Review: NARS 'Dragon Girl' Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

"Heels and red lipstick will put the fear of God into people." - Dita Von Teese

The perfect red lip is something that I think every woman should have in her makeup arsenal. Nothing makes you feel quite as fiery, spunky, and powerful as this bold lip color.  I have a beloved red lip in my beauty tool belt that is a deep brick tone (MAC Chili), but I've been on hot pursuit of a brighter cherry red that will work on my fair, pink-toned complexion.  Inspired by Taylor Swift's new music video for 'Blank Space,' (no, I'm not kidding...she looks fierce as hell in that video), I researched to figure out what shade she was sporting and I found her go-to red to be the NARS velvet matte lip pencil in the shade 'Dragon Girl.'

The NARS velvet matte lip pencils are a lip product in crayon type packaging with NARS' iconic rubberized black casing and the brand boldly emblazoned in white on the side. As the name suggests, the product is a true matte lip product.  This pencil was $25 for .086oz of product.

 This pencil is not a twist up so will require sharpening. I know this gets on a lot of people's nerves when brands do this because it seems to waste a lot of product when you're sharpening but I found this stuff will probably work for 5-6 wears before having to sharpen it. This'll last for a while so I'm not concerned about losing a bit of product! I also love the pencil lip product because it makes for a lip liner and lipstick all in one.

'Dragon Girl' is described as a 'vivid siren red' by NARS and vivid it sure is. I love this red because it has hot pink undertones to it and is definitely more blue leaning rather than orangey.  I love this because lipsticks with blue undertones will make your teeth appear whiter which is a HUGE factor to consider when selecting the perfect red for you. Also can we talk about the name for a sec? 'Dragon Girl' is the sassiest, fiestiest sounding name and I think is perfect for this lippie. Did I just make up the word fiestiest? Yup, sure did...but it suits the lipstick so we're gonna go with it.

As I have mentioned before, this product is a matte product which can be tough in the drier winter seasons when lips are chapped and peeling. Putting on a matte lip product can sometimes feel like you're dragging a dried out glue stick across your lips... lovely, right? This stuff has a really smooth texture, however, that is really comfortable to wear and easy to apply. It was so smooth and comfy that I was concerned with it smearing and transferring through out the evening but it stayed put for a solid 6 hours!  As with all bright colors, I recommend stowing this pencil in your purse for touch ups regardless of the phenomenal wear time. 

So there you have it, folks. If you're looking for an iconic red lip, this one might be worth a shot. If you don't think 'Dragon Girl' will work for you then check out the Velvet Matte lip pencil line!  NARS has 19 shades to choose from so you're sure to find one that tickles your fancy.

Check them out HERE!

xxSJ