NARS Summer 2011 Collection — Tropical Fever

Though many cosmetics companies are rolling out their fall collections, we’re not quite ready to discuss moody grays, vampy burgundies, and harvest-ready oranges, olives and browns when we’re still prancing around in flirty rompers, covering our limbs with shimmering lotions to enhance our tans, and spritzing our hair with texturizing sprays to attain beach-like waves. In fact, until it’s time to reach for those leather bomber jackets and wool swing coats, we plan on wearing as many brazenly bright, firework-worthy, incandescent makeup shades as possible  — especially those in the NARS Summer 2011 collection.

Developed by NARS Founder and Creative Director François Nars, the Summer 2011 collection recreates the feel of the tropics with succulent coral, bright fuchsia, and cantaloupe lip colors; an aquatic eye shadow trio packed with a lagoon-worthy turquoise, misty ocean spray-esque light blue, and swimming pool teal; a sultry nacre white and shimmering gold eye shadow duo that add dazzle and luminosity to bronzed skin; and even a soft shadow pencils in a glitter-packed, parakeet-worthy lime green.

After the jump, you’ll find details on some of the most noteworthy products in the collection, swatches with detailed descriptions, and even sample looks.

Also, don’t forget to check out MakeupYourMind.com, a site launched in tandem with François Nars’ latest book, Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself, a beauty manual showing how different original makeup looks were created on real women and men (as opposed to the professional models in the prior tome). In the accompanying social media site, you have the chance to browse through twelve looks selected from the book and attempt to recreate these, then upload photos of your finished look, adding to the global gallery online. And, of course, you can ask friends to “heart” your look, thereby showing their support for your particular interpretation of the original look. The user who earns the most hearts by August 31st will score the grand prize: two tickets to join NARS backstage during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in February 2012. The prize includes round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations for two nights, backstage access to select NARS shows, a gift certificate to a restaurant in New York for each of the two nights, and a makeup consultation at the NARS flagship store. Log on and get to melting and earning hearts!

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming: the Summer 2011 goodies!

Though the products below don’t constitute the entire NARS Summer 2011 collection, these are the items we coveted the most and which we had the chance to personally test out. Here we go!

NARS CAP FERRAT TRIO EYESHADOW

The NARS Cap Ferrat Trio Eyeshadow ($45 at NarsCosmetics.com) includes three aquatic shades: a deep, lagoon-worthy turquoise with a frosty finish; a minty, silvery, pearlescent teal color that will transport you to the luminous ocean water by the shores of St. John, Virgin Gorda, and Tortola; and an icy sea foam shade that’s mainly a silver shade with hints of metallic spearmint green.

Below, you’ll find swatches of the three shades in the Cap Ferrat trio eyeshadow:

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NARS DOGON DUO EYESHADOW

Next, we have the NARS Dogon Duo Eyeshadow ($33 at NARScosmetics.com), which is ideal for more seductive, smoldering evening looks, and which can easily transition into fall. This palette features a charcoal black with a dusky, sooty finish, and a light, shimmering taupe shade with a green sheen that lends the color a holographic feel.

Check out how the two eye shadow shades in the palette look when smoothed onto skin:

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NARS SOFT TOUCH PENCIL IN QUEEN

The NARS Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Queen ($24 at NARScosmetics.com) looks like a metallic acid green shade when in its tube but, when applied to the skin, the color payoff isn’t quite as great. Still, there’s another benefit involved: the plethora of gold-toned lime glitter particles ingrained in the solid pencil. When you glide the pencil on skin, then, you’ll detect a near-clear glaze with just a hint of gold and, above it, a Mardi Gras-worthy amount of shimmering glitter bits.

Check out the final effect:

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NARS NEW ORDER HIGHLIGHTING BLUSH

This lilac-tinged, soft pink blush was a surprise favorite for us. The understated silver and gold shimmer particles in the NARS New Order Highlighting Blush ($27 at Sephora.com) make it ideal for highlighting cheekbones, contouring features, and adding a tender rosy flush to cheeks.

Look at how beautiful and subtle the color is on skin:

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NARS KISMET NAIL POLISH

Though billed as a metallic sunflower shade, the NARS Kismet Nail Lacquer ($17 at Sephora.com) really feels like more of an etruscan gold hue with an all-over sheen that makes it feel like a newly molten gold nugget. The result is bright but opulent, plus its quality makes it versatile and season-less.

Here’s what the color looks like on nails:

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SAMPLE LOOK

Below, you’ll find a look I created with the DOGON Duo Eyeshadow, Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Queen, and New Order Highlighting Blush.

To create the look, I started by applying the Ready to Wear Longevity Anti Aging Long Wearing Foundation, which delivers great coverage but looks completely natural, never caking, cracking, or creasing. Next, I applied the Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Bronzing Veil, buffing it all over the face to give myself a faux tan. To give cheeks a rosy tint, I brushed on the New Order Highlighting Blush, focusing on the apples of cheeks.

For the eyes, I started out by applying the taupe color in the DOGON Duo Eyeshadow to my lids, extending the color all the way to the crease and stopping below the brow bone. As you’ll see from the photos below, when you factor in the shadows that naturally gather along the eyes, the color looks a bit deeper and more sinister, with the green undertones kicking into high gear for more drama and flash. Next, I took the Soft Touch Shadow Pencil and proceeded it to glide it along the crease and along the bottom of the brow bone. Since the glitter accumulated in such great volume, I then diffused the color by layering on more of the taupe shade in the DOGON palette.

To add drama and contour, I stippled the black shadow in the DOGON palette to the outer corners of eyes, sweeping it into a “V” shape at the corners and then extending the color to the outer quarter of lids, blending it with the taupe shade.

I then defined brows with the Senna Light Tricks, which helps to illuminate the brow arch, making sure to blend the color with the NARS eye shadows at the base of the brow bone. Last, I applied the Bare Escentuals Flawless Definition Curl & Lengthen mascara to my lashes.

On my pout, I applied the Beauty Without Cruelty Natural Infusion Lipstick in Blueberry Coulis.

Check out the finished look below!