Joyride
NARS Joyride Air Matte Lip ColorNARS Joyride Air Matte Lip Color ($26.00 for 0.24 oz.) is a medium-dark, pinky-coral with subtle, warm undertones and a satin finish. It was decent for two and a half hours, though most of the color lasted closer to four hours, while the formula felt non-drying. The texture was more velvety with a fair amount of slip initially, which dried down a bit but never felt like it adhered to my lips, so it still felt a little bit slippery while worn. Despite the slip, the color was applied evenly and had opaque coverage in a single layer. It took two and a half hours before the application looked rough, where color pulled into my lip lines and gathered around slight texture imperfections. I was surprised since I’d typically see this when initially applied, but this was a case where it looked nice initially but degraded and was one of those products that wore away poorly.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like the scent).
- Hourglass, All of Me (LE, $34.00), is glossier (95% similar).
- Hourglass You Can Find Me (P, $34.00) is lighter, shinier (95% equal).
- Tom Ford Beauty Age of Consent (P, $55.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- Pat McGrath Amour (LE, $40.00) is lighter and cooler (90% similar).
- Dior Bubble Gum (546) (LE, $38.00) is shimmery, lighter, and glossier (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Ondine (LE, $36.00) is shimmery and darker (90% similar).
- Kat Von D Julia (LE, $20.00) is lighter and less glossy (90% similar).
- Sephora First Date (70) (P, $14.00) is lighter and less shiny (90% identical).
- Hermes Rose Inoui (27) (LE, $72.00) is more shimmery, lightweight, and brighter (90% similar).
- Shiseido J-Pop (210) (P, $26.00) is warmer (90% identical).
Formula Overview
$26.00/0.24 oz. – $108.33 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to be “featherweight” with a “soft-focus finish” and a “creamy feel” that offers “buildable coverage,” “soft matte finish,” and “longwear.” They’re a smooth, more velvety-creamy consistency that goes on evenly and feels lightweight, but they were pretty pigmented and not exceptionally long-wearing. TThey were flattering for two to three hours, but they tended to look drier and emphasized lip lines/clung to any texture imperfections for the third or fourth hour of wear, but they didn’t last much longer than that. The lack of longevity stemmed from the fact that the product sat on my lips without adhering particularly well, so they were quick to wear away, especially eating or drinking.
They were very pigmented, too; there’s no way I’d have described the formula as buildable. One pull of product delivered near opaque to fully opaque coverage on my lips. To get more buildable coverage, one would have to apply significantly fewer products–likely just to the center of the lips–and then use a fingertip to diffuse the color outward, a technique to sheer out any pigmented lip product. They were comfortable to wear, and while they looked drier toward the end of wear on, they didn’t seem to dry in a formula. They had a light vanilla scent but no discernible taste.
Browse all of our NARS Air Matte Lip Color swatches.
Ingredients
DIMETHICONE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, POLYGLYCERYL-2 TRISTEARATE, DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, TRIMETHYL SILOXY SILICATE, TETRAHEXYLDECYL ASCORBATE, FLAVOR (AROMA), BENZYL SALICYLATE, BENZYL BENZOATE, PHENOXYETHANOL. MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR/(+/-): IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), RED 28 (CI 45410), RED 30 LAKE (CI 73360), RED 6 (CI 15850), RED 7 LAKE (CI 15850), TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), YELLOW 5 LAKE (CI 19140)
