NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadow Palette

Oh NARS, I knew when I heard rumors that they were going to release another Narsissist palette, I would end up loving it. Around the same time last year they released the first Narsissist shadow palette and I agonized over whether or not to buy it. I finally caved and it has been one of my favorite palettes since then. This time around they did a palette that has their Dual Intensity shadows in it, and boy is it a beauty.

First of all, I have to say that NARS palettes like this, while pricey, are a great way to try several of their shadow colors at once. This palette has 8 .03 oz. shadows for $79. The Dual Intensity singles are .26 oz. and are $29 each.

I love the packaging on this palette. In my opinion, the limited edition stuff that NARS comes out with is always gorgeous. The whole cover on this one is a mirror, and there's a nice big mirror on the inside as well.

This palette comes with a mini brush, which is actually quite nice, but I find I can't get it to work well with these shadows. It is a flat shadow brush but the bristles don't seem to want to pick up much pigment from the Dual Intensity shadows. I can use it with more powdery shadows without an issue, but these just seem too hard packed to get any pigment from them with this brush. I do like the little red end though, it's a nice added touch.

One thing I should note is that the Dual Intensity shadows are ALL shimmery/metallic. If you're looking for matte shadows, this is not the palette for you! That's the one downside is I always need to use another shadow or eye palette in conjunction with this one to get a look, as I don't really use shimmery brow bone highlights and rarely use a shimmery transition color. That being said, it's really not a huge deal because it just gets me to use other products more!

This was my first time trying the Dual Intensity shadows, though I had swatched a few in Sephora before and never gave in and bought any. That's a good thing, because most of these colors are in their regular line (they have 11 shades alltogether) except Ursa Major - I believe that one was exclusive to this palette, but I could be wrong!

I think the coolest thing about these shadows is that they can be used wet or dry. I've never been one for applying shadows wet, but I have definitely been experimenting with it more since I got this palette. In the pictures below I did both wet and dry swatches so that you can see them both ways.

Europa is a pink-peach champagne:

The top swatch is wet, the bottom one is dry. It doesn't make too much of a difference with this color, as you can see. It has a pretty shimmery-ness to it that makes this a great all-over lid color.

Himalia is described as a shimmering topaz:

This is one that definitely goes on darker than what it looks like in the pan. Again, top swatch is wet, bottom. This is a gorgeous shade for a brown smoky eye.

Ursa Major is a chocolatey brown:

 This one isn't incredibly shimmery, but it does have a hint to it. Again, this and the Himalia color make a killer brown smoky eye. 

Subra is a black orchid:

This one looks maroonish in the pan, but is almost like a blackened eggplant when applied.

Andromeda is really cool. It looks like a very pale peach in the pan, but is an iridescent pink-golden peach when applied:

This one is very hard to photograph because you need to hit it in just the right light to show the proper color!

Lysithea is a deep silvery gray:

I love this one for doing dramatic smoky looks. This whole palette is great as far as smoky looks go, but you always need a good silver for a classic smoky eye.

Giove is a navy blue:

I would describe this as a blackened navy, because when it is applied, it's very dark. I like that they included some color in this palette, as opposed to just making it neutral. The blue is a great addition to it!

Last but not least is Sycorax. This is a nice smoky black:

It is dark and nicely pigmented, but it's not the darkest black I've ever tried, which is why I described it as "smoky." To be honest, this is perfect for this palette and I would rather have this in here than a matte jet black. 

All in all, I've really been enjoying this palette and using it with an array of different shadows that I own. It's great for dramatic looks, but you can also play it down for every day looks. 

For live swatches, you can check out my video here: