush retails for $30 on the MAC website.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.
Disclaimer: I purchased all products featured with my own money. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
Coloured Raine eyeshadow singles retail for $6.99 each. They are sold individually as the single refill pan, so you will need a place to store them. I purchased the pictured Anastasia Beverly Hills quad container for $1.00 on Sephora.com.
I was pleasantly surprised with this eyeshadow formula. The hype about this brand is definitely true. Although they are very pigmented, they are easy to control and blend. I feel like the colors seem similar to other shades, but they all have something special about them that makes them different. I do wish there were more size options for storing the single eyeshadows.
I was also a big fan of the Power Collection they released in collaboration with Showtime. I will definitely be keeping an eye on this brand in the future.
Coloured Raine Single Eyeshadows
If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.
Disclaimer: I purchased all products featured with my own money. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
Nikki From HR 