Holy wow Christmas is so soon and everyone's busting out their gift guides while I'm just here buying gifts for myself. wuuUTT WUUT. Anyway, I have to say the Holiday releases this year were pretty great, you can read about my picks here. I feel like the hype has sort of died down and hopefully everything hasn't sold out. I thought I would finally write up my review of the NARS x Steven Klein One Shocking Moment Cheek Studio Palette. Hopefully this review isn't redundant seeing as most people have seen/heard a bunch about this palette or...they own it, and you guys know I already love it but what da heck, this guy deserves a post all to himself!
 |
| L-R: Paloma 1, Paloma 2, Laguna, Robotic, Blasphemy, Luster, Dolce Vita |
First of all...let's talk about DAT PACKAGING. The whole collaboration with Steven Klein made for absolutely beautiful packaging. It's just so edgy and COOL. The palette itself feels compact and weighty with a massive mirror, like dayummm QUALITY. I really like the photo on this particular palette, though some of the others are a bit creepy haha. I also love that the NARS logo is on like a separate layer so we gettin' some 3D ACTION (don't know if y'all can tell from the photo). For such a l'il sucker, this guy is PACKIN'. It contains seven powders, each with a hefty amount of product. According to my mathematical calculations, this contains $244.13 worth of product where it retails for $100. That is MEGA value for money right there. Even the Laguna in this palette contains product than the full size does! Anyways, moving on as that's not the only reason this palette is amazeballs...
So, like I said, this palette contains seven powders; the Paloma Contour/Blush duo, Laguna bronzer, and four blushes in Robotic (LE), Blasphemy (LE), Luster and Dolce Vita. Starting out with the Paloma duo, both shades are completely matte and have quite a soft texture but don't kick up too much product. The highlighting shade is quite sheer and close to my skintone so it doesn't make too much of an impact. It does set under the eyes well though! The contour is an interesting shade, it's not too warm, nor is it an ashy grey shade. It's almost a rosy brown? It still works really well as a contour though, and I think it would be fairly flattering on many skintones! Onto the cult classic, Laguna. I've mentioned before that I've never been too enthused about Laguna. Whenever I've swatched it instore, it always just seemed really sheer, light and shimmery. Au contraire mon frère. It is still quite light and sheer, but when applied with a brush, it works really well as an easy bronzer to warm up the face and add dimension. It's rather subtle for me, and the shimmer is more of a flattering sheen.
Of the four blushes, two shades are limited edition and exclusive to this palette. Robotic is probably my least used of the palette, I've only worn it once. It's a pale, cool toned pink with a slight silver shimmer. I really don't gravitate towards these shades and rarely ever wear pink! I must say, it does pull a little warmer on my yellow skintone and it gives a pretty, subtle youthful glow, like a brightening flush, jafeel. It's quite pretty but I'd still reach for the other shades over it. While Robotic is on the sheerer side, Blasphemy is really quite pigmented. Blasphemy is a slightly deeper, warm rosy pink. I find this sort of shade super flattering and easy to wear. It does also have a fine silver shimmer which is quite pretty. Luster is a blush shade I've wanted to try for YONKS, so I was super happy to see it in this palette. Luster is a gilded peach shade, super warm, golden and bronzey, and absolutely BEAUTIFUL. The shimmer in this is slightly more of a metallic sheen, so it works well as a highlighter too. A super warming, sunkissed shade. Lastly is Dolce Vita which is the most pigmented of the bunch. It's a deep, plummy pink shade with a slight shimmer that's mainly undetectable. When applied with a light hand, this shade gives a super pretty berry flush. Definitely one I'll gravitate toward in the cooler months. The formula across the board for the blushes is lovely, smooth and quite soft, but largely don't kick up product and blend quite easily.
Of the four blushes, two shades are limited edition and exclusive to this palette. Robotic is probably my least used of the palette, I've only worn it once. It's a pale, cool toned pink with a slight silver shimmer. I really don't gravitate towards these shades and rarely ever wear pink! I must say, it does pull a little warmer on my yellow skintone and it gives a pretty, subtle youthful glow, like a brightening flush, jafeel. It's quite pretty but I'd still reach for the other shades over it. While Robotic is on the sheerer side, Blasphemy is really quite pigmented. Blasphemy is a slightly deeper, warm rosy pink. I find this sort of shade super flattering and easy to wear. It does also have a fine silver shimmer which is quite pretty. Luster is a blush shade I've wanted to try for YONKS, so I was super happy to see it in this palette. Luster is a gilded peach shade, super warm, golden and bronzey, and absolutely BEAUTIFUL. The shimmer in this is slightly more of a metallic sheen, so it works well as a highlighter too. A super warming, sunkissed shade. Lastly is Dolce Vita which is the most pigmented of the bunch. It's a deep, plummy pink shade with a slight shimmer that's mainly undetectable. When applied with a light hand, this shade gives a super pretty berry flush. Definitely one I'll gravitate toward in the cooler months. The formula across the board for the blushes is lovely, smooth and quite soft, but largely don't kick up product and blend quite easily.
I haven't tried any regular sizes of NARS's powder products but from what I hear, their palette formulas are on par with their regular products - which is awesome to hear! These really are quality products that are just so easy to work with! They're pigmented enough, but not overly so, easy to blend and last well on the skin. The shades included in this palette really cater to many skin tones and could easily fulfill your every cheek need! Sooooo unfortunately this is currently sold out on the Mecca website (eep!) but be sure to check out your local Meccas to see if they still have it! If you have the chance to buy this palette...TAKE IT.
What was your holiday palette pick for this year?
