20/04/2015

The Lowdown on Lodhi

While the intensely pigmented lip crayon/pencil products have been the hot thing in the beauty community at the moment, perhaps the original pow-wow lip pencils came from NARS in the form of their Satin and Matte Lip Pencil. Last month I did a review on the Maybelline Velvet Matte Lip Pencils which are supposedly similar to the NARS Matte Lip Pencils, but today I have the Satin Lip Pencil in Lodhi to share.








Photo from my formal cos I'm too lazy to take another lip swatch photo :P

Packaging-wise, in true NARS fashion, it's very sleek. Black with a rubberised lid, but also a plastic end that displays the colour of the pencil inside. The pencil is wooden which means it has to be sharpened. While I haven't had to sharpen it yet, I find this so annoying because it will ultimately mean a lot of product will be wasted, it'll make my sharpener all messy and you'll need to have a sharpener big enough. Ugh. NARS, just make it twist up!! As bad as that is, the pencil only contains 2.2g of product which is, like, half the size of your typical lipstick! Value for money this pencil is not.

I had very high expectations for this product. Not only because of the hype and all of the good reviews out there, but also, it was one of my first NARS products! What excitement! I must say, it did indeed live up to those expectations. The texture of the product is SO creamy and pigmented. Applying barely any pressure at all, you can get full colour with one swipe. Although it's creamy, it (as the name suggests) has a satin finish with the slightest sheen that keeps the product from looking or feeling dry, sitting comfortably on the lips. I wouldn't say it's particularly moisturising, but it definitely isn't drying. The product isn't at all slippy and really adheres to the lips. The lasting power is what surprised me. I wore this on my formal night, and believe I only had to reapply a couple of times in the duration of about...10 or so hours! Even then, I probably only had to reapply once after eating as the product faded evenly, but y'know, gotta keep dem lips tip top.

Lodhi is the most typical "me" shade. It's that perfect mix of coral, peach and pink. I've noticed it looks different on different people and in different lights. In swatches online I've seen it look incredibly pastel and bright, but on me, it's an extremely wearable bright lip. The swatches here were taken in sunlight, but in the shade it can appear darker and slightly "burnt", like in the photos from my formal. Regardless, it's a stunning shade that could be dressed up or down. Really, I could stand to wear this everyday but I'm a bit stingy with my NARS, haha! :P

So, there we have it! NARS Lodhi has definitely become one of my favourite lip products. The formula is just so amazing, and the colour is perfection. Of course, it's made me want more, and to try the Matte Lip Pencils, but for now, one is enough! Lol jk, I can't afford more. They retail for AUD$34 at Mecca.

Have you tried any of the NARS pencils?