NARS Vallarta Matte Bronzing Powder Review & Swatches
Vallarta
NARS Vallarta Matte Bronzing Powder ($38.00 for 0.28 oz.) is a light-medium brown with moderate, more muted golden undertones paired with a matte finish. It had semi-opaque color coverage in a single layer, which applied evenly and blended out easily on bare skin.
The texture was smooth, velvety, and had a bit of glide to it with a smidgen of powderiness (that was just present in the pan but not applied). It picked up well with a brush, but one would need to use a lighter hand to get true, buildable coverage, though this wasn’t so pigmented that the barest tap of the brush yielded full opacity either. I’d just say it was more pigmented than marketed but doesn’t take a lot to adjust to get true, buildable coverage. It wore well for eight and a half hours on me before fading noticeably.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
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Formula Overview
$38.00/0.28 oz. - $135.71 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to be "buildable" and "long-lasting." The pigmentation was more semi-opaque to opaque rather than truly buildable, but the texture was forgiving so it could be used with a lighter hand or a less-dense brush for more buildable coverage if desired.
The consistency was smooth, velvety, and had some glide to it, which helped the powder apply and blend out exceptionally on bare skin without darkening too noticeably (as matte powders often can). There was a slight bit of powderiness in the pan, but it wasn't too softly pressed, just the right balance to make it blendable and yielding but not messy to work with. The formula also sat well on skin without looking dry but still kept its matte finish. They wore between eight and nine hours on me before fading noticeably.
Browse all of our NARS Matte Bronzing Powder swatches.
Ingredients
Talc, Dimethicone, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Seed Oil, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Flower Extract, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Zinc Stearate, Polybutene, Magnesium Myristate, Isopropyl Isostearate, Hexylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Glyceryl Stearate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Oleate, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, [+/- (May Contain/Peut Contenir: Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Mica, Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891)].
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Even if this is not suitable for my skintone, I’m definitely happy to see a brand making a lighter, cooler-toned bronzer for those who have been longing for more choices! Good job, Nars!
This is nicer than I thought it would be but I have Sephora Los Cabos (in a great face trio palette) so I don’t really need it at all. I think I might be more interested in that new Clinique one.
How does this compare to nars laguna Christine? Hope you are well.
https://www.temptalia.com/side-by-side/?sbs_1_search=NARS+Laguna&sbs_1=111363&sbs_2_search=NARS+Vallarta&sbs_2=428580
i like the finish on this bronzer and it is a subtle colour. Gorgeous eye look Christine.
I wasn’t expecting to like this so much. What a lovely color and finish. Too bad I don’t need more bronzer!
I might like this color but need to sample. But WHEN???
Wait and see. Happy it’s matte.
This reminds me of EL VB Saffron Sun, which I submitted as a dupe but got message that a dupe already exists for this. Yet my vanity contains EL VB and didn’t pull up that as a dupe for this Nars Vallarta. I thought I understood the dupe system but I guess I don’t.
Somebody else submitted it before you – all dupes require manual approval, which is something I do twice a week as part of routine tasks but not something I do every day.
Oh okay that makes total sense. I was confused. That said, great minds think alike, whoever else thought of the same dupe. LOL
This looks darker on your cheeks then in the swatches. I noticed a few Nars blushes do that as well.
I was about to ask how heavily the bronzer was applied…to get it show like that