There are so many beauty brands out there and, I don’t know about you, but sometimes I’m scared to try new ones because products can be so expensive and I don’t feel like I know enough about the brand or product. I get so comfortable with the products I know I love and don’t want to venture out. However, whenever I do decide to go outside of my comfort zone and find a great product that I love I always think that there must be so many others that I don’t know about, especially within brands that I’m not as familiar with, because I’m not willing to try them.

One of my favorite things about running Sequins & Things is the ability to try and invest in new products that I might not have otherwise. I certainly don’t like all of the products I choose to try, and will never shamelessly promote anything I don’t love, but I’d love to provide a way for you to know which products within certain brands ARE worth investing in, without you having to buy a bunch yourself.

So, we’ll start with one of my favorite beauty brands: NARS. It’s a brand I admire because I know its foundation is built on inspiring women to be fearless in their self expression and to embrace boldness. Their products certainly push the envelope from the palette colors to name of the products themselves. I’ve always admired anyone who is shamelessly themselves and inspired others to do the same, so I have the utmost respect for the brands founder, François Nars.

I recently splurged on some of NARS‘ new Hot Sand Collection and have enjoyed incorporating the products into my makeup routine. Today, I’m sharing the five products by NARS that I personally love and cannot live without.

Lip Gloss: Their color rich lip gloss was the first product I ever used by NARS. I was obsessed with this dark purple color, how smooth it went on over my lipstick and the nice smell that it had. I couldn’t quit it. It had become my go to. I ended up purchasing a few different shades that are always in my lipgloss collection: Scandal [red], Quito [plum], Turkish Delight [light pink], Sixties Fan [deep plum], Priscilla [bright pink], Wonder [orange], and – I’m so excited – they recently brought back Striptease, my favorite nude lipgloss. My newest addition is the ‘Hot Sand’ shade. I’m not sure that it’s the best shade for me but if you love peachy/gold lip colors, it’s definitely for you!

‘Ita’ Kabuki Brush: I use this brush EVERY. DAY. to contour my face with NARS’ Bronzing Powder in Laguna. I have a tiny face so the precision in which this brush applies my bronzer in order to create a distinct, sculpted cheek is really impressive to me.

‘Hanamachi’ Kabuki Brush: My brush collection has been lacking a good quality blending brush for my face. [I had one that I was using but just wasn’t loving it] This was one of my purchases from the new Hot Sand Collection, exclusively sold at Nordstrom, and cannot sing its praises louder. It is exactly what I had been needing and looking for. It blends your contour and highlight colors, along with your blush, perfectly. I only wish I had found it sooner.

‘Hot Sand’ Illuminator: This is a new favorite of mine. This was another item I purchased from NARS‘ new Hot Sand Collection. It’s a thin liquid that, once applied, adds such a  beautiful, subtle glow to your face or décolleté, ideal for Spring and Summer. There are many ways to wear it, but I personally have been mixing a small amount in with my foundation.

Creamy Concealer: This product is amazing. I use it as a highlighter under my eyes and on the bridge of my nose. The formula is smooth, buildable and blends well while providing medium-to-high coverage, which is what I prefer. I typically choose between Vanilla and Chinchilly depending on how tan or pale I am. I don’t like an overwhelmingly obvious highlight so, I tend to use Vanilla if I’m tan or Chinchilly if I’m pale. I encourage you to use whichever one is best for your particular skin tone.

I highlighted some of the other items I’ve purchased and have enjoyed using lately in today’s photos. I’m wearing NARS‘ Audacious Lipstick in Anna. Their lipstick formula is so smooth and color rich, just like their lip gloss, so be sure to give that a try, as well! And, be sure to check out the entire Hot Sand Collection. I’ve been really impressed with everything I’ve purchased from it.

I hope you all have had an amazing week, and that this post gave you a little bit of insight into a brand you were not so familiar with OR products within the brand that you were thinking about trying but unsure about whether to invest in or not. That’s the point of this so if you like the post and would like me to do more Beauty Spotlight’s, please leave a comment below and let me know 🙂

Enjoy your weekend, lovelies! xo.