NARS Yu Satin Lip Pencil Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 23:52:53 +0000

NARS Yu Satin Lip Pencil

NARS Yu Satin Lip Pencil ($25.00 for 0.07 oz.) is described as a “shocking pink.” It’s a bright, bold shade of blue-based, medium pink with cool undertones and a soft, natural sheen. MAC Pink Pigeon is less pink, more magenta. MAC Lickable is slightly redder. NARS 413 BLKR is redder, darker, and matte. MAC Gulabi is very similar. MAC Catharina has a glossier sheen. NARS Schiap is more magenta.

The new formula is based on NARS’ Velvet Matte Lip Pencils, but the finish is satin, so it has more of a sheen, but it is still supposed to deliver “high-impact color” with a “long-wearing, vitamin-enriched formula” and “decadent moisture.” Yu is fully opaque, and it takes very little product yield full color coverage. It wore for a lengthy six and a half hours, and it did stain. The texture is interesting; it feels creamier and softer than it actually appears on lips. Initially, I thought that was a result of all my hot lighting equipment, but all of the shades made me do a double-take in regards to the texture. Press it to your lips, and it feels almost like it’s melting against them, but look in the mirror, and it’s a lightweight, thin layer of opaque color with a very subtle sheen (no glossiness in sight). This formula felt just slightly hydrating, and it was more comfortable to wear overall compared to the Velvet Matte Lip Pencils.

The biggest downside is that it is packaged in a pencil you haven to sharpen (like NARS’ other Lip Pencils), which means product will get wasted. The waste is on par with the Velvet Mattes (the Velvet Glosses are a lot more), and it’s just a problem inherent in pencil packaging. It’s clear, though, that the industry is able to use twist-up packaging (Clinique and CoverGirl, for example).