Let me preface this review by saying that I am a major fan of the NARS brand. I probably repurchase more Nars products than any other brand in my makeup collection. Laguna, however, is not one of them.
I received this for my birthday one year in the "Laguna Jumbo Tiare Bronzer" variety (i.e. a large cake of Nars Laguna paired with the mini Nars Kabuki Ita brush).
It's buttery, it's pigmented, it's blendable. Beautiful. BUT! The thing that stops me from wearing it, meaning I haven't used enough of it to warrant repurchasing, is the tone. I have quite fair skin, and I find Laguna just too warm and orangey on me.
NARS does no wrong when it comes to base products in my opinion, and Laguna is really no exception. Laguna is a great bronzer that should please most people, it's texture is firm so it builds up slowly, making it suitable for a range of skin tones (I'm very pale & i can use it). it lays on the skin nicely it has a natural matte finish which is very flattering. The colour is pretty neutral in the pan and you can get away with using it to contour or as a bronzer, which kinda brings me to my issue with it..
As a bronzer, like i said it's firm texture makes it buildable so i can use it but i just prefer a lighter shade that goes on more pigmented from the start..
As a contour it will do the trick but it isn't designed specifically for that purpose, i'd rather something that was, and had a cooler tone.
If you only want a minimal collection and you want a product to contour and bronze with then i do think this is a great choice. If you tan and your shade changes depending on that then this would be good because it is so buildable you can get varying depths and the finish is lovely. If you are heavy handed or simply prefer to have a bronzer that builds up slowly then go for it it's a classic. But for me i like it, it's not my favourite.