NARS Climax 9-Pan Eyeshadow Palette

Climax

NARS Climax 9-Pan Eyeshadow Palette is a limited edition earthy, neutral color story that included four matte eyeshadows and five shimmer eyeshadows housed in a red, plastic compact. The quality was higher than is typical for NARS (at least, in the last couple of years) with excellent shimmer shades and more pigmented and velvety matte shades that were, at worst, powdery but blendable and easy to work with.

Look Using this Product

Open Wide

Open Wide is a darker peach with moderate, warm undertones and a matte finish. The texture was finely-milled and smooth, though somewhat powdery, and yielded mostly opaque, buildable color coverage that seemed to darken slightly in practice. It lasted well for seven and a half hours before fading visibly.

Private Show

Private Show is a dusty, rosy mauve with strong, warm undertones and a matte finish. It had nearly opaque color payoff that applied well to bare skin with a smooth, even laydown of product that blended out well. The texture was smooth, finely-milled, and somewhat powdery in the pan but wasn’t prone to sheering out too readily on skin. It stayed on nicely for eight hours before fading noticeably.

Passion Play

Passion Play is a light brown with warmer undertones and lighter, slightly less warm-toned shimmer that gave it a metallic finish. It was richly pigmented with a smooth, almost cream-like texture that was dense without being overly firm or too thick. It wore well for eight hours before showing signs of fading.

Envious

Envious is a medium copper with moderate, warm undertones–not too orange, not too red–with a metallic sheen. It had opaque color coverage that applied well to bare skin and diffused easily along the edges. The texture was smooth, lightly creamy but not too dense, and it seemed to “melt” for a more seamless look on my skin. It lasted well for eight hours before fading visibly.

Hooked

Hooked is a darker, olive green with warm undertones and a high-shine, metallic finish. The eyeshadow felt almost like butter as it was creamy, smooth, and yielding without being powdery or too thick–the best textured shade in the palette and one of the brand’s best. It had rich pigmentation that applied evenly to my lid and blended out well without losing its intensity. It stayed on nicely for eight and a half hours before fading a little.

Next Level

Next Level is a deep bronze with warmer, reddish undertones and a metallic sheen. It had opaque color payoff paired with a lightly creamy, moderately dense consistency that picked up readily with a dry brush but had no fallout. This shade showed signs of fading after eight hours of wear.

Up in Smoke

Up in Smoke is a muted, medium-dark olive green with warm undertones and a matte finish. The texture was smooth, velvety, and a little powdery in the pan, but a light hand was all that was necessary to minimize fallout. It had opaque color payoff that lasted well for eight hours before fading a bit.

Public Eye

Public Eye is a rich, ultra-deep brown with subtle, cool red undertones and a matte finish. It was intensely pigmented with a smooth, almost velvety texture that was slightly powdery in the pan but adhered evenly and wasn’t prone to sheering out on my eye. It stayed on nicely for eight hours before fading noticeably.

Night Rhythm

Night Rhythm is a deeper, charcoal gray base with lighter, silvery-blue shimmer that gave it a steely, gray hue with a metallic sheen. It had rich color coverage with a soft, lightly powdery texture that picked up evenly with a dry brush and had minimal fallout when pressed/patted into place, then blended. It wore well for eight hours before fading visibly.