NARS Cosmetics Spring 2014 “Final Cut: The New Edge of Pink” Collection

When is the last time  NARS Cosmetics released a collection centered around a single hue? Well, that’s precisely what François Nars dared to do with his new Final Cut collection, featuring lip colors, powder blushes, and a shimmering illuminator — all in a carefully edited range of pink hues. The limited edition Final Cut collection, then, sets out to explore every facet and connotation of the color pink, from sweet and innocent to ladylike and prim, ethereal yet sensual, and bold and punk-flavored. Meant to be a modern reverie in pink, the collectipn consists of four Satin Lip Pencil hues, four Blush shades, and a single Illuminator.

Below, you’ll find close-ups of all the products in the Final Cut collection and, at the very end of the post, swatches of two of the Satin Lip Pencils. Get ready to think pink!

 ILLUMINATOR

NARS Adelaïde Illuminator ($30 at NARScosmetics.com)

Like all NARS illuminators, this highly pigmented liquid makeup gives the complexion a lit-from-within radiance. It can be worn below or above foundation and powder or even blended with tinted moisturizer (my favorite technique). It can also be used to highlight different areas of the face like the top of cheekbones or the ridge of the nose. In keeping with the collection’s theme,  the Adelaïde Illuminator is a shimmering lavender pink hue.

BLUSHES

Nothing says springtime quite like rosy cheeks, and this collection is all about exploring different ways to achieve the desired pink flush. All four shades in the Final Cut collection boast a silky and blendable powder texture and they boast a matte finish for a wispy, ephemeral quality. The four shades in the collection are: Final Cut, a peach coral pink; Love, a demure tea rose; New Attitude, a perky cherry blossom pink; and Sex Fantasy, an edgy, pale lavender pink. Below, you’ll find close-up shots of all four powder blushes.

NARS Final Cut Blush ($30 at NARScosmetics.com)

NARS Love Blush ($30 at NARScosmetics.com)

New Attitude ($30 at NARScosmetics.com)

Sex Fantasy Blush ($30 at NARScosmetics.com)

SATIN LIP PENCILS

Last but certainly not least, the Final Cut collection includes four new Satin Lip Pencil hues. All are richly pigmented, long-wearing, and surprisingly moisturizing thanks to a vitamin-enriched formula. The jumbo-sized pencils make the application process a breeze and safeguards against melting, which most of us have suffered through with our beloved lipsticks. You can use them to line lips, as base colors, or layer them atop lipsticks or lip stains.

Interestingly enough, each of the four Satin Lip Pencils in the collection corresponds to a Blush hue, so that you can coordinate your cheek and lip color or mix and match to create your own combinations. The four Satin Lip Pencil hues are: Descanso, a tea rose hue; Stourhead, a pale lavender pink; Torres del Paine, a warm peach coral; and Villa Lante, a medium-intensity cherry blossom pink. Below, check out close-up shots of each product.

NARS Descanso Satin Lip Pencil ($25 at NARScosmetics.com)

NARS Stourhead Satin Lip Pencil ($25 at NARScosmetics.com)

NARS Torres del Paine Satin Lip Pencil ($25 at NARScosmetics.com)

NARS Villa Lante Satin Lip Pencil  ($25 at NARScosmetics.com)

SATIN LIP PENCIL SWATCHES

I had the opportunity to road test two of the Satin Lip Pencil shades in the collection: Descanso and Torres del Paine. Admittedly, they’re not necessarily the shades I would’ve gravitated to on my own as I tend to prefer edgier pinks (and cooler, more lavender-based iterations of the shade, at that), but they’re both incredibly versatile and should flatter women of many different skin tones.

The Descanso Satin Lip Pencil is described as a tea rose shade, which is somewhat accurate, but I’d argue that it’s a bit warmer and peachier than most people’s interpretations of the tea rose hue. In fact, it has a carnal quality to it that makes it tip-toe the line between a peachy pink and a pinkish nude. I tend to think of it as more of a cameo pink. In terms of depth, the color has a medium intensity, so that it’s not sheer and delicate but it also isn’t extremely dark or opaque.

The Torres del Paine Satin Lip Pencil, meanwhile, is a strikingly similar hue but it’s decidedly peachier and warmer. It’s described as a peach coral, which is right on the money. The shade reminds me of the strapless Oscar de la Renta gown Jessica Alba wore to the 2013 Golden Globe Awards and, like that dress, it works to liven up the complexion and add a subtle sunniness to your look.

Check out swatches of the two lip shades below:

Next, here are two shots of me wearing the Descanso Satin Lip Pencil so you can see what it looks like when applied to lips. I have no other makeup on in these pics and, as you can see, the color adds a bit of life to my face (which is paler than usual after this brutal winter season).

So what do you think? Are any of the Final Cut products making the cut for you?