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As soon as I found out the new NARS Satin Lip Pencils were out in Mecca Cosmetica courtesy of my Inbox, I rushed out to get a few like there was no tomorrow. Thanks to swatches on various cool blogs like the Cafe Makeup and Makeup and Beauty Blog, I'd been drooling over these.
It helped that I received such wonderful customer service in my local store, too. I also signed up to an upcoming Kate Somerville beauty event, so I received samples of the her skin care to try in the lead up to it. I've never tried this brand before, so looking forward to trying it out and to getting the facial treatment. :)
I purchased three of the Nars Satin Lip Pencils (there are 12 available in the permanent line) and also a Nars Pencil Sharpener designed especially for the Nars pencils in normal and jumbo sizes (you have to sharpen them manually, which is a little inconvenient and wastes a bit of product /:-\ ).
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| Nars Duo Pencil Sharpener |
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| Top to bottom: Palais Royal, Lodhi and Yu. |
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Colour and SwatchesClik here to view.
- Yu: shocking pink. Can't go wrong with this. It takes pink to a whole new level. So beautiful, hence why it was sold out the next day online and in my local store! Love it.
- Lodhi: vibrant coral. I was worried this might be too light and wash me out (I have olive, medium-to-tanned skin tone ~NC30), but to my relief it doesn't - it's such a pretty colour. I have quite a few corals, but not one quite just like it to my delight.
- Palais Royal: sangria. Such delicious depth of colour. There's something about it that just doesn't quite fit with the 'usual' red wine shades that can look a little dated at times or make you look much more mature than you really are. I really love this one though. When paired with thick brows and not much else, it looks stunning, modern and youthful.
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| Swatches above were photographed indoors under artificial lighting and using a strobe (true to colour). |
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After removing quite thoroughly with a makeup remover and cotton ball, there were were still slight stains that remained. |
On My Lips
Lip swatches were taken with my phone camera (hence, the lower quality - sorry!), but hopefully this will help you get an idea of what they look like against olive, medium/light tanned skin tone (~NC30). ;) Palais Royal appears a little deeper and more wine than red in person (i.e. as per swatches on my arm in previous photo).
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ScentClik here to view.
For those sensitive to scents, you'll be pleased to know there is none in these babies. :) There's no particular taste either.
Pigmentation
Excellent - very pigmented. Full opacity in one swipe!
Longevity
Even though when I first swatched the pencils and tried to remove with makeup remover, a stain was left behind, I thought it would be quite long-lasting. However, surprisingly, on my lips, I found the colour intensity was quite short-lived. After drinking/eating, I'm left with about half the colour intensity or less, but there is a slight stain that remains for several hours. On me, much of the stain is left on my lip line (less on the centre of my lips), which isn't a great look. /:-\ ;-)
Texture
Longevity
Even though when I first swatched the pencils and tried to remove with makeup remover, a stain was left behind, I thought it would be quite long-lasting. However, surprisingly, on my lips, I found the colour intensity was quite short-lived. After drinking/eating, I'm left with about half the colour intensity or less, but there is a slight stain that remains for several hours. On me, much of the stain is left on my lip line (less on the centre of my lips), which isn't a great look. /:-\ ;-)
Texture
Very creamy as you apply to the lips and glides on so smoothly. I noticed that Palais Royal seemed a little more creamy out of the three I selected .However, the initial creaminess and 'nourishing' texture disappears as the colour fades unfortunately, so I wouldn't recommend this if you want something moisturising. I didn't find it to strip moisture from my lips though - it just didn't leave it feeling more moisturised as I would have liked.
Finish
Leaves a creamy, sheen on the lips. You can blot it lightly with a tissue to leave a more matte finish, which I personally prefer as it looks a lot more modern when wearing such vibrant shades. :) Palais Royal looks particularly stunning on when it is very lightly blotted down just to take the shine off.
Size
2.2 g / 0.22 oz.
Final Verdict
In spite of the short-lived colour intensity during wear and lack of moisturising effects it leaves the lips, it's still hard to resist the convenience of the lip pencil form (despite having to sharpen it) and particularly, the colours in the range. If you're a lipstick bandit like myself, I still think these are worth checking out. From nudes to vibrant colours, there's bound to be a shade you'll love. For me, I'm finding it hard to resist picking up another - namely, a vivid watermelon called 'Luxembourg' (and possibly even, 'Rikugien' - a rose pink). *sigh* Will see... ;)
Hope this was helpful.
Thanks for visiting my blog! ^_^ xo
Thanks for visiting my blog! ^_^ xo