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NARS Air Matte Lip Color, Blush + Soft Matte Tinted Lip Balm Review

March 16, 2021

I’m late to the game in reviewing these NARS launches but thought I’d review them in case you still haven’t tried these and wanted more thoughts! NARS released several new products this year in mini collection launches. Reviews I’ve read have been very mixed and based on what I’ve tried, I think there are some hits and misses.

Air Matte Blush

The Air Matte Collection features a mix of matte finish products for lips and cheeks. I had high hopes for the Air Matte Blush as many of the YouTubers and bloggers I follow loved this! The formula is a soft whipped matte with a bouncy texture. The concept is really interesting to me but I found they weren’t easy to work with. The size of the pot made it difficult to dip my finger in without getting my nails in the product and they’re a little to small in circumference for a cream style brush applicator. Once applied on the skin the product didn’t really show up well on my skin (with the exception of a couple colors). Any blending caused product to drag and then disappear as it tugged with my foundation + powder. I tried these with fingers and a brush.

A couple of the colors were hits for me including Gasp (tan brown) and Darling (pink). I had high hopes for Orgasm as I love the powder blush version but it barely showed up on me.

Color-wise I think NARS created beautiful naturally flattering colors and I really wish the formula was easier to work with! They swatched nicely on the arms – I wish they blended nicely on the face for me.

There are eight colors total in this formula. I have five that I tested and swatched:

Hushed is a pale peach nude, it did not show up on my skin tone
Orgasm is a pale peach with gold shimmer, also did not show up on me
Darling is a soft cool matte pink
Rush is a coral peach
Gasp is a tan brown, looks dark in the pan, but shows up a tan nude on my skin

Air Matte Lip Color

For the lips NARS launched the Air Matte Lip Color, similar in concept to the blushes in a whipped matte finish. These have a weightless mousse-like texture with saturated pigment. The finish was smooth and blended nicely without drying out the lips. If you don’t mind reapplying every few hours these are nice. Color selection seemed limited to me with a lot of super bright bold colors and only a handful of neutrals. I like the look of All Yours (peach nude) and Shag (medium pink brown). The others weren’t really my cup of tea. If you’re looking for a long-wear matte finish lip, this isn’t the formula for you.

All Yours is a peale peach nude
Shag is a pink brown with mauve tones
Knockout is an electric coral
Total Domination is a neon red
Power Trip is a bold red

Three of them on the lips below: All Yours, Shag and Power Trip

Soft Matte Tinted Lip Balms

Last we have a look at the Soft Matte Tinted Lip Balms. I ordered these from Sephora sight unseen. I bought nearly all the colors and they are a huge hit for me! They are a smooth matte lip balm with a diffused wash of color. Although lasting power isn’t long since it’s a balm, I love the way these feel and the pigment level is perfect. Neutrals and nudes can be tricky because the undertones don’t always work on me but I love every single one.

Intimate is the lightest shade, a your lips but better beige nude
Brief Encounter is a medium nude
Unrestricted is a cool light pink
Whip Lash is a medium brown nude
Touch Me is a cinnamon plum

Four of the lip balms colors on the lips with some of blushes applied as well:

Overall for me I found the Air Matte Collection a miss for the blushes. I think the Air Matte Lip formula is a nice one, but there are better colors with other brands. The Soft Matte Lip Balms are a hit for me. I really like the formula and colors!

You can find the Air Matte Collection available at most NARS counters now (many of the colors are limited-edition). Available online at NARS, Ulta, Nordstrom and Sephora.

The Soft Matte Tinted Lip Balms are available online at NARS and Sephora.

Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

Select items provided for review. All Yours, Shag, Gasp, Hushed, and all the lip balms purchased by me.

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Beauty Favorites Nordstrom

Beauty Favorites to Kick Off Summer

June 22, 2020

above: summer hat / sunnies / lace-up strappy sandals

It’s officially summer so to celebrate I’m rounding up some of my summer beauty favorites to kick off the season! I’ve been putting quite a few new makeup launches to the test for eyes, lips and cheeks. Today I’m partnering with Nordstrom to share my top picks for bronzers, peachy lips and shimmery eyeshadows.

NARS Laguna + Laguna Matte

So many of you have asked for bronzer recommendations! I have several tried-and-true favorites but always like playing with the new launches. NARS Laguna Bronzer has been a go-to for years. This year they launched an extensive collection with shimmers and also added a Matte Version. I prefer shimmer in my bronzer for a bit of glow but the NARS Laguna Matte is a really nice true brown/bronze alternative for those who need something without any shine.

Below wearing the classic NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna, Bobbi Brown Crushed Oil-Infused Gloss in Wild Card, Chantecaille Luminescent Eye Shade in Lion + Giraffe. Brush is the Laura Mercier Blending Brush (but I also love their bronzing brush for a larger fluffy option).

MAC Bronzing Collection Picks

Although I love shimmery bronzers I just hauled the new MAC Radiant Matte Bronzing Powders in Beiging Beauty and Totally Taupeless and think I’ve found my new holy grail mattes. They have a very tiny bit of radiance in the powder but apply on the skin like a matte. The formula is creamy powder with a natural super smooth buildable finish. Beiging Beauty is the lighter slightly warmer option while Totally Taupeless is a deeper neutral-cool toned bronze.

Wearing MAC Beiging Beauty below and Tom Ford Ultra-Shine Lip Color in Veridique

A number of you had the new MAC Strobe Body Lotion in Bronzelite on your radar and when it finally popped up online at Nordstrom I ordered it immediately! I find it challenging to find a good smooth body shimmer that isn’t too glittery. The MAC Strobe Body Lotion has an ultra fine glow so it leaves your skin looking skin is radiant versus looking like a disco ball. It has a soft light peachy glow with a hint of bronze pearl. It’s a lotion so it is hydrating but lightweight and also has the signature strobe cream scent.

Peachy Lips

I love a good peachy lip of any undertone, intensity and finish. There are so many variations for light peach, coral, shimmer, cream, sheer, gel etc. I pulled quite a few to swatch and compare for you. Everyone seems to have a different color in mind when they think of a peachy color!

Ones I love along with a few new ones:

Tom Ford Ultra Shine Lip Color in Veridique is a bold full coverage shiny bright coral peach
Bobbi Brown Crushed Oil-Infused Gloss in Wild Card is a pretty bright but sheer peach with a nice shine and moisturizing finish
Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss in 744 Subtil and 166 Physical are two peachy shimmers, Subtil has more of a pink/gold undertone while Physical has a more orange/gold tone
Armani Ecstasy Mirror Lip Gloss in 101 Beyond is like a jelly gloss liquid lipstick, this is a pink peach with buildable coverage, once it sets it is budge-proof like a liquid lipstick but with the shine
Cle de Peau Radiant Liquid Rouge Shine in Bird of Paradise is the best bold coral gloss I’ve tried
Givenchy Le Rose Perfecto Liquid Balm in 30 Vital Glow is a soft peachy orange balm
Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Lip Bath in Peachy Plump is a sheer peach infused with gold shimmer to plump and hydrate the lips

Below wearing Armani Ecstasy Mirror Gloss in 101 Beyond (pulls peachy pink on my complexion) with MAC Radiant Matte Bronzer in Totally Taupeless

Below wearing Bobbi Brown Crushed Oil-Infused Gloss in Wild Card – I find it still has a lot of color even though it’s a sheer tint!

Bronze-Gold Luminescent Eye

Last but not least, a bronzey shimmery eye for summer is an absolute must-have for me. I love layering and mixing coppers and bronze shades over regular powder eyeshadows for added depth and glow. Sometimes I can just use one of these all over the lid and then add a liner + mascara for an easy everyday look. My favorites include:

Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Stick in Copper for a nice all over wash of warmth + shimmer, once it sets and dries it does not budge
Hourglass Scattered Light Eyeshadows are my most-worn eyeshadows as toppers! I sometimes mix colors together or layer them with other powders, Foil is a metallic gold, Burnish is a pretty bronze, Ray is a sparkling taupe bronze
Chantecaille Luminescent Eye Shades are some of the prettiest eye shimmers I’ve tried! I like applying these with a finger to pat and blend, Lion is a pretty golden shade and Giraffe is a deeper bronze shimmer (I want to order all of them!)

That wraps up my beauty favorites to kick off summer! I hope you found some inspiration for new beauty launches to try or add to your routine. Do you have any favorite bronzers, shimmery eyeshadows or peachy lips?

You can find all of my picks available at Nordstrom. Don’t forget to check out their Gift With Purchase page if you’re shopping online!

Shop my summer beauty favorites:

Summer sandals, favorite sun hat + sunnies below:

Many thanks to Nordstrom for partnering to sponsor this post. As always all opinions are my own.

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NARS

NARS Summer 2020 Collection Haul Picks

April 30, 2020

I have a NARS Summer 2020 Collection haul review and swatches for you today! NARS launched a mini summer collection with bronzers, eye pigments and lip balms. I ordered a few things that caught my eye including:

Bronzing Powder in San Juan ($38)
Oil Infused Lip Tints in Reef and Laguna ($26 each)
Afterglow Lip Balm in Laguna ($28)

San Juan Bronzing Powder

I’ve loved the original NARS bronzers for years! The newer launches can be hit or miss on the formulas so I limited myself to 1 shade to try in San Juan. It’s a light warm golden brown-peach with a slight hint of shimmer. On my medium olive skin it’s sheer but buildable and warms up the skin. If you are lighter in skin tone than I am this will most likely look like a peachy blush on your skin rather than bronzer. Even on me it’s borderline blush material rather than bronzer, but still nice.

I swatched it next to a few other lighter tone bronzers I have including Tom Ford Soleil Glow in Terra (reviewed here), Fenty Beauty Inda Sun (one of the lightest/coolest toned bronzers I have) and Kosas Sun Show Bronzer in Light (review soon).

Wearing NARS San Juan Bronzing Powder and Afterglow Lip Tint in Laguna, Eyeshadow is Tom Ford Honeymoon Eyeshadow Quad

I think the San Juan Bronzer is a nice one. It applied smoothly and stayed put all day without budging. The color just didn’t really hit the mark for me in terms of what I was looking for in a bronzer. I do think the Kosas one in Light is similar but a lot more pigmented and shimmery on the skin.

Laguna Afterglow Lip Balm

The Afterglow Lip Balms are also favorites of mine so I was excited to see a new color (other shades swatched here and here). Laguna is a sheer brown with a hint of shimmer. Your mileage will vary on how this transforms/looks on your lips depending on lip pigment. On me it turned my lips into a rosy brown color after a few minutes. I really love the way it looks – like a flushed color but bronzey! (See above photo with the bronzer look for how the Laguna Lip Balm looks on me). These are easy swipe and go kind of balms to add moisture and slight hint of color.

New Oil Infused Lip Tints in Laguna and Reef

I’m a huge fan of the Oil Infused Lip Tints (reviewed here and here) so I knew I had to try both of the new ones in Laguna and Reef. Formula is ultra smooth and cushiony. These have average lasting power for an oil and add moisture as long as they’re on the lips. Once they are off, there’s really not any remaining moisture left. Laguna is a sheer smooth sheer bronze, it has shimmer, but on my lips it pretty much looks clear. Reef is a sheer pink which I thought would also be transparent/sheer, but I actually see a soft pink wash on my lips!

Below wearing NARS Oil Infused Lip Tint in Reef and San Juan Bronzing Powder

Overall some nice additions to the NARS lineup. Everything performed well and I am happy with everything although I don’t think the colors are must-haves based on the other items I own from NARS. I still think the Lip Oil in the Orgasm color is the best one and for the Afterglow Lip Balms I think Dolce Vita, Torrid and Orgasm are my favorite colors.

I bought my picks from Nordstrom and Sephora.

Have you tried the collection yet? What is your current go-to bronzer or tinted lip balm?

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Hauls Nordstrom

New Beauty Launches to Put On Your Radar

January 16, 2020

I’m excited to share my first beauty haul of the year! I’ve been testing out some new products that recently launched at Nordstrom and I’ve partnered with them today to share my thoughts plus a new year beauty look. Nordstrom is truly one of my favorite places to shop for beauty – I’m constantly checking their New Arrivals page alongside their Gift With Purchase section. I hope you find today’s haul post helpful! Everything featured in this post are items I purchased myself.

Charlotte Tilbury Queen of Glow

One of the newest launches from Charlotte Tilbury is her Queen of Glow Eyeshadow Palette. There were several limited-edition quads over the holiday but I found them too warm for my complexion. Queen of Glow has a better mix of golds and champagnes for my complexion without the red tones. There are 3 shimmers and 1 matte. All the colors are ultra pigmented, smooth and long-lasting. I think it’s gorgeous!

Closer look wearing: NARS Tinted Glow Booster in Simos + Tangsi mixed, Charlotte Tilbury Color Corrector Medium, Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Powder Medium, NARS Blush in Tempted + Orgasm X Mixed, Anastasia Brow Wiz in Soft Brown, Cle de Peau Liquid Eyeliner, Charlotte Tilbury Eyeshadow Palette in Queen of Glow, Bobbi Brown Crushed Oil-Infused Gloss in In the Buff

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Vanish! Color Corrector

I also ordered her Magic Vanish! Color Corrector in Medium which isn’t new, but new to me. It has a brightening peachy look to it and it’s super opaque. I found it a good color for my medium olive tone skin – a tiny little dab on the fingers patted under the eyes conceals any darkness and it blends without caking. Do note that a little goes a very long way so you don’t need a lot. I use this instead of concealer on days I need extra coverage or brightening. It’s very peach in color – it doesn’t match the skin. The colors are designed to counter darkness and pigment in the skin.

New NARS Blushes

above left: Orgasm X, right: Tempted

There are some new blushes from NARS this season. I wanted to order all of them but limited myself to 2 colors in Orgasm X and Tempted. Orgasm X is a deeper brighter version of Orgasm and has that peachy gold shimmer to it. It’s quite opaque but easy to blend. Tempted is a pretty soft nude shimmer, on my medium olive skin it looks like a neutral highlighter with a bit of depth. It makes my skin glow! If you’re fair and are looking for a good nude blush to wear, I highly recommend looking into this one!

Wearing Tempted + Orgasm X mixed together

New from Bobbi Brown

For the lips I picked up some of the new Bobbi Brown Crushed Oil-Infused Glosses in In the Buff (soft nude pink, one I’m wearing in this post), New Romantic (soft mauve) and Wild Card (bright coral peach). They’re sheer so the color is subtle. They feel wonderfully smooth with a cushiony feel and glide on the lips nicely. I find them hydrating but not heavy.

YSL lip love

YSL also launched a new formula called Rouge Volupte Rock N Shine and as a huge fan of the original Rouge Volutpe Shines I knew I had to try some of the new ones. These have a silvery shimmer in the center in the shape of a star. The shimmer is visible and noticeable making the overall color look a bit lighter and more shimmery than what you see in the tube. 1 Nude Solo is a pale nude pink, 3 Pink Flow is a soft baby pink, 10 Pink Bass is a deeper rose pink. They’re glossy with a high shine finish. Pigment is sheer-medium.

NARS Tinted Glow Boosters

Last but not least is my first look at the NARS Tinted Glow Boosters. There are four shades total and I picked up the two middle shades in Simos (medium) and Tangsi (medium-dark). My foundation match in their Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation is usually Vanuatu, but I’ve lost my tan this season and wear Punjab. My best concealer match is still the Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger. The Tinted Glow Boosters sheer glowy skin-toned bases with a very slight shimmer to them. The shimmer is very subtle and almost disappears on the skin.

I’m the closest match to Simos right now, but I tan very easily and to add a bit more color I’ll mix in a few pumps of Tangsi to blend all over.

Below left, one pump of Simos (top) and one pump of Tangsi (bottom)
Below right on the face, Simos

You can use these a number of ways but I like it best mixing Simos and Tangsi together then applying with a beautyblender all over like you would a sheer foundation. It offers minimal coverage and glow, almost like a tinted moisturizer without the moisturizer aspect.

I have mixed in equal pumps of the Tinted Glow Booster with foundation like the Armani Luminous Silk (I wear 6.5) or NARS Natural Radiant Foundation to give it a more translucent look. I have some swatches below to a few other shades. It’s thicker in texture than the Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow, it’s not nearly as luminous or opaque as the Hollywood Flawless Filter.

I hope you enjoyed this haul post with some of thoughts and swatches! Have you tried any of these new launches yet? What did you think?

You can find all my haul picks now online at Nordstrom.

Many thanks to Nordstrom for partnering to sponsor this post. As always all opinions are my own.

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NARS

NARS Afterglow Collection Review

January 3, 2020

Happy New Year! I’m starting off 2020 with a review of some new launches from NARS. They launched the Afterglow Collection for spring which has a gorgeous color palette for eyes, lips and cheeks. In the collection we have:

Afterglow Eyeshadow Palette ($59) 12 shades
Overlust Cheek Palette ($59) 6 shades, 3 cream and 3 powder
Afterglow Lip Balms ($28 each) 6 new shades

Afterglow Eyeshadow Palette

The Afterglow Eyeshadow Palette has 12 shades with a mix of textures in mattes, shimmers, sparkles and pearls. The overall vibe of the palette is warm and on the skin resembles a pink sunset. There are some neutrals mixed in making it more wearable than other warm/red/orange eyeshadow palettes. I ended up hauling the holiday Studio 54 Hyped Palette over Christmas and find it more wearable and neutral for my neutral-loving self compared to this spring’s Afterglow Eyeshadow Palette. At this point I will not have time to review the holiday one but if you can check it out I highly recommend doing so!

The Afterglow Eyeshadow Palette has colors that are all pigmented and easy to blend. I was really pleased with the quality of all the shades. Some of the warmer yellow ones were nice to layer and warm up other shadows even if I don’t see myself wearing alone. Lasting power was excellent and no fallout after it set:

First Taste is a soft satin ivory cream with subtle shimmer
Shadow Hill is a matte medium neutral soft brown
Hot Line is a shimmery copper orange with gold micro flecks
Whipped is a deeper medium matte brown
Crushed is a matte light orange
Mad Love is a warm pink matte
Push It is a sparkly metallic multi-chrome pink opal shimmer
Riding High is a sparkling mauve with highly reflective sparkle
Bayadere I is a chunky copper sparkle
Trouble is a warm pink smooth shimmer
Deep Cut is a bright but semi-sheer magenta shimmer
Guayaquil is deep warm bronze smooth shimmer

Overlust Cheek Palette

The Overlust Cheek Palette is like the palette of my dreams. It has three gel-to-powder shimmer highlighters and three matte blushes. The overall look and vibe is very natural, easy to wear and fresh. The three gel-to-powder highlighters are a new formula from NARS. They look and feel like second skin with a unique almost dry feel. I applied with fingers or a smaller brush like the MAC 133S (small cheek brush) and it applied/blended easily to look like a natural glow. Since it is a dry finish I found it adhered well to my skin without looking or feeling emollient or greasy.

The three powders are soft mattes and look very natural on my skin. They showed up well on my medium skin although I’m at my lightest right now since we haven’t been at the beach much this winter and I’ve lost my tan.

To apply I’ve been using 1 highlighter and 1 blush each time I wear although you can certainly mix/layer colors. I found it lasted long on my skin and I had no issues with any powdery look or darkening/oxidizing.

Colors are:

Tied Up Highlighter is a shimmering warm champagne
Deep Down Highlighter is a soft medium bronze
Drift Highlighter is a soft pink shimmer
Let it Burn Blush is a soft matte pink
Get Lost Blush is a soft peach matte
Body Talk Blush is a neutral rose pink brown matte

The only downside is there is no separator for powder and cream. Any kick-up or debris from the powders will most likely eventually mix into the gel-to-powders but so far the powder blushes seem to have minimal powdery residue and I haven’t had any issues yet.

Afterglow Lip Balms

The Afterglow Lip Balm in Orgasm has been a favorite of mine for a long time now. They released minis in a new color during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale last July and three new ones at Sephora for holiday. The New Shades now come individually in full size and I could not be more thrilled. The Afterglow Lip Balms are sheer in color and will add a slight hint to your natural lip. I did see a slight color shift after they set on the lips although it’s not as dramatic as some other color-changing balms. I love them all. Your mileage will of course vary depending on your natural lip color.

Deep Throat is a shimmery peach pink
Torrid is a orange coral
Dolce Vita is a soft rose
Fast Lane is a pale mauve pink
Wicked Ways is a deep plum
Turbo is a soft red

Three looks wearing the Afterglow Collection below. Right now I’m a match to NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation to Punjab. Most of the year I’m Vanuatu. I did a review a few years ago with swatches here in case you don’t know your shade. Sweatshirt worn from Madewell.

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Look 1 wearing: Afterglow Eyeshadow Palette, Overlust Cheek Palette with Tied Up + Let it Burn, Afterglow Lip Balm in Deep Throat

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Look 2 wearing: Afterglow Eyeshadow Palette, Overlust Cheek Palette with Deep Down + Get Lost, Afterglow Lip Balm in Torrid

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Look 3 wearing: Afterglow Eyeshadow Palette, Overlust Cheek Palette with Drift + Body Talk, Afterglow Lip Balm in Dolce Vita

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That wraps my review of the NARS Afterglow Collection. I love the overall look and vibe of the palettes and balms. I feel like they were made for my natural glow makeup loving self! I did feel a little overwhelmed with all the options in the eyeshadow palette especially since it pulled more on the warm side. I do think it is a nice one and even though I don’t love every single color I think they are easy to mix and layer. So many of you have asked whether the NARS Afterglow Lip Balms are better than the Dior Addict Lip Glows. I think it’s hard to pick one over the other because they’re both great, although I have found myself reaching for the NARS more.

I have also been testing out the new Tinted Glow Boosters as well so stay tuned for a review soon!

You can find the NARS Afterglow Collection out now at Sephora and NARS.

NARS Afterglow Collection provided for review.

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NARS

NARS New Lipstick 2019 Lip Swatches

August 8, 2019

I have 34 shades of the new NARS Lipstick Matte, Satin and Sheers swatched on the lips today. You can see the arm swatches, color descriptions and product shots in this post here.

Overall thoughts on the formulas are that they seem pretty consistent across each finish with the exception of a couple shades here and there. Sheers are my favorite because they have a glossy finish with lots of shine. Satins are the most traditional classic color – if you want something more creamy and opaque though opt for the Audacious Lipstick Formulas. Mattes have a semi-dry matte lightweight feel. They’re not going to glide on the lips effortlessly like the Pat McGrath MatteTrance but the new NARS mattes will adhere well to the lips and on me they don’t dry the lips out even though they feel a little dry at first swipe. If I layer/blend a few times the color evens and smooths out perfectly and it truly is a lightweight matte with a soft finish that doesn’t look dry.

Pigment is medium to full coverage and buildable. There were a few of the Satin shimmers I felt were on the sheerer side such as Orgasm and Cool It, but the color can be built up.

Colors are lip swatched in the same order as my arm swatch post. All done on bare lips. Note that I have pigmented lips and if there is any transparency to the color my natural lip will show through, particularly around the edges. I do think some of the shades made my lips look extra full/plump but the lipstick formula itself is not plumping.

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Set 1: Miramar, Orgasm, Niagara, Raw Seduction, Barbarella

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Set 2: Boukhara, Chelsea Girls, Dolce Vita, Tolede and Tonka

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Set 3: Sex Shuffle, Cruising, Belle de Jour, Rosecliff and Pour Toujours

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Set 4: Raw Love, Instant Crush, Cool It, Jolie Mome, Afghan Red

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Set 5: License to Love, Living Doll, Start Your Engines, Rouge Insolent, Bulgarian Rose

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Set 6: Dominatrix, Fire Down Below, Impulse, Fast Ride

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Set 7: Damage, Candy Stripper, Soul Train, Hot Channel, Full Time Females

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Overall impressions are positive! I love how glossy the sheer lipsticks are, I think they have a beautiful sheen and they feel comfortable on the lips. Satins are a little thicker but they don’t feel heavy or too thick. Even though the mattes tug a little when you apply it’s not a deal breaker – if I feather them on more like a lip liner colors blend out really well.

As mentioned in my arm swatch/first impressions post there were only a few shades I did not like because I found them streaky on the lips (Sex Shuffle, Fast Ride and Hot Channel). I did not try all 72 colors but did give them a quick look over at the counter. While I truly appreciate the wide color selection I feel like 72 shades is a little overwhelming to look through. That being said NARS did an excellent job at trying to cover every color family so I do believe there will be something for everyone. They’ve launched a lot of colors with variances in undertone, so if you like corals but look better in warm vs cool you’re bound to find something that will fit your taste.

A number of you asked how these compare to previous formulas. I can’t recall all the variations at this point, but I do know approximately 2 to 3 formulas ago some of the shades made my lips go numb and caused an allergic reaction. I don’t know what the ingredient was but this round they’ve removed it and I had no issues with any of the colors. They aren’t hydrating but at the same time none of the colors caused them to dry out or peel by the next 2-3 days. I did not need a lip primer or pencil with any of these, but if you are looking for a good lipstick primer to help smooth and prime the lip, the MAC Prep + Prime Lip is my holy grail. You can use lip balm underneath but the emollient quality often times diminishes the lasting power with the oils, jelly etc. The MAC primer smooths and helps extend wear.

Bottom line: lots to love. I cannot pick a favorite – there are so many good shades! If I had to narrow down my top five though I’d pick: Chelsea Girls (although this pulls more pink on me compared to what I see in the tube), Bulgarian Rose, Living Doll, Instant Crush, License to Love, Barbarella, Raw Seduction and Dolce Vita (oops that’s eight).

You can find the new NARS Lipsticks out now available at Nordstrom, Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and NARS Cosmetics and all NARS retailers.

NARS lipsticks gifted by NARS for review. Colors I purchased are Chelsea Girls, Dolce Vita, Barbarella and Raw Seduction.

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Lips NARS

NARS 25 Years New Lipstick Launch

August 6, 2019

NARS celebrates 25 years this year! To celebrate the team has revamped their entire iconic Lipstick line with 72 shades in three finishes: Matte, Satin and Sheer ($26 each for 3.5 g/0.12 oz). His original 12 are packaged in special red and white tubes that are currently exclusive to NARS Cosmetics online (and in boutiques). The remaining 60 are in his signature black and white tubes available at all NARS retailers and counters such as Nordstrom, Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and more. I am so grateful to have received 30 shades in a press kit. I bought 4 more shades at the counter as I had to track down some of the classic iconic colors I loved in the past.

I have my post split into two parts since there are so many colors. Today’s post are close ups of all the colors plus arm swatches. I’ll have the lip swatches in a separate post.

The formulas do appear to be new and finishes/textures are different from the originals. This is not the first time NARS has revamped the lipstick formula and each variation has new and improved benefits. There’s no detectable strong fragrance in these although there is a very subtle earthy natural scent to them. They have Passion Fruit Seed Oil and Moringa Seed Oil which seems to make them non-drying on the lips. After testing for several days and even after 34 lip swatches straight in a row my lips have not dried out, peeled or become irritated.

The three formulas include:

Sheer is sheer and glossy, pigment is buildable and varies across the color range, some of the brighter ones have more color payoff
Satin is a classic lipstick finish with bold coverage, texture/feel is medium – not heavy but not quite weightless
Matte is almost a lumious matte, most have full coverage that is easy to smooth and blend out, it is a weightless matte

I’ve split the swatches by color family, color descriptions below with each grouping. Colors I bought include Chelsea Girls, Barbarella, Dolce Vita and Raw Seduction. Other colors are press samples.

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Miramar, Orgasm, Niagara, Raw Seduction and Barbarella

Colors shown above, swatched below:

Miramar (satin) is metallic gold shimmer (on me it looks like a matte gold)
Orgasm (satin) is a sheer shimmery pink peach
Niagara (satin) is a bold pink coral cream
Raw Seduction (satin) is a perfect peach pink neutral
Barbarella (sheer) is a sheer peach

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Boukhara, Chelsea Girls, Dolce Vita, Tolede and Tonka

Colors shown above, swatched below:

Boukhara (matte) is a matte nude pink with mauve tones
Chelsea Girls (sheer) is a sheer beige pink (on my lips it pulls more pink)
Dolce Vita (sheer) is a classic soft rose (I haven’t found my original one but this new version seems a bit more on the neutral side/less warm)
Tolede (satin) is a warmer pink rose
Tonka (matte) is a matte soft brown rose