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NARS Wonder Lipgloss Review, Photos, Swatches

NARS Wonder Lipgloss
NARS Wonder Lipgloss

NARS Summer 2011: Wonder Lipgloss

NARS Wonder Lipgloss ($24.00 for 0.28 oz.) is described as a “shiny, sheer mandarin orange laced with pink and gold shimmer.” It was a very reddened orange with flecks of gold and pink shimmer but less distinctly orange when worn.

Funny enough, this is a product described as sheer but actually is rather semi-sheer to semi-opaque! It’s a very buildable gloss, so it can go from a sheerer wash of color to more medium coverage  (though you can still clearly see my natural lip color through the gloss–it has a lot of color but still a lot of translucence) without feeling like you have to apply half the tube to do so.  One pull of gloss gets you sheer, a second pull gets you to what you see here.

NARS Lipglosses have a thinner consistency that’s mostly non-sticky (though sometimes, there is the odd gloss out), and the past several shades I’ve tried, are also scent- and taste-free. (In the past, some NARS glosses had a plasticky scent.) Wonder applies smoothly and evenly, and it gives lips a really plump, juicy look with the high-shine finish. I typically get three to four hours of wear out of NARS glosses.

NARS Wonder Lipgloss
NARS Wonder Lipgloss

NARS Wonder Lipgloss
NARS Wonder Lipgloss

NARS Wonder Lipgloss
NARS Wonder Lipgloss

NARS Wonder Lipgloss
NARS Wonder Lipgloss

NARS Wonder Lipgloss
NARS Wonder Lipgloss

NARS Wonder Lipgloss
NARS Wonder Lipgloss

41 Comments

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Jessi Avatar

What a gorgeous juicy color! This looks absolutely fabulous on you! I’m always hesitant to buy NARS products without your review first because they sometimes seem to be hit or miss.

Ann Avatar

Can I ask a random question?
I know that when a product’s marketing says that it should be pigmented, but it is sheer, you rate it down, regardless of whether the product is attractive on the skin/works well etc.
Are we assuming that more pigmented is always better, so that if a product is described as sheer, but is actually pigmented, it won’t be rated down (but instead score full marks for ‘pigmentation’)?

This is not a criticism at all, I’m just curious about how your rating system works in this respect. I tried to word this so it doesn’t sound catty, but I’m not sure if I succeeded, so please know I don’t mean this in a catty way even in the slightest.

Christine Avatar

No, no! This is actually sheer and buildable, so I thought – well, if you can wear it sheer with ease, then I can’t grade it down just because you can also layer, right? That seems so backwards to be like, “well, I know I can wear you sheer, but I also put on a little more and wear you opaque, so you fail!”

I think I also stated already in the post that it wears sheer but can be built to more coverage specifically – so it is sheer, just buildable, too 🙂 It’s true to what it is – it is a sheer gloss, but you can build it to semi-sheer/semi-opaque without feeling like you have ten layers of product on. The way I apply lipstick/gloss is to the most pigmented application I can without using half the tube (we’re talking just two layers or so) – so that’s why the swatch shows something more opaque, but if you just pulled the applicator from the tube and applied what was on the doe foot, you’d get something sheer.

Since you can wear it sheer without trouble (meaning, it doesn’t come out opaque and you have to remove any product to get it to be sheer), it doesn’t make sense to take away points. It kind of seems more like a penalty – like a product says it wears 8 hours but actually wears 12, and the idea of docking points because it wore longer than claimed doesn’t make sense. It seems more like a bonus, since you can do both.

Ash Avatar

Considering this is meant to be sheer I’d love to see a lip swatch where you’ve applied it as sheer too 🙂 Really like to colour – nice review!

By the way – I’m still awaiting to see if the comment I made on the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine post (you said I could just re-enter my questions) is going to go through or not? I figured since it’s been quite a while since I wrote it it was okay to check in with you about it – don’t mean to nag you, sorry! 🙂

Ann Avatar

That totally makes sense, and thanks so much for answering my question. I think you rated it the right way, and I would never want to see a product rated down for performing flexibly (or exceeding expectations)!
I really appreciate you re-working your rating system, as I find your current system more useful and informative than the old system 🙂

Sarah Avatar

I need this! I love NARS’ lip gloss formula (actually, most of their products’ formulas!) and this color is absolutely gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing this with us, now I just have to wait anxiously for my local counter to get this in stock! 🙂

Alexis Avatar

Gorgeous Christine! I am planning to pick this up along with the Dogon duo tomorrow at the big NARS event at Nordstrom,SF. I am hoping I make it out with only these two items but I won’t hold my breath!

Lindsey D Avatar

I have this and love it. I actually bought a bunch of stuff from this summer’s collection, but I think this and Mayflower (which, okay, is pretty much just My Lips But Pinker, but still lovely) are my favorites.

Nichole Avatar

Picked this up today. I have dark pigmented lips. If you loved NARS Bougainville or Strawberry Fields (which I do), you won’t love this. I can make it work with a Mac lip stain, but it doesn’t compare to those two glosses.

Megan Avatar

As to a dupe–maybe Givenchy’s Gloss Interdit in Succulent Orange? Looks similar; the Givenchy may be more pigmented (I’m a dark-lipped girl and I can wear that without lipstick underneath). If this is too sheer for anyone, the Givenchy may be the reddish-orangish-coralish-shimmer that will work.

Pang Avatar

Wow I really loving the look of this. I was wondering if you can suggest any lipstick to go with the lipgloss to make it pop more (I think that’s the word I’m looking for). Thanks. I’m new to your blog and my husband tells me that I’m living and breathing “Temptalia” 24/7, it doesn’t help that I have an iPhone too.

Christine Avatar

If you want it to be more orange, try something like MAC Morange or if you want the reddish-orange look, something like MAC Lady Danger. If you have a particular brand, let me know, and I can try to think of something within the brand (I default to MAC as 3/4 times that is what someone wants!).

Pang Avatar

Thanks for the suggestion. I might just pick up both lipsticks and see how it goes. Btw I just love how you pair lipgloss and lipsticks.

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