There are very, very few things in the world of makeup that could actually be called iconic. To name just a few, there’s the Lancôme Juicy Tubes, *that* pink and green mascara, and of course the NARS Laguna Bronzer.
Or should we say, bronzers. Yep, nearly two decades after the beloved bronzer launched way back in 2001, NARS is welcoming three new shades of the glowy wonder into the family. The NARS ‘Bronzing Collection’ features a bunch of face, eye and lip products including matte versions of their cult bronzer, glossy tinted lip oils and high-pigment eyeshadows.
Part of what made the original so popular was how well it nailed the undertones: NARS Laguna Bronzer is kind of the Goldilocks of bronzers. Instead of an overly warm or orange tone, the original Laguna Bronzer has a very subtle olive undertone, keeping it in the truly natural tan family rather than muddy or reddish. Plus, the very subtle golden sheen in it kept your tan looking glowy and soft, instead of flat and harsh.
The only problem was it only came in one shade, which left a lot of darker-skinned Narsissists–aka die-hard NARS fans–out in the cold. It’s why this new launch was so exciting. The Cut even reported on the two new darker shades, saying, “the internet’s favourite bronzer now comes in more inclusive shades.”
Except… it kind of doesn’t? Many deeper-skinned beauty bloggers and YouTubers have found that despite the convincing demo pic on the model, the new NARS bronzer doesn’t actually show up on their skin.
Beauty YouTuber Amber Pacholok explains in a review: “I saw the shade Punta Cana and I thought okay she looks beautiful, she looks like she’s a touch deeper than me I think that can work. To my surprise, I was so, so, so disappointed when this came in the mail, because, look at this.” Pacholok holds up the palette and continues, “This shall not bronze anybody my shade or even deeper, this didn’t even show up on my skin. Highly disappointed.”
She does commend them for the well-curated range of foundations and concealers though, “I don’t know why NARS has such a hard time with bronzers for deeper skin, because I feel like NARS does complexion products best. Their undertones are the most realistic undertones on the market.”
In an era where Rihanna and Selena Gomez are launching makeup lines with 48 shades of foundation, surely one of the biggest beauty brands on the planet could create a bronzer collection that catered to a wider audience? At the end of the day, we all just wanna glow.
Lead image via Instagram @narsissist.
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