NARS • Madrague Duo • Eye Shadow

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*TOP REVIEWER* MissJacqui85 on 12/10/2012 1:20:00 PM more reviews by MissJacqui85

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Oily, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Best. The ultimate for a natural eye. I am tan and thought this would be too light,but its perfect. Have never found a base colour so perfect on me, or a contour colour that looks so natural. Blends like no ones business. Did I say it's the best?:) same comment on price as others-but then I ask you all, isn't that why we're all so happy with this product ?;) in this case we are getting what we paid for.

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lclc on 4/24/2012 1:32:00 PM more reviews by lclc

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This is my go-to, quick, everyday eye shadow. Love! Worth the expense because of ease of application, staying power, and the understated, yet polished look it gives me.

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*TOP REVIEWER* gconn on 3/28/2012 10:30:00 AM more reviews by gconn

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black, Straight   Eyes: Black    

I purchased this a year and a half ago and just hit pan on the lighter shade. It's an everyday staple for me.

Texture for the lighter shade (matte cream) is amazing - it's powders up very easily, and goes on incredibly smooth. It's actually very pigmented, though it's hard to tell because it's so close to skin tone. I use this as a base shade to even out my eyelids (NC20) and also use it underneath my lower lashes to prevent eyeliner and mascara smudges and brighten the eyes. I've used this in a pinch in place of concealer.

The darker shade (matte caramel) isn't as soft, but still very smooth and blendable. A very subtle contour for the eyes, and also works as a base shade. You can layer this underneath a different color of shadow to create an near-invisible contour.

I'm currently trying to find a suitable cheaper replacement for this duo, but haven't been able to find a pair with the right textures and shades in one convenient package. Everything I've tried is either shimmery (the matte nature of these shadows is what makes them so versatile), chalky, too warm, too cool, too dark or light, or packaged with a bigger palette. Will probably repurchase, unless there's something more affordable out there.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

zowye2002 on 12/25/2011 2:59:00 PM more reviews by zowye2002

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I been searching for a great eyeshadow that could replace a neutral nude eyeshadow that I had from Avon when I was in high school and this Christmas morning it was gifted to me. For people who are light to medium or in the range of skin tones from MAC are NC30 or MUFE 203 in the powder foundation or who have neutral warm skin tone with bits of beige undertones this color will act as a nude eyeshadow. I decided to apply it over my eyelids with along on my lips the Montego Bay from NARS and I must say it made me look as if I were not wearing any make-up, still looking natural with barely there make-up.

In my opinion every woman or man should have in their make-up case a nude eyeshadow, you have a nude lipstick? Right? Well for me this is my nude eyeshadow and will be using a bit more often. My only complain is the price.

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

CarolynKeene on 12/12/2011 5:53:00 PM more reviews by CarolynKeene

Age: 44-55   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Blue    

I don’t know how I lived without this duo in my life. I’ve had this for several months now, and I use it nearly every day. The ivory/cream side serves as a great base for other shadows and is handy for blending. The soft caramel/tan side (swatched in store, it looked similar to UD Naked and Smashbox Nude) is the ideal crease color. It also works beautifully as a subtle liner along my lower lash line. Although I'm cool-toned (NW15/blue eyes for reference), I do better with warmer browns as cool-toned browns make me look tired. Both matte shadows apply like buttah with no powdery kick-up or fall-out, and last all day over primer.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

katharineb on 2/10/2011 11:40:00 PM more reviews by katharineb

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Blue    

LOVE LOVE this shadow. I keep looking for a less expensive substitute but can't find one. Perfect matte neutrals - just perfect.

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*TOP REVIEWER* MackMimiMommy on 12/23/2010 8:01:00 PM more reviews by MackMimiMommy

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

This is a beautiful color combination. There is a warm cream or light camel color. Then, there is a darker warm brown. It applies velvety. It looks beautiful once applied. Madrague has golden or yellow undertones to it. It is like nothing I've seen on my eyes before. I think sometimes we get confused and use cool colors on our eyes, but it can tend to make some people (me) look bruised or ill. This does not make me look ill. It enhances my green eyes. I love it. I don't even always need liner with this as it stands on its own without liner. I also like how it is a duo, and I don't have to open another eyeshadow container to finish my shadow application.


I do not love the packaging of NARS in general. I don't like how they attract smudges. I also don't like how it looks exactly the same as other NARS products, so it is hard to discern what is what.


I will be repurchasing in the future.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* SuzyCutie on 8/15/2010 2:49:00 PM more reviews by SuzyCutie

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Red, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I bought this after nearly hitting pan on my BB Nude on Nude palette,which I don't think I've ever done on anything.I love my matte nudes,and I love them even more when there are no red/peach tones in them.This is what you will get with Madrague-straight up cream and light brown.The shades have decent pigmentation,very soft,little to no powdery fallout.They stay put well over an eyeshadow primer,basically echoing what other reviewers have mentioned.Lately I've been wearing red and coral lipsticks, and this is the perfect eye palette to complement them.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Schelli on 1/2/2010 8:13:00 PM more reviews by Schelli

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight   Eyes: Green    

Great soft, neutral shadow duo from NARS. Soft matte colours, go on smoothly, stay all day and blend beautifully. I like the light colour for all over base and highlighter and the darker makes a nice soft contour in crease. I'm usually very picky about browns but this soft combo looks great

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* pocky on 11/28/2009 11:20:00 PM more reviews by pocky

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Black    

Madrague looked so promising in the pan but it turned out to be my first (and hopefully only) NARS dud. I am in the NC 20 range as far as my coloring and although I have lots of yellow undertones, I am also not "golden." The lightest shade in the Madrague duo had too much yellow for me. I find that I need a base shade with a touch of pink or peach, like MAC Brule or Grain, to brighten up my eyes. For reference, MAC Paintpot in Soft Ochre is too yellow for me. The darker Madrague color was also not very flattering for me. My eyelids looked very blah and almost dirty.


However, the texture of this duo is very nice and it's one of the few matte NARS duos. Not that I don't love the shimmery duos as well but it's always nice to find great matte eyeshadows.


This may very well have been all about personal preference and so maybe I really did look fine with Madrague so I'm giving this duo a good review but I will not be repurchasing. Who needs to repurchase NARS eyeshadows anyway? No one ever finishes those things! Anyway, yellow-based foundations are good but yellow-based eyeshadows are bad for someone with my coloring.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* Geekette on 3/4/2009 1:10:00 PM more reviews by Geekette

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight   Eyes: Brown    

Great natural for yellow tones (NC 20). AND THEY ARE SO SMOOTH! HOLY CRAP. ok... but seriously it feels like ... weird I know baby powder. Yes and that is a good thing. No crease, with UDPP it didn't budge.. and god knows I rub my eyes and all that. Its just amazing. The colors in the photos make it look a lot darker than it really is. Has the classic NARS packaging that I LOVE!!

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dotix on 1/17/2009 5:23:00 AM more reviews by dotix

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

These shadows are amazing... my eyes, but better! I'm not really sure how to describe it but it's a great neutral color for me and i'm NC30. They last long like any other nars shadows and they never crease. They are expensive but it's nars... It's my go to eyeshadow pan when I'm too lazy to think about what to wear .

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bubblegarm on 12/26/2008 8:10:00 PM more reviews by bubblegarm

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Olive   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I love this little package of goodness, the darker colour is a perfect crease colour - it goes with ANYTHING. the lighter colour is a good highlight - they work very well together - I usually just add some eyeliner and mascara for an everyday look - my hazel eyes just pop. I sometimes mix it up with some fun brights. I do think however that you will find a dupe at mac - its a matt taupe colour - however all my mac colours are in a palette - i usually carry this around with me for touch ups - very handy.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Andee on 12/16/2008 1:53:00 PM more reviews by Andee

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Red, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I never buy duos because I find I like one color but not the other. In this duo, I like neither color. The light one is too dark as a wash for me and the darker one is just downright blah on me. Maybe it works great on blue eyes. It does nothing for my hazelish green ones.

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*TOP REVIEWER* lil_me on 8/29/2008 6:24:00 PM more reviews by lil_me

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this online at www.narscosmetics.com for $32. The Nordstrom near my residence does not carry NARS, so I have to either go to downtown San Francisco or buy online. I chose to make my purchase in the privacy of my own home.

It promises:
Same longwearing crease resistant formula as the NARS Single Eyeshadow, in a series of uniquely paired color combinations. Worn together or alone, all eyeshadows can be applied sheer or built up for a more dramatic effect. All powder eyeshadows can be used wet or dry.
Richly pigmented powders
Effortless blending; coordinated in fashionable pairs
Multifunction: use as eyeshadow, eyeliner or on eyebrows

What I think:
A high quality pigmented neutral colored shadow that is great for everyday wear. It truly is a multifunctional item. I even used the lighter shade as a concealer on a minor blemish. I brushed a bit around my nostrils to cover some broken capillaries. It worked beautifully. The formula is so smooth and soft. It goes on effortlessly. No creases!

It is kind of on the expensive side, but I think this will last a long time. I'm still trying to get use to the fact that there is no applicator included.

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*TOP REVIEWER* jiney17 on 6/30/2008 4:23:00 PM more reviews by jiney17

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Encased in NARS' signature sexy rubber packaging is the easiest, safest, everyday eye ever. Madrague combines an ecru color with a light beige-tan. Both colors are neutral, matte, somewhat sheer, and very silky in texture. Sweep the ecru shade over your lid, then apply the beige to your crease and blend. If you want to tone down the beige, then just add a bit more of the ecru color on top and blend. The colors will melt together for a subtly 'done' look that enhances your peepers rather than hogging the spotlight.



What makes this duo stand out is the excellent texture. The cream color is transparent rather than chalky so that it subtly smoothes and brightens without looking flat, dull or powdery. And the beige is a totally foolproof crease color (though dupable).



In all, this is a boring, but high-quality and very serviceable duo. I would recommend for the sake of convenience, but if you already have basic beige and cream eye shadows (NARS' own Lola Lola and Edie are basically Madrague in separate pans), then there's no need to purchase this...unless you're like me and are convinced you need every neutral eye shadow ever manufactured by M. Nars.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* PrincessScuzzlebutt2 on 6/20/2008 6:32:00 AM more reviews by PrincessScuzzlebutt2

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

Very basic matte neutrals that look good on especially light skin tones. They are soft and pigmented. One side is a cream color and the other is a very light tan/brown. They seem to really compliment blue eyes.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* ohtwicemyburn on 6/18/2008 2:12:00 AM more reviews by ohtwicemyburn

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

I really enjoy this duo. Very basic neutrals, but so versatile! I can build up the brown to make my blue eyes pop, I can brighten my eyes with the cream and All About Eve, and I can pair the two together for a clean, matte look. The texture is so silky, it just glides on.

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reneeg323 on 5/16/2008 11:16:00 AM more reviews by reneeg323

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this in my neverending quest for the perfect neutral shadow duo. The colors are neutral and, as other reviewers have commented, are best described as coffee and cream. I wasn't overly thrilled with the duo when I first purchased it and put it away. I brought it out again yesterday and finally figured out the problem. It is a great duo for warm skin tones. I am not a warm skin tone so this leaves me looking worn out and tired. There is a considerable yellow undertone to both colors which is not flattering to my skin tone. Perhaps, it would work better paired with some other colors, but frankly, I would rather look for another neutral duo that better suits my cool tones.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

dmd1 on 7/5/2007 2:58:00 PM more reviews by dmd1

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I absolutely love this duo. I'm always looking for my HG natural, go with everything eye color, and these are it. The best way for me to describe this duo is that it is a warm neutral coffee and cream. Just add a little dark brown e/l, and you're good to go! And the quality of the powders is top-notch. They glide on like velvet and never crease. For reference, I'm an MMM NC30, brown eyes/brown hair.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No