NARS 413 BLKR: Pure Matte Lipstick

For those who don't know, NARS has a permanent collection called 413 BLKR, which is named for the address of the NARS flagship store and first NARS boutique in New York City, located at 413 Bleecker Street. It was created in spirit of Manhattan's unique energy: "Downtown inspired. Boldness required." The 413 BLKR collection, of which there are a total of ten products, is available exclusively on the NARS website and in NARS boutiques. I picked up two products from this collection while I was in NYC in February, at their Soho boutique. One of them is the Pure Matte Lipstick, which is packaged in NARS' regular black slim rubberized tube, but with "NARS 413 BLKR" written across the side. Each Pure Matte Lipstick contains 2 grams of product, and retails for $27 USD.
413 BLKR Pure Matte Lipstick
413 BLKR Pure Matte Lipstick

413 BLKR is a medium-dark warm-toned rosy brown in a matte finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation to opaque colour pay-off. It is darker and more brown than NARS Pigalle, similar though more matte than NARS Bansar Satin Lip Pencil, more brown and more muted than NARS Amsterdam Pure Matte Lipstick, darker than NARS Tonkin Pure Matte Lipstick, darker and more brown than NARS Bahama Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, more brown than NARS Walkyrie Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, lighter and more brown than MAC Viva Glam III, lighter and warmer than MAC Del Rio, more rose than MAC Verve, darker and more brown than ColourPop Lumière, and warmer and more reddened than ColourPop Tootsi.

I'm surprised that this is my first NARS Pure Matte Lipstick, because I'm such a massive fan of MAC's Mattene formula and they are very, very similar. The Pure Matte Lipstick is technically more matte, but like the Mattene, this goes on soft and smooth and gives full, saturated colour with minimal transferring, zero bleeding, and a good six-hour wear-time before fading. The slimmer bullet is also like the Mattene, and gives great control in application like a lip crayon does. What NARS did right with this is that they made this formula permanent (something MAC seriously needs to consider re: Mattene). It's a very comfortable matte to wear, and my lips never feel nor look dry. It is also totally scentless, so it's great for those who are sensitive to fragrance in their lip products. 
Now, as for the actual colour. 413 BLKR is the quintessential '90s lip colour for all skintones. It will look like a muted vampy lip on light complexions (think Courtney Love, Shirley Manson, or Fairuza Balk in The Craft), the classic rosy-brown lip for medium complexions (think Drew Barrymore, Cindy Crawford, or Jennifer Aniston in the early years of Friends), and a soft nude shade for dark complexions (think Iman, Tyra Banks, or Halle Berry). That is to say, it will suit virtually everyone. Which I'm starting to learn is the whole point of 413 BLKR — the products bearing the name "413 BLKR" are meant to be bold and edgy, but still universally flattering and somehow timeless. This particular shade is warm but also contains a good amount of rose, so that it will suit both warm and cool complexions, and it's also not too light or too dark, so it can look good with both a smoky eye and a totally bare face. It's not a shade that I would typically wear this time of year, but come this fall, I can see this being my go-to lipstick whether I'm in a '90s mood or not.