The NARS Vent Glacé Gives Me Chills

The NARS Vent Glacé (French for "cold wind") duo is the standout piece from their Fall 2012 collection. Much like the lipstick in Autumn Leaves (reviewed here), the shades truly live up to their name sake. The product has been much buzzed about since promotional images were originally released and given the popularity of taupe shades it's not hard to understand why. 

Vent Glacé looks at home with the spoils of autumn (the dried plant pictured is a Japanese Lantern: they grow like weeds where I live and turn a deep orange red shade as summer fades into fall). The colors are not only reminiscent of the cold, crisp winds of October and November, but also the steel grey sky of a cold fall day. 

NARS describes the shades in the Vent Glacé duo as "platinum" (left) and "silver smoke" (right). To my eye the lighter of the two shadows is a wearable pewter/silver with a healthy amount of grey so as to make the shade wearable. The shade on the right is the sort of taupe we all crave: a dove feather brown with a slight metallic sheen. 

As is to be expected these shadows are buttery and easy to work with. In terms of quality alone this is one of the best NARS duos that I own; however, the name and colors within make it my absolute favorite. 

Both colors are stunning when swatched and applied on the lid. The silver/pewter shade is not completely opaque  which is actually a quality that I look for in a silver shadow. I have quite cool toned pale skin, and on me an opaque, fully pigmented and metallic silver shadow is the opposite of flattering. The woodsy taupe is perfect, and though Le Métier de Beauté's Corinthian is my all time favorite this shade comes in at a close second. 

(Left to right): Vent Glacé silver, Vent Glacé soft taupe

By request I've swatched this shadow next to a popular NARS's Spring 2012 release, the single shadow in Lhasa. I've also intentionally left the shot a bit out of focus as the duo chrome/shimmer of Lhasa sets it apart from the taupe shade in the Vent Glacé duo. Though the colors initially appear somewhat similar in the pan, Lhasa has a strong lavender undertone that makes it a bit more purple and less brown than the darker shade in the Fall 2012 duo. 

(Left to right): Vent Glacé silver, Vent Glacé soft taupe, Lhasa 

Bottom line: this is the must have piece in the collection. The Vent Glacé duo can be used in a multitude of different ways, applies like a dream and would flatter almost any skin tone. I don't have a problem with shadows wearing as my skin is quite dry (the ideal condition for makeup to last), but many fellow bloggers with combination skin have already reviewed this duo.

Have you tried any products from the NARS Fall 2012 collection? How would you wear the Vent Glacé duo?