NARS Hot Reds NARSissist Wanted Power Pack Lip Kit Review & Swatches

Hot Reds

NARS Hot Reds NARSissist Wanted Power Pack Lip Kit ($22.00 for 0.18 oz.) brings together a very cool-toned, pinky red and a brighter, more neutral-toned red. Both shades were nice and quite comfortable for matte liquid lipstick. They are miniature in size–half the size of a full tube–and together the kit offers $26 in value for $22. It’s a nice way to try the formula cross two shades, and it sure makes it easier to actually finish one of them sooner rather than later!

Hot Reds

Product

9.5

Pigmentation

9.5

Texture

Longevity

Application

96%

Total

Cherry Bomb

Cherry Bomb is a bright, medium red with strong, cool undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-opaque color coverage that went on evenly and smoothly across my lips. Despite being the dry-down kind of liquid lipstick, it dried to a very smooth, even finish that smoothed out my lip lines. The consistency was very fluid and thin, almost watery, but it was still controllable for precise, even edges. It dried down and was mostly transfer-resistant, but it took about an hour before it was truly dry/flat matte. It wore well for six hours, left a stain behind, and was neither drying nor hydrating.

Top Dupes

View Swatches View All Dupes

Urban Decay Iracebeth (LE, $18.00) is brighter (95% similar).
Pretty Vulgar Blood Flower (P, $24.00) is more muted (90% similar).
Tarte Swamp Family (LE, $20.00) is warmer, glossier (90% similar).
Milani Romance (LE, $8.99) is warmer (90% similar).
Hourglass My Icon Is (P, $34.00) is darker, glossier (90% similar).
NARS Luxembourg (P, $25.00) is lighter, glossier (90% similar).
MAC Charlotte (LE, $17.50) is warmer (90% similar).
MAC Patrick Woo (LE, $17.50) is darker (90% similar).
MAC Blue Blood (LE, $17.50) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
MAC Candy Cane (LE, $17.50) is darker (90% similar).
More dupes -- click to see the full list!

Formula Overview

$26.00/0.18 oz. - $144.44 Per Ounce

The new formula is described as “liquefied pigments with infinite matte color saturation for lasting, weightless wear.” It’s supposed to have “full coverage in one swipe” that “dries down instantly” for “smudge-resistant, carefree wear.” The formula has a very fluid consistency that is thin, smooth, but not at all watery, and the majority of shades were nearly opaque or opaque in a single layer.

The dry down started quickly but was forgiving as I maneuvered around the edges of the lips but remained a bit tacky when I pressed my lips together for over a half hour later, though as long as I did not press my lips together until five minutes post-application, the color did not lift. I have found the wear to be comfortable so far–non-drying–but not the longest-wearing nor the most budge-proof in liquid lipstick, as just sipping water, tea, or coffee caused color to transfer onto my cups.

There was plenty of coverage, so it still lasted through drinking but did start to break down noticeably during a meal. Even just touching the color after a half hour of wearing it yielded color on my fingertips. The formula had a soft, vanilla scent but no discernible taste.

Browse all of our NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment swatches.