Let's talk about it: NARS Bento Box Lip Set

This is an open thread about one of the most sought-after (at least in theory) products of the season- the Nars Bento Box lip set.

When I first received the press release about the limited edition Bento Box I did several things:
1.Got a serious case of the Covet
2. Added my name to the wait list on Nars website
3. More coveting
4. Reminded myself that Nars might be my least favorite brand when it comes to lipsticks.
5. Told myself to shut up. Coveting resumed.
6. Pondered the $125 price tag. Can it be worth it?
7. Deciding it probably isn't.
8. Wondering if I'm missing something.

Now here we are a month later. The set is available from Nars website as well as from Barneys, Neiman and Saks. It hasn't sold out yet though it's been out for a week now and supposedly there are only 1000 Bento Boxes in the US market (1000 more will be offered in the UK). I'm still looking at the photo and trying to figure it out.

The colors are pretty straight forward- one is a gorgeous red, the other is a dark pink. The Japanese aesthetics and the concept of lipstick in a cup you slowly apply with handcrafted tools are elegant and appealing. It says "luxury", which is probably why the Bento Box is so attractive to me. In theory.

Now, NARS promised the lipsticks are a new formula enriched with vitamin E, which is a very good thing considering their regular lipsticks are much too dry for me. Still, are they on the same level as Kanebo Sensai,  Cle de Peau and Tom Ford? Is the packaging really worth the price hike? And what about the brush? It looks  like a cousin of my beloved Nars Yachiyo blush brush with its hand-spun black wisteria handle. I use lip brushes quite often, but this is one brush category I never found a huge difference between top and mid-level brands as long as they're thick enough. Besides, if I were to drop top dollars on a special lip brush I'd probably go with this one:

That's the Kolinsky large craftsman lip brush from Hakuhodo, a real Japanese brand that makes professional makeup brushes (hakuhodousa.com).  Their entire Japanese Tradition series is on my wish list as well as the red-handled S100- they look exquisite and will probably get a lot more use than any two lipsticks in a cup.

What do you think: are you buying the set? Have you seen it in person? How do you feel about this product in general? Please share any thoughts you have about this.

Photos: NARS and hakuhodousa.com