NARS Andy Warhol Collection Edie Set

When NARS held its recent Friends & Family Sale, I browsed through the site to fill my cart like a sailor leaving port for a year. The limited-edition Andy Warhol Edie Set ($75) caught my eye. Knowing NARS makeup is often a little too artsy for me, I should have studied this set before I purchased it. The blushes lured, though, and I was sure I'd like the eye shadow and eyeliner (and I do). The new Film Star Pure Matte Lipstick appeared in the promo photo to be a very light pink. I had my doubts about it, but decided the rest of the set would outweigh a lipstick that I might find unwearable (too light, too young).

Exploding on the scene like a comet, Edie Sedgwick was the quintessential sixties "It Girl" and Andy Warhol’s most memorable muse. Presented in an authentic 16mm film canister [very cool, but the way], NARS celebrates Sedgwick’s iconic style with superstar essentials. Your world is your screen test. 

The set contains the following products in its 16-mm film container with a gorgeous photo of Sedgwick on the front.

• NEW Film Star Pure Matte Lipstick, a '60s nude pink
• Edie Eyeshadow, cream with a little bit of shimmer
• Carpates Eyeliner Stylo in black
• Mini Blush Duo in Deep Throat and Amour - flirty, sheer peach and peachy pink

I'll start with the oddball of the set. You guessed it after my lead-in: Film Star Pure Matte Lipstick. When I took off the cap and rolled out the color, I was sure NARS had made a mistake. It looks exactly like a concealer in a tube. I am not exaggerating (would I do that?). It's one of the strangest lip colors I've ever seen from NARS. Sorry, François, it's bizarre. I see no pink - just a flesh tone that looks goolish on my lips. Actually, it you want your lips to disappear and start over, Firm Star is a great shade to obliterate them.

The duo of fabulous blushes, Deep Throat and Amour, and the other items redeem the Edie Set. These colors are fabulous. I'm sorry about the shadows in my photos. It was very late afternoon when I was able to snap them, and there was no ideal angle available to me. I held the Edie Eyeshadow in the air and should have thought about that for the blush duo.

The single eyeshadow, Edie Eyeshadow, is the best NARS can be. Some eye shadows from the company (going back about two years) have had troublesome coverage issues. Not Edie! It's a lovely light creamy pink with a very subtle shimmer that should appeal to everyone. I'll use it often as a base shade. While it may not light your fire in the photo above, take a look at my swatch photos below. You should see how useful it's going to be.

I didn't bother photographing or swatching the black Carpates Eyeliner Stylo. It's liquid, it's long-lasting, and it has a super-fine tip (the reason I love it). I wear my eyeliners ultra-thin, and some liners are almost impossible to apply easily as a super-thin line. Eyeliner Stylo is a dream liner for me.

Let's take a look at the Edie Set swatches on my arm. I swatched with a sponge-tipped applicator for everything except Film Star and the liner, the latter unswatched. My photos were taken in very late afternoon sunshine.

The two blushes, one peachy pink and the other coral peach, shown at the top of my arm, and gorgeous - I think. I applied them heavily, but just imagine a sheer film of either of these colors, and I suspect you are "there." The beautiful, but not flashy, Edie Eyeshadow is shown below the blushes. I hope you can see the even color - a very light and brightening pink. It's superb - even if it's not flashy.

The Film Star Pure Matte Lipstick is shown at the bottom of my arm. The yellow-leaning, skin-toned shade is horrific on my lips. I lived through the '60s and experienced the light, frosty lipsticks that were de rigueur. I wore them. Even then I would not have considered wearing Film Star. In my humble opinion, it was someone's idea of a joke - a bad one. Think she was wearing light yellow lipstick when she posted for this photo, taken from a screen test by Edie Sedgwick in 1965. Doubtful!

Could you use it to lighten a dark lip color? Of course, but why not select a lip color that works in the first place? Could you top it with gloss to give it some shine and color? Absolutely, but why wear a matte lipstick if that's your goal? Would you wear Film Star alone?

In summary, I'm giving a qualified thumbs up to the Edie Set. Consider it a three-piece, four-color set for $75, and you're OK with that, you will love it. Need a gag gift for the holidays? Film Star is perfect.

Photo at top courtesy of NARS; Edie Sedwick photo courtesy of the post-gazette.com; other photos by Best Things in Beauty