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NARS Eye Paints Review: Liner or Shadow, Your Choice

NARS Eye Paints Swatch
I don’t usually like to feature items before they’re released (these NARS Eye Paints won’t hit stores or on-line until Sept 1st), but I wanted to review them now since I know a lot of you will be shopping this weekend! You should definitely pick up an Eye Paint (or two, or three). NARS sent me three to review, but I’m planning on picking up a few more like Mesopotamia, Iskandar and probably Ubangi. Ok, maybe Solomon Islands too. Don’t tell my husband!


There are a lot of great colors being released for the Eye Paints, especially when you consider that this is a product meant to work as either a liner or a shadow. I love that the colors would work well for either!

• Black Valley: Matte Black
• Mesopotamia: Matte Black
• Transvaal: Matte Grey
• Solomon Islands: Bright Turquoise Blue
• Mosambique: Olive
• Snake Eyes: Black with green shimmer
• Tatar: Black with purple shimmer
• Ubangi: Black with blue shimmer
• Interstellar: Silver shimmer
• Iskandar: Gold shimmer


I’ve opted to show pics of Tatar and Snake Eyes after I dipped into the pots since it is a lot easier to see the shimmer. There’s a lot of shimmer there, so much that it seems to almost take over (it isn’t really big enough to call glitter, I’d still call it shimmer). It catches the light quite a bit and in some lights it can almost look like the black base isn’t there on my swatches, though on the lid it will depend a lot on if you applied as a liner or shadow. As a shadow you’ll see more of the shimmer.


Here I’ve applied Snake Eyes as an eye liner, and you can see that when applied as a liner you mostly see the black base, but there is definitely green shimmer in there that catches the light. It isn’t overwhelming, just a nice change. I’d still feel comfortable wearing this to my conservative job at the hospital!

The Eye Paints are gel-like in their consistency, but because they can also be used as a shadow they are a little bit creamier than similar gel eye liners from MAC and L’Oreal. They are very pigmented and a little bit of product can go a very long way! NARS says you can get up to 18 hours of wear from them, and because of that long wearing capability the product will “set” quickly, leaving you only a minute or two of blending time. I’ve been using a brush to apply (as shadow or as liner), but when blending the shadow a fingertip seems to work the best.

I do get a full day’s wear from the Eye Paints easily, whether worn as a liner or shadow. They aren’t waterproof, but they don’t really seem to budge at all throughout the day.

Stay tuned for a smoky eye look with these products!
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About Me

I’m a doctor, a mommy and a bit of a beauty addict. If you let me, I can take 2 hours to get ready in the morning. Really. I'm on a quest for faster beauty that works!

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9 Comments

  1. 8.28.13
    Kadie Lee said:

    Mozambique is super stunning!

  2. 8.29.13

    May I ask what brush you used to apply the liner? And wow! What a steady hand you have…of course, to be expected being that you're a doctor and all!

  3. 8.29.13

    I used a MAC 208 (http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/145/813/Products/Brushes/Eye/208-Angled-Brow-Brush/index.tmpl) which is a very fine angled brush! I do a lot better with gel liners when I have that angle, I can't do that with a straight brush.

  4. 8.30.13
    Deb said:

    Happy Friday Christine. I'm laughing at the "don't tell my husband" comment. Men are so clueless about why we NEED this stuff! My husband doesn't pay my bills so he gets no vote in how much I spend on makeup. But he did see the inside of my vanity drawers one day and was totally like the proverbial deer in the headlights. His question was "what is all this stuff and what do you do with it?". I had to laugh because even if I took the time to explain it to him, he still wouldn't really get it. I think we women need to band together and start a mandatory class for men before they get married or live with a woman. We'll call it 'Why Your Wife/Girlfriend Needs Makeup and Why You Don't Get to Say Anything About It'. It will be pass/fail. Have a good weekend!

  5. 8.30.13

    Too funny! You're right, they need that class! My husband thinks the blog has made me more superficial and into all of that, I keep explaining I was like this before we got married and I could hide it better. I'm not sure he believes me!

  6. 9.1.13

    Mozambique looks great– a versatile color for every eye. How do they blend, is what I want to know. And by know, I mean try.

  7. 9.2.13

    I think they blend pretty easily with a finger, though I haven't tried to blend 2 together yet. I think you should "know" for yourself 😀

  8. 9.2.13

    I want to try so many of these it's not even funny… Tartar is gorgeous!
    http://mwritesabout.blogspot.com

  9. 9.3.13
    Amelina said:

    Hi Christine, I like the idea that this products go for both – eye shadow and liner. Although, since you said it's a bit creamier, I don't know if it will last as long like normal gel liners, especially because I'm mostly out in the sun… But the colors seem so gorgeous to resist (and yes, you should get the Solomon Islands too!)