This season, NARS dresses up lips in the new Satin Lip Pencil. Drenched in decadent moisture for an ultra creamy finish, thirteen statement shades smolder with rich pigments. Created by Founder & Creative Director Francois Nars, the Satin Lip Pencil combines the convenience of a pencil with the application of a lipstick in a jumbo-size crayon design.
NARS Nico Highlighting Blush ($29.00 for 0.16 oz.) is described as a “natural glow.” It’s a lightly warmed-up, pale beige with a subtle sheen. When I tried thinking of potential dupes, I wasn’t finding any. The closest I could come up with was theBalm Solid Gold, which is really much yellower and frosted.
I actually think Nico was one of the first few NARS products I ever purchased, and it may have been one of my first NARS blushes. It was recommended to me as a brow highlighter, actually, and as a light wash of color for lids. As a blush, it doesn’t quite work on my skin tone. Nico is a shade that you’ll love or never have a use for, and it’s really going to depend on your skin tone and how you want to use it. It’s categorized as a blush, but I think it might be better suited as a NARS “Highlighting Blush.” As you can see on my skin tone, it’s very nearly my skin tone–just with a sheen, so it does give me a slight “glow” when worn on the cheeks. I do prefer it (on me) as a brow bone highlighter, because I feel like you can see it better, and it sometimes looks a bit powdery when I’ve worn it on cheeks.
The texture is very soft and finely-milled, and I’d recommend using softer bristles with it, as it can be powdery with a denser blush brush (the “scratchier” the brush feels on your skin, the more powder gets dislodged from the pan). Nico lasts seven hours on my cheeks, and then it starts to look a bit patchy towards the eight-hour mark. I’ve worn this of and on throughout the years, and when my cheeks are more normal, it can be quite nice, but it definitely isn’t as flattering if my cheeks have any dryness. I think for those with oilier skin types, it might work well as a highlighter as it shouldn’t look too dewy or glowy (which can sometimes make oilier skin types look oilier). The sheen does not emphasize pores, which is the best part about it, though–it’s all sheen, no shimmer or frost.
The texture is on the powdery side, which can make it look less flattering on drier skin types as well as be easy to over-apply. It is soft and very blendable, so if you apply too much (and it looks powdery), it can be smoothed and blended away.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
8/10
Application
4.5/5
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This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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NARS New Order Highlighting Blush ($29.00 for 0.16 oz.) is described as a “sheer highlighter with golden shimmer.” It’s a pale, cool-toned, blue-based pink with golden sparkle and a golden shimmer-sheen finish. MAC Veronica’s Blush is warmer, less sparkly. NARS Undress Me is a grayer pink and has silver sparkle (that is more like glitter in particle size).
Despite NARS’ great success with Albatross, their other Highlighting Blushes have a high dosage of sparkle and shimmer that doesn’t bind with the underlying powder/blush color, so a lot of the sparkle gets lost, looks unflattering on the skin, and sometimes travels for parts unknown. New Order has a powdery, almost gritty, texture, as a result of all the sparkle that just seems to sit on top at all times. If this had no sparkle but just a level of golden sheen, I think it would work better.
The pigmentation is as described–sheer–and will add some pink on lighter complexions (like a blush) while perhaps brightening on deeper complexions. When it blends out, it’s mostly just sparkle/shimmer and the pink coloring fades away. This shade wore six and a half hours, and then I only saw remnants of sparkle. This is my second pan of New Order, and while the texture was still on the powdery side, it wasn’t nearly as dry as my original New Order.
If this had no sparkle but just a level of golden sheen, I think it would work better. Instead, it tends to read "disco ball," rather than glowing or luminous. It highlights... imperfections, unfortunately.
Product
7/10
Pigmentation
8/10
Texture
7/10
Longevity
8/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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NARS Miss Liberty Highlighting Blush ($29.00 for 0.16 oz.) is described as a “soft, shimmering peach.” It’s a soft, subtly warm-toned peach with hints of beige (that keep it from being too warm) with sparkle and very luminous finish. bareMinerals The Love Afair is more golden and has a soft sheen for a finish, rather than sparkles. MAC Superb has a similar color on, but it is a bit darker and browner. MAC How Beautiful! is slightly more beige and has no sparkle.
This is a shade I’ve reviewed in the past (here), but I have a horrible compulsion to redo things after about a year. Miss Liberty is going to appeal to those who love shimmer and sparkle; it’s by no means a subtle highlighter or sheen. It’s sparkle-city, but it has a really cool, almost wet-like sheen on the skin beyond the sparkle (and if you aren’t keen on sparkle, you can buff them mostly away). There is some emphasis of the skin texture and pores–that very slick, radiant sheen might be worth the cost to some, and to others, unforgivable.
Unlike NARS’ regular blush range, the Highlighting Blushes are “made with transparent pigments to avoid heaviness on the skin,” and are, generally, rather sheer/subtle. It’s no Taj Mahal! There’s no chalkiness or powderiness to the peachy color, so it should work, as NARS states, across skin tones. If you have any redness, the peach coloring of Miss Liberty should help reduce the appearance of it. I re-tested the wear of this shade, and I still only experienced seven hours of good wear but much had faded away after eight hours.
There's no chalkiness or powderiness to the peachy color, so it should work, as NARS states, across skin tones. If you have any redness, the peach coloring of Miss Liberty should help reduce the appearance of it.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
8/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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NARS 413 BLKR The Multiple ($39.00 for 0.50 oz.) is described as a “rich burgundy.” It’s a reddish-wine with a little rust and berry thrown in for good measure that dries down to a mostly matte finish–there’s a very subtle shimmer that reads matte on the skin. My first thought was that it seemed like a dead-ringer for NARS Seduction, which launched recently, and it’s really quite close; so it’s a matter of whether you prefer powder or cream-to-powder. NARS Dolce Vita is much pinker. MAC Hidden Treasure is warmer, more orange. NARS G-Spot has more shimmer and is a softer, slightly rosier color. NARS Grenadines (an eyeshadow) is also similar but very matte, slightly muted.
Now, The Multiple and I don’t get along as well as you’d expect, and the reality is that as a multi-tasking product, The Multiples are disappointing. Trying to use one on the lips is like signing yourself up for a one-way trip to chapped, cracked, and peeling lips that look as awful as they feel. Turning them a reddish color only serves to make lips look almost bloody and torn. It was not a flattering look at all.
Multiples can also be used on eyes and cheeks, though if you have sensitivities to red dyes, you may want to avoid using this on the eyes. When I used it on the eye area, there was some noticeable creasing after six hours. The best application of The Multiple tends to be on the cheeks, and 413 BLKR is no exception. It’s an incredibly pigmented product, and two little dabs will give plenty of color for most complexions. The product applies best when warmed up, so fingertips tend to be helpful in spreading and blending out the product. I like using a brush to apply and spread but then use fingertips to soften the edges. Once applied, I saw good wear for seven and a half hours, and then after nine hours, there was noticeable fading.
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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I actually found the two to look surprisingly different when swatched. The Loose version is a similar stark white, but it looks nearly matte with very, very fine shimmer sparsely found when blended out–but nowhere near the same sheen as the Pressed Powder. As a result, this mattified skin better and had a very subtle sheen–really barely-there. Like the Pressed Powder, the Loose version softens the skin’s appearance; texture and lines blur, while pores soften and smooth out. Can you really tell the difference between the two? At a glance, no, definitely not, but if I look at myself in the mirror, I like the way there’s a noticeable but natural sheen to the skin all-over that the Pressed seems to generate more so than the Loose powder. I think if you have oilier skin, you may prefer the Loose.
Since it is a loose powder, the texture feels different, as it is an extremely finely-milled powder that’s soft and blendable on. I found it was easier to apply, because you’ll have no trouble getting enough product on a brush or pouf with this. I recommend only opening a few of the holes in the powder, because it will be easier to contain the excess that you aren’t using. Of course, because the pot tends to expose more product than you need, it can be easy to over-apply the product. The Loose version is more like Hourglass Diffused Light, though Diffused Light has a warmer tone, so it is also a color corrector.
The Loose version is easier to apply, as the texture is less particular. It did seem, to me, slightly more matte, though, which may or may not be what you're looking for.
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
