NARS Paradise Found & Laguna Bronze Summer 2020 Collection (swatches & review)
One of the most iconic NARS products is their Laguna bronzer. It was intentionally duped by more brands than I can think of and some of those dupes are actually pretty good! I have stayed true to the original, though, because there are some things that can’t be easily replicated, like the texture, the feel on the skin, and the extremely fine shimmer that really looks like glow rather than glitter. The best part of Laguna is how universally flattering the shade is. It will show up as a non-orange bronzer on fair and light skin tones, or as a skin-perfecting pressed powder on tan and deep complexions. This summer, NARS is expanding the Laguna collection and adding a new matte formula, a limited edition jumbo compact, a new Laguna lip balm, Laguna oil-infused gloss, as well as a bunch of new bronzer shades and other summer-perfect products to achieve that sun-kissed glow.
There are a lot of new things to cover, so I’ll be brief and give you a summary of what the product is, how it works, and my experience with everything so far. If you have additional questions, leave them below in the comments.
NARS POWERCHROME EYE PIGMENT:
In this collection, we got two new shades of NARS Powerchrome Loose Eye Pigment ($28), plus two repromotes from earlier this spring when the pigments originally launched.
- Castaway – shimmering translucent white with orange pearl (new)
- Islamorada – shimmering turquoise (new)
- Shock ‘Em – shimmering pale rose
- Stricken – shimmering brown bronze
All four are Limited Edition, exclusive to narscosmetics.com.
I’ll preface this by saying that I normally don’t wear glitter, but I was excited to try these out because they look so pretty in the pot. In the end, I have mixed feelings: three were difficult to work with, while one went on like a dream and stayed put with minimal or almost no fallout. Just from looking at the pots visually, the one that performed the best looks the most even-textured in the pot – Stricken. That was some gorgeous metallic bronze glow, and I bet it would look even more stunning on someone with deeper skin tones!
The other three – Castaway, Islamorada, and Shock ‘Em – had gritty texture and the look of crushed glitters, which is cool but a bit hard to work with. I had to pre-grind them on some other surface – back of my hand in this case – to smooth out the texture, before applying them to my eyes without having to worry that the large glitters might scratch the skin.
NARS Powerchrome Loose Eye Pigments work best when applied with a wet brush or over primer and look vivid and sparkly if the surface has enough moisture or sufficient oil to hold the glitters in place.
NARS LAGUNA LIP PRODUCTS:
There were three new lip products in the collection. One was an addition to an existing range of permanent and limited edition lip balms – NARS Laguna Afterglow Lip Balm ($28). For me, these lip balms are usually hit or miss, but I liked this particular one. Depending on how pigmented your lips naturally are, these subtle tints might not show up at all. I have pretty pale lips so on me Laguna is quite pronounced – a warm, shimmering caramel that goes really well with the bronzers. I like that the formula isn’t sticky, so the lip balm feels weightless on the lips.
The other two newly released lip products – NARS Oil-Infused Lip Tint ($26) in Laguna and Reef – expanded the range of existing lip oils. Laguna pays homage to the bronzer and leaves the lips soft and glossy with a sheer wash of coppery-golden caramel glow. Reef will be perfect for those who like to keep things subtle with its pink-toned rose gold shimmers.
All three are Limited Edition. Reef is exclusive to narscosmetics.com.
Both the lip balm and lip tints have about the same wear time. Since all of these are sheer formulas, they don’t have long staying power and will need to be touched up every 1.5-2 hours as the color and the glossy finish fade away. I do appreciate how light and non-sticky they feel on the lips so I actually look forward to reapplying.
NARS MATTE & ORIGINAL BRONZING POWDER:
NARS Laguna bronzer is one of the brand’s cult products that is adored by celebrities, beauty editors, and industry professionals. This summer, NARS is expanding the range with additional permanent shades in two finishes: matte and classic glowy.
NARS Bronzing Powder ($38) now comes in four shades:
- San Juan – light brown with fine golden shimmer
- Laguna – medium brown with fine golden shimmer
- Casino – deep brown with fine golden shimmer
- Punta Cana – deep mahogany brown with fine golden shimmer
These shades are all part of the permanent collection.
These are slightly stiffer in the pan and usually apply with medium to sheer intensity. My favorite thing about the original Laguna was how easy it is to blend and I always used it to give the skin a diffused bronzed glow that doesn’t look too harsh. If you’re a fan of a more chiseled, contoured look, this formula probably won’t work well.
New NARS Matte Bronzing Powder ($38) comes in four shades:
- Vallarta – light beige
- Laguna – warm medium brown
- Samoa – deep warm brown
- Quirimba – deep reddish-brown
These shades are all part of the permanent collection.
Unlike the shimmery, slightly sheer bronzers above, the new matte formula is more pigmented and much softer in the pan. The bronzer is very easy to pick up with brushes and sponges and can help create chiseled looks if that’s what you’re after. I also like how light the lightest shade is! This is a really good bronzer for those with fair skin because it actually won’t look like mud. Also, these are genius for oily and combination skin because they give your face definition and make it look less shiny. I wouldn’t be surprised if the popularity of these matte shades far outshines the original glowy formula.
NARS Paradise Found Bronzing Powder ($45) is a hero product of the collection. It’s beautifully packaged in a similar molten metallic dunes compact design as the Spring 2020 Collection [btw, I adore both spring palettes and still use them every time I do my makeup!]. The compact features a jumbo-sized Laguna bronzer coated with a yellow glitter overspray. The powder is scented with NARS’ signature Monoï de Tahiti oil – if you tried their shimmery body oil you know exactly what I’m talking about. The fragrance is very sweet and warm and smells like the sunny tropical tiare blooms, vanilla pods, pina colada, and sunscreen.
This is a Limited Edition release.
A closer look at the golden shimmers.
Because of the size of the compact and the very obvious, intense glitter overspray, I think it’s meant to be used as a body bronzer. Once the overspray disappears, it could probably be used as a traditional face bronzer as well. The overspray coat is not very thick – I actually removed most of it after several good swipes in the spot where I dipped my brush for swatching, so it’s definitely not meant to last. You’ll play with the fun glitters for a while, but you’re not stuck with a glittery palette forever and it can turn into a more practical piece in your kit after the overspray wears off. I actually kind of like this, because I could see myself getting bored with the yellow glitter.
NARS Laguna Bronze Summer 2020 Collection is available at Sephora and narscosmetics.com.
So, what do you think about these new releases? Have you tried the original Laguna bronzer? Share in the comments!
