If you’re a fan of lipsticks and particularly of NARS, or even if you aren’t, you wouldn’t have missed the buzz that has been going around regarding a new and promising lipstick in town. Officially launched last week, during the NARS 20th Anniversary celebrations, Francois Nars has taken his lipsticks and given them a whole new lease of life, injecting into them strong pigment, smooth creaminess and and opacity so seductive, it’s Audacious 😉
The NARS Audacious lipsticks come in square cases with a magnetic base, so the cap stays on with a magnetic hold. The body of the lipstick is a smooth, cool, matte metal that is a nice departure from the usual rubbery texture we’ve come to associate with NARS products, but as you can see from the picture, it does and will mark from the oils of your fingers. I tried to clean it as best I could but I thought it was best to show you how you can expect it to look like after a while.
The brand name and logo is spelt out around the lipstick base, picked out in glossy text, and if you have 4 lipsticks, you can spell out the name… except I couldn’t quite get it right, because the N kept repelling itself against the A. You could say therefore, that they are poles apart! LOL! 😀
Now, I’m not the biggest fan of NARS lipsticks, I’ll tell you so right now. I’ve owned a few (Niagara was so dry and drying, Manhunt was ok, as was Gypsy but not memorable) and some disappointed, some were ok but they weren’t particularly products I’d reach out for. Well, the Audacious lipsticks, which have received raving reviews worldwide might change my mind. Or maybe it won’t. Let me show you some swatches and a whole bunch of photos 🙂
The texture of the Audacious lipsticks are in a word, sublime. When fresh out of the box, you may find that it tugs a little bit on the skin but once you start using it, it swipes on like melted butter.
There are 40 shades available, with some shades bring available only at freestanding NARS stores, I’m told. The colour families are fairly diverse so everyone will be able to find a colour to suit them, with the only problem being which to pick! I promise you, it’ll get overwhelming. I was, when I stared down at the whole range of colours available to me so it might come as no surprise that I picked colours that I felt safe with i.e. brights! 😀
Nars Audacious Lipstick L-R: Vanessa, Kelly, Vera, Carmen
Departing from the provocative names attached to NARS blushes and names of places associated with their eyeshadows, the Audacious lipsticks take on names of girls. The lipstick bullet too sports the traditional pointed tip, which I can tell you is excellent, because you need that tip to get the outline right. And with colours these intense and opaque, you really do need to get it right.
Vanessa and Vera were kindly gifted to me by the folks at NARS, while I picked up Kelly and Carmen during the launch, which gives you an idea of how 4 of the colour families look and perform. Here are the swatches, done straight from the bullet, with just 1 swipe down my arm, and my description of the colours:-
- Vanessa – In tube, it looks like a very nude and subdued pink and if I’m to be honest, a colour I’d never pick. But swatched, it has a lovely rose pink neutral base, that was surprisingly wearable. It is a very safe, day to day colour that adds colour without being obtrusive. Not a colour I’d pick but a colour I grew to enjoy.
- Kelly – In tube, it looks like a bright pink coral and on skin, it is about the same as how it looks in tube. It has more pink than orange, which is what I like, and has was is popularly known to be a “watermelon” tint to it. Very uplifting (and relatively safe) colour to wear and pretty especially for warmer weather.
- Carmen – This shade is, I’m told, exclusive to freestanding NARS stores and is therefore available here at our sole store. It’s a bright red with a slightly warm undertone and is a colour for the bold because when you wear this, your lips lead the way. Forget about the rest of your makeup!
- Vera – Vera in tube looks like a slightly deep berry but applies with more red undertones so it isn’t as deep as it looks. The berry shade is fairly strong and while it looks lovely on, be warned that this shade can potentially look a little ageing if not careful.
The intensity of colours are very impressive and, I might even venture to propose, a little unforgiving. You must have smooth, flake-free lips to get the best out of these creamy lipsticks and while they feel quite weightless when worn, I will venture a suggestion also that they can be a wee bit drying. They aren’t matte, although they aren’t particularly shiny or glossy either. I’d put them at creamy and leave it at that. I don’t personally find them drying although I won’t call them moisturising either. They are creamy but not so they’ll travel and bleed, and they last on me. But, I’ve seen them worn on lips that weren’t well hydrated and it can settle a little and look unflattering.
So, the key here to having the Audacious lipsticks look at their best on you, is to ensure your lips are well hydrated, flake free and if necessary, apply a little balm underneath, let it settle and only then apply the lipstick. I don’t because I dislike wearing balm and it makes my lipstick slip, but if your lips tend to be very dry, use it or wear a lighter, more balmy lipstick.
These are the swatches of the lipsticks I own on me. My lips are quite pigmented on their own and I’ve found that products that look one way when swatched on my arm don’t look the same when I wear them on my lips where they really belong. However, due to the opacity and strong pigment of the Audacious lipsticks, you can see that each colour does look quite different and Vanessa actually looks pretty flattering when worn!
And for the sake of completeness, here’s how they look in a full face shot. All makeup is the same with only the lip colour changing which may give you an idea of how just changing your lipstick can change the way you look, and the look you want to project.
IN A NUTSHELL
The NARS Audacious lipsticks are incredible in terms of texture, pigment and opacity. They are creamy and opaque in just 1 swipe and the intensity of colours is very impressive. There are a few colour families available in 40 shades to suit almost all skintones and preferences, and that is quite remarkable. While not particularly drying on me, the formula can catch on flakes or dry lips so this isn’t a lipstick to wear if your lips are feeling dry. It will settle into lines and it won’t be flattering. To get the best out of this lipstick, ensure your lips are flake-free and well hydrated or it can age you more than flatter. The formula can feel a little dry in some of the colours (Vera in particular, while Carmen feels very creamy) so I’d put out a warning for someone with drier lips to be a little wary and put a little more work into prepping lips before using this.
PROS: Pigmented and opaque in 1 swipe of the bullet, Bright and intense colours are very flattering, Wide selection of colours will suit most skintones
CONS: Potentially drying especially if you already have dry lips
WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Anyone who likes using creamy lipsticks, Anyone who likes opaque and pigmented lip colours
I make no mention of cost, because I think the asking price of RM95 per lipstick is pretty reasonable for what you get. I’ve paid more and gotten less so I’m not complaining.
I have here a couple more swatches I took at the counter while trying to pick out my colours. What I noticed when browsing the colours is that while there are 40 shades out there, not all will suit everyone. So, you really have to work with your skintone and preferences as to shade and intensity.
For example, I was dithering between Carmen or Annabella. In tube, which you’ll see below, they look quite similar. But on my skin, I could see that Annabelle had a significantly warmer tone with more orange while Carmen is slightly cooler. I wear cooler tones better, and when I had Annabella tested on my lips, I knew it was definitely out. It made me look sallow while Carmen made me look brighter.
Similarly, the orange shades at the top, Catherine and Geraldine (or it could even be Lana) which looked fairly coral in tube, got a straight No from me the minute they were swiped on my skin. They looked straight Halloween pumpkin orange on me which made me shudder.
Jane and Brigette look straight nude in the tube, and unlike Vanessa which looks slightly pink, applied on my skin brown. Unflattering browns at that so that again made me strike them from my list. For safe brights, Natalie, Kelly and Grace are all very pretty. Natalie is lighter than Kelly and looks more pink-peach. Grace has more red tones and while I was quite drawn to it, I was dissuaded from getting that, because it would be too close to Carmen. So I settled for Kelly.
I didn’t manage to swatch all the shades, but I’d definitely advise NOT buying the Audacious lipsticks sight unseen because how each shade looks will depend on your skintone and it is quite a gamble basing your purchase on just an online swatch based on someone else’s skin.
Testing NARS Audacious Lipstick in Annabella (front) and Carmen (back)
Instead, head to a counter, have a good play with them and then decide on the shade that suits you best. Out of 40, believe you me, there will be 1 for as Francois Nars says “Lipstick is an instant attraction, go with what works for you” 😀
Incidentally, I’d like to give a shout out to Gee (Apologies if I got the spelling wrong!) who I captured testing out the Audacious lipstick with her friend while I was playing photographer. It turned out she was a reader, who came up to me to say Hi after that, and I really appreciated it! I hope you go back and buy the lipstick you tried, Gee, it looked amazing on you! 😉
Have you tried the NARS Audacious lipsticks or have you already got your eye on one? Does any of my picks catch your eye?
I like the 4 I own but I can’t be sure I’ll pick up more, because the other colour families didn’t sit well with me. I prefer brights and I’d pretty much exhausted the selection of brights available. Of the 4, my favourite is Carmen, but closely followed by Vanessa. Polar opposites, just like the magnets in their base 😀 How about you?
Paris B
NARS Audacious Lipsticks come in 40 shades Price: RM95 each Availability: NARS store at Pavilion KL
I think Kelly looks really good on you!
Thank you! I love that one too! 😀
Vanessa and Kelly look GORGEOUS!
I’m putting it on my list and I’m checking them out when I have the chance.
I’m a sucker for packaging too, and the new NARS lipsticks are calling to me. Haha.
Thanks Joann and yes, absolutely do check them out when you can. I love how the new packaging is NOT rubberised and the magnetic cap and body is quite fascinating and sleek too!
Omg can I get my hands on Carmen already?? Its absolutely gorgeous! ? You certainly picked the shades well,Carmen and Vera look *pardon my language here* bloody amazing on you!I definitely need to pop into Nars one of these days. Hmm Grace is looking yummy too, wonder if I will end up getting all 3 shades lol!
Thank you Shasha! 😀 I think the colours are really amazing too and it’s quite interesting also how each shade has a different nuance so it will look different on different people. Now, I’m curious – which shade did you pick? 😉
I’m not a lipstick kind of gal, but I have to admit that these are really good. Was pleasantly surprised, partly due to my previous not-so-great experiences with NARS lipsticks. With that said, am I hogging these? Nah… Still sticking with my balms and sheer lipsticks. 😛
Love how Kelly looks on you. 🙂
Thanks Sze Ling 😀 These are definitely for the lipstick gals – it has that texture and opacity to it. Nothing wrong with loving balms or sheer lipsticks! I like to mix things up day to day and you know, a bold lip can get boring quite quickly too! 😉
So glad you finally reviewed the Nars Audacious lipsticks! I’ve been eyeing the lipsticks but needed some honest reviews and thankfully you did one! Thanks Paris!! 😀 I’ll be heading to Nars soon 😉
Thanks for the trust Florence! 🙂 Now, did you visit Nars and did you pick up one (or maybe 2) Audacious lipsticks? 😀
For 95RM these are amazing! I need to get my hands on few! Thank you for swatches..love all of them 🙂
Yes! The price surprised me as did the quality 😀 Hope you’re able to pick up a few for yourself, Parita 😀 Are you back here then? 🙂
I have so many lipsticks already but NARS new ones look very nice and pigmented.
Can never have enough, my dear! 😉 I’d definitely suggest taking a look at these even if you don’t buy them. Nothing wrong with just testing 😉
Vanessa, Kelly, Carmen and Vera look so beautiful on you! Damn. I can’t wait to swatch!!! Thanks for sharing the photos!
You’re welcome Laarni and thank you! 🙂 Did you happen to test these yet and how did you like them if you did?
Lovely!! Ok, I need to check these out for sure! They look amazing on you!
Thanks Tracy! 😀 I think you’d like how opaque they are too! 😀
I like how Vanessa looks on you but I doubt I will get them due to the potentially drying texture. I prefer hydrating lipsticks as my lips may not always be in great condition and plus like you, I dislike applying balm on my lips as it makes my lipstick slip 🙂
Yes, not many people mention it, but I do notice that it doesn’t look flattering on everyone, especially if they have dry lips. That’s a bit of a pity when it’s the SA who made me form my opinion! I wanted to tell her it wasn’t too flattering but it wouldn’t have been nice, would it? 😛
Honestly they don’t surprise me much with the colours and everything. Although the packaging is gorgeous as always it doesn’t really pull me to want to buy the lipsticks.
I think I shall stick to Maybelline for now.
Actually, I think it’s less about the colours and more about the texture that makes these lipsticks amazing. The creaminess, pigment and opacity are very impressive for the price 🙂 But Maybelline does good lipsticks so no harm sticking to them – I see they have some nice new colours and textures available too!
All 4 look great on you, but my favourite has to be Vera. So sexy 🙂 I probably won’t be able to check it out until next year, but since it’s permanent, there’s no hurry, eh?
Thanks Lily and yes, they’re permanent (whew!) No hurry then 😀
Hey Paris, my favorite here is Kelly, but all four look great on you!
To be honest, I will most probably skip. My lips aren’t terribly dry or anything, but I feel that there are too many great formulas out there to put up with the potential drying issue. I had high hopes for this range, but as soon as I read they weren’t hydrating, I pretty much gave up. I have tried several NARS formula, and the only one I like is their Satin Lip Pencil (although having to be sharpened is not that formula’s best feature). So in short, this is a pass for me.
Thanks Sunny! 🙂 Yep, not many people mention the potentially drying texture but I would expect that it’s almost to be expected considering the texture and formula. Also, while it didn’t dry my lips, I noticed it wasn’t as flattering on some other women. Still, I guess there’s always a toss up and the price is pretty reasonable for what we get. I’m just amazed at how opaque it is and how bright the colours are 😀 I have a couple of their pencils too but you know, I’m not keen on the waxy smell 🙁 It bugs me a lot!
I love lipstick because my own lips have no colour and I look dead without lip product.
Besides, nothing is a better pick me up than a good lipstick and I think there is no better way to cheer oneself up that to paint a lip…red/ pink/ whatever!
I’ve never been particularly drawn to NARS eyeshadows but this new collection of lippies has me excited. My only concern would be the rather drying formula. I find this is a problem with the Revlon Matte Balms on me but I shall pop in and swatch a few before deciding.
P.S. I love the bolder colours on you, Ms. P!
You are absolutely right about wearing lipstick! They don’t call the lipstick buying phenomenon the Lipstick Economy effect for nothing! I think it’s a great way to perk up the complexion even with little to no makeup on. Makes us look AND feel good so what’s there not to love eh? 😀 If it’s any consolation, these do not feel as drying as the Revlon Matte Balm. They are not hydrating but I don’t find them drying per se, just that if you already have a problem with dry lips then it may be a potential problem – but go swatch and see how you like them! 😀
I really love how Vanessa looks on you! And I personally would probably go for Vera, gorgeous shade.
I thought you might, Marina! Vera would be amazing on you!
Thank you for such a thorough post! I always feel more confident in my purchases after reading your thoughts. I know you said you wouldn’t have picked out Vanessa on your own, but it looks great on you!
Thank you Jen 🙂 Vanessa did surprise me that’s for sure but in a good way 🙂
I love how Carmen looks on you. It’s a stunner! Great picks.
Thanks Lisa! 😀 Carmen is such an in-your-face colour! I love it 😀
Carmen is so gorgeous on you. i have been eyeing on Geraldine now. *ting*
Thank you Dain! 😀 Did you manage to check these and Geraldine out any time yet? 😀
I never was much for NARS lipsticks, either, but these have caught my interest, because of the wide range! And I think you make a great point – there are a lot of similar shades with subtle nuances in tone, which makes it easier for everyone to find something, I think.
Yes! There’s no point in buying the whole range, the way I’ve seen some people do (yes, they do!) because I noticed that each colour had a slightly different tone to it, which I feel allows everyone to find their shade, but not for every shade to suit everyone if that even made sense haha! Did you have a chance to check these out yet? Would be really keen to know what you’d pick (and I’m thinking one of the vampy shades? 😉 )
wow, carmen (on my wishlist) and vera look so pretty on you paris! love those shades a lot. they have some amazing reds and vamps I should check out and I am not the biggest nars lipstick lover.
Thank you Claire! They have some even deeper vampy shades in the range (which I wasn’t brave enough to wear) so I’d love to know if you pick those when you do check these out 😀