NARS | Velvet Lip Glide | ommorphia beauty bar

I’m going to call it right here & now: this is the year of the lip, and starting things off right is this latest creation from NARS. Introducing Velvet Lip Glide (CAN $34.00/each), 13 lusciously pigmented lippie shades that feel as good as they look. Maybe even better than that … and just one of my latest obsessions.

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To make things easier, I’ve broken them down in colour groupings: The Nudes, The Reds, The Berries (which sounds better than saying ‘The Pinks’) and The Darks (I honestly couldn’t think of a jazzier name than that — this fits, I guess).

According to François Nars, “Velvet Lip Glide is soft yet strong. Effortless and intense. Polished and provocative. It encourages you to not compromise” — I’d say he got that totally bang on. What makes Velvet Lip Glide unique in a market already flooded by lip products, is quite simply the formula and finish; made with the brand’s Oil Infusion Complex, the feel upon the lips is actually quite soothing and comforting throughout the wearing (say goodbye to Sahara lips), combining the effortless fluidity of a gloss but with the coverage of a lipstick — and all coming to a velvety finish (which looks rather glossy upon initial application but does tamp down within a few minutes).

The simple clean lines of the tube make it easy to stack (as evidence by the photo below) and the doe-foot applicator is plush enough to be able to pick up a decent amount of colour from the get-go, enabling you to basically cover your lips with one swipe, although the lightest shades will most likely need at least another pass. These are scented as well; a soft vanilla-like fragrance that is yummy and completely inoffensive (and not the sickly sweet variety) and which dissipates fairly quickly after application. Wear time is shade-dependent (the lightest colour wore the shortest amount, approx. 4 hours on me) and I found the berry shades left behind more of a stain than the reds (TIP: apply any of the darker shades, blot, then add a layer of balm or gloss on top for an easy-peasy lip look). Another plus is that the caps snap closed for extra security.

NARS | Velvet Lip Glide swatches (direct sunlight)

NARS | Velvet Lip Glide swatches (natural light)

Nudes

Stripped – beige pink, neutral enough to suit all skin tones
Unlaced – nude pink, cooler leaning but can be made to work on medium complexions
Playpen – pink coral, one of the more wearable pinks I’ve tried thus far
Bound – rose pink with mauve-y undertones (so OBSESSED with this one!)

Reds

Mineshaft – poppy red, warm leaning
No. 54 – raspberry red, cool undertones (blue-based)
Le Palace – deep cherry red (so luscious, am I right?)
Unspeakable – garnet, can work on all skin tones & the perfect wine-stained hue

Berry

Dancetaria – fuchsia, strikes a perfect balance between hot & wearable
La Main Bleue – rich berry, cooler leaning & leaves a gorgeous stain behind
Deviant – deep burgundy and an excellent choice for a non-goth dark lip

Deep

Toy – deep aubergine, looks way better in real life than my swatch (seriously)
Area – rich chestnut, hands down THE most unique shade of the bunch

I haven’t been able to stop playing with these since they first arrived; what I really love about the Velvet Lip Glide formula is the sensorial feel: creamy in application, super smooth and with a self-levelling finish (actually helped to fill in my lip lines — of which I apparently have millions) they really do ‘glide‘ along lips. I can’t really pinpoint what makes these so unique, but the quality of the pigmentation and the super-comfortable wear time they give probably has a lot to do with it. I also appreciate that the shade selection is not so vast as to be overwhelming — too many choices is not always a good thing when one is beauty-obsessed and can’t make up her mind. Last word: you definitely want to check these out when they launch. Oh yes, they’re also going to be permanent. ∗thunderous applause∗

Available October 1 at all NARS retailers