Forgotten Best Sellers: NARS

I was determined to take the rest of this year off, but I was starting to drive myself crazy, so I’m back at it.

I wanted to talk about some older products that I don’t hear mentioned much anymore, but they still manage to take up permanent residence on the brand’s bestsellers list. To keep it simple, I went by the brand website’s best seller list rather than retailers like Sephora and Ulta. Let’s revisit some Nars products.

If you like this kind of post, please check out my other best seller posts on MAC, Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, and Clinique.

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Nars Highlighting Powder (Maldives and Ibiza), $38.00**

These highlighters got a decent amount of love when they were first released, but as with most things they have become old news. I’m pretty sure this formula was originally launched in 2018, so it says a lot that it is still on the market. If you like a subtle highlight that doesn’t accentuate texture, these may be worth a look. The formula is firmly pressed in the pan so they do not kick up powder, but are still easy to pick up on a brush.

It comes in four other shades other than the two pictured above. Albatross and Capri are lighter than Ibiza and Maldives. To my eye, Fort De France is the same depth as Ibiza but leans pinker and St. Barths is the darkest in the range.

NARS Bronzing Powder (Punta Cana, right swatch), $38.00**

This formula basically took the place of the old bonzer that previously only came in two shades (laguna and casino). I think people have forgotten about it because when it was released although the shade range increased to 4 shades, it still felt limited. The 3 other shades, San Juan, Laguna, and Casino are all lighter than Punta Cana.

This bronzer is well pigmented and it does build to a shade that is deeper than what you expect looking at images online.  It blends easily and has a touch of red to it, which I personally like. I do think this product needs to be tried on to really know if it will work for your skin tone. I’m not saying that the brand couldn’t have gone darker, just that it applies darker than it appears (even in swatches). Bella Noir Beauty (a dark skin blogger) feels that this shade works for her. She wears Manaus in the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation and 440 in Fenty Soft Matte Foundation (click here to read her review).

NARS Matte Bronzing Powder (Samoa, left swatch), $38.00**

The initial release of the matte bronzing powder lacked any stock of the deepest shade (quirimba) and that justifiably turned some people off. I do hear a couple of people talk about it, but between the stock issue and other bronzer releases, it got lost in the shuffle.

Despite typically preferring a satin finish, I like this matte formula better than the brand’s traditional finish. It is definitely a matte powder, but it gives a healthy look to the skin. The formula is dense, likely due to the oils in the ingredients, but is still easy to pick up on a brush.

It comes in 3 other shades. Vallarta and Laguna are lighter than Somoa and Quirimba is the darkest shade in the range.

You may have missed the NARS Black Friday deal, but if you are interested in any of these products Sephora has 20% off with promo code GIFTEASY until 12 December 2021 at 11:59 PT. Macy’s also has 15% off with promo code FRIEND until 8 December 2021 and Nordstrom is price matching.

There will always be new products being released, but sometimes it’s nice to take a look at the products that people continue to purchase and stand by.

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Did I remind you of any NARS favorites that you forgot about?

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