Holiday 2017 Reviews: Nars x Man Ray The Veil Cheek Palette


Affiliate Links



Nars always releases spectacular makeup collections for the Holidays, generally using artwork from a renowned artist. This year the packaging is featuring the work of Man Ray, an American visual artist who spent most of his life in Paris and is best known for his photography. The Veil Cheek Palette is one of the stars of the collection, with a bronzer, a blush and a highlighter. Is it worth buying as a gift for your beauty loving friends, or for your own makeup collection? Let's find out!




The packaging of The Veil is, of course, absolutely stunning. The cardboard box the palette comes in and the lid of the actual compact show a print of a famous black and white photograph by Man Ray called The Veil, which is how the palette got its name. Man Ray's work in the first half of the 20th century was inspired by the Surrealist movement, and one of the shades in the trio is called Surreal. The three powders in the palette are embossed with the same honeycomb pattern as the veil that covers the model's face and hands in the photo.




Here is what you get in this palette:

Laguna lovesick surreal


- Nars' best-selling Laguna bronzer in the Sun Wash Diffusing Bronzer formula. I already talked about this bronzer when I reviewed the brand's summer Bord de Plage Palette, and in just one word, it's fantastic. It's completely weightless, absolutely not powdery, and it melts on my skin for a truly natural sunkissed look. The shade Laguna is best for fair to light skin tones as it's a rather subtle warm brown.
- Lovesick blush, a bold coral red with a strong, luminous sheen. This shade is extremely pigmented and needs to be used with a very light hand on my light skin tone. The texture is silky and feels almost gel-like, again with absolutely no powderiness.
- Surreal highlighter, a medium bronzy shade with rose undertones and a metallic finish. The texture of this highlighter is also amazing with a soft consistency that blends like a dream. It has some visible shimmer particles but you can create a rather subtle sheen if you buff it out well.


swatches nars laguna lovesick surreal


I think that the color selection in The Veil palette is quite unexpected. Laguna is definitely best for light skin tones, but Lovesick would be easier to pull off on medium to deep complexions. Surreal is also a rather deep shade for a highlighter, it does add warmth and a slighlty bronzy look to my skin tone.




To be honest at first I felt like this palette wasn't working for me because the colors were too bold for my complexion. After playing with it for a couple weeks, I've come to appreciate the beauty of the shades, but I've also realized that I can't use them all together in one look. It's just too much for me as I prefer a more natural cheek. When I use them separately however, I truly enjoy them. Lovesick in particular is quite a bright red on me, so I have to use very little and spend a good amount of time blending it out. I think it looks gorgeous by itself, but I can't pair it with the bronzer and highlighter. I can use Laguna and Surreal on their own or I can combine the two, but on me they don't play well with Lovesick. Because Lovesick is so red-toned, I also need to wear it with a high coverage foundation. If I try to use it on top of something lighter like a BB cream, it emphasizes the existing redness in my skin and I look blotchy.




Overall I do like The Veil palette and I love the colors it contains, but for me it's not as wearable as other cheek palettes I own (like Becca Après Ski). The quality of all three cheek colors is fantastic, however, so it really comes down to color selection.


Good gift for someone who:

- has a medium skin tone or deeper. Laguna might be less useful but the other two shades will be much more wearable. It can look gorgeous on light skin, but requires some patience and blending skills.
- is interested in art and would appreciate the packaging.
- likes shimmery blush.
- enjoys the luxurious texture of gelée type powder products, extremely soft with a lot of slip and intense pigmentation.


Where to buy?





The product featured in this review was purchased by me. I received no compensation to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post contains affiliate links. I receive a very small commission when you click on those links, and the money generated covers a small portion of my expenses to purchase products for review. Clicking on those links helps ensure that Beaumiroir continues to publish reviews of new and exciting high end French products - at no cost to you!


No comments

Unfortunately the comment system does not work on mobile phones at this time :( If you see this message and leave a comment, I will be unable to approve it, I'm really sorry about this issue!