NARS Mekong.

i wanted to get NARS Mekong for a long long time, but never purchased it since i thought that it would look black on me anyways. after i got Cordura (the dark shade - review) and Galapagos (review) with my NARS Palettes, Mekong sank into oblivion. but since i really really dig the super dark smokey eye for this fall i was in need for a really dark brown eyeshadow (for the super dark black/blue i adore the Hourglass Visionaire Duo in Prism (review)) because now i found Cordura and Galapagos not rich enough.
so it was just in time when hqhair offered a 15%-off coupon and i ordered Mekong from there at only 14£ instead of 16.50£. from germany, NARS is also available in their official online store on narscosmetics.eu where the mono shadows retail for 24€ each.
NARS single eyeshadows come in a tiny sturdy rubberized compact with a little mirror and without any useless applicator. they contain 2.2g.

i'm absolutely in love with this eyeshadow, it's exactly what i was looking for. Mekong is an extremely deep brown with tons of pink, green and gold sparkles. it has a velvety soft texture and is very highly pigmented. it turns out as an incredibly rich brown that doesn't appear black like i worried.
this shadow applies with minimal effort (of course you have to be more precise in placement of such a bold colour) and blends very easily, which was the second worry of mine. it's still shimmery but not as sparkly as in the pan once applied and blended, but that's not a big problem since a dark shadow like this shouldn't be overly shimmery for me. it also doesn't have any fall outs, so i was very pleased with application in total.
Mekong is a fantastic colour to really deepen the outer corner and ideal as a shadow for a statement smokey eye, but it can also be applied lightly for a soft crease colour. it's great to wear as a smokey eyeliner, too. i love to combine it with gold and bronze, but this colour looks good with anything.
it lasts well on my lids without creasing or fading.
overall, this is the perfect versatile eyeshadow, a must have for every smokey-eyes-lover and i wished i would have bought it earlier.

NARS Mekong swatched in sunlight & last picture with flashlight

tihilw

#1

for this semi-dark eyeshadow look (which i've done for my ID photo-shoot), i applied NARS Mekong eyeshadow on the lids and little bit on lower lashline to define, MAC Patina just above it, sheerly swept over it with NARS Fez to warm up everything.
MAC Smoke & Diamonds on outer part of lower lashline, MAC Go on the inner part of it.
black liner.
MAC Grand Entrance on the tearduct area and MAC Brulé on the brow bone area.
excuse the close up pics being a bit smudgy already since i made them about 4 hours after application.
 

#2

this is a darker night out look i've done with NARS Mekong over the whole lid and up to the crease, NARS Exotic Dance (the gold shade) in the inner corners, Le Métier de Beauté Eyeshadow in Spicy in the center part. MAC Retrospeck to blend out everything. Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Épatant on the outer half of the lower lashline.

black liner.

sorry for the close up pics being smudgy again, this time i forgot to shoot them before i went out and the pics are done about 10 hours after application!

comparison

in late afternoon sun

with flashlight

1 - Guerlain Éclat 1 Couleur in #187 L'Instant d'un Soupir - review
2 - L'Oreal HIP Metallic Shadow Duo in Gilded (dark side) - review
3 - NARS Mekong
4 - NARS Cordura (dark brown in Cordura duo or in the Pleasures of Paris Palette) - review
5 - NARS Galapagos (mine is in the Essential Eye Palette) - review

as you can see, Mekong is darker than any of my dark browns. the Guerlain shadow is more shimmery than Mekong, the L'Oreal one and NARS Cordura are both lighter and more grey-toned while Galapagos is lighter and more reddish.