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NARS Mysterious Red & Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencils Reviews, Photos, Swatches

NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil
NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil ($25.00 for 0.086 oz.) is described as a “crimson red.” It’s a subtly warm-toned, medium-dark red with a matte finish. It’s bold, bright, and very opaque. The consistency is just waxy enough that it glides across the lips without tugging or pulling while still delivering full color in a single stroke.  It wore for six hours and was slightly drying overall. Maybelline Infra-red is glossier. NARS Majella is browner, darker. Hourglass Raven is brighter, warmer. See comparison swatches.

Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil ($25.00 for 0.086 oz.) is described as a “pink chiffon.” It’s a slightly cool-toned, light pink with an iridescent shimmer, so it looks frosted on the lips. It had semi-opaque color payoff, but between the light color and frosted (but matte) finish, it wasn’t very flattering or forgiving on the lips. It seemed to apply easily enough and did so evenly, despite it not being opaque.  It wore for two hours and was slightly drying after wearing twice in a row! MAC Beauty is lighter, more opaque. MAC Fun Finds is warmer. MAC Mlle is more opaque. Guerlain Rose Innocent is glossier. See comparison swatches.

NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil
NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil
NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil
NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil
NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil
NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil
NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil
NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil
NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil
NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil
NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil
NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil
NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

32 Comments

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Kate Avatar

Mysterious Red is GORGEOUS. My only hesitation with these pencil lipsticks comes down to sharpening them. I expect that it’s easy to waste a lot of product during the sharpening process, so I haven’t bought any. What has been your experience with sharpening these, Christine?

Lauren Avatar

To be honest, I’m a little confused by Piampol having a B- rating. t looks like the rating should be much lower, given how sheer it is and how obviously dry it is.

Christine Avatar

It’s actually not dry in consistency, as it has a waxiness to it that lets it glide on fairly easily, but it’s somewhat sheer and the frostiness makes it appear dry. I’m wearing it today for a full wear test, but generally, these pencils aren’t super drying on me, but it can depend on the shade.

Christine Avatar

Hi X,

I mentioned Majella in the review: Maybelline Infra-red is glossier. NARS Majella is browner, darker. Hourglass Raven is brighter, warmer. See comparison swatches.

This is a slightly warm red, so it’s not comparable to Russian Red, which is a blue-based red!

Gemma W Avatar

I love Nars Velvet Lip pencils…
And Mysterious Red is so bright on your swatches!!!
Definitely a must-buy for me….!!!
paimpol is not as opaque as i thought it will be….may not buy it!
thanks Cristine for the review 😀

Rad Avatar

Weird that Paimpol looks quite similar to the summer 2013 lip pencil – I’m pretty sure that colour didn’t do well. It was nice but I don’t think I could get away with this against my skintone. The red on the other hand is divine!

Sarah Avatar

Hey Christine! Besides the difference between matte and glossy, how does Mysterious Red compare to Urban Decay’s F-Bomb pencil both in color and sharpening problems?

abigailod Avatar

So gorgeous on you, Christine! And that red… so arrestingly stunning! Are you just using a regular sharpener on these, or you have a preferred brand from experience?

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