Sunday, April 22, 2012

Seaside or Southwest? My NARS Ramatuelle eyeshadow trio review




           It's an understatement to say I look forward to NARS's releases each season. After studying up
on the NARS Summer 2012 promotional images, I knew my favorite piece was going to be the NARS Ramatuelle eyeshadow trio. Although NARS has released trios since Holiday 2010, Ramatuelle is my first NARS trio. I'm excited to share my NARS Ramatuelle review and swatches with you today!
          NARS Ramatuelle is an inspired and unexpected combination of a pale blue silver, pale sunlit beige, and a peachy terracotta. The silver and golden beige are frosty and well pigmented. The peachy terracotta is slightly sheer and nearly matte. I was relieved to find that the color wasn't too pigmented; it would be hard to wear the color too intensely on the eyes. All shades are smooth and long lasting with the NARS eyeshadow primer. When wearing the trio, I first dust the silver over the majority of my lid area for a brightening effect.  I then blend the sunlit beige color into the inner 2/3 of the crease to transition the colors into my skin. Finally, I take a fluffy brush and lightly blend the terracotta tone into the outer 1/3 of the crease and the outer V. Whenever I see orange mid-toned colors, I think of them as a neutral fit for providing depth in the crease. I don't find the appropriate for my lid area, but that is personal preference. Depending on your coloring and tastes, you may find it more fit to use the golden color as your lid color, and the silver as more of a highlight.


         Ramatuelle is a seaside village in southeat France. From Jessica's and Danielle's posts, it was easy to see where the color inspiration was drawn from! That said, before I knew Ramatuelle's name and inspiration, I had invented a very different sort of imagery in my mind from the American Southwest.

Arches National Park
          A desert furnace seems to be an inherent opposite of a Mediterranean seaside village, however, I found a striking similarity in color inspiration. At Arches national park, there is burnished red rock and red sand carved from the rocks lying everywhere. The terracotta tones, like the one in Ramatuelle, always bring me back to this place. The pale gold shade in Ramatuelle reminds me of the desert sun, which is so strong you feel as if you can see its rays, while the silver reminds me of a cool desert moon and the silvery bleached wood strewn across the sand.


          I gathered a few colors from my collection to do comparison swatches for NARS Ramatuelle. You can really see the blue tones in the silver when it is compared to Urban Decay Verve. The pale sunny beige of Ramatuelle is more beige and less yellow than Urban Decay Bootycall.  It is much paler than Bobbi Brown's Nude Beach eyeshadow. The terracotta color in Ramatuelle is more peach and slightly less intense than MAC Rule.

           Overall, NARS Ramatuelle is a beautiful and inspired trio. I would definitely recommend it; the colors and unexpected and the formulation for each is spot on. Even if you plan on passing, I think the color combination mapped out by this eyeshadow trio is worth adding to your summer repertoire.

         Thanks for reading! Has Ramatuelle made it into your collection already? Would you wear an orange like this? What is your favorite item from NARS Summer 2012? What kind of places or inspirations does this color bring to your mind?

Love, Dovey.

P.S. A huge thank you for your continued support, comments, tweets, and likes for my entry in the Allure Beauty Blogger Awards! I have butterflies in my stomach since the voting for the first challenge begins tomorrow, Monday May 23 at 9am. I will be sure to make a reminder post / tweets to announce it and provide easy links to the site :)

22 comments:

  1. I can completely see the similarity to the South West! I'm so happy you're enjoying Ramatuelle as much as I have.

    ♥ Jessica

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    1. Thank you Jessica! I AM enjoying it so much after finally getting my post up!

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  2. The more posts I see about this trio, the more I like it. Sigh, you guys are killing me! :)
    Beautiful pics Dovey!

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    1. Thank you Tracy, sorry about the unintended consequences :/ :P

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  3. I thought the trio would be boring but the whole theme and the beautiful orange shade with the two pearly ones got me now. I bet it looks great with liberte blush. I love your pics <3

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    1. Thank you Claire! I liked it because the colors weren't TOO exciting and the combination was interesting :)

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  4. I love it! I definitely don't think I would have taken a second look without the swatches. I love the silver colour.

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    1. Thank you Sarahbel :) the slight blue tint in the silver is special

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  5. Beautiful photos, Dovey! I love the colors in this trio but I know I have similar shades already, and I am pretty sure I can't wear NARS shadows anyway.

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    1. Thank you Larie- after today's orange post, I think you have a wide range of orange tones that would work well for the same effect :)

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  6. Hey Dovey, I love your photos but as you can imagine this trio is too subtle for me ;) It might just be my pc but the comparison swatch picture has text next to it, instead of underneath it (as I'm sure is intended).

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    1. Haha, Sarah, I agree, you're a girl that needs more drama :) Thanks for the heads up--- I think I fixed the image; I think that happens when the photo becomes uncentered!

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  7. oh loved the review and the pictures u added to it really highlighted that terrecotta ish shade.

    CONGRATS on being part of the Allure BB awards!! I gave in my vote prev in twitter, if you need anymore, just say so!!

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    1. Hi J, thank you so much foryou nice coment and your tweet!! I'm so happy you liked the pictures :)

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  8. The more swatches I see the more I'm convinced this is something I need, even if it's really not something I'd usually pick out for myself. Thanks for the comparison pictures - I honestly don't think I have anything similar! I'm so impressed by NARS with this collection!

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    1. Hi Annick,I love this collection too! I hope you get the chance to play with it in store :)

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  9. I normally don't wear orange on my lids, but this trio is so lovely, I might start! The colors look great and I can imagine how nice it looks together on the eyes. Awesome review :)

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    1. Hi C, Thank you! orange is not a usual for me, but it seems to be trending this season, so I gave it a try!

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  10. It does look like a beautiful trio but I won't be able to carry off the terracotta on my lids. I would love to see what it looks like on your lids because from the swatches, the colours seem to suit your skin tone very well.

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    1. Hi Lyn - thanks for your comment-- I think you're right--- somehow the terracotta does seem to meld into my skin better than I imagined!

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  11. Thanks for the shoutout and I LOVE your take on the trio- you are so right!

    Congrats again on the Allure Beauty Blogger awards- I'll definitely be voting for you! :)

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  12. Thank you so much for your support Danielle, and the wonderful post :)

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