NARS Velvet Shadow Stick in Oaxaca
Last year I got really into cream shadows, like the MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots and the Revlon Colorstay Creme Eye Shadows. When I saw the NARS Velvet Shadow Sticks featured in a YouTube video, I was intrigued. Nearly all of the cream eye shadows I’ve tried (like the Chanel Illusion d’Ombre or the Maybelline Color Tattoos) have been in pots. I was curious to try a cream formula that was in a stick. The NARS Velvet Shadow Sticks are touted as “a creamy, blendable eyeshadow packaged in a convenient, portable stick” and come in some truly stunning shades.After some swatching, the shade I wanted to try the most was Oaxaca, one of the more cool-toned shades, a beautiful taupe with some golden shimmer.
Oaxaca
Let’s start with what I actually liked about the Velvet Shadow Stick. I liked the stick format. Its very portable and easy to apply. I liked that it twists up (no sharpening!). Its also very easy to sanitize with a few spritz of 95% alcohol. I also loved the shade. Oaxaca is super pretty.
I like the stick format for cream shadow
Oaxaca
Unfortunately, after applying the NARS Velvet Shadow Stick, my love for this product ended. I tried this at first on its own, with no primer, just to see how it performed. My MAC Paint Pots don’t require a primer and that’s what I love about them. I found the shadow never really “set” or dried down. I could literally feel a sticky sensation as if my eyelids were covered in a thin layer of honey. The Velvet Shadow Stick was a creasey mess within 2-3 hours.
Next, I tired it with my favourite eye shadow primer, the Too Faced Shadow Insurance. Weirdly this seemed to make the situation even worse! The Velvet Shadow Stick wore off my eyelids completely in certain areas creating bald patches, again within 2-3 hours. Not cute.
Finally, I tried it with the eyelid primer, and also topped it with some of my MAC powder eye shadows, hoping this might set it and lock it in place. The powder shadow on top did keep the Velvet Shadow Stick in place longer, but unlike my MAC Paint Pots, it looked very cakey and dry, and it was still creasing like crazy before the end of my workday.
The Sephora site describes the NARS Velvet Shadow Sticks as “shadows that blend and set. Perfect for wearing alone or under or over another eyeshadow, this long-lasting formula glides on easily without skipping or dragging, and it won’t fade, smudge, or crease throughout the day.” I would not agree. I literally hated this product. I did not find it long-lasting and it totally faded and creased even with a primer. These things are a whopping $35 CAD each! I expected a lot more from a product this pricey. I found the much less expensive Revlon Colorstay Creme Eye Shadows and Maybelline Color Tattoos from the drugstore performed a million times better.
I disliked the NARS Velvet Shadow Sticks so much I did something that I have NEVER done before…I returned an item to Sephora. I’ve never done this mainly because there is no Sephora where I live, so I always envisioned returning a product would be a bit of an ordeal, but also because occasionally if a product doesn’t really work for me I prefer to pass it on to my Mom or my sister and often they end up liking it. I always sanitize items first, and of course I never pass on used mascara (ick!). But at $35 this product was too terrible to even pass on to someone else. I was so impressed with Sephora’s customer service! When I explained that the nearest Sephora was an 8-10 hour (depending on winter weather) drive from me, and because I’d literally never returned a product before, they gave me store credit. Hooray! So now I can use my money towards another item that will hopefully work out better than this one did.
I’m curious, do you return beauty products or do you just pass it on to a close relative or friend, or just bin it?
Hope this review has helped you. Thanks so much for reading!
Love,
Nerdy Librarian Girl ❤
