NARS Erdem
The new NARS Erdem strange flowers summer collection is out now (side note: Erdem is a women’s fashion designer, if you’re not in the know… I had to look him up, so you aren’t alone if you had no clue!), so, of course, being the frustrated botanist that I am, I walked all over my neighborhood looking for strange flowers, and that’s when I realized that there aren’t any strange flowers in my neighborhood…
LIKE, NONE.
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I don’t think it’s too much to expect to see a Venus Flytrap while you’re taking your cat for a walk.
But I digress…
The NARS Erdem strange flowers Collection
Wanna-Be Botanist Karen is like YAAASSS because every piece in this LE release is covered with ??? flowers.
The eyeshadows palettes — super potent. just a little dip with the tip of eye brush lays down loads o’ pigment. If I get in there and blend with a fierce purpose, I’m fine. fun for smoky looks.
The blushes — Frostier in the arm swatches than they are on cheeks, yay! good news for those of us with, like, pores.
The lipsticks — Such a twist! They look dark and intimidating, but five of the six are sheer. The only opaque one is red Blood Flower, which I think is OK, but the sheer ones, I LOVE. They’re like super intense lip tints, and I’m all about the pink and purples because they could almost pass for nudes.
The blotting papers — OK.
The stick highlighter — Opalescent purple dewy gorgeousness. also doubles as an eyeshadow base (I used it in these pics underneath the blue and charcoal from the night garden Palette, and it tinted the smoky look with a hint of purple)
The lip palette — I like layering the lip powders on top of the cream lipstick, but they make my lips look and feel a little dry…
Instead of strange flowers, I saw a bunch of familiar ? flowers, and even though I’m bummed about my neighborhood’s lack of exotic horticulture, the familiar flowers always bring me so much joy and fill me with happy memories.
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Strange flowers with familiar flowers
Like these white and purple daisies. Oh, my goodness! When my my parents first moved into the house I grew up in, which is the house my parents still live in today, it had this big patch of daisies just underneath the living room window, and when you’d walk in and out of the house, they were the first things you saw in the yard.
These were all over our front yard when I was a kid.
Fleur Fatale Eyeshadow Palette
Night garden Eyeshadow palette (in the day!)
My friend Karrie, who lived next door to my childhood home in the east Bay, would hop over the fence, knock on the door, and ask if I could go outside and play. At some point whenever we’d be playing, a few of these daisies would be picked, and they’d end up either in our hair, around our wrists as bracelets, or squashed underneath bicycle tires.
And these California poppies… OH! They take me back, too.
Poppies
They’re all over the place this time of year in northern California, growing out of cracks in the sidewalk, on the sides of creek beds, and in everyone’s front yard.
Voodoo Lily (left) and Moon Orchid (right)
Wildflower
Blood flower (left) and Carnal Carnation (right)
Larkspur
When we were kids, Karrie and I would pick the petals, crush them in bowls, and pretend to make dinner.
Ah, the weird thing kids do!
Occasionally, we’d find a rare white poppy, and in kid law, the white poppies were off limits. Those were never, ever to picked…
Here in Novato where I live now — it’ll be 10 years soon, which is crazy to me! — I’m surrounded by different flowers that I didn’t see until I moved here, like these tiny hot pink ones, which are all over my neighborhood.
These tea tree plants blanket parts of my neighborhood.
Loves Me Not (left) and loves Me (right)
I just found out recently that they’re tea tree plants. So cute and so dainty!
Speaking of hot pink, bougainvillea takes me back to when El Hub and I first moved in together. Our apartment at the time was across the street from a house that was covered in them, and whenever I’d look out our living room windows, I’d see them there.
Bougainvillea
Poison rose Lip Powder Palette
They’re super pigmented, so blend without fear!
They will last through a cup of coffee…
Surprise! — the lighter shade shows up on tan skin.
Lipstick in Carnal Carnation
Lipstick in Voodoo Lily
Lipstick in Bloodflower
Lipstick in Larkspur
Lipstick in Moon Orchid
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So, NARS Erdem strange flowers — do you see anything you like? ??
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen