Best NARS Products 2020 | Our Editor’s Top Recommendations
With over a thousand reviews and swatches, I’ve tested my way through the majority of NARS products and releases, both past and present, so I have a good idea of what NARS best products are! In the last two years, NARS has revamped some of their core products, too, like their standard Lipsticks (now with 72 shades!) and standard Eyeshadows, which means that it’s a good time to update our guide to the best NARS products!
You’ll find some resources we have on Temptalia to quickly access our NARS reviews and swatches. I’ve also included some quick links to the top rated NARS products along with more detailed descriptions about why each formula made its way onto the list.
What are your favorite products from NARS? Are there any must-have NARS products from your experience?
Our Resources for NARS Products
- Overview of NARS | Overview of the brand, the most wanted NARS products, most loved products by readers, editor’s top rated products, and most recently reviewed.
- NARS Swatches | Browse every swatch we’ve ever added to the Swatch Gallery from NARS. You can sort the results by things like date, color, rating, price, and so forth, but you can also refine the results and drill down by color, type, finish, availability, undertone, and more.
- NARS Reviews | Browse almost 1,000 NARS products that we’ve reviewed from highest rated to lowest rated. You can also sort the products we’ve reviewed or refine results to see things like just eyeshadow or lipstick.
Top 10 NARS Products
You can jump to any of the products mentioned by clicking one of the below links, or you can keep scrolling down for more detailed explanations about each product we’ve featured!
- NARS Audacious Lipstick
- NARS Velvet Lip Glide
- NARS Eyeshadow
- NARS Dual Intensity Blush
- NARS Satin Lip Pencil
- NARS Lipstick
- NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base
- NARS Powder Blush
- NARS Highlighting Powder
- NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment
NARS Audacious Lipstick
NARS Audacious Lipstick ($32.00 for 0.14 oz.) is supposed to be a richly pigmented, creamy, hydrating, and long-wearing formula. In my experience, the formula is typically opaque in a single stroke, lightweight, moderately to very creamy with four to six hour wear. It feels lightly hydrating to mostly non-drying overall. There is no noticeable scent or taste, and they are very comfortable to wear. Some of my favorite shades are: Apoline, Natalie, Anna, and Audrey.
NARS Velvet Lip Glide
NARS Velvet Lip Glide ($26.00 for 0.20 fl. oz.) is supposed to be a hybrid between lipstick and lipgloss that is hydrating, richly pigmented, and comfortable to wear. They have stronger color payoff, a non-tacky consistency, and a smoothness to their consistency that is a lot like a good lipstick, while they have a plusher, thicker texture that gives lips a plumper, fuller look along with a glossy sheen that is more like a gloss. Some of my favorite shades are: Unspeakable, La Maine Bleue, and Bound.
NARS Eyeshadow (2018)
NARS Eyeshadow ($29.00 for 0.04 oz.) comes in an assortment of shades available as singles as well as in duos (which retail for $35 each). The brand completely redid their eyeshadow range in 2018, so they feature new packaging, new formula, and new shades (plus returns of old favorites!). They’ve definitely improved the range over time with the more satin to pearl shades having the most standout formula and look applied to the skin. Some of the brighter pops of color could still be improved, and the more sparkly shades are best for someone who doesn’t mind applying the products with a dampened brush.
NARS Dual-Intensity Blush Duo
NARS Dual Intensity Blush Duo ($45.00 for 0.21 oz.) is a powder-based blush that can be used wet or dry, though it is plenty pigmented, blendable, and long-wearing used dry so don’t think that it has to be used wet to achieve coverage. The formula will suit someone who prefers their blush to have a stronger shine or metallic finish. Some of my favorite shades are Panic and Fervor.
NARS Satin Lip Pencil
NARS Satin Lip Pencil ($27.00 for 0.07 oz.) is a pigmented, long-wearing, and velvety over-sized pencil that is easy to keep in a bag and touch-up on the go. Some of my favorite shades are Lodhi, Luxembourg, and Yu, ,.
NARS Lipstick
NARS Lipstick ($26.00 for 0.12 oz.) is now available in 72 shades–that’s a mega range!–across three finishes: Matte, Satin, and Sheer. Shades in the satin finish family are our favorites because they’re smooth, pigmented, and sit well on lips (doesn’t emphasize lip lines) and has good adhesion for better longevity. Some of the Sheer shades are delightful with their more luminous, lightly glossy finish, but we’d say that most of the shades are more medium coverage than truly sheer!
NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base ($24.00 for 0.28 oz.) is a smoothing, velvety primer that works exceptionally well at intensifying pigmentation in eyeshadow, extending the wear, and making everything blend more easily.
NARS Powder Blush
NARS Powder Blush ($30.00 for 0.15 oz.) is available in a slew of shades and has been one of the most popular blush formulas in the market for years. The range encompasses quite a few types of colors from barley-there to deeply pigmented, bold shades with finishes that range from matte to sparkly. Some of my favorite shades are Luster, Blissful, Deep Throat, Oasis, and Lovejoy.
NARS Highlighting Powder (2018)
NARS Highlighting Powder ($38.00 for 0.49 oz.) is a mega-sized powder highlighter that introduced a new, permanent formula to the brand’s portfolio of cheek products. For anyone who wants a smoother, more luminous (but less overtly shimmery) highlighter, this is one worth checking out. They’re very large, so the price point seems fitting, but keep an eye out for holiday sets as they often are sold as minis (with a blush or lip product).
NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment
NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment ($26.00 for 0.18 fl. oz.) is the brand’s take on matte liquid lipstick. The line-up includes a lot of deeper, richer shades with matte finishes. The formula has a very fluid consistency that is thin, smooth, but not at all watery, and the majority of shades were nearly opaque or opaque in a single layer. Some of my favorites are Save the Queen, Get Up Stand Up, and Wild Night.
Their foundation, concealer, and lipstick are my favorite. I don’t know if I’ll wear another foundation – I tried another and complained that it didn’t make me feel “elven” like the Sheer Glow did. I don’t know how to love this brand more.
Where I am (outside of Toronto), Nars is only available at Sephora and they seem to be phasing out the Eye Paints, which is a shame but I think maybe they don’t get a lot of notice. I have Baalbek (the one that shows up top) and Snake Eyes (I think that’s what it’s called…the dark green one) but I don’t know if either of these is even still available. They’ve also got rid of a lot of the really good duos and singles. Nars eyeshadows can be so iffy – some are great, some are great with a little help and some are disappointing considering the price point. I also really like their facial cleanser (another product no longer available from Sephora – they’re also getting rid of Phyto hair products so I’m heading there on Monday to stock up on 2 “can’t live without” type items.
I thought the same re: Eye Paints but NARS’ site still has quite a few shades, so I’m not sure!
Thank you so much for this comprehensive review of the best of Nars’s beauty products. The brand can sometimes be hit and miss (like all brands) and when there are sales on, it’s good to know which products perform the best.
The eye paints are so gorgeous. I’d forgotten about them. I’ll have to check for them on the local Sephora. The Audacious llipstics are really good.
My favourite from NARS is still Orgasm though. I know, I’m a bit boring 🙂
The one thing I may try to haul at the 20% sale is Fetishised Blush! That shade is just EVERYTHING I love packed into one perfect cheek color.
I’m having a bit of a love affair with NARS single eye shadows rights now. They certainly aren’t the best formula collectively, so I’m not even sure why. I do love the Hardwired Shadows though, my favorite eyeshadow launch of recent. From the permanent line my favorites are Night Porter and Lola Lola. Both very soft and pigmented. I’ve had Lola Lola forever, I think I bought it on SA recommendation for my senior prom! I wore the heck out of it in college (when I only owned four eyeshadows!) My pan is still going strong.
I use NARS soft matte concealer and Taos blush every day — the perfect versions of spot concealer and red blush respectively. For lips, I love Risky Business gloss for this time of year, and I like the satin lip pencil consistency and am trying out Rikugien.
Their satin lip pencils esp Rikugien and Sex Machine. I love Orgasm blush. Their OG lipstick in Belle Du Jour. I have their Tribulation blush/highlighter and really love it. Not a fan of their dual intensity eyeshadows. Wet or dry, they just don’t impress. And I know a lot love the audacious lipsticks but ehhh NONE of the colors interest me. It’s just more of the same and I have enough lol
The Nars products that I love, I really love!! But I don’t buy as much from Nars as I use to. I still love the Satin lip pencils and have most of the shades that are medium to dark as the lighter shades just look funny on me. I love that they are easy to use, easy to carry in your bag and I can touch them up without a mirror. I love the Duo blushes, concealer and highlighters. I have two shades in the Sheer Glow foundation, Siberia and Mont Blanc and neither is right and neither is glowy. They are straight up matte. I have several single shadows in a couple of different formulas and I mostly like them. Stud is an example of the perfect shade for me and I can use it as a one and done shadow look.
Velvet lip glides and the powermattes are probably my favorite Nars products generally. And the much maligned orgasm cream palette is my personal favorite item in my collection.
I adore the Velvet Lip Glide. It’s the one thing I’ve never been disappointed about.
Oh I love Luxembourg Satin lip pencil, thanks so much for the reminder of this Christine!
i love the wear, and finish, and the rich color on this one .
For me, it’s lips and cheeks. None of the base products suit me at all in shade/formula/ingredients. Even RCC. Audacious rules. VLGs are probably my favorite lip product ever, for formula and comfort. (And remember, that’s >50 years of lipstick wearing.) The old, but revamped formula has some great shades. As do all formulas of the pencils. Powermatte has great shades, but it’s middle of the road in comfort. Better than ABH or KVD, but not as comfortable as Ofra or Zoeva. I would sell my soul to the devil for most `NARS blush palettes, but his biggest sellers, Orgasm and Laguna are BF nos for me. All bronzers run too yellow, not enough copper/red. Shadow: totally iffy. Some are tdf, others meh. Their multistick: ok on cheeks, but not so hot on lips or lids. I think that FN understands color well. Even if I would not consider wearing a product, I usually can appreciate it. NARS is the most represented brand in my stash. NARS releases get my attention, even if they are total no-gos.
I love NARS blushes with the more satin finish.
I adore NARS lip pencils, velvet matte or satin — the Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil in Do Me Baby is subtle, yet sultry.
I haven’t bought anything from the brand this year and still their products are so relevant despite the heaps of new makeup on the market. Their Audacious lipstick shades are just amazing. My personal favorites Anna and Fanny. Their blushes are the best ones I own. Love my liquid Dolce Vita blush and my Torrid and Exhibit A powder blushes. I got their concealer last year and it’s just the easiest to apply and blends real well in the under eye area. Overall this brand is a staple now and many many brands have tried to copy the variety of shades they have been offering for years. 🙂