NARS revamped their lipsticks with a new formula and refillable packaging style called the Explicit Lipstick ($40, $24 for the refills). These are satin finish with a lightweight formula that offers medium-full coverage and rich color payoff. The NARS team sent a selection of the bold shades to try and as a neutral-lip lover I ordered nudes. Available now at Nordstrom, Ulta Beauty, Sephora, NARS and all NARS retailers.
These new lipsticks are a solid win. Classic in formula. Unscented. Hydrating and lightweight. Even after swatching 10+ shades my lips are still fully intact with no dryness or peeling. I do think the formula being on the lighter side almost makes them feel a bit thin but they have impressive smooth coverage. They’re hydrating and comfortable on the lips. I do wish they were just the slightest bit creamier or thicker but I do really like that the texture isn’t too soft or melty. They seem very sturdy.
Many of the lighter neutrals and medium brown tones look extremely similar but there are noticeable variances in undertone. I was thrilled to find that I could actually wear every single shade. Even the lighter ones (yay!!!).
I split the swatches into two categories: the neutrals and the bolds. For skintone reference I wear the NARS Light Reflecting Foundation in Vanuatu (review here). In this post, I’m also wearing the Total Seduction Eyeshadow Sticks in Strip Down and Mambo along with the Patrick Ta Major Dimension III on the eyes and Deep Throat Blush on the Cheeks.
Here are the Neutral shades I tried:
- Adulterous is a nude blush pink
- Blame is a peach pink nude
- Envy is a beige
- Indecent is a neutral-warm beige tan
- Liason is a peachy nude
- Exposed is a cool beige
- Dirty Talk is a warm coral pink
Bold Shades:
- Unashamed is a cool mauve
- Devious is a cool rose pink
- On Top is a chestnut reddish brown
- Excess is a reddish brown
- Body Heat is a tan brown
- Rendezvous is brown rose red
- Desirous is a classic red
Overall a solid A. I don’t know that I would call these the best lipstick formula ever, but they are exceptionally good and I think every color I tried is wearable. I would say my top 5 are: Blame, Liason, Adulterous, On Top, Devious.
I also added swatches of the Total Seduction Eyeshadow Sticks ($32) to this post. These launched over the summer and I love the colors but am still not sold on matte creams. In general I don’t like cream matte shadows because they tend to look dry on my lids, especially when they dry down. These are creamy matte eyeshadow sticks with impressive pigment and once they set they do not budge. Since they set quickly you have to work very fast to blend and on my lids they aren’t forgiving. These are wearable and easy to blend for a matte, but I still prefer a powder shadow format for mattes. I think you can get a similar effect with the Patrick Ta Major Dimension III Palette (swatched here).
Overall love the new lip launch for a classic effortless kind of lipstick. The matte cream shadows sticks are very good, but for a cream I prefer some shimmer or for a matte I still prefer powders.
Available now at Nordstrom, Ulta Beauty, Sephora, NARS and all NARS retailers.
Have you tried these yet? What did you think?
Press samples provided for review.
