Sunday, 8 May 2011

Nars Dogon - possibly the best eyeshadow ever

It's not often I get this excited about a product. When I first saw Dogon, a new eyeshadow duo from Nars for Spring/Summer 2011, I knew that it and I were destined for a long and meaningful relationship. I mean, without sounding too unhinged, that I was going to own it and love it.


I've mentioned before the special cachet of the Nars duo and the covetous urge it awakens in me. (I know I'm by no means the only one.) Dogon takes that covetousness and combines it with another of my great cosmetic obsessions, the duochrome. Result - instant covet-overload.


At first glance, Dogon seems to be nothing more than a classic combination of matte black and elegant taupe. Which in itself is just fine and certainly a winning mix worthy of anybody's makeup collection. It more or less goes without saying that as with most Nars eyeshadows, both shades are highly pigmented, finely milled and smooth to blend. (At £23.50, they ought to be really.) All good.


But once swatched, the duochrome magic comes to light. It's present in both pans, although the green-blue tint on the black side is quite subtle, and comes out much more in artificial light (these photographs are taken in daylight). In the right conditions, the black side of the pan shows itself to be a deep teal, although you'll have to take my word for that.


The taupe has a much more obvious green duochrome. In fact, it confidently takes its place among the various green/brown duochrome shades on the market, from MAC's Blue Brown pigment through to Too Faced's Label Whore. Its restraint on the red tones common to these shades is its real distinguishing feature - it remains a flattering warm-toned taupe rather than straying into brick-red territory.



Combining the two sides of the pan reveals a stunning compatibility - the green casts blend together to create a perfect duochrome smoky eye. Just apply the black over the lid and then blend the taupe over the top and out towards the brow-bone. Completely wearable, completely striking, and extremely easy to do. Just apply and blend. Magic.


A variant on this look is to apply the taupe all over the lid and then line with the black. Bingo - a distinctive, elegant and once again very easy daytime look.


The one tragedy of Dogon is that it is a limited edition. I don't know why. This deserves to be permanent. If you like the look of it, get it as soon as possible, because I have a feeling it won't be around for long.

Dogon eyeshadow duo, £23.50, from Nars

Disclosure - PR sample

4 comments:

  1. omg - too too gorgeous. I may have to break my purchasing embargo! N

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  2. I hate to be the enabler here, but I don't think you'll regret it if you do!

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  3. damn you!! *shakes fist in angry defeated manner indicating i will need to buy this or i will be sad*

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  4. such a stunning combination this is!

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