Ever since NARS released Tropic eye shadow a couple of years ago I've found it hard to stay away. It was kind of like showing a cord to a cat. You know there'll be pawing and playing. And play I did. every time I was in Tropic's vicinity I swatches, applied, tried to blend. And always left it at the counter, knowing it was not for me. This is why I have no idea why six months ago I decided I was going to make it work no matter what and brought NARS Tropic home.
It's no secret that NARS eye shadows were not created equal. Generally speaking, the singles are often a safer bet, as long as one stays away from those containing metallic particles. Which obviously I didn't. Tropic is true to its label: matte teal dotted with silver. It's gorgeous in the pan. Beyond gorgeous, even. Just not when I wear it on my lids.
The matte texture is crumbly and hard to blend, no matter what brush I send its way. Tropic just doesn't want to cooperate. The best technique I've found so far is taking a super high quality neutral/nude eye shadow and blending it carefully into and onto the NARS. It gives a seamless look but also takes away from Tropic's intensity, for better and for worse.
The bigger issue with NARS Tropic is the silver particles. They're chunky, unevenly spread throughout the eye shadow and tend to fall out. This texture makes Tropic look cheap, which is not what I go for in a $23 per pan eye shadow.
Bottom Line: Don't bother.
NARS Tropic Eye Shadow ($23) is available at the counters and from narscosmetics.com.
All photos are mine.
It's SO pretty in the pan! How disappointing. I felt the same way about NARS's Daphne eyeshadow. I swatched and swatched and finally had to bring it home! Thankfully I had better luck with it than you did with Tropic, though.
ReplyDeleteLaura, while the color of Daphne was decidedly not my thing, the texture was far superior to Tropic. I'm glad you're enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame. My heart lurched when I saw the color, even though I knew I could never pull it off. The color would make a beautiful pillow fabric on a white duck slipcover.
ReplyDeleteTropic is so alluring in the pan, I'm not surprised you were drawn to it! It's such a shame the quality is poor though. What a great teal for summer.
ReplyDeleteDarn, what a waste. Such a pretty color foiled by the crummy texture.
ReplyDeleteZP, I want jewelry in that color and possibly a scarf. And an eye shadow in the right texture, of course.
ReplyDeleteDovey, I know- teal eye shadows in the summer make me very happy.
ReplyDeleteJC, a waste indeed. I wonder what Francois was thinking.
ReplyDelete