NARS Audacious Lipsticks Part Four - Swatches & Review

Hallo!!!

In this four part series, I will be featuring all the 40 shades of the new NARS Audacious lipsticks which will launch 20 September at all NARS counters in Singapore - I think they retail for S$44, compared to the S$38 for the existing NARS lip products. I know that Tangs orchard will carry all 40 shades, but as of now, I cannot confirm which shades are the 'exclusive' ones, though you might be able to pretty much deduce that the same 'exclusive' shades that you see on the NARS site would prolly apply here as well.

In each installment, I will showcase ten shades - and give you my overall thoughts and top picks from each batch. These lipsticks have an excellent pigmented formula - which I feel you can tone up or down depending on your preference. And because they are all so creamy, I think that for longer lasting wear time, you should apply one layer, blot, and apply another layer.

The new Audacious lipsticks come in a brand new packaging that closes with a magnetic click of the cap to the tube itself. The NARS logo is discreet and the overall feel of the lipstick is sturdy and sleek - quite heavy too. As you turn the bullet up to reveal the lipstick you see the NARS graved on the body of the lipstick, and it just swirls so elegantly upwards, very very luxe feeling indeed.

It is an overwhelming collection of 40 new shades (though some are very similar to current NARS lipstick shades) so I hope that my swatches/ research/ recommendations would come in handy for your shopping needs!

Note on the swatches, my skintone -

I am a NARS Deauville, Giorgio Armani shade 04, Chanel 10/20, MAC NC15...you get the drift (a light neutral skintone as far as foundations go).

Links to Part One, Part Two and Part Three

Click here for my round up

The formula -

According to the NARS website:

• One-stroke, full-coverage creamy wear
• Luxurious texture and enriched with ingredients to smooth and nourish lips
• Long-lasting

For your information the ten 'exclusive' shades are:

Julie
Vanessa
Sandra
Ingrid
Vivien
Dominique
Silvia
Marisa
Kelly
Carmen

Some close ups of the lipsticks -

Rita - Scarlet
Marlene - Red Brick
Olivia - Garnet
Leslie - Cherrywood
Sandra - Rosewood

shades description

Jeanne - cherry red
Deborah - Chestnut
Bette - Bordeaux
Ingrid - Merlot
Liv - Deep Aubergine
on my lips and a quick overall look:

My thoughts on the formula -

1. I really love the intense pigmented formula - I often find that such formula are more versatile anyway. It is much easier to sheer out a pigmented lippy than to try to build up a sheer formula.
2. The lasting power of the lipsticks are about 4-5 hours. I don't find them to be the longest lasting, but they do apply very smoothly and sets on your lips in a very comfortable way.
3. The formula is not drying on me, and did not emphasis any dryness nor lip lines.
4. One swipe of the lipstick gives you true color payoff, though you need to work a little more with the darker shades for a more even application.

This is definitely my most challenging installment to feature - well partly I was a little tired after playing with all 40 shades of the new lipsticks but also the darker shades seem a little harder to work with. As with most dark lipsticks, a smooth application is key. I experienced a little patchiness going on, and also, the darkest shades Ingrid and Liv showed up very identical to me, and on me. The deep red shades are really beautiful. I would highly recommend playing around with these 'scary' shades - you will be surprised how well they look when you blot away the intensity of the pigment, the deep shades are wonderful as a sexy stain on your lips.

My top picks from this installment -

My faves would definitely be Olivia, Sandra & Jeanne . Sandra is quite similar to Joyous Red (a LE NARS lippy) - which is a warm red that's very wearable. Jeanne is a beautiful deep red which I think is quite flattering on me. It also applies very much like Bette on my skintone.

I will definitely skip Deborah - I am just not feeling this chestnut brown shade. It is not very flattering on me at all.

What are your faves from this part four? Do let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for looking!