The Best of NARS Highlighting Powders (2018)

Round-ups
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NARS Highlighting Powders
NARS Highlighting Powders

NARS Maldives Highlighting Powder (2018) ($38.00 for 0.49 oz.) is supposed to “melt seamlessly into skin to enhance your natural glow” with “buildable radiance.” The texture had a smooth feel that was finely-milled but firmer, almost stiff in a way, in the pan (not in a bad way), and it was not at all powdery. There was a dryness and thinness present in the texture that made it less like traditional powder highlighter formulas (including the brand’s original range of highlighting powders), but none of that translated into poor performance.

That being said, all of the shades applied better on the cheeks than the they did applied to my arm. I also noticed that finish became more and more luminous–almost blindingly at times!–as the powder was buffed and blended on my cheeks. They were very reflective and shiny on my cheek bones with semi-opaque, buildable pigmentation. I had no trouble blending and diffusing any of the shades on my skin, and despite having a firmer feel in the pan, I could use fan brushes and other feathery brushes to pickup product. The powders lasted between eight and nine hours on me.

Side-by-Side Swatches
Glossover Breakdown
A
12
B
1
C
0
D
0
F
0
93%
Average
Glossover Averages
product
9.5
pigmentation
9
texture
9.5
longevity
9
application
5
Total
93%
product
9.5
pigmentation
9
texture
9.5
longevity
9
application
5
Total
93%

Reader Reviews

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5.0
Highlighting Powder (2018)
NARS
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Based on 0 Reviews, 3 Quick Reviews

The Good: Smooth (2), Blendable (2), Easy To Apply (1), Long-wearing (1), Great Value (1), Travel-friendly (1)

The In-Between: Buildable (2), Luminous (2), Highly Pigmented (1), Sheer (1)

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9 Comments

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Ginny Avatar
Ginny

I really want one. Fort de France in particular. But I surely have enough lovely
highlighters to last me probably forever so I have no excuse 🙁

Mariella Avatar
Mariella
Very Light, Pink undertones. Normal-to-Dry skin. View Mariella Full Profile

Join the club, Ginny! I feel much the same. Someone I know has a sample of the rms cream highlighter (I think it’s called “Luminizer”) and was extolling its loveliness and while part of me was thinking of getting it, the logical part of my brain was reminding me that I really don’t like cream highlighters all that much. But these Nars ones are powder and I love both Capri and Fort de France but I’ve barely made a dent in any of the many lovely powder highlighters I already own.

Ginny Avatar
Ginny

I was looking into the RMS one recently also! I think I saw Lisa Eldridge use it. I was all, “I need a glossy cream one!” But no. I’m better off just mixing one of my powders with Vaseline lol!

Anne Avatar
Anne
Light Plus, Neutral, slight pink undertones. Dry skin. View Anne Full Profile

I want to get Fort de France both because the shade suits me, but also because I’m French and my uncle is from Martinique, and grew up in the capital (Fort de France). So shade range meets family ties.

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