Back in August, Nars Cosmetics finally relaunched their powder eye shadows, replacing the formula that was in their single and duo compacts, unchanged, for nearly two decades. And at New York Fashion Week, we finally got to see just how awesomely-pigmented and incredibly blendable the new Nars Eyeshadows really are, backstage at Rodarte’s Spring 2019 show.
Makeup artist James Kaliardos broke out the Single Eyeshadows in Douro (bright matte yellow), Baby Jane (bright baby blue), and Domination (a metallic fuchsia that he intensified with the vivid red and magenta powders in the metallic Panic Dual-Intensity Blush). "When I saw these shadows launch I was so excited, and then I started thinking how could I use these strong colors for the show because I love them so much," Kaliardos said backstage. He settled on a horizontal swatch of color across the lids in either one of the three bold hues.
Kaliardos started by prepping the lids with the (also) new Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. "It really helps keep the shadow in place and makes the pigment superintense," he said. To ensure he got the brightest color payoff possible, Kaliardos decided not to apply the powders using the typical windshield-wiper like motion most of us are accustomed to doing on ourselves. Instead, he pressed the pigment onto the lids with a medium-sized shadow brush, building up the color until he got the intensity he wanted. "Then, once it's on, you can buff it with the brush [to diffuse the edges]," he explained.
And while there were three different eye shadow colors being used backstage, Kaliardos applied the same shade of lipstick on every model: the Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment in Don't Stop, a velvety and vivid orangey-red color. "I thought I would have to use different colors on different skin tones but I was surprised to find that this red really looked good on every model."
The shadows played off of the gorgeous roses that hairstylist Odile Gilbert deftly wove through the models' hair, creating whimsy and romantic arrangements where you weren't sure when the hair ended and the blooms began. How Gilbert did it had much to do with how the garlands of roses were crafted. Los Angeles-based florist, Joseph Free (who's worked with Rodarte in the past), used a needle to pass a piece of doubled-up string through the buds of the roses, creating long, flexible garlands that Gilbert could manipulate to her heart's desire. "We wanted to create stuff that had some movement and workability so they could change it and do what they're doing," said Free. "Some are diagonal [through the hair], some hang — if you put it all wrapped up in a wire it would just sit there."
The styling products Gilbert used to create the voluminous, wind-blown waves also helped keep the flowers in place. Namely the Tresemmé Tres Two Extra Hold Mousse, which she ran through damp hair before blow-drying, and the Tresemmé Tres Two Extra Firm Control Hair Spray — "real, strong hairspray" as she described it — that didn't just set the hair style in place, but gave the strands a bit of grip to better hold onto the bobby pins securing the flowers.
The ultimate test of the new Nars shadows came when the models stepped on the runway, which was outside. In the rain. The reformulated powders (with a little help from the primer) didn't move or fade, even when faced with 82-percent humidity in New York City (case in point: the model, above). A shadow that's runway tested, weather resistant, and makeup artist-approved? Maybe it's time to add this update to your makeup bag.
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