Guest reviewer, Patty is back to tell us know about her lip pencil obsession and what she does and doesn’t like about some popular brands!
I am constantly drawn to lip pencils. I don’t know why, but if I’m out makeup shopping and come home with just one thing, it is almost always a lip pencil. My favorite formulas and color choices are from Lancome, Dior and MAC’s Cremestick liners. I DO like that the Lancome liners have a brush on the opposite end, but I DON’T like that their caps tend to crack and fall off. I DO really like the smooth glide I get from Dior’s Automatic lip liners, but I DON’T like the limited color selection. I DO like the color selection and smooth glide of MAC’s Cremestick liners, but I DON’T like how easily these break. Enter MAC’s newest liner, the Pro Longwear Lip Pencil! These come in a great selection of colors, glide on smoothly, and boy do they last without being dry!
I have fairly pigmented lips but an uneven lip line. I work from home and during the week I typically only leave the house to go to the gym and run short errands. A full face of makeup is not my normal day-to-day regimen these days. I do however put on a tinted moisturizer (Dex New York Mineral Tinted Hydrator) and a lip liner with lip balm before I go. I don’t go to a globo gym with a juice bar and mirrors, I go to a hard core gym where we sweat, grunt and cuss while lifting insane amounts of weight. I don’t care what I look like to my fellow warriors at 6am, but I do frequently run my errands when I’m done and I don’t want to scare people I come in contact with! My face gets very red when I exercise and the Dex New York Mineral Hydrator (a wonderful product worthy of its own review) plus a little lip liner and lip balm keep me looking presentable.
MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencils currently come in 10 shades:
Etcetera: Creamy Beige
In Anticipation: Soft Yellow Pink
Staunchly Stylish: Pinky Beige
More to Love: Intense Bluish Pink
Kiss Me Quick: Yellow Red
What A Blast: Bright Orange
Absolutely It: Soft Burgundy
Morning Coffee: Dirty Rose
Nice ‘n’ Spicy: Pink Cinnamon Stick
Bittersweet: Intense Brown
I currently own two of these liners: Nice ‘n’ Spicy and Absolutely It. The MAC descriptions are pretty spot on. Nice ‘n’ Spicy is very similar to MAC’s Crème ‘o’ Spice. I don’t have anything else that compares with Absolutely It, but it is definitely a nice, soft burgundy shade. I find myself reaching for this one each morning when I do a very quick, minimal “gym face”. It adds a little color and definition to my lips without making me look “made up”. It also lasts through a tough workout, several sips from my water bottle and errands.
I’m typically drawn to warmer, neutral lip shades. I like a good, peachy pink, something with warm undertones. Nice ‘n’ Spicy is perfect with just about anything I’ve paired it with, and also nice on its own for a little bit of color. Absolutely It is much more fall-friendly, and looks good with plums, wines and DEFINTELY on its own with a bit of lip balm. These glide on like a dream, smooth as silk with no drag like MAC’s regular lip pencils. They are also the kind you sharpen yourself, so they don’t have the fragility of twist-up pencils. The only downside to these and this is minor: since they are soft, it’s hard to keep a sharp edge. I’m sharpening very frequently. I guess that just means I’ll be replacing these more quickly but it’s a fair trade-off considering I really do love these and reach for at least one of these shades each and every day!
These liners retail for $18USD and are not limited. I was told by a MAC rep recently that since these have been so well received, we’ll probably see this formula in limited edition shades in future collections. Sounds like a Prime Beauty All Star to me!
Reviewed by Patty Newell
As usual a great review by your guest reviewer. What a find she is!