Hitting It Out of Biscayne Park

Into the Gloss can't label NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Biscayne Park as "quite possibly the perfect nude?" without basically commanding me to buy it. I remember swatching the new range of lip crayons by NARS at Mecca Cosmetica in April and being seriously impressed by the glide-on smoothness and incredible colour payoff. After a few nights of intense Googling where I couldn't even come across a lukewarm review amid a sea of seemingly universal praise, I placed my order for a couple of them (believe me, it was near impossible to select just two) with HQhair. Now this is where the story sours. Let's just say that my experience with HQhair was not a positive one. I waited over two whole months for my goods to finally be delivered after my original order never showed up. In between, there was a lot of messaging, tweeting, calling, emailing, form-filling, more messaging, emailing, and waiting, waiting, endless waiting. Yes, my package made it to me in the end (sans a NARS pencil sharpener that I originally ordered which they ran out of), but at that point, I'd lost most of my enthusiasm because I was so sick of waiting and wondering whether anything would ever arrive.

Top to bottom: Revlon Balm Stain Charm, Revlon Super Lustrous Ginger Rose, Revlon Matte Mauve It Over, Revlon ColorBurst Soft Nude, NARS Biscayne Park, Revlon ColorBurst Blush, Revlon Balm Stain Precious

Biscayne Park is a warm brownish peachy nude. The closest colour I have to it is probably Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Precious, though Biscayne Park is darker, more tawny and not as pinky nude. The texture of these Satin Lip Pencils is much creamier, softer and smoother than the Revlon Balm Stains. I find they sink into the lips nicely (rather than sitting on top of the lips) and wear much more evenly. This particular shade wasn't very staining, though I imagine the darker shades would be a different story.

The most striking aspect of the Satin Lip Pencils is how very little product you need for quite amazing pigmentation. I've applied Biscayne Park a few times and the only evidence to show for it is that the side and tip of the pencil have eroded slightly compared to its pristine condition. It's not really a stain like the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains or a tinted balm like Clinique Chubby Sticks — I find them closer to a opaque, creamy lipstick reimagined in pencil form. Despite being very soft and smooth in texture, the pencils still hold their form and aren't mushy or malleable when in contact with the lips. With time, the product can feel slightly drying on the lips, but nothing a bit of balm over the top can't fix. My only concern is how I'll be sharpening these since the pencil sharpener I ordered with them so I wouldn't have to deal with that very issue was cancelled. I do have a jumbo pencil sharpener from Australis, but I'm wary about how good a job it'll do. I would've much preferred a twist-up design as sharpening just seems to unnecessarily waste product.

I'm a fan of the relatively streamlined, sophisticated design (much less chunky and 'jumbo' than what seems to be the trend for lip crayons on the market). The rich colour payoff combined with the smaller design (and smaller tip, by extension) means that you can properly trace the outline of your lips with it like a regular lip liner. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the shade — ironic, given it was one of the primary reasons I bought it, hoping it would be the "perfect nude" as Into the Gloss suggested. I think Biscayne Park would look much prettier on paler, pink-toned girls. On my yellowish, two-to-three shades darker than fair-skinned complexion, it looks a bit plain, like my lips but slightly lighter and muted. It also draws attention to any redness or unevenness on my face, particularly around my nose. Rather than wearing it in the daytime, I feel it would work best with flawless, perfectly concealed, lightened skin, and contrasting heavily defined eyes.