Review: NARS Wonder Lip Gloss

Hello! So I'm normally really not much of a lip gloss-wearer. I went to Uni in Aberystwyth which, being by the coast, was often windy - so lip gloss wasn't really a good idea (unless you like having hair stuck to it!) Nevertheless a few years ago I gave in and bought this Nars lip gloss, pretty much because youtubers like Tanya Burr and Fleur De Force were always raving about them and how non-sticky and comfortable they are to wear!

As it's Nars, it's pretty expensive...I actually paid £15.75 for mine because I got 10% off the old price (£17.50) in 2013, but they now retail for £19. That 10% off was student discount at Asos, so if you're a student and want some Nars in your life, Asos is the site to get it. Also, every now and then Debenhams do 10% off beauty and John Lewis tend to do the same promotions as their competitors - hence you can get 10% Nars with them occasionally. Obviously it doesn't make a huge amount of difference but hey, it adds up!

I tried to a pick a more unique shade too so it's hopefully more special than a gloss I could just get for a fiver or so on the high street, as well as maybe having a nicer formula (not that you can't get great glosses on the high street; I quite like the Barry M ones.) I do love this shade:

As you can see, it's a very pretty reddish-orange, although it definitely shows up less orange on the lips. It also has some subtle pink and gold shimmer which adds to the prettiness. It comes in the typical rubberised and unfortunately dirt-prone Nars packaging which does look good. The formula is nice and smooth, it's comfortable to wear and not too sticky although I wouldn't describe it as completely non-sticky. It also lasts around 3/4 hours before fading. It doesn't seem to smell or taste of anything.

You get a doe-foot applicator which I find works quite well:

Nars actually describe it as sheer but I wouldn't say it was particularly.You can apply just enough to get a sheer look, or you can build it up to a more intense shade, which I love. Here's how it looks:

I don't think this is a shade that pale girls like myself would usually go for but it does work with pale skin! I also think it would look amazing with tanned skin. I almost feel like it works with my natural lip colour to come off a bit more pink than it does in the tube. Here's how it looks from a distance:

If my nose looks a bit red, it's because I managed to catch a cold in June! Wah.

(I'm actually not wearing the No7 Beautiful Skin Foundation which I reviewed recently, but instead I'm wearing the Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream which I mentioned in that post. For some reason it came out looking really dark but thankfully it didn't make me look orange!)

Final thoughts: This is a gorgeous product, and the only high end lip gloss I own (and rightly so as I don't wear lip glosses a lot.) It is very pricey, but if you have £19 to spend on a lip gloss it's a great option. I think it might look quite nice layered over a lipstick like MAC's Vegas Volt.

Have you tried this lip gloss or any of Nars' other glosses? I've heard that Super Orgasm and Turkish Delight are good. I would definitely purchase another Nars lip gloss, despite the price, when I win the lottery.

If you know of any possible dupes for this product please comment below as it would be great if there was a similar alternative available on the high street!

Thanks for reading,

Sabrina xx

Five Current High End Favourites

Hi! So in this post I'm going to talk about high end products that I'm loving at the moment. I've done a similar post on my 10 Favourites Under £10 and this post only has five because I don't own all that many high end products.

Everyone likes a bit of luxury and I try to get a lot of use out of expensive products to get my money's worth! I didn't choose a particular MAC lipstick for this post, but they are pretty much firm favourites anyway - I did a post about my collection here.

1. Miss Dior Eau De Parfum

I don't talk about perfume much on my blog but I absolutely love this one, which I bought with my 21st birthday money. It was a close call between this and the Chanel Coco Mademoiselle as both are classy, feminine scents which come in gorgeous packaging that would look great on any dressing table (in Miss Dior's case, with a reflective bow.)

I'm not good at describing smells so I'll let Dior field this one. The notes are: Top Notes: Mandarin Orange, Middle Notes: Turkish Rose, Bulgarian Rose, Base Notes: Patchouli, Amber. I've tried a sample of the 'Blooming Bouquet' version as well which is lovely, and as the name suggests a bit more floral.

There's currently a '1000 points when you buy 2 or more selected Dior, 1 to be mascara or foundation' offer on at Boots, so that's £10 worth of points when you buy two Dior products!

2. Benefit Lollitint

My boyfriend kindly got me this for Christmas and I've really enjoyed using it ever since. I've tried mini versions of the other Benefit tints (Posietint and Benetint) and I really liked the pink one, Posietint and got a lot of use out of it. I didn't fancy splashing £24.50 on the full size Posietint though when I could just get the MeMeMe Poppy Tint dupe of it, which is available in Superdrug although I can't find it online. I'm not aware of any less expensive dupes for this 'candy-orchid' shade but it would be great if anyone knows of one?

However, you do get two uses for one with this gorgeous stain. It takes a little while to get the hang of applying it to the cheeks - Sharon the Makeup Artist did a really helpful tutorial here of how to apply cheek stains with a brush, since Benefit's own advice about applying it is a bit dodgy! It seems to last longer on the cheeks but I still like applying it either on its own or with another lip product; Mac's Pink Popcorn Lipstick and this stain are a combination I've been loving. It's quite a cool toned purpleish-pink so I think it's very pretty on pale skin in particular, but it would still probably suit a variety of skintones. The packaging is also adorable. I would love to own the mango/coral shade 'Cha Cha Tint' as well. I just wish these tints weren't so overpriced!

Here's a picture of me wearing Lollitint on my lips combined with Pink Popcorn lipstick on top, as well as on my cheeks, although it's not showing up in this photo! I'm also wearing the MAC Prep and Prime Highlighter which I'm going to talk about next...

3. MAC Prep and Prime Highlighter in Radiant Rose

I've actually owned this for quite a while now and I use it a lot. It seems to be lasting a long time (I'm getting my money's worth!) so I wonder when it will run out. This is basically a YSL Touche Eclat copy, which in my shade is a pale pink that works really well at adding radiance. As you can see it has a built in brush applicator and you simply click the product in, which has always worked well for me.

I typically use it around the eye area, so on my brow bone, over my concealer and sometimes on my eyelids to brighten them up and provide a base for my eyeshadow. It is very creamy and blends well. It's the best Touche Eclat dupe I've tried and I'm definitely going to repurchase it when it runs out, and hold on to the empty product so that I can do 'Back 2 MAC', returning 6 empties for one free lipstick!

4. MAC Patina and Satin Taupe Eyeshadows

Patina (left) and Satin Taupe (right)

I don't own many Mac eyeshadows but I find myself reaching for my pro palette quad more often than the famous Urban Decay Naked Palette, which I like but find a bit too warm toned for my skintone. I'm mentioning these two together as one favourite because they go so well together. As you can see I've used Patina more, but I do love both. Patina on me is a very wearable gold-ish brown which is amazing either on its own or paired with Satin Taupe, which is a slightly plummy taupe. They are neutral but still interesting shades - check out how Satin Taupe catches the light in the picture below!

Left: Patina, Right: Satin Taupe

If you've never tried Mac eyeshadows before these are the two that I would recommend as they are not only beautiful and versatile everyday neutrals but very easy to work with (Patina is slighly less pigmented compared to Satin Taupe, but still good.) I think the hint of plum in Satin Taupe would make it particularly stunning on green eyes while the gold tinge of Patina really brings out my blue eyes. Speaking of gold, I am very tempted to buy Amber Lights, a coppery bronze, as I've heard it's lovely on blue eyes. I'm slightly unsure about it though as it may be too warm-toned for my skin! If you own that one I would love to know what your thoughts are on it?

5. NARS Gaiety Blush

This is a gorgeous, cheerful, blue-toned bubblegum pink blush which looks a bit intimidatingly bright in the pan but is actually very wearable. It looks great on my fair skin and also seems to last a long time on my oily skin. It is great quality as you would expect from Nars, with just the right amount of pigmentation to give you a very flattering healthy glow without being overpowering.

Swatched and Blended 

That's it! If you fancy treating yourself, then I'd really recommend these.

I think I'm going to go on a makeup spending ban throughout June as I have more than enough makeup already and don't need any more, so I'm sorry but there won't be any new makeup bits to share for a while! I will probably review lots of products nevertheless though :)

What high end products have you been enjoying lately?

Sabrina xx