Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella

Did any of you follow the recent #bblogger Twitter chat about lipstick? As a relative newbie to the world of lip colour, I participated with interest and noticed that, alongside Mac, Nars was one of the the most popular high-end brands, receiving rave reviews for their lip products.

I found myself nodding at the computer screen – earlier this year I bought my first Nars lip pencil in Mexican Rose shade. While I was busy debating what shade to buy, choosing a texture didn’t really crop up. It was winter so I gravitated to the Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil, figuring be less drying than a matte product.

After receiving a Nars makeover at the recent Harvey Nichols blogger event, the brick red shade I tried stuck in my mind, so a couple of weeks ago I went back to buy it. Typically, I couldn’t remember the name of the shade I’d tried, so after several trials with a very patient Space.NK. consultant, I settled on Cruella, a devilish matte red that I’ve worn pretty much every day since I bought it.

I’ve swatched it, below, but given the deep, blood red shade, it does look ever so slightly like I had an accident with a kitchen knife – apologies for that! Cosmetic gore aside, I find the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil very satisfying and easy to apply – very much like a child’s crayon, and it’s more resilient than the gloss finish.

Unlike the raspberry pink shades I’ve gravitated towards in the past, Cruella doesn’t require any other make-up to make my face look polished – result! The sticks cost £17 each so they aren’t the cheapest, but if you’re looking for an ‘investment lip product’, if such a thing exists…