The NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils aren’t really new to me, but now I’ve got this shade, Train Bleu to add to my meager collection of three. Prior to Train Bleu, I already had Bahama, Dolce Vita, and Damned, and I absolutely loved the formula of these. They are, as the name suggests, quite matte and it can feel a little drying on the lips. These will emphasize dry areas on your lips, so just a caveat.
I had to search my Gmail inbox to get the backstory on my mysterious Lydia purchase. I mean, I didn’t forget buying it, but I wasn’t sure what the circumstances were or why it took me so long to review it. After remembering why I got it (Black Friday sale—$12.80 instead of $16), I began writing this review.
So, I eventually broke and purchased a few items—two of them, rather thoughtlessly, I think—and I guess these are my makeup items for January-March 2015. Not to confuse you, but I made a deal with myself to buy 1 makeup item per month in 2015. In an effort to curb my makeup shopping. Obviously, it’s worked but I’m kicking myself in the face, haha. I talk a bit about the items in the video above (it’s short!) but I’ll post some swatches below: NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Train Bleu & MAC Viva Glam Rihanna II Why these are my thoughtless purchases: I love Train Bleu, but I think I should have held off and gotten the Pure Matte Lipstick in Volga! It seems more of the shade I’m looking for. I’ll use this anyway, because it’s really pretty, too. And for my “WTF?” I’ve got MAC Viva Glam Rihanna II. It’s a really frosty brown. I’m wearing it in the video. In a weird way, I do like it, but I still feel …
GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED JANUARY 1, 2015. (Well, it’s about time.) So, this is the first ever giveaway on Softly Sometimes. I know I promised you guys this giveaway weeks before, but I had to wait for all of the ~elements~ to kind of come together. Not that I need to disclose it or anything, but everything has been purchased by myself. I wanted to show a range of my favorite products, so I hope you all like it. 🙂 What I’m Giving Away: — Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope Eye Kit in Gravité — BITE Beauty Best Bite Remix — Aromateria Solid Perfume in Ender — Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Amour (deluxe size) Le Métier de Beauté makes some of my favorite makeup products, which is why I’ve amassed quite a few items despite the hefty price tag. Gravité is a limited edition Kaleidoscope Eye Kit (fancy word for eyeshadow quad) and it’s a “spare” I had that I figured I didn’t need. BITE Beauty is a recent discovery, and one …
I was really thinking about all my beauty favorites this May, and came up with zero things—I either rotated stuff so often, it would be unfair to call them favorites or I didn’t care to wear much makeup. I couldn’t really think of “real” favorites… Except, that is, for lip crayons! These were the lip products I tend to reach for the most the entire month. From the color choices on the lids, I think you can see why I kind of had to go on my Beauty Dare. Anyway, my favorites are the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils (my NARS VMLP in Bahama is missing—I can’t find it anywhere!) and the Happy Skin Shut Up and Kiss Me Moisturizing Lippies, which are the easiest freaking things to wear. I also love the Addiction by Ayako Lipcrayon and the NARS Satin Lip Pencil, but I only have one shade in each (my NARS one is LE, too), so I rarely use either of them. Glossier options are the Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss …
You know sometimes how you keep on putting off buying certain things, but then can’t get them out of your head that you eventually cave? Yep, that’s the situation right here. These are two NARS makeup items that I finally got around to “crossing off” my imaginary shopping list—the Eyeshadow Duo in Charade and the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Damned. The eyeshadow duo is, I admit, very much an influence of Ingrid/Missglamorazzi on YouTube. When she started her channel, she was pretty much a NARS loyalist, so I knew I could count on her opinion when it comes to eyeshadow duos. I actually went into NARS to buy this, but was unimpressed and left with both Grand Palais and Dogon instead. Well, I couldn’t forget about Charade.
The NARS lip pencils have always intrigued me, and Krysty’s review of the Satin Lip Pencil in Sex Machine convinced me to finally go ahead and check them out. I was originally set on getting that, but I went with my gut instinct that told me I wouldn’t like a cool blue pink on myself, so I looked for a different color. The first one I got was a warm, deep brown with red undertones called Bahama. Here it is in action. I rather like it, though it’s a bit too dark a brown than I prefer. I do love wearing it, though with fresh, clean eyes and strong brows, like in this look. The Velvet Matte Lip Pencils glide on with an effortless smoothness, carefully coating each inch of lip with a beautiful opaque shade. I loved this so much, I decided to get myself another matte shade, this time in Dolce Vita, which is a deep pinky red. This is another color that seems to be great for everyday wear, if you are …
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