Uh, how do I say this, but don’t judge a book by its cover. A phrase as true to anything in life as it is in makeup, for if I had judged the new (and unfortunately, limited edition) NARS Dolomites eyeshadow duo by how it looked, I’d be the first to pass it over. Mistake! Don’t.
If you pass this over, you might miss out on one of the most versatile neutral eyeshadow colours in a handy small compact, that I’ve come across in recent times.
I know it sounds like so much hoopla, but I was pleasantly surprised by how Dolomites performed and it happily also, sports a better texture than regular NARS eyeshadows.I don’t know if you feel the way I do about NARS eyeshadows, but I always feel them to be a bit of a hit or miss, if you’re buying them sight unseen. I was a little put off by them before (packaging aside) because I felt the texture was a little dry. Sure, they’re pigmented but they take a bit of work and I found it too much work. But I have also noticed that in recent times, NARS has stepped up their game for certain colours, a change I noticed with Kauai and now, Dolomites. The texture of the eyeshadow in Dolomites is more creamy, more pigmented, and adheres to skin better. Let me try and show you in the swatches below
Knowing NARS’ penchant for naming their eyeshadow duos after places, it probably comes as no surprise that the Dolomites is the name of a place – a mountain range to be precise, in Italy. I’m making the tenuous connection here and it’s not the official story, but hey, we can make up our own stories right? Dolomite (sans S) is a type of rock.
NARS Dolomites however, is an eyeshadow duo in an interesting colour combination.
NARS Dolomites Eyeshadow Duo
The right half, described as ‘Chocolate’ is a matte-satin cool brown with slight red undertones, and the left half, described as ‘Shiny Rose Quartz’ is a metallic rose pink shade with slightly warm undertones.
This, I’d freely admit, is a colour combination I usually shy away from. I’ve only in recent times made my peace with brown eyeshadows, being very careful to stay away from anything that had red undertones, because they have a tendency to make my eyes look tired and pink? I still haven’t made my peace with that yet.
Yet, for some reason, the combination works for me.
Both colours swatch effortlessly with fingers and the shiny side is metallic without fall out nor glitter. It is just smooth shine. The chocolate side which I thought to be matte isn’t. There is a slight sheen to it which prevents it from looking flat. Both colours are easy to pick up with a brush and to blend, and both are incredibly pigmented on skin.
The ease of blending and picking up with a brush means application is super easy. I apply the chocolate colour as a base, tap on some of the shiny side and then blend it out. On work days, you don’t want too much shine around the eyes, so blend and buff it out, and the metallic shine is reduced, leaving an iridescent shine on lid. If you want it to look more shiny, pat on more product and don’t blend so much.
The nice part is that you can even wear both colours separately if you like. Just dab on colour, blend it out, line and apply mascara (if you do) and go. I must admit being pleasantly surprised by the versatility, practicality and just general usefulness of this duo. I used to be all about colour, but am in recent times, more partial towards neutral eye shades and this duo works when you don’t want to carry a full palette with you.
Pull out a little to see how this works in a full face shot, and this is how it looks. It looks a little more smokey than in the closeup, and you can lighten it or deepen it as you like.
I thought this to be quite a Fall/Autumn appropriate look when paired with a berry-plum lip (Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Grandest Grape). If I wanted it to look lighter, I’d use the shiny side as a base shade and the chocolate to shade and then pair it with a lighter pink lip. That’s pretty as well.
I’ll say this again – Dolomites is a very practical and compact neutral eyeshadow duo and never judge a book by its cover!
IN A NUTSHELL
The NARS Dolomites eyeshadow duo is a limited edition shade for Fall 2014 but it would have been great if it had been made permanent, because it should be. This is a lovely, practical and compact eyeshadow duo that you can quite easily tote about, takes up little space, and can be used for a variety of looks from the simple to the smokey. The shades do look a little warm in pan, but on skin, don’t bring out the red tones, which I appreciate because that can make you look tired. I like using it on its own, with a dark eyeliner and some quick blending, you’re ready to go.
Pros: Creamy texture, Pigmented, Not too metallic, No fall out, Adheres well to skin, Easy to blend, Easy colours to use for almost anyone
Cons: Limited Edition, Rubberized packaging is potentially a sticky problem
Who will like this: Anyone who likes neutral eyeshadow, Anyone who wants a very compact neutral eyeshadow combination that can be used for a variety of looks.
As much as I’d like to tell you that it’s a must have, I won’t. It is potentially dupeable and if you have a large variety of neutral eyeshadows in your stash, I’m quite sure you’d find a way to dupe this, or at least a close enough match. But for those who can’t, or who just want to own one of the better quality NARS eyeshadow duos (yes, quality does differ so I’m not going to tell you that ALL Nars eyeshadows are wonderful – some suck! I’m looking at you Cleo and Lost Coast) then don’t miss out on Dolomites. Yes, it’s worth it. I’ve put it as a permanent rotation in my stash!
Did you check out Dolomites or anything from the NARS Fall 2014 collection? Are you a NARS Eyeshadow fan?
I started out on the wrong footing. One of my first eyeshadow duos was Cleo which really sucked. Hated the texture and colour. Then, I got Mediteranee (don’t ask me why – look up the colour online and then tell me I was nuts) and then I gave up. Kauai and Dolomites have slowly dragged me back to the fold so I’m more willing to experiment now. How about you?