MAC Styledriven: Pro Longwear Lip Pencils (Part 1)
MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil ($18.00 for 0.04 oz.) is supposed to glide-on and “adhere instantly” with “rich, saturated color.” Unlike the other new Pro Longwear formulas, the description didn’t call out a specific wear time–it says that it will “[prolong] the hours between re-application” and transfer-proof. There are ten shades releasing in this new formula (part of Styledriven), all of which are permanent. This post features these five: Absolutely It (soft burgundy), Bittersweet (intense brown), Etcetera (creamy beige), In Anticipation (soft yellow pink), and Kiss Me Quick (yellow red).
Absolutely It is a burgundy rose with a soft, frosted finish. It has good color payoff but could use a little more pigment.
Bittersweet is a really rich, dark chocolate brown with a semi-matte finish. This was one of the best performing shades–excellent color payoff and creamy enough to yield even coverage with little work.
Etcetera is an orange-y beige nude with a mostly matte finish. It has good color payoff and applies evenly. It’s similar to Korres #36 Natural Brown. MAC Kraft is darker.
In Anticipation is a brightened pink with yellower undertones. It delivers nice even, opaque color. Bobbi Brown Mod Pink is similar but brighter.
Kiss Me Quick is a subtly blue-based red. It goes on opaque and evenly. It is similar to a myriad of red lipsticks.
These have a nice waxy base that gives them a good glide that makes it fairly easy to apply the color, and they have nice pigmentation which means you don’t have to wear the pencil down to a nub to get full color coverage. The creamier shades tend to have the best color payoff, especially when they’re darker (like Bittersweet). Be careful about rubbing your lips together initially, because I found that doing so would cause unevenness–almost like there is a slight tackiness to it before it sets.
Even though there is no specific wear time given for these, they do wear a lot like iron. Alone, these wear around eight to ten hours, but they are drying over time–like my lips were pleading with me, “No more, stop testing, I need balm, STOP, DO NOT PASS GO.” I wouldn’t want to wear these alone, because it really shrinkwraps around the lips (that’s the “adhere instantly” characteristic, I’d say) but the drier texture and shrinkage make them less than flattering on the lips. I don’t expect lip liner to be moisturizing, especially since one of the major reasons to go through the added step of lining is to increase the wear of your gloss/lipstick, and MAC doesn’t say that they are. Underneath a lipstick, it seems to add an hour or two of additional wear.
Just swatching these on the lips for photos was a rather brutal experiment in pain over beauty (I’m normally more than capable of 10-15 products back-to-back, but my lips were dying after three pencils). When I went to remove these, it wiped off in chunks almost; you will need a little bit of elbow grease to remove, so I recommend using a separate remover as it will allow you to be gentler on your lips during the removal process. If you’re familiar with MAC’s Superslick Liquid Liners–it removes kind of like that.
If I find out there is a specific length of time these are supposed to wear, this review may be adjusted to take into account how well (or poorly) these meet that mark.
This is a good lip liner for layering and prolonging the wear of your lip products--I just don't recommend wearing these alone, because they are less-than-flattering.
Product
8.5/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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NARS Bolero Velvet Matte Lip Pencil ($24.00 for 0.08 oz.) is described as a “pink cantaloupe,” while the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil formula is all about “rich pigment” delivered via a “jumbo-sized crayon” that imparts a “velvet matte finish.” It’s supposed to be long-wearing without being drying, while still being creamy. This shade has been added to NARS’ permanent range.
I thought the color was closer to that of grapefruit, but I guess if cantaloupe was pink, it might look something like this (and then kind of like grapefruit, ha!). It’s a lightened pink with just a hint of coral. It looked more coral swatched than it did once I applied it to my lips, though. It actually bears a lot of similarity to MAC Ever Hip, though ever-so-slightly paler and, obviously, the finish is different as Bolero is matte.
The finish is completely matte, and with the lightness of the color, there is a touch of settling into lip lines and emphasis on any imperfections of the natural lip but really quite little overall and not noticeable from a normal viewing distance (you know, not close-up!). It does have enough creaminess in the texture to easily apply it, smooth it out, and get a nice layer of even color, and the pigmentation is excellent–really dense, opaque color without having to wear the pencil down to a nub.
With some of the really deep shades of the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil line-up, I can see six to eight hours of wear, but with a lighter shade like Bolero, it wore just over four hours (which is slightly above average for a light color like this, where I normally see three to four). The length of wear was good and above average, but it’s not excellent. I did find Bolero a little drying by the fourth hour.
These aren’t your best bang for your buck lip product, considering you only get 0.086 oz. for $24–a NARS lipstick contains 0.12 oz. but also costs $24.00. They do apply color more precisely than a lipstick, because it has a more chiseled tip, but the cap is not as secure on this jumbo-sized lip pencil than it is on a lipstick–such a game of trade-offs! I didn’t find that the cap was easy to come off, but I do acknowledge it is less secure by its nature than lipstick.
If the wear was more on par with long-wearing lipsticks (including other shades within this range, which tend to be six to eight hours), the product would have rated higher. I think the color is one that will appeal to many, and it should work well on both cool and warmer skin tones, as the pink dominates over the coral, making it flattering on both.
Product
8/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
8.5/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
MAC Quite Cute Lip Pencils in Boldly Bare and In Synch
MAC Quite Cute: Lip Pencils
MAC Quite Cute Lip Pencils ($13.00 for 0.05 oz.) include three permanent shades from the upcoming collection, which launches in-stores on April 7th. All three shades are actually repromotes from Too Fabulous. The shades are: Boldly Bare (dirty red brown), In Synch (bright yellow pink), and Naked (light neutral).
Boldly Bare is a red-based, dirty brown.
In Synch is a peached-pink in a way. It’s not quite your typical pink–it’s definitely yellow-based. This would work really well with some more coral-pink lipsticks or glosses.
Naked is a light, peach-based beige. I didn’t realize that this was a repromote at the time of swatching, so I did not pull out Naked (which apparently I already own). You can see photos/swatches here.
They’re comfortable enough to be worn alone or as actual lip liner, depending on your needs. With their matte finishes, these hold onto lips well and last six to eight hours. All three shades were nicely pigmented and applied smoothly without skipping.
They work! They do what they're supposed to do, and they don't dry out lips.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC Cosmetics, April 7th in-stores, approximately April 4th online
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
NYX Lip Pencils ($3.50 for 0.04 oz.) are excellently pigmented lip pencils to enhance, mute, or neutralize your lips. If you can’t find the shade you need amongst NYX’s 53 different lip pencils, I don’t know you ever will! Like most pencils, I recommend swatching it once or twice on the back of your hand, which will soften the point to make it easier to apply to the lips. You can use the slanted edge to get a really crisp line when lining your lips, too. For a traditional lip pencil, these are exceptionally creamy and glide on easily. They also wear well without feeling dry (but they are matte and for most, you’ll want to layer a lipstick on top or a balm underneath if you plan to wear it for extended periods of time).
Natural (810) is a medium beige with a hint of brown.
Plum (812) is a deepened, berried red–not really plum to me, though.
Auburn (801) is a muted brick red with brown.
Dolly Pink (839) is a bright, blue-based cotton candy pink. This would work well with shades like MAC Snob, Lady Gaga, etc.
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Product: 29/30
Value: 9/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: These are lovely lip liners, not even for the price but on their own merits.
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencils ($17.00 for 0.04 oz.) is releasing two new shades for spring: Illegal (barely-there rosy nude) and Midnight Cowboy (deep nude). The information I have indicates that these will retail for $18, but the other Lip Pencils are currently available for $17, which makes me think this is a price increase going forward starting in January.
Illegal is a medium-dark rosy brown. It’s nude, but it’s not really what I think of nude (which tends to be a paler beige). It is, however, a shade that will flatter most natural lip colors, especially those with some pink.
Midnight Cowboy is a medium-dark brown with a hint of mauve. Similar, this is a good shade for an allover lip color base. It would also work to darker your favorite beige lipstick or neutralize some of your other ones.
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencils are really creamy, glide on like a dream, and wear well. They are some of the more comfortable lip pencils to use, because they don’t tug at all.
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Product: 29/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you are looking for a nice lip liner that will neutralize or even out your natural lip color, I think both of these will work nicely.
AVAILABILITY: January 2011 at urbandecay.com, February 2011 at Beauty.com, Macy’s, Sephora, and ULTA
Each year, MAC puts out a couple of lip products in specially designed/packaged bags, and this year is no different. The Dazzle the Lads Lip Bag ($36.00) includes Moth to Flame (sheer neutral beige; dazzleglass), Baron’s Rose (medium rose; lipstick), and Draw Me Close (dusty rose; lip pencil).
Both the lipstick and dazzleglass are full-sized, while the lip pencil is miniaturized (about half the size of regular lip pencils). The dazzleglass is permanent, while the other two are new and limited edition to this set. The lip products come with a tartan patterned bag that’s a little larger than my hand. It’ll certainly hold all of the products it comes with, along with a few more. The bag is the same for both lip sets.
Moth to Flame is a sheer peach with white shimmer. On my lips, it just brightens my natural lip color and adds glossiness. It’s part of the permanent line-up of dazzleglasses. As pretty as dazzleglasses are when worn, their quantity/price ratio really leaves something to be desired.
Baron’s Rose is a semi-sheer reddened berry with strong gold shimmer and sheen. It is a cremesheen finish lipstick. It’s extremely similar to Fun Bathing (from To the Beach) — Baron’s Rose is slightly redder/darker, but they are very, very close. It’s a lovely color, though.
Draw Me Close is a browned pink. It’d be great to use as a neutral lip liner.
Value-wise, the Lip Bag is okay but it’s not a showstopping deal. You’re getting a full-sized lipstick ($14.50), full-sized dazzleglass ($18.00), and a half-sized lip pencil ($7.00), which is a total value of $39.50. If you include the bag, then you’ll feel like you’re getting a bit more for your money.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
Product: 26/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: It’s a real shame that Baron’s Rose has several similar pre-existing shades, because it’s a gorgeous shade. Festive but still perfect for autumn!
