I blame Almost Famous for my romanticized view of the early '70s. The now-iconic movie, released in 2000, depicted an era and a world that was both dirty and dazzling — dark, but a damn good time. I’ve since accepted that I’ll never get to tour with Stillwater as an aspiring rock journalist, and hopefully I’ll never have to get my stomach pumped after overdosing on Quaaludes in a hotel room. But I do take any opportunity I can get to inject a little bit of that ‘70s sparkle into my day to day, and right now, I’m getting my kicks from the new Powermatte Lip Pigments from NARS.
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If other matte liquid lipsticks are your dime-a-dozen groupies, then the Lip Pigments are the Band-Aids: cooler, sexier, more advanced. The gel-like formula goes on slick and shiny and dries down to a very matte finish that feels comfortable and fuss-free, like a gauzy dress Stevie Nicks might have worn on stage rather than skintight leather pants with no stretch to speak of. Because of the lightweight texture, they’re also surprisingly easy to reapply and layer — not that you’ll need to. They do not budge. (Seriously, you’ll need a good oil-based makeup remover or cleanser to get them off. The staying power is insane, and they leave behind a stain, too.)
Each of the twenty shades, which range from low-key neutrals to attention-grabbing reds and purples (with a pitch black thrown in for good measure), gets its name from a genre-defining classic rock song: Under My Thumb is a lush burgundy, Walk This Way a flushed, rosy pink. My personal go-to is Light My Fire, a vivid orange-red that stands out as bold but not overly bright against my fair skin. It makes me feel powerful, like I could take on the world, or just sleep with some B-list rock stars or something.
There are more liquid lipsticks on the market to choose from than there are Allman Brothers tracks on Spotify, but let’s just say I wouldn’t dare trade this one to Humble Pie for $50 and a case of beer. You can get your own for $26 at NARS stores and online starting July 6, and they’ll be available at Sephora as of July 13 — or you can beat out both options and download the Sephora mobile app for special early access on July 5. It's like the lipstick-shopping equivalent of being with the band.