NARS Voyageur Eyeshadow Palettes

by | Sep 24, 2019

Oh, these little eyeshadow palettes from NARS are just so good. I’ve been testing them out for months now and they are without a doubt one of the most-used (and most useful) eye products in my makeup bag.

nars voyageur palette eye

I say makeup bag, obviously I mean bags, plural. The cosmetics testing situation is out of control here – I’ve had my head buried so deep in app stuff (download The Night Feed here – it’s excellent!) that I have a massive backlog. Actually the backlog is so great you could probably use the earlier items as a primary historical source. It’s like going back in time, delving through my samples – there’s a stick foundation that’s probably from 1953 and lipsticks that were potentially used in the Roman times.

(Do you remember Primary and Secondary sources in history lessons? Ugh. I don’t know why I used to find it so boring, because I actually love history! How did they make it so dull? If I was a history teacher I would find fun anecdotes, like, I dunno, stories about some of the amazingly inventive instruments of torture they had in the medieval times. Fun maybe isn’t the right word, but you know what I mean. Make it colourful! Medieval torture methods, yay!)

Anyway, from the Judas Cradle (don’t Google it, you can never unsee) to the NARS Voyageur palettes*. I’m sure they’ll appreciate the (completely off-brand) segue I did there.

nars voyageur palette eye

These diminuitive little palettes are just the best thing since sliced bread – teeny, slimline, compact, they slip into your handbag or makeup pouch and you’d never know they were even there. Unlike most palettes, which weigh the same as a house brick and have bigger dimensions than a carry-on suitcase.

The Voyageur palette comes in two versions; Suede, which is a very wearable selection of cooler-toned shadows and Nectar, which is as peachy as they come. Each palette has matte, shimmer and sheer finishes and, unlike many eyeshadow palettes, there are no duds. I use each and every shade and they look good worn singly or layered up and blended.

Peachy Nectar feels fiery and summery and hot – and actually in the lighting above, I can clearly see what the difference is between the shimmery and the sheer finishes. I as never too sure when I was using them but I think that the top middle and bottom right are shimmers and the top right and bottom middle (good God I feel like a gameshow assistant!) are the sheers.

Whatever, they all look bloody brilliant and they apply like a dream. So pigmented, so easy to blend, the lasting power is exemplary and the colours stay vivid and bright.

But it’s Suede that I use the most – it’s more subdued, I suppose, and you can create incredibly natural looks, whereas the redder tones in Nectar really stand out. I also like that Suede has a deep brown matte shadow, which is excellent for creating a smokey look, for wetting and using as a liner and for smudging into the socket for a more contoured effect.

Ironically, I only have a photo of myself wearing Nectar – you can see how beautifully peachy it is – but if you go onto my IGTV then there’s a video of me applying SuedeBoth palettes are utterly divine, but Suede is more versatile, if I had to pick just one. If.

You can find these endlessly useful eyeshadow palettes at Space NK here* – they are £28 each. At time of writing, Space NK have one of their discovery events on – if you spend £60 you get £15 off. Easily done!

Space NK*

9 Comments

  1. You look like January Jones in this photo! I swear motherhood and family living has made you more gorgeous than ever!!

    Reply
  2. Oh I do like a tidy eyeshadow palette, sometimes I find the big ones a bit overwhelming with choice! I agree the size of some of these compacts is ridiculous now, do we really need so many to choose from I we aren’t makeup artists?

    Reply
  3. Come on! You just know we are going to google it. Although, having a big baby naturally is kind of a Judas Cradle! LOL, the eyeshadows on the other hand are so nice, and look gorgeous on you.

    Reply
  4. I am currently gravitating towards small palettes that I can easily grab and go (not that I ever touch up my eyeshadow throughout the day, but still I like to have them with me).
    Suede looks like it would fill a gap in my collection – I mainly have warm and peachy hues.

    Anne from Doctor Anne

    Reply
    • Yes it’s a nice departure from the peachy shades that have seemed to dominate recently! xx

      Reply
  5. Ooh almost a controversial accident here then! I love the suede pallet, and was just about to press buy, when my slumbering husband beside me, opened one eye and said ‘you really need more eye shadow? And, I suppose it’s that Model woman again…’ Well, I almost shot straight out of bed into the garden to be at one with the wombats and roos rambling around. Keep influencing me Ruth, I love it when you post about something lovely that I simply must have, or need. Big hugs from DownUnder x

    Reply

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