Rant & Rave: NARS
Tell us what you love and hate about...
NARS
Rave: I love that their seasonal collections are more edited; they feel on-trend but never filled with tons of products just to sell more shades. They have some fantastic products in their range, like complexion products, primers, and lipsticks. Rant: They can be inconsistent in quality from shade to shade, and some of their eyeshadows could be better (in general).
— Christine
Rave: I’ve been using the original Orgasm blush for many years and it is my favorite blush of all time (though I’m currently smitten with CP Blush Stix). I have a few NARS lipsticks that I love (Barbara, Anna, and Stefania) and I love the magnetized bullet lipstick cases.
Rant: I find NARS to be quite inconsistent. I have only one NARS eyeshadow and it is powdery and difficult to use, so I haven’t spent the money on any of their other eye products when there are much more consistent brands out there. The set of Velvet Lip Glides I own also varies, some great, some not-so-good. Finally, I really don’t like the matte packaging for the blushes because it looks so beautiful when it’s brand new, but it gets dirty so fast and so easily.
Rave: Most of their core products are of excellent quality. Particularly their Audacious Lipsticks, Powder Blushes, certain base products, and something I’m hoping that isn’t being DC’d, but unfortunately I think it is; their Duel Intensity eyeshadows. Also of note is that some of their LE collections and palettes are to die for!
Rant: Like Forest Gump said: “Mama always said, life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.” That’s many a Nars LE product in a nutshell. Some of it is splendid, some meh, some horrendous.
Love: Their campaign imagery is usually tdf. I like that their collections are tightly edited. Love the original matte pencil lipsticks. Love their creamy concealer.
Hate: Orgasm anything, Sin and Casino anything.. enough already. Quality issues with their e/s and I cannot wear their regular lipstick. I never seem to care for their foundations; cannot find a good skintone match.
My rants: that so little of the line (esp. eyeshadows) are available at Sephora; that they didn’t come out with a shimmery pink liquid blush (a cooler, more pink version of the liquid version of Orgasm, which is much nicer for me than the powder one) and that their prices aren’t always reflected in the quality/performance of their products.
Raves: everything else!
Rave: When I like a product from Nars, then I really like it. I mean, they generally really appeal to me or they don’t. I like their cheek products and many of their individual e/s but not really their palettes, except cheek, of course. I really love the Jumbo Lip Pencils. I have every shade that works for me.
Rant: I have mentioned this before but their shade names really turn me off. I just don’t like having my makeup shade names really sexual or drug related. I have infamously purchased one of the aforementioned lip pencil’s and really don’t like wearing it because of the name. I totally get that it is only a name and I get that other people don’t have a problem with it but I do and I feel like I have a right to my opinion as much as anyone else. I also think it is childish and meant to sensationalize the product. It just isn’t cool in my book. Let the product speak for itself.
I agree with you 100% on the raunchy shade names. I’m sick of shock value sex and drug names from all makeup lines that do it. Enough already.
I really love their shade ranges, but haven’t gotten well with their product formulas – even the ones people like like the RC Concealer and Audacious Lipsicks.
Three words: Let Orgasm Die.
I thought the same thing!
As much as I love the original Orgasm blush, I agree with you. I’ve always hated the name. And there are so many great blushes out there, at this point I would just shrug if the whole Orgasm line was discontinued.
rave: i love all things lipstick NARS. I have 5 or 6 of their lip pencils, the hall of fame blush in orgasm and one of their eye pencils from the andy warhol collection in the color trash. It’s the best eye shadow ever and what a fantastic color.
rant: stopped buying when they stopped being cruelty free, which saddens me.
Rave: Good variety of products and some of their newer palettes seem to be really pretty!
Rant: They’ve gone way too far with the Orgasm line, especially for products that aren’t very good quality. Also, they’re single eyeshadows and a lot of their other products are exorbitantly priced.
No ingredient list on their website.
I stopped buying anything NARS when they decided to no longer be cruelty-free.
Raves:
Upping their packaging game lately, new releases have been fun.
Their glossy lip pencils are my favorite lip anything, and they don’t make my lips peel like any other lipstick or gloss!
Their gelee highlighters are awesome!
Good foundation shade range. Deauville matches my very difficult to match yellow/olive/fair skin (but all their foundations break me out but that’s on me).
Rant: Orgasm. Get over it already, it’s not that amazing!
I no longer buy NARS since they are no longer cruelty free. I do use other brands that are not cruelty free, such as MAC . However, NARS was cruelty free and then decided not to be. Perhaps I’m a hypocrite but that bothers me and I no longer support them. They do have a lot of beautiful products.
Rave: Every now and again, Nars does something wonderful with their blushes and lipsticks. Certainly the Audacious range of lippies has been successful and their blush range is generally really good.
Rant: Their eyeshadows are often so hit and miss. In any of their palettes, you can get lots of A’s and then a D.
I often find the names of their products to be quite offensive, very sexualised and inappropriate. It’s time the brand grew up.
Raves: The foundation shade Patagonia is a really good match for me! Similarly, Macadamia is a great match for me in both Radiant Creamy and Soft Matte concealers.
Also, I rave for their lipsticks and glosses. Great colors and nice texture, no weird taste or smells.
Rants: The bronzers are so orangey. And the eyeshadows are glittery— feels very disco and not great for real life wear.
And the spray overlay on presses powder products is kind of ridiculous.
And the mascara was utter, clumpy crap.
I feel like NARS really started my obsession with beauty. For my 16th birthday my mom bought me NARS Christina and Damage- I loved the sleek matte packaging and the finish of the lipsticks, I finished both of them. I oggle almost every one of their releases for this reason, but am generally glad I don’t indulge- I dislike their eyeshadows and the blushes are just not worth it to me. I saw on instagram somewhere that they are re-releasing their core lipstick range soon though, which I think is awesome!
Rave: i’ve been a fan from the beginning. Blush, all lips, great color stories, the willingness to take on controversial names and somewhat avant garde themes. Somehow, NARS seems to me less of a shock grab, possibly more third standard deviation artsy. Maybe it’s my Investigation Discovery (Splendor in the Grass, YES! Orion Welles Touch of Evil, YES! A James Bond palette, YES!) Antonin Artaud (French theatre theorist, who, maybe not-so-famously said ‘Theatre is like the bubonic plague’ and to me, m/u is theatre) orientation. Steven Klein and Bourdain, anyone? Yes! I actually appreciate anyone who dares to offend, and DGAS. Free speech, and if you object, don’t patronize the brand. Stand up for why you feel the name or theme is offensive. Stand up for what you believe in and what you reject. Personally, I always have an alternative shade name to tell the public, when they ask. P* control becomes Autocontrol, etc. (I’ve been blindsided and very surprised all to often that people ask me about product. Even men!) Rants: what Kitty said, esp what W said. No base products work. No Orgasm; no bronzers. E/S is the essence of iffy. Dislike all their classic products. BITD, every palette had orgasm and Laguna. Tiresome. As to the animal testing issue, I did read that China is no longer requiring it. True or untrue? One would think that if NARS abandoned animal testing and returned to baseline, they would have reclaimed CF status.
I love NARS blushes, bronzers and highlighters. They just do them right. i used to dislike their highlighters thinking they were not glowy enough but they are just fabulous . Especially for work beautiful subtle glow that I can build up. My Fave bronzer is from Nars and I use it to contour. There is just something about it. It just provides enough contour and looks soooooooo natural. I love it. Their blushes just fantastic.
On another note I can not seem to get with their eye shadow formula it always just seems really dry and overpriced to me.
I generally love ❤️ NARS products. However, I hate the packaging on most of their palettes which can be extremely hard to open. I wish the would do a simple magnetic closure that does break a nail each time.