Archived Post

NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil Review, Photos, Swatches

NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil
NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

NARS Spring 2012: Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil ($24.00 for 0.09 oz.) is described as a “hot pink.” It’s new and permanent, just in time for spring. It’s a glossy raspberry pink with a touch of sheerness but is still very pigmented for a gloss and, overall, nearly opaque. There’s a shiny finish that makes the lips look almost wet. MAC Scandelicious is brighter, pinker. MAC Radiant Jewels is similar but less opaque and even. NARS Hot Wired is redder and has a shimmery iridescence. Lancome Electric Pink is a bit lighter and has shimmer.

I reviewed the formula in-depth here. I wore Mexican Rose to test out the wear, though, and it wore for three and a half hours. It’s comfortable to wear, because it has the texture of lip balm–thin, lightweight–but the high-gloss shine of your favorite lipgloss. You won’t get quite the lush lip look without some of the cushion-like texture of a true gloss, but you do get a good amount of added luminosity and fullness from the shine. I also really loved how evenly this applied.

The major downside is that these are not twist-up pencils, so they require sharpening. With the softness of the pencil (which actually broke on me while I was applying it for swatching), you’ll waste a lot if you don’t freeze them (many readers have said they had good luck freezing pencils like this!).

NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil
NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil
NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil
NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil
NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil
NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil
NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

24 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Naie Avatar

Oh man, that is such a pretty color. I’m not too happy about the price and the fact that it requires sharpening, though. If anything requires more work on my part than opening the lid and applying with a brush, I run away screaming.

Lenita Avatar

I don’t understand what’s so frustrating about sharpening stuff. It’s easy peasy; I even sometimes use a knife to avoid wasted shavings. They’re also less waste in the environment. Just stick’em in the fridge for a bit.

Christine Avatar

The fact that you can’t just sharpen and be done with it – taking extra steps, such as the foresight to put your products in the refrigerator, remember to come back, and then sharpen, is an annoyance. Personally, I don’t use knives that way, since I have carpal tunnel, my hands and wrists shake too much for it, so I couldn’t speak on that. Why not create packaging that works better instead?

Mary Avatar

I love the Nars velvet gloss pencils and this one is no exception, but I hate that they have to be sharpened so I stay away from these. If they were twist up pencils, I’d certainly buy several shades. Thanks for the review though, the color is beautiful on you!

Debi Avatar

I love it and want one! It is the only thing I want in the collection and you can wear these under lipsticks for a deeper, longer last colour as well as a lovely stain that stays all day…at least it does on me!

Laura Avatar

I think I would try to depot it and just use a brush or a finger to apply it because the whole freezing before sharpening thing isn’t very practical. Especially not if you’re on the go.

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!