Nars Lip Pencil in New Lover

I am in love with lip pencils. Why? Because they are genius! And very pretty and travel-friendly to own. The idea of a lipstick in pencil form is kind of new for me. I've always associated lip pencils with lip liners and lip liners to create extravagant lip looks (colors and/or textures) but most recently I noticed a slur of holiday buys that included jumbo lip pencils that are great for touch-ups, travel, and collecting.

The first one I ever tried is the Nars Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in New Lover. It's just a very developed, gorgeous red that has very fine golden shimmers and a glossy finish.

Nars Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil - New Lover

I've lightly worn this here and it's extremely pigmented and super flattering. The golden shimmers give a fresh sheen to the shade and that alone really amps up the pretty factor! The color is really festive but subtle enough that it looks great without much effort. 

I also ordered a lip pencil from Ulta, a much cheaper version of the Nars pencil, to see how it compares texture-wise.

Ulta Lip Crayon in Valentine

Ulta Lip Crayon - Valentine

Nars New Lover

Essentially, I couldn't even tell the difference in shades when I was wearing them two different days! The Ulta crayon is a bit more deeper in color than New Lover but the two colors very much looked identical on me. New Lover is more golden. Valentine also had a pretty golden sheen to it as well, but much more subdue. Texture-wise, Valentine was more matte while New Lover was glossier. I'd say the Ulta lip crayons are a much more drier formula than the Nars but the pigmentation for Valentine is pretty impressive. 

Overall, I'm really in love with both pencils. My Ulta one was a steal at $2.99, but I do think they are going to discontinue this shade soon. Regularly, they are $8.00 each while the Nars one retails for $24.00 full size. The one I have is very close to full size but it was part of the VIB freebie thing that i got. $24.00 is pretty pricey! o_o

What are your thoughts on lip crayons/pencils? Are they worth your while? What other brands would you recommend? :)

Ulta Eyeshadow in Naked

I'm really surprised I hadn't wrote anything about this eyeshadow as I've had it in my makeup bags for years and years! I use it in a variety of ways, as a normal eyeshadow to a highlighter to a light blot powder. It seems very one dimensional but I find that Naked is an eyeshadow that is very multipurpose.

I find that the base color has a slight yellow tinge to it that is really flattering on yellow skintones. It brightens the inner corners of the eyes in a subtle way which I really like. It looks great as a highlight on the brow bone  because it's a nice matte color. I've also used this as a matte highlighter on my cheek bones which I really like as something on the go for touch ups.

Urban Decay's Virgin is similar in color but the shimmers get kind of off putting when it starts looking frosty/metallicy. This one does not, which is why I like it so much. It has a brightening effect that I find is really effective compared to all my neutral beige eyeshadows in my collection.

This is such a simple shadow that functions nicely without much effort. It also helps that this is really wallet friendly at $4.00. Ulta usually has buy 2, get 2 free or similar promotions with their own branded cosmetics :) I've gone through a few of these already. It's really my "secret weapon" when it comes to one thing that can do many, haha. 

Is a single eyeshadow a strange thing to have as multi-purpose product? Thoughts? =D