Round-up: NARS Lipglosses (2014 Reformulation) Overview & Thoughts
NARS Lipglosses
NARS Lipgloss ($26.00 for 0.18 fl. oz.) launches a reformulation on April 15th, and the new permanent range features 30 shades, which I have now reviewed in full. 23 of the shades are shades that have been carried over from the original formula, and seven of them are brand new. NARS says the new formula is supposed to have “longer, more comfortable wear,” while being hydrating and smoothing with a “silky texture.” The texture is thin, somewhat tacky (the more shimmery shades seemed slightly tackier than the creamier ones), unscented (and no signs of a plastic, waxy, or crayon-like scent), with two to five hours of wear time, and is moderately hydrating. The formula is thinner and less sticky (5 or 6, compared to an 8 on the original formula, on a 10-point scale), and I found it more comfortable to wear overall. Note, the reformulated glosses are more expensive and contain less product.
You can view swatches of all of the lipglosses here in the Swatch Gallery.
- BEST PERFORMING: Priscilla (A), Belize (A-), Stolen Kisses (A-), Stella (A-)
- WORST PERFORMING: Istria (C), Angelika (C+) Sweet Dreams (C+)
- CREAMY: Dolce Vita, Eternal Red, Giza, Istria, Priscilla, Quito, Salamanca, Scandal, Sixties Fan, Tasmania, Triple X
- SHIMMERY: Angelika, Chihuahua, Belize, Easy Lover, Greek Holiday, Misbehave, Ophelia, Orgasm, Risky Business, Rose Gitane, Stella, Stolen Kisses, Striptease, Super Orgasm, Supervixen, Sweet Dreams, Sweet Revenge, Turkish Delight, Wonder
- ONE BUT NOT BOTH: Greek Holiday or Supervixen or Sweet Dreams | Belize or Stolen Kisses | Eternal Red or Scandal | Misbehave or Rose Gitane | Quito or Sixties Fan | Chihuahua or Sweet Revenge or Tasmania
- MOST UNIQUE: Dolce Vita
- MOST PIGMENTED: Belize, Dolce Vita, Eternal Red, Priscilla, Stolen Kisses, Tasmania
- PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS:Belize, Dolce Vita, Priscilla, Stolen Kisses, Super Orgasm, Supervixen
Reviews, Photos, Swatches
Individual Shades
- Angelika
- Belize
- Chihuahua
- Dolce Vita
- Easy Lover
- Eternal Red
- Giza
- Greek Holiday
- Istria
- Misbehave
- Ophelia
- Orgasm
- Priscilla
- Quito
- Risky Business
- Rose Gitane
- Salamanca
- Scandal
- Sixties Fan
- Stella
- Stolen Kisses
- Striptease
- Super Orgasm
- Supervixen
- Sweet Dreams
- Sweet Revenge
- Tasmania
- Triple X
- Turkish Delight
- Wonder
See more photos & swatches!
NARS Lipglosses
NARS Lipglosses
Thank you Christine for this beautiful round up of the Nars glosses. I really like Giza and will check it out next week at Nordstrom. Thanks again!
You’re welcome, Lily!
You put in a TON of work for their new lip glosses. Thank you so much for keeping us informed!
My pleasure, Christine! 🙂
LOL, I broke some blood vessels on my lips with this range.
Hm… I’m not sure there’s anything I would rush out and get (and so many look so similar!), but your reviews have been excellent and helpful as always, Christine! Especially this round up where it’s easy to compare them all side to side! 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
Thanks for sending me here! 🙂
No prob! xo
I love the round-ups you have been writing lately. They are super helpful!!
Happy to help!
This collection was so disappointing to me. So many shades that look lovely in the tube, but when applied, just seem sheer and weak and unimpressive. And loads of them settle in lip lines. Really not what I’d expect at that price point. Great big pass from me!
It’s unfortunate that there is so much overlap 🙁
I really like Dolce Vita and Priscilla! Just hoping Dolce Vita wouldn’t look pale on me, I NC40 in MAC. What do you think Christine?
I don’t think it would look pale!
What’s new about the price increase and decreased amount. Estée Lauder and gang has been doing this for years? As a matter of fact, the first stock of items may it be clothes, shoes, house wear are always the best quality. It goes down hill from there and increase in price. Coach is no where what it was 40 years ago in quality.
It seems like almost every time there is a reformulation, price goes up and quantity goes down.
Thanks for this extensive review and roundup, Christine! On a separate Nars note, the lip laquer in Chelsea Girl is sold out everywhere and a lot of sites that used to carry it no longer seem to carry the lip laquers in general – do you know if they are being discontinued? Thanks in advance 🙂
No problem, Jennie!
I haven’t heard it, but it sounds like it might be getting discontinued – it’s not a good sign if the formula isn’t being carried 🙁
Nuts…. Oh, well – I’ll have fun shopping for dupes! Thanks again for the response!
I think the reformulation is only about quantity and the price.
There were some improvements, but it’s possible that it was also used as an opportunity to adjust cost/profit.
Love the round up! Nice to see them side bu side!
Thank you, Erin!
Thanks for the hardwork Christine! Been a long time fan of Nars gloss, but this new formula seems far less pigmented? How about that rubbery case, its still like that? I hate it when it melts and gets sticky within some time
No problem, Kirana!
Some shades seem to be less pigmented, but comparing old vs. new for the shades I have in the old formula, pigmentation didn’t differ in all of them. It’s less rubbery – more of a hard plastic and similar to the feel of the Larger Than Life caps!
Thank you for doing all the reviews. I’m happy that Nars didn’t just reformulate the lipglosses but added some new shades as well. The one thing that I dislike about Nars is that they have several colors that come in a lipstick form, lip pencil form, blush form, lipgloss form and then of course there’s the illuminators. Although they have good quality, sometimes I feel they don’t have as much… diversity as other brands do? I’m not sure how to describe it. For example, they release a cheek palette and of course the three powders in it just happen to be the ones that most Nars lovers have. The concept was probably to re-promote but they could have re-promoted shades that not many people might have tried and the palette would give an opportunity to do so. Well anyways, I would also like to mention the round-up pictures that you did side by side for this,as well as the MAC patentpolish pencils; it’s helpful in seeing possible dupes.
Hi Yana!
Always my pleasure! 🙂 I totally get what you’re saying! Sometimes having the same shade in different types of products is useful, but they can start to run together. You can always add clear gloss to the lipstick to get a gloss version, or sheer out the lipstick to get a softer look.
Wow! This round-up is super helpful! I think, unfortunately for Nars, this shows a weak collection. I would rather have more comfortable gloss with more pigmentation.
Glad I could help 🙂
Excellent job on these swatches and reviews, Christine. You’ve helped me save a lot of gold this month!
Thank you, Helene! xo
Good news about the crayon scent, it was a major MAJOR turn off for me. I understand they were unscented, but I’d rather have a faint sniff of vanilla than that wax smell.
I can see why that would be a turn off for sure!
I went to try the new Turkish delight and was disappointed that it was more sheer than the original. But it was moisturizing I wish it was more opaque. The new one looks more nude than soft pink which was also disappointing. If the original had the new moisturizing formula I’d be happy.
I wish they hadn’t tweaked it!