Sephora Beauty Insider Birthday Gift : NARS
I just got my Sephora birthday gift! Actually, my birthday was in February and I was not in Japan so I can’t order anything, but I put this gift in my online cart just in case. And when I order some stuff at the end of March, this gift that I almost forgot its inside my cart got shipped along too. I was really excited because I didn’t expect that I would get it. So yey! Lucky me!
What’s inside?
Sephora birthday gift for Beauty insider (regular member) is mini NARS lip pencils in Cruella and Rikugien. VIB Rouge (VIP member) will get a mini Larger Than Life Long-Wear eyeliner too.
Packaging
These mini lips are exactly like the full size ones! These lip pencils come with black plastic caps that are pretty tight as they don’t fall off in my messy cosmetic bag. The lip pencils’ size is about the same as my index finger. It’s pretty compact and good to travel around with.
Price
I got it for free by signing up on Sephora US’s online site. It’s very easy, and you don’t need to purchase to a certain amount or anything at all. Members of every rank could get this. The starting rank is ‘Beauty Insider’ which is the only requirement you need to be eligible for this. J Go sign up here if you are living in the US or in countries that Sephora US site ship products to (like me, I live in Japan).
Product breakdown
Velvet matte lip pencil in Cruella
NARS Velvet matte lip pencil is an Allure Best of Beauty Award Winner. And my opinion, it deserves all of its reputation.
Color – Scarlet red as descripted on Sephora’s site, it’s a very bright true red color. A very classic color worthy of having. I owned MAC’s Russian Red which everybody said it’s a classic, but it turns out I like this one more. It’s a bit brighter and it suits my face a bit more as Russian Red has cooler (blue) tone.
Application – The pencil package makes it very easy to apply. And of course the formula was very soft and smooth that it glided on without efforts. It didn’t take me long to draw my lip perfectly. I love this!
Formula – The formula is exactly like what the name describe ‘Velvet Matte’. It’s a bit velvety so it does not feel heavy or drying on my lip at all and it has a shine-free matte finish. Also, you can keep on re-applying and it will blend in perfectly with the existing layer, so no need to remove and re-apply. The formula is smooth enough you don’t need to apply lip balm. It’s like a moisturizing lipstick with at matte finish.
Bleeding – Amazingly this almost does not bleed at all. I have Kat Von D’s Vampira liquid lipstick that is so popular for their long-lasting and matte-ness, and this NARS one actually bleed less and looks better.
Patches – It does not cling onto dry patches on my mouth at all. I can apply it normally without needing to scrub my mouth and with little moisturizing from my lip balm. Also, it leaves no white dry line on my mouth during the day.
Long wearing – It will stay on your mouth longer than 6 hours if you don’t eat or touch it at all. But at least 40% will be definitely gone if you eat food. If you are just drinking, sipping some coffee or a bite-size snack, there’s nothing to worry at all.
Overall
This thing is perfection. I love it so much on the first day I used this I wonder why I waste all my time scrubbing my mouth and dealing with MAC matte lipsticks. It’s suitable for anybody who’s looking for who hates how drying matte lipsticks are but wants a matte finish lip.
What I love the most about this velvet lip pencil’s formula is how light and moisturizing it feels on my lip and how easy it is to apply. I have a lot of problems with the traditional drying matte lipstick that is so dry I can’t re-apply properly and it’s very time-consuming and annoying to maintain. This just solves all the problem.
Satin Lip pencil in Rikugien
Color – Rikugien color descripted on Sephora site is rose pink. It’s well pigmented but not as much as the matte lip pencil. It has a bit of a frost satin finish to it. Very simple and nice color for everyday look.
Application – Very smooth and easy to apply but you need to apply more than one layer to get perfect pigmentation.
Formula - On Sephora site, it is stated that this satin lip pencil are formulated with vitamins and will make your lip moisturized which I think is fairly accurate. NARS has super nice formula lipsticks, this one is also one of them. It’s very creamy, doesn’t live white lines and can be re-apply easily the whole day. Also, it’s very light-weighted. Feels like a lip balm, looks like a lipstick.
Long wearing – It’s long wearing enough to last more than 5 hours. But most will be gone if you eat anything.
Overall
I was not a fan of this when I first swatch it on my hand. I don’t like think that look glossy or frosty. But after I try used it for a day, it turns out to be nicer than I thought. Even though it looks glossy but it does not feel glossy, which I really like. I love how easy it is to use, very fuss-free, pencil type lipstick that decreases lipstick application time and makes life better.
Overall
I think NARS made the right choice releasing this gift set, because after trying their formulas, I am so gonna buy more of these amazing lip pencils!
Where to buy
You can sign up for Sephora US site and get it with any purchase on your birthday month here.
Or you can buy them at any of your local NARS store or on Sephora site here for Matte lip pencil and here for Satin lip pencil.