CALLING ALL MAKEUP ARTISTS: Help Me With the New Nars "Exotica" collection! THE BEST ANSWER WINS A FREE NARS GIFT!!

HEY MAKEUP ARTISTS AND EXPERTS! POST YOUR COMMENTS ON HOW TO WEAR THIS STUFF AND ENTER TO WIN A GIANT (UNOPENED, OF COURSE!) TUB OF NARS BATH SALTS!!!!!

BLOGGER NOTE: IN LIGHT OF THE NYTIME PIECE A FEW MONTHS AGO ABOUT COSMETIC BLOGGERS POSSIBLE IMPARTIALITY BECAUSE OF A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MAKEUP COMPANIES THAT SUPPLY FODDER FOR THEIR REVIEWS, SWAGULOUS HAS PLEDGED TO BEGIN EVERY REVIEW WITH A "HOW I GOT IT" LINE SO YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW I LUCKED INTO THE SWAG -- OR WHETHER I SADLY HAD TO SHELL OUT FOR IT MYSELF. CARRY ON ...

WHAT: New summer shades from Nars called "Exotica," just released this month! HOW I GOT IT: Nars sent me the collection, unsolicited

In general, I found this collection to be uneven. Of the makeup I tried, two items are the best ever, two items pretty much suck -- although if any readers are makeup artists, please know that I could be persuaded, so please post your thoughts.

Galapagos single eye shadow ($21) -- LOVE LOVE LOVE! Talk about shimmer! This coppery sliver delivers a glitter punch that worked perfectly as a liner. With a moistened flat brush, I used this shadow to box out my eyes and then used a small dry brush to lightly accent the crease of the eye. Fa-ierce. Even when sparingly applied, the power is surprisingly dimensional and impactful , making it a perfect choice for an evening look. I would buy this, definitely, and have already used it three or four times since I got it.

Portobello duo eyeshadow ($31) -- these shades are like nude and nuder. Not sure what to do with them, and they hardly showed up when I used them. Maybe I would use them during the day for a matte appearance, but imho, there has to be something that can do that for less than $31.

Unconditional love duo eyecream shadow ($31) -- OK here's where a makeup artist could really provide some insight. This is one of those products where I go to use it and I am like, huh? The first eye cream -- the peachy beige-- is OK, although didn't really show up on my skin. It wasn't light enough to highlight, and it didn't really do much else, colorwise. Is it the matte finish that's the benefit? Even more vexing was the second color, the minty ice blue. I couldn't figure out what to do with this, perhaps it's not for sallow white chicks like me. It didn't work as a shimmer highlighter, so I just left it alone ... any comments from out there in cyberspace?

Supervixen lip gloss ($23) -- This is the pale shimmery mauve one, and I can't say enough amazing things about this. It looks very neutral but it goes on dewy and shimmery, with just enough color to add drama to a daytime look, but not enough to overpower a smoky evening eye. I love this and will definitely buy it when this tube runs out (I am rationing it right now).
The Roman Holiday & Dolce Vita lip pencils ($23) -- didn't care for either color, but the dusty pink shade (dolce vita) looked better under a clear gloss. The roman holiday was way too Malibu Barbie for my taste.