I'm digging powders! part VIII: NARS Loose Powders

uhhh we're getting to the end slowly.....!  today we have made it to the N like NARS!

i have two loose powders by NARS; first the normal Loose Powder:

35g - 37€/26.50£/35$

you get a huuuuge amount for your money!
but if it wasn't a good deal in a blog sale, i wouldn't have bought it. but it's a good powder, no doubt.
i have it in the shade Eden, which should fit a medium skin with yellow undertones. the sifter holes are quite big, as you can see, and it can easily get very messy, especially because it doesn't have an airtight screw top.

this is what the official website says about it:

"This powder is triple milled and provides sheer, ultra-natural coverage to set makeup, soften color and smooth the texture of the skin for an overall radiant complexion. The silky-smooth texture blends undetectably into the skin, absorbs excess oils and maintains fresh looking skin with an imperceptible finish. Packaged complete with its own powder puff and both plastic and mesh sifters to provide the finest, most natural application possible.

• Triple-milled powder corrects and softens color
• Enriched with Vitamin E
• Packaged with its own powder puff and both plastic and mesh sifters to provide the finest application possible"

the powder itself really is finely milled, but i find it a hint chalkier than other powders i own, not very silky-smooth. also the finish isn't that radiant and as promised, it's rather matte. so i like to use it to take away the shine of overly dewy foundations. it works well with my oily skin, within 1-2 hours it melts with my foundation + skin sebum to a silky glowy finish. i think dry skins could have problems with this powder being too drying and matte.
it has some colour to it and gives a very light coverage. the light neutral colour would fit a nc15 to about nc25 in MAC.

the other powder is a Sparkling Loose Powder.

45g - 39€/27£/35$

this contains even MORE than the normal loose powder!
the Sparkling Loose Powder in fact is the normal loose powder, but infused with fine gold glitter/shimmer bits (while the shade Machu Picchu i own is like Eden).
here is what NARS says about it:

"Infused with super fine gold shimmer, Sparkling Loose Powder is perfect for highlighting the skin. It illuminates the complexion and leaves a shimmering finish suitable for the face and body.
Formulated with an exclusive micro-bubble technology to fill-in lines and pores, silica for a silky smooth texture and imperceptible finish and cornstarch to absorb excess oil, this triple-milled powder blends effortlessly over skin for instant radiance.

• Triple-milled powder corrects and softens color
• Enriched with Vitamin E
• For a shimmering finish
• Packaged with its own powder puff and both plastic and mesh sifters to provide the finest application possible" 

i wouldn't use this powder for highlighting purposes, at least not for the face (i tried it and it looked ridiculous). the shimmering bits are quite apparent and not fine enough to give any radiance. the sparkles even are quite flat and not flattering at all. it would make a good effect powder for your body, e.g. the cleavage.
i don't recommend this, you can easily create such a powder yourself by mixing some sparkly/pearly loose eyeshadow into some normal loose powder of your choice.

i don't want this disco-ball effect on my cheeks ;)

when it's blended out, the shimmer bits are loosely distributed