Sometimes I wonder if I will ever grow tired of lip pencils. Probably not. I have more than I will ever need and even though I tried to talk myself out of it, I found myself picking away the colors from the new NARS Satin Lip Pencils. Pretty typical of me! :)
NARS Satin Lip Pencils come packaged in a typical NARS pencil: lightweight matte black with an indicative color on the end of the pencil. They need a separate sharpener that will fit their jumbo size (NARS’ own sharpener fits both regular and jumbo sizes). A perfect combination of their famous Velvet Matte and Velvet Gloss – these pencils glide on effortlessly while providing the richest, boldest statement colors to the lips.
I purchased 3 colors that I think will use the most:
- Biscayne Park – pink guava
- Lodhi – vibrant coral
- Yu – shocking pink
I believe these are named after recreation parks/gardens around the world. Nothing sexually named in this line. Surprise surprise? :D
The first thing I noticed about these pencils was how smoothly they glide on the lips! They are so silky and such a pleasure to apply. The second thing was the crazy pigmentation! They are opaque and you wouldn’t need more than a swipe or two to get maximum color intensity. The finish they leave on the lips is beautiful – non-sticky, slightly glossy and a bit satiny looking that I think is gorgeous enough that you probably don’t need to top with a lip gloss. You can of course blot slightly to get a more matte finish if you prefer. They look pretty both ways.
The consistency is ultra creamy. So creamy that I sometimes feel like they are “melting” on my lips during application. And as a result, you have to be a little careful during application otherwise it can slide off the lip line (happened to me before when I wasn’t being watchful!). And because of how ridiculously creamy the formula is, it is wise to pop them in the freezer for a good 15-20 minutes before sharpening to minimize the loss of the product. NARS also put some really good stuff in these pencils: Hyaluronic acid, Viatmin E, and collagen prepeptides, to keep lips moisturized and give them a fuller appearance.
Another thing that I really like about these pencils is they do leave a soft stain once the color fades. But unfortunately when that happens, the “moisturizing” feeling is also gone leaving the lips feeling a tad bit dry. The staying power isn’t quite impressive either. The color usually fades on me around lunch time. My fix is to apply this over a lip primer and I can extend the wear time to late afternoon.
Overall, I am really impressed with NARS Satin Lip Pencils. With such a unique texture, they can be used as a lip liner, lipstick, or lip stain – talk about a multitasker! If you are hesitating to try, don’t be! At least go have a swatch, I’m pretty sure you’ll end up liking them, too. :)
