NARS Undressed II Lip Set Review & Swatches

Undressed II

NARS Undressed II Endless Summer Lip Set ($49.00 for 0.58 oz.) is a new, limited edition set of four, full-sized lip colors that’s exclusive to Nordstrom. Two of the shades are part of the permanent range, which I’ve noted below. The set contains $52 worth of lip gloss and $52 worth of liquid lipstick for a total value of $104, so it’s a great deal if you like the formula and shades included.

Undressed II

Product

9.5

Pigmentation

Texture

Longevity

Application

92%

Total

Bound

Bound is a medium, rosy mauve with subtle, cool undertones and a cream finish. This shade is part of the permanent range. It had nearly opaque pigmentation with a smooth, creamy consistency that applied evenly across my lips and smoothed out most of my lip lines. The lip gloss lasted for four hours and was hydrating while worn.

Top Dupes

View Swatches View All Dupes

Urban Decay Backtalk (P, $20.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
NARS Santo Domingo (LE, $26.00) is lighter (90% similar).
Colour Pop Flying Horses (P, $6.00) is lighter, less pigmented (85% similar).
MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 (LE, $17.50) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
MAC Love Child (P, $17.50) is more shimmery, darker (80% similar).
Chanel Bourgeoisie (P, $30.00) is more shimmery, warmer (85% similar).
MAC Lots of Laughs (P, $10.00) is lighter (80% similar).
MAC Sweet Tooth (LE, $20.00) is lighter (80% similar).
Anastasia Vintage (-, $16.00) is lighter, warmer (80% similar).
Anastasia Raisin (-, $16.00) is darker (80% similar).
More dupes -- click to see the full list!

Formula Overview

$26.00/0.20 oz. - $130.00 Per Ounce

It's supposed to be a hybrid between lipstick and lipgloss that is hydrating, richly pigmented, and comfortable to wear. They have stronger color payoff, a non-tacky consistency, and a smoothness to their consistency that is a lot like a good lipstick, while they have a plusher, thicker texture that gives lips a plumper, fuller look along with a glossy sheen that is more like a gloss.

Some of the lighter shades settled into lip lines, but it varied from shade to shade. The wear varied between three and five hours for me, which is more like a gloss than a lipstick. They develop a more “velvety” finish, which is code for “less shine” after two to three hours, and at that point, they tend to look more like a natural finish lipstick than a gloss.

I would classify the formula more as a pigmented gloss than a glossy lipstick, if I had to put it firmly in one box. The formula has a vanilla scent but had no discernible taste to me.

Browse all of our NARS Velvet Lip Glide swatches.

Ingredients

Dimethicone, Kaolin, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Diisostearyl Malate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Phenyl Trimethicone, Isostearyl Isostearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Microcrystalline Wax/Cera Microcristallina/Cire Microcristalline, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone SilsesquioxaneCrosspolymer, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Nylon-12, Dicalcium Phosphate, StearalkoniumBentonite, Propylene Carbonate, Ethyl Vanillin, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Lecithin, Silica, ArganiaSpinosa Kernel Oil, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil, Tocopherol, Orchis Mascula Flower Extract, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Nymphaea Alba Flower Extract, Citric Acid, Tin Oxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, [+/- (May Contain): Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Red 6 (Ci 15850), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140)].

Bound

Product

9.5

Pigmentation

Texture

8.5

Longevity

Application

91%

Total

Cartagena

Cartagena is a deep, raspberry pink with cool, blue undertones and a cream finish. It had nearly opaque color coverage in a single layer, which applied evenly and smoothly across my lips. The gloss was lightweight, non-sticky, and creamy so it spread well and filled in my lip lines. It wore well for five hours and was moisturizing over time.

Top Dupes

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NARS Staying Alive (LE, $26.00) is less glossy (95% similar).
NARS Promise (LE, $26.00) is more muted, less pigmented (90% similar).
MAC Soft Dream (LE, $17.50) is less glossy (90% similar).
Chanel Caractere (P, $30.00) is more muted (90% similar).
Sephora Plum Fiction (19) (P, $12.00) is lighter (90% similar).
NARS Danceteria (P, $26.00) is lighter (90% similar).
Maybelline Sassy (P, $7.99) is lighter, cooler (85% similar).
NARS Spike (LE, $26.00) is lighter, more muted (80% similar).
More dupes -- click to see the full list!

Formula Overview

$26.00/0.20 oz. - $130.00 Per Ounce

I would classify the formula more as a pigmented gloss than a glossy lipstick, if I had to put it firmly in one box. The formula has a vanilla scent but had no discernible taste to me.

Browse all of our NARS Velvet Lip Glide swatches.

Ingredients

Cartagena

9.5

Product

9.5

Pigmentation

Texture

9.5

Longevity

Application

97%

Total

Save the Queen

Save the Queen is a medium-dark, rosy plum with subtle, cooler undertones and a flat, matte finish. This shade is part of the permanent range. It had one of the truer dry downs in the formula, as it was more matte from the get-go (others tend to wear down to matte within an hour or so). It had good color coverage–not quite opaque–in one layer, which could be topped up for full coverage using less than a layer on top. The liquid lipstick was fluid, thin but not watery, but spread well across my lips and was workable where I didn’t feel like I lacked control over it. This shade stayed on well for five hours and was non-drying.

Top Dupes
Formula Overview

Top Dupes

View Swatches View All Dupes

NARS Haze (LE, $26.00) is darker, warmer (95% similar).
Makeup Geek Marriage Material (P, $12.00) is darker (95% similar).
Givenchy Neo Nude (P, $37.00) is lighter, brighter, glossier (90% similar).
Makeup Geek Lively (P, $15.00) is brighter, cooler (95% similar).
Marc Jacobs Beauty Kate (P, $30.00) is darker, warmer, glossier (90% similar).
Colour Pop Ice Cube (P, $5.00) is lighter (95% similar).
Maybelline Mauve It (P, $7.49) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
Urban Decay WSM (P, $18.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
Make Up For Ever M206 (P, $22.00) is more muted (90% similar).
Colour Pop Bad Habit (P, $6.50) 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.

Save the Queen

8.5

Product

Pigmentation

8.5

Texture

Longevity

Application

91%

Total

Haze

Haze is a soft, medium plum with subtle, cool undertones and a mostly matte finish. It had rich color coverage in a single layer, which applied evenly across my lips. The consistency was lightweeight, fluid, and thin but was controllable. It dried down a mostly matte finish, but I could feel my lips stick together slightly when I pressed them together, though the color did not lift up. This shade stayed on well for five and a half hours and was neither drying nor hydrating.