NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow Review

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow

About two months ago I was looking for a pretty green eyeshadow, and I discovered this one by reading some beauty blogs.  Encouraged by favorable reviews, I ordered Mousson online and eagerly awaited its arrival.

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow

I find that some NARS eyeshadows tend to be a disappointing failure.  For example, NARS Night Rider looks stunning in the pan, but I found it to be frustrating to apply - you absolutely have to use a primer, and chunks of silver shimmer flake off.  And it never looks quite as good as it does in the pan.

I didn't anticipate having that kind of problem with Mousson though, because it is a cream eyeshadow.

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow

When it arrived, I was thrilled - it was even prettier than it looked online!  It is a simply stunning sage green/silver eyeshadow.  

I wore this color every day for almost a week, trying every kind of application I could think of - layering it over eyeshadow, under eyeshadow, on naked skin, with primer, without primer - and the results were always the same.  This eyeshadow faded on me within 2 - 4 hours.  And it would crease - badly.

I have dry eyelids and I honestly haven't had an eyeshadow fade on me like this since I used (and returned) some of the colors in the awful Smashbox Wish for the Perfect Palette (2010).  

Eventually, all that was left on my eyelids of Mousson was a sheen of silver shimmer with virtually no color.  

But maybe I should have paid more attention to what is written on the NARS website:

"Can be worn alone or paired with a NARS powder eyeshadow for longer-lasting wear and added dimension."

For "Longer-lasting" wear you have to use a powder eyeshadow? What exactly is that supposed to mean?  Clearly even NARS is aware that this eyeshadow doesn't have staying power.

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow

As stunning as this eyeshadow looks, it just didn't work for me.  This eyeshadow is a resounding fail, and I would never repurchase it.  Nor would I purchase any other NARS Cream Eyeshadow, based on my experience with this one.

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow - sage, silver green

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow sparkles in the sun

The NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow was originally part of the 2009 Holiday Collection.  

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow is available at NARS online for $23.

- The Sassi Wench

The NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette

NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette Packaging

The NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette is encased in a little pouch.

The NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette comes with a Kabuki Eye Brush

I spied this beauty online a few weeks ago, and it literally took my breath away!  I don't know if I've ever seen such a beautiful eyeshadow palette!  

Made in Italy, the Hanamichi Palette is a limited edition 2011 holiday palette, available for $65, and it includes an eyeshadow brush and a mirror.

The NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette in sunlight

Right now, this palette is still available from Nordstrom and from NARS EU. 

The NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette up-close

Hanamichi is Japanese for "flower path", and the inspiration for this palette was the walkway that extends into the audience in a Kabuki dance/drama theatre. 


The elaborate makeup worn by some of the performers is highly stylized, and this is clearly reflected in the NARS Hanamichi Palette.

The NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette - inspired by a Kabuki Theatre

NARS Kabuki Eye Brush up-close

NARS Kabuki Eye Brush

The NARS Kabuki Eye Brush is tiny, and I'm too afraid to use it!  The handle is hand-spun with wisteria, and the bristles are so short that I'm worried that I'll destroy the brush if I wash it!  Because of the size I don't know if it's going to be the most practical brush, so I'll save it for another day when I have more time to wash and test it.


Something that I don't like about this palette is that it does contain talc as the main ingredient.

NARS Hanamichi swatches

While NARS claims the eye shadows are "highly pigmented", I did not find this to be accurate.  I have certainly used very deeply pigmented eyeshadows that pack a punch, but here even the matte black eyeshadow is a little sheer.  


These eyeshadows are pretty though, and blend beautifully.  It's certainly not for everyone, but I love it.


- The Sassi Wench

October 2011 Favorites

The Sassi Wench October 2011 Favorites with the Urban Decay Quinceañera Makeup Bag

In October my makeup palette of choice was my Stila In the Light Palette.  It's a collection of 10 of Stila's most popular colors, including Kitten, and it includes a Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in dark brown.  

Stila In the Light Palette

Other favorites in October include:

Bulgari Mon Jasmine Noir To Go

NARS Night Series Nail Polish Night Rider

NARS Bangkok Lipstick

Sally Beauty Sanding Stick

Edward Bess Luxury Face Brush

Macadamia Oil Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment

Mally Volumizing Mascara

Chanel Eyelash Curler

Urban Decay Quinceanera Makeup Bag

For my October Favorites/Halloween theme video, I decided to go with a vintage look I've loved for years - Priscilla Presley in heyday, with more eyelashes, mascara and lipstick than a Las Vegas Showgirl!  It was when she was the bride of Elvis Presley in 1967.

Priscilla Presley Makeup

The Sassi Wench in bridal makeup inspired by Priscilla Presley

It took me about two hours of fussing with two sets of false eyelashes, adding layers of mascara and lipstick and lipgloss to get this look! I don't know how she did it each day - it must have been torture!

The Sassi Wench in 1960's Priscilla Presley makeup

To get this look I used:
Stila Jewel Eyeshadow Palette - Black Diamond
MAC blush in Dame
MAC Yogurt Eyeshadow
MAC Lipstick in Naturally Eccentric
Stila Lip Pencil
Clinique Lipgloss
Asastasia Brow Duality in Matte Camille/Sand Shimmer (layered)
Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen Waterproof Eyeliner 
Two sets of false eyelashes


- The Sassi Wench

What's in My Travel Makeup Bag?

Paul & Joe Makeup Bag and Furla Makeup Bag

The last time I did a "What's in my Travel Makeup Bag" video or blog post was in January, and I've travelled so much this year, so this video and blog post is long overdue!

Inside my Paul & Joe Makeup Bag

Like so many women, I do tend to take too many products with me.  I know that I have never ever used absolutely everything I've ever brought with me while on vacation. 


I also use travel time to test out new products and play with samples that I may have forgotten about , or just never got around to using.  Often I find that I have more time in the morning to apply makeup and style my hair than I do in my regular day to day life.  


I did splurge a little and I bought a new foundation brush (Louise Young), a new eye brush (Edward Bess), and a new eyeshadow palette just before I left to go on this vacation.  It was the perfect opportunity to experiment with the new shadows and brushes.


And all of these products fit comfortably into the Paul & Joe makeup bag!

All of this makeup fits inside the Paul & Joe Cosmetic Bag!

On this road trip we traveled to Washington, D.C., Manassas and Leesburg in Virginia, and to Gettysburg Pennsylvania for a vacation seeped in American Civil War history.

The Hakuhodo makeup brushes (on the left) are my all time favorite!

We saw The White House, took bus tours, auto tours, visited museums and monuments, shopped in Tysons Corner Mall and The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, ate cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes, saw $64 million in cash money at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and sat down to a Witches Brew Tea at a plantation in Virginia!

Furla Makeup Bag filled with Chanel Particulière Nail Polish and nail tools.

I found that I used everything that I brought with me, except for two makeup brushes, the nail polish remover wipes, my backup mascara (explained in my video) and the NARS highlighter.  I just wasn't in the mood to use the highlighter.  So all in all, I feel that I did pretty well and didn't overpack too much this time around.


I took all of my nail tools with me because I gave myself a mani-pedi in my hotel room.  I don't use lip gloss and I rarely use a primer or concealer, so I didn't bring those products with me.


2009 Paul & Joe Waterproof Cosmetic Pouch:

• Lipsticks MAC Creme d' Nude, NARS Bangkok
• Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation
• MAC Blush Dame
• MAC Beauty Powder in Light Sunshine
• Anna Sui Beauty Mirror Rose
• Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Eyeshadow in Stone
• Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara (this might just be my favorite mascara of all time!)
• Laura Mercier Mascara (backup)
• NARS Highlighter in Luxor
• Too Faced Eye Love Sephora Eyeshadow Palette
• Stila In the Light Palette
• Mbeze Sweet Sanura Natural Perfume 
• Boots No7 Beautiful Brows Pencil
• Makeup Brushes:
• Hakuhodo
• MAC
• Louise Young
• Edward Bess

Furla Makeup Bag:

• Chanel Particulière Nail Polish
• OPI Base Coat
• Essie Super Duper Top Coat
• Nail Clippers
• Cuticle pushers
• Bloom Nail File
• All Season Sanding Stick
• Polish Off Nail Polish Remover Pads
• Nail Buffer

Click here for a link to my YouTube Channel: The Sassi Wench

- The Sassi Wench

The February 2011 Birch Box

This month's Birchbox came to me with more than a little drama.


The mail man couldn't get to our mail box because it's snowed in, and he ended up taking the Birchbox back on his route.  This meant that when I got to the Post Office last night, they couldn't find the Birchbox! Oh, the horror!


This morning I was waiting at the door, ready to race outside, hunt him down and demand to know where my Birchbox was. Turns out it was at the Post Office after all - and the Post Office was due to close in 30 minutes!  I raced into town, and gasped at how long the line was when I got there.


20 minutes later, all was forgiven as the Birchbox was located and turned over to me.  Anyway, once I had it in my eager hands I rushed home and filmed my video.


This month was a surprise - I enjoyed this Birchbox much more than I did for January.


So without further ado, here it is!

The February 2011 Birchbox!

This month, everyone seemed to be waiting for NARS, and it was included.

This Birchbox contained NARS Orgasm and Bare Escentuals Mascara.

The Indulgence Birchbox includes:

Bare Escentuals - Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascara

Befine - Exfoliating Brown Sugar Cleanser

NARS - Orgasm Illuminator

Pomega5 - Green Tea Mattifying Moisturizer

Sweetriot - Chocolate-Covered Cacao Nibs

I highly recommend Birchbox!

If you like Birchbox, sign up for the monthly $10 subscription.  You can cancel it at any time, and you earn points to put towards the purchase of full size products that you enjoyed from your sample selection.

Click here for a link to their website: Birchbox

Click here for a link to my January 2011 Birchbox: January 2011 Birchbox

Click here for a link to my February 2011 Birchbox: February 2011 Birchbox

Click here for a link to my March 2011 Birchbox: March 2011 Birchbox

Click here for a link to my April 2011 Birchbox: April 2011 Birchbox

Click here for a link to TestTube: TestTube

Click here for a link to Beauty Fix: Beauty Fix

Click here for a link to my YouTube Channel: The Sassi Wench

Until next time, 

The Sassi Wench!