Vitamin Daily

To match or to clash?

'Tis the eternal question when it comes to choosing mani/pedi shades but this season, the dilemma is solved thanks to the Pierre Hardy for Nars collection, which hits Nars counters today.

With hues inspired by his SS13 shoe designs, the collection includes two blush compacts ($48 each) and – must have alert! – six nail polish duos ($32 per duo).

Gone is the guesswork in choosing perfect polish pairings: Colour genius Pierre Hardy has dreamt up unexpected yet totally chic pairings like Ethno Run (orange and navy), Sharks (yellow and lavender; pictured) and Sharplines (peach and burgundy).

Clashing colours? So very chic.  —Christine Laroche

At Nars counters and www.narscosmetics.ca

We love to carry on, but funneling our beauty products into regulation-sized bottles is a whole different story.

Thankfully, NARSSkin is debuting its cult classic products – Aqua Gel Luminous Oil-Free Moisturizer and Optimal Brightening Concentrate are staples in our routine – in travel-friendly formats.

Choose between the Luminous Aqua Set or the Luminous Moisture Set ($159 each): Both include five products (two are full-sized) and a chic cosmetics bag.

All packed and nowhere to go? A click through here, here or here is sure to inspire wanderlust. —Christine Laroche

Holt Renfrew, 1300 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, 514-842-5111, www.narscosmetics.ca

Nothing like a lick of red paint to take your look from flat to festive this holiday season. Herewith, three guaranteed to score you a smooch under the mistletoe.

Our make-up artist friends swear by Mac’s Ruby Woo ($15) for a striking matte finish that suits many complexions. New York-based interior designer, Athena Calderone suggests lining the lips with NARS Dragon Girl and then adding MAC Ruby Woo over it for a little extra luster.

We’re big fans of Joe Fresh lipstick round here, and Poppy ($6) is a favourite. It’s a classic orangey red, and it really pops. If this is your first plunge into red lipstick, an orange-based red is sure to flatter.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics lip tars ($16) are new to our makeup kit, and frankly, I’m not sure how we lived without them. They are easy to apply, last for hours and come in a bunch of wicked hues. Wear NSFW and expect to turn heads.

—Athena Tsavliris

With BB cream being the buzziest thing out there, we forgot how great good ol’ tinted moisturizer can be.

We’ve fallen for a new formula that delivers a sheer wash of coverage and colour, nourishes skin and provides SPF protection.

Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer ($49 at Sephora) by Nars is our complexion’s new BFF, while most of our trendy BBs have remained untouched since it landed on shelves.

There’s something to be said about the tried, tested and true.—Christine Laroche

Nars available at Sephora. 677 Ste-Catherine St. W., 514-849-8484, www.sephora.ca

NARS cosmetics’ bought a ticket to Japanese kabuki theatre to find its muse for a merry Christmas.

The Land of the Rising Sun’s traditional singing and dancing theatre’s make-up is bold and beautiful. Think bright white foundation with exaggerated features painted over top. Its drama is glorious on stage and easily toned down for the everyday with NARS’ Hanamichi Kabuki eyeshadow palette ($70).

White, deep rose, gold and matte black eyeshadows are pressed into a pretty flower pattern with a wisteria wrapped brush. The flower pattern is an ode to the hanamichi, which is an extra bit of stage originally built to allow actors to walk out into the audience and accept congratulatory flowers.

It’s a palette worthy of an encore. —Jaelyn Molyneux

www.narscosmetics.ca

We’re pretty sure our cheeks are jealous of our eyes, because within 10 minutes of prettying our peepers, our eyeliner is smudged across our cheeks.

The search for a stay-put pencil is over now that we’ve found NARS’ Larger Than Life Long Wear Eyeliner.  We applied Rue Saint-Honoré (all liners are named for iconic streets), a deep royal blue shade that lasted from morning until night, without smearing, caking or turning our cheeks a delicate shade of Smurf.

Finally! A stage five clinger we actually want to keep around. —Jennifer Nachshen

At The Bay, Holt Renfrew, Sephora and MURALE, www.narscosmetics.ca

We know better than to bake in the sun. But on a scale ranging from Casper to Snooki, we fall somewhere around Cate Blanchett. So when we want a “healthy glow” without the unhealthy UV rays, we turn to sunless tanners.

To take our limbs from bleachy to beachy, we spray on Sephora’s Tinted Self-Tanning Body Mist ($10), spritzing closer to the skin as we build up a deeper tan. At Fairview, 6815 Trans-Canadienne Highway, Pointe-Claire, 514 630-6100, www.sephora.com/canada

Stila’s new One Step Bronze ($47) swirls bronzer, primer, illuminator and moisturizer together improve skin tone and even out the complexion with both copper and pink undertones for a natural looking tan. At Pharmaprix, www.pharmaprix.ca

Their Laguna golden-bronze face illuminator has been so popular that NARS finally created a version for the body. This limited-edition, light-reflecting bronzer won’t transfer onto clothes, so you can wear your pretty white lace dresses without worry. At Holt Renfrew, 1300 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, 514-842-5111, www.narscosmetics.com

OK, so it took a couple of practice runs to get it right, but once we mastered the Temptu air brush tan (System $265, bronzer pod, $42) we faced the world with a  beautiful, even glow, and were protected all day with a 15 SPF. At Fairview, 6815 Trans-Canadienne Highway, Pointe-Claire, 514-630-6100, www.sephora.com

—JN

Women of taste (and means) are fiercely loyal to François Nars, and behold, he's rewarded them with a hefty how-to tome.

Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself (no relation to Madonna) is a keep-no-secrets beauty manual by Nars himself. Intro'd by Simon Doonan and minimally art-directed by Fabien Baron (of Interview fame), the book is a looker. But it's more than just pretty faces—60 of them, in fact, street-cast in a range of ages and skin tones. Nars gives gentle, sensible advice and preaches individuality over perfection. Clear overlays illustrate how each “after” look was created. It's paint-by-numbers, from a master. —SNP

$50 exclusively at Holt Renfrew across Canada, holtrenfrew.com

We’ve been obsessed with NARS makeup ever since we discovered that their bestselling Orgasm blush really did create a cheeky post-coital glow.

Now we’re coveting the moisturizing Velvet Gloss lip pencils ($30), launching tomorrow. We’ll be skipping lunch to head to the brand new 1000 square-foot NARS counter at The Bay downtown to pick up the easy-to-apply pencil in New Lover, a golden pink shade that will make your lips look like you’ve been engaging in some heavy make-out sessions with a new man.

Wear the blush with the lip gloss and let the office gossip fly!

The Bay, 585 Ste. Catherine W., Montreal, 514-281-4422, www.narscosmetics.com

Voilà une bonne nouvelle pour débuter la semaine, non?

Sur environ mille pieds carrés, on ne saura plus où donner de la tête entre les 300 tonalités de nuances de maquillage, les pinceaux et autres accessoires. Et ce n’est pas tout, c’est sans compter toute la gamme de soins super innovants et adorés des stars et des magazines féminins. Évidemment, dès l’ouverture, on s’est précipitée sur les lieux pour juger de nos propres yeux. Verdict? Le comptoir est minimaliste et élégant à souhait, de quoi nous donner envie de passer des heures entre fards à paupières et rouges à lèvres.

Nars – La Baie : 585, rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, Montréal, 514 281-4422, www.hbc.com