NARS Audacious Lipstick in Angela, Michiyo, and Fanny

Since launching last September, NARS' Audacious lipsticks have gotten so much hype that you'd have to be living under a beauty-banned rock to not have heard of them by now. There are a total of 40 permanent shades in this range, though some shades are exclusive to certain retailers. I believe Sephora carries about 20 to 24 shades in all stores, but 30 shades are available on their website. There are 10 shades that are exclusive to Barneys in the US, and Holt Renfrew carries these exclusives in Canada. All shades, however, are available through the NARS website. Audacious is described as a "modern lipstick so shamelessly seductive in touch and texture, the sensation is audacious." It is touted to be "long-lasting," and have "one-stroke, full-coverage creamy wear" and "luxurious texture and enriched with ingredients to smooth and nourish lips." They are scent- and taste-free. Each lipstick comes in a square black metal tubes with magnetized closures, contains a total of 4.2 grams of product, and retails for $37.

Angela, Michiyo, and Fanny
Angela, Michiyo, and Fanny

Angela is a medium-dark vibrant cool-toned orchid pink in a satin finish. This is a permanent shade, and is available at all NARS retailers. It has a soft and creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is lighter than NARS Silvia, slightly more muted and more purple than NARS Michiyo, brighter than MAC Love Forever!, lighter and more muted than MAC Flat Out Fabulous, darker than MAC Bold Spring, and darker and brighter than Tarte Whimsy.

Michiyo is a medium-dark vibrant cool-toned fuchsia pink in a satin finish. This is a permanent shade, and is available at all NARS retailers. It has a soft and creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is brighter and more pink than NARS Angela, brighter and less purple than NARS Silvia, cooler than MAC Viva Glam Miley Cyrus, warmer than MAC Pink Pigeon, darker and less blue-toned than ColourPop Wifey, and more muted than Too Faced Melted Fuchsia.

Fanny is a medium-dark cool-toned berry-fuchsia in a satin finish. This is a permanent shade, and is available at all NARS retailers. It has a soft and creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is more red than NARS Silvia, more muted than NARS Janet, cooler and more berry than NARS Audrey, more pink than NARS Vivien, lighter than MAC Rebel, and more matte than MAC Lush Life.

If you want something different than oranges and corals for this time of year, here's three different summer-ready pinks for you to choose from, from a softer magenta like Angela, to an in-your-face fuchsia like Michiyo, to a classy berry-toned pink like Fanny (which would really be appropriate all year round). As someone who now owns 18 shades of this formula, I can safely say that Audacious is definitely one of my Top 3 favourite lipstick formulas of all time. It performs exactly the way NARS says it does: intense pigmentation and full colour pay-off in one stroke, smooth and even application, emollient texture that dries down to a satin finish. I like that these have a demi-matte finish because they stay smooth and lightly creamy but aren't shiny or slippery. They're not really hydrating nor are they touted to be, but they're never drying and lips stay comfortable during the entire duration of wear (which is about six hours). I would say Audacious is a slightly creamier version of MAC's Mattene, which was limited edition, or a more matte version of Urban Decay's Revolution. They're actually quite similar to YSL's Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks, but with a whole lot more colour selection. And to whoever decided to change the packaging of these to metallic cases instead of those dreaded "soft-touch" tubes: thank you!