NARS – ‘Mexican Rose’ Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

As the weather finally begins to warm up, something about bright pops of colour suddenly sounds very attractive; it could be that these hues somehow seem to be channeling an island kind of vibe – at least, that’s how I like to think of it. Wearing said pops of colour, is not always easy; I usually play it safe by limiting this look via vivid nail lacquer, but every so often I like to change things up with the help of an intense lip shade. First released in the Spring of 2012 (and now part of the permanent lineup), NARS’ ‘Mexican Rose’ Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil is that perfect melding of vibrancy, portability and texture. I am so ready for Summer …

Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil (CAD $32.00/US $24.00 0.09 oz) – as the name implies, this is an intense & juicy raspberry hue with hints of blueish undertones, in a chubby pencil format that applies velvety smooth along the lips. Totally portable and versatile enough to double as its own lipliner, the texture is ultra creamy and there’s an excellent glide to the feel. Considering its glossy nature, there’s a high concentration of pigment and staying power is amazing as well, going well beyond the 3-hour mark. Interestingly enough, even after eating & drinking, the residual look was like that of a lip stain — which was still there the following morning! As this is not a retractible pencil, you do need to sharpen it every so often which results in product loss every time – something I do NOT appreciate, especially at this price. The contents are quite soft as well, so you might well be warned to freeze the pencil before sharpening, in order to avoid breakage.

Last word: I’m a little torn; on the one hand, there’s so much to love about Mexican Rose – the colour, the portability, the texture & the staying power. On the other hand, every time you sharpen it, so much of the actual product gets thrown out. Then there’s the US/Canadian price difference – something that verges on a total deal-breaker for me, which is why I rarely shop for NARS products here in Canada. That being said, this is a highly wearable fuchsia shade – not words you’ll usually hear to describe this finicky colour.

Not sure of there is such a thing as an actual “Mexican rose”, but the colour of the ‘Mexican Bird of Paradise’ so totally embodies the heat of this pencil, no?