For me, NARS is tied to some of my earliest memories of makeup. As a mid-’90s baby with a surprisingly sharp memory of my toddler years, I remember sneaking into my mom’s jade-green acrylic makeup case and pulling out products from the brand—including its iconic powder blushes with decidedly risqué names I was still too young to read.
While my own beauty bag options are much more varied, and my heavy-makeup phase as an alternative teenager may be behind me, there are still occasions that call for formulas capable of going the distance—say, the Met Gala. And while my relationship with makeup has changed considerably over the years, one thing has remained the same: blush is always a must.
Whether in fashion, film, music, or beauty, the ’90s aesthetics always come back in style (though I say, it was never gone). When it comes to mid-nineties to naughties beauty, few brands are as closely associated with the decade as NARS. Founded in 1994 by French editorial makeup artist and photographer François Nars, the brand arrived at a time when complexion was matte, blush was softly diffused, lips veered vampy or neutral, and eyes were super smokey. Despite the high impact products involved in creating the looks, the overall effect still somehow felt effortless.
Vogue’s Favorite NARS Proudcts
Nars’s (the founder, not the brand) experience behind the camera offers some insight into the brand’s enduring approach to makeup. The brand became known for long-wearing, highly pigmented cosmetics that held up not only through long days, but under the unforgiving glare of flash photography, too. That emphasis on performance is still evident in many of the brand’s formulas, even as its approach has evolved considerably since the ’90s.
Today, NARS complexion products like its Light Reflecting Foundation are a far cry from the heavier, full-coverage formulas the ‘90s were known for—better reflecting the skincare-rich, skin-like complexion solutions of the 2020s. Thus, the formulas has certainly helped set the standard for skincare-makeup hybrids; and the same can be said for its Orgasm blush—a matte, peachy-pink pigment that has been a bestseller for more than 25 years since its 1999 debut. Whether you’re influenced by decades ago or simply want products that last—and enhance your skin in the process—we’ve curated an edit of the best NARS makeup formulas of 2026 for your reading and shopping pleasure.
The Mascara: NARS Notorious Mascara
Vogue’s Conçetta Ciarlo uses NARS’s Notorious Mascara.
