The NARS Wanted Eyeshadow Palette: Worth The Splurge?

I often think that I’m a real bore in the realm of eyeshadows. However, when I think about that fact that I never even used to wear eyeshadow at all, then I guess in comparison I’m a hardcore lid-lover fangirl these days. In fact most of the time, if I’m bothering to wear makeup, then I’m bothering to put eyeshadow on too. I used to find it was a component that made me feel too ‘glam’, but now I find it an add-on that gives dimension to my face, shadow to my lid and makes me feel more polished in a way that doesn’t necessarily translate to full-on glamour.

I mean really, now is the time to get into eyeshadows because companies are pumping out palettes by the bucketload. Whatever your colour preference, there’s a compacted line-up for you – especially if warm browns are your thing. Speaking of which, say hello to the NARS Wanted Eyeshadow Palette, the latest launch that has got tongues wagging in the beauty world. It features 12 shades, a mixtures of mattes, shimmers and glitters and comes in at a rather hefty £55 from Space NK. After road testing it since we’ve been back from NZ, here are my thoughts on whether it’s worth the splurge…

I’m beyond lucky that I get to try out a fair amount of new stuff that hits the beauty shelves, but I think the reason why this one has caught my eye in particular is because it’s different. It might not seem that unique upon first inspection, but the more I’ve had a play with it, the more I’ve realised that I don’t actually own a palette quite like it. Appearance-wise, it’s small and perfectly formed with a mirror inside the compact. TICK. Inside a full range of colours are there, there’s a bone-neutral that works as a base, a warm brown transition shade and a deep cocoa for lining and extra oomph. TICK. The shades all blend well and there’s no chalkiness and dry-feeling that I have previously found in some palettes from NARS. TICK.

The main difference for me in the Wanted Palette though are the textures. Out of the 12 shades, four of them are straight-up mattes – including Seven Heaven and Shadow Hill, the two left colours on the middle row which are the ones that I’ve used the most so far. Then there are four subtle shimmers. Think more like metallic sheens, that work well when I don’t fancy such a flat look on my lid. Finally, it’s the four glitters that are the game changers for me. Not only are they completely swoony to look at, they work beautifully when pressed over a matte eyeshadow look with a fingertip to completely turn it 180 into something that catches the light in a way that will have you turning your head whilst you look at a mirror for a solid five minutes. Think the ‘pop’ colours in the Charlotte Tilbury Palettes. Dior’s Diorshow Fusion Mono in Météore – it’s the same thing. An eyeshadow topper that even when purchased individually can cost a small fortune.

So to me, that’s what you’re paying for here. Those transformative colours that I don’t really own anywhere else. The mattes and shimmers are nice and I’m sure I’ll get use from them, but they won’t be the reason why this is staying in my stash – instead it’s those glitters. I never thought I’d be one for duochrome-esque glimmers but I do find them good in the winter months for adding something to the lids when we’re all a bit puffy and tired from the dark mornings. In fact I threw one of them on my eyes in the Honeymoon video because I knew I looked bloomin’ knackered and I think it did a pretty ok job of distracting from my time difference-induced bags.

So – it is worth the splurge? If you’re happy with your current line-up and feel like you’re catered for across all eyeshadow finishes, then no. However if you’re lacking in the day-to-night transforming glitter department or you’re just a Magpie then perhaps it’s worth looking into. Speaking of which, here are my other top palette pointers…

MY OTHER FAVOURITE EYESHADOW PALETTES

Urban Decay Naked Heat. This one was an instant classic when it was released last year and rightly so. It took Urban Decay a while to get on the warm brown train, but when they did they did, they did it with style, grace and a 12 colour line-up that makes me swoon whenever I open it. Although the shimmer-shades don’t get as much love from me as they should, I’m a sucker for the neutral mattes – Sauced and Low Blow.

ZOEVA Cocoa Blend Palette. I still stand by my statement that this is the best value palette out there – coming in at £18, for 10 high-quality, blendable like butter colours. It’s a palette that’s packed to the rafters with MAC dupes and being a mix of matte and glimmer-giving shades I find that I can easily mould this to create both subtle and slightly more dramatic looks for the evening. Shout out to Warm Notes, which is the perfect berry red, without looking like you have pink eye.

ZOEVA Nude Spectrum Palette. This is the biggest palette I have with 15 shades, although the slim compact makes it easily to store. There’s warm notes running through it, but it’s not the most orange-based out of all the ones that I own and because it’s a more neutral toned offering it’s a good one to reach for year round and whenever my mates want me to do their makeup. I’d say this a great starting point if you’re not particularly au fait with eyeshadow because the colours are easy to wear and use. I’ve had it for years and it still gets top marks from me.

Photos by Lauren Shipley

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