I was actually lucky enough to find TWO reds that I could wear every day, but this was the one I chose to buy first. (Because I am SO going back to get the other one later on.)
Introducing... NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella...
NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils are GIANT FATTY lip pencils. They're not like an average lip liner. But they are a great cross between a lipstick and a lip liner. They are a total matte finish (which is actually pretty drying on my lips, so I put on UD's Lip Primer underneath, to give it some moisture). They glide on like lipstick, but have the application control and staying power of lip liner. (If I try to put on lipstick without liner first, and without a brush, my lips look all sloppy.) It maybe needs some gloss? (I probably won't put gloss over it) And then, good to go!
Bright? Yes. Eye-catching? Definitely. I'm starting to realize that, no matter what shade, wearing red takes balls. You can never completely take the drama out of wearing red lipstick - it will always stand out. But unlike my Gash lipstick, Cruella doesn't have any shimmer, and it's not too dark either. And actually, I think it's more on the orange side than blue (on me, at least - I read a review of this that said it had more of a berry undertone). Maybe it's just me, but orange red seems more casual, more daytime, than a blue-red, which definitely says evening/dress-up to me.
Cruella, even in a light application, doesn't go on pinkish. (Gash does - you really have to glob it on to make it RED.) It really just goes on... red. You could put on just a little bit, smudge it all over your lips, and it's still red, not pink. (Which is actually how I tried it on at Sephora, because I started to apply it, and the tip totally BROKE and fell off, so I just pressed my lips together until they were all covered, and I actually liked it that way. I like the full coverage in my photos above too, but that light application was great!)
And it's SUPER LIGHT on. You know how, right after you paint your nails, you do everything kind of gingerly because the polish is fresh, whereas a few days later, you go about your business as normal? I'm like that with lipstick and lip gloss - when I talk with lip stuff on (actually, even with just lip balm or chapstick), my mouth doesn't feel exactly the same way it feels when I'm not wearing anything on my lips. It's like I'm UBER conscious that I'm wearing stuff, because I can definitely feel that there's an extra layer on my mouth. But 'tis not so with my Cruella - wearing this, I'm liable to forget that I'm actually wearing anything and kiss my baby with it and leave a big red imprint on her :)
So, that's my perfect red. NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella. I love it. It's perfect.
PS - My OTHER perfect red, also by NARS, was the semi-matte lipstick in Shanghai Express. Apparently it's everyone's perfect red, because it's one of the best-selling reds at Sephora? It's actually very similar to Cruella, IMO, only it's semi-matte, and definitely needs lip liner. (You can't wear reds without lipliner - you need perfect definition.)
PPS - I found a blog maintained by an British-Asian girl/woman that is called My Perfect Red, and it's basically all about - you guessed it - red lipstick. She hasn't updated in almost a year, and she doesn't seem to have any photos of herself wearing the actual colors, but she does have swatches and photos of the products, so... *shrug*. If anything, it's a nice long list of reds to check out.
Introducing... NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella...
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| "If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will!" |
Cruella, even in a light application, doesn't go on pinkish. (Gash does - you really have to glob it on to make it RED.) It really just goes on... red. You could put on just a little bit, smudge it all over your lips, and it's still red, not pink. (Which is actually how I tried it on at Sephora, because I started to apply it, and the tip totally BROKE and fell off, so I just pressed my lips together until they were all covered, and I actually liked it that way. I like the full coverage in my photos above too, but that light application was great!)
And it's SUPER LIGHT on. You know how, right after you paint your nails, you do everything kind of gingerly because the polish is fresh, whereas a few days later, you go about your business as normal? I'm like that with lipstick and lip gloss - when I talk with lip stuff on (actually, even with just lip balm or chapstick), my mouth doesn't feel exactly the same way it feels when I'm not wearing anything on my lips. It's like I'm UBER conscious that I'm wearing stuff, because I can definitely feel that there's an extra layer on my mouth. But 'tis not so with my Cruella - wearing this, I'm liable to forget that I'm actually wearing anything and kiss my baby with it and leave a big red imprint on her :)
So, that's my perfect red. NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella. I love it. It's perfect.
PS - My OTHER perfect red, also by NARS, was the semi-matte lipstick in Shanghai Express. Apparently it's everyone's perfect red, because it's one of the best-selling reds at Sephora? It's actually very similar to Cruella, IMO, only it's semi-matte, and definitely needs lip liner. (You can't wear reds without lipliner - you need perfect definition.)
PPS - I found a blog maintained by an British-Asian girl/woman that is called My Perfect Red, and it's basically all about - you guessed it - red lipstick. She hasn't updated in almost a year, and she doesn't seem to have any photos of herself wearing the actual colors, but she does have swatches and photos of the products, so... *shrug*. If anything, it's a nice long list of reds to check out.