NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Swatches Part 1: Baroque & Frivolous

There are 6 Velvet Gloss Pencils from NARS which I arm-swatched a few days ago. I’m going to split up my lip swatches into three parts because my lips turn really pink after removing product. First up are Frivolous (sheer iridescent blue-pink) and Baroque (brick red with silver sparkle). I’ve been playing around with these for a few days and find it interesting how different these look on the lips compared to what you see on the hand.

I’ve included two sets, one taken during the day, one taken at night so you can see the difference based on lighting. I’ve noticed that I get 4 applications before these wear down to the point you need to re-sharpen. There is a noticeable plastic smell when you apply these but once your application is finished, you no longer smell chemicals. I sniffed my pencil a bit more and decided it’s not the actual lip product that smells but the pencil part.

Lasting power is like any regular glossy lipstick. The finish is glossy and beautiful but I do find you need to either use a regular lipliner or apply these with detailed accuracy or else you will end up with lopsided lips. Applying a regular liner first and blending will help make the edges appear seamless and more natural.

These are sheer but show up better on the lips. I do find your lip needs to be clean or evened out with your underneath color. Any overlap of foundation will show through since these have a semi-transparent finish, even for the darker ones.

So here are Frivolous and Baroque swatched on my hand. You can see all the colors lined up here.

Frivolous is a gorgeous pink in the tube but goes on clearish on the hands and lips. Layering is required to get it to show up on the lips. It’s very subtle. It might not show up on everyone. I wish it was just the slightest bit more pigmented but I’ve worn it several times since getting it already because it’s so naturally pretty. You definitely need a fully-cleaned lip or a darker pink lipliner beneath to make the most out of this. Here it is in daylight, without anything underneath.

Here it is at night, with a flash:

Baroque was a surprise for me. It looked really sheer on the arm and more brown. On the lips it turns into a vibrant red without any hints of brown. I’m not sure if it’s just me or if there’s something about how this pencil reacts with warmth from my skin? I highly recommend you try this out before judging the color. Again, I can’t emphasize how much of surprise this one was. You definitely do not get on the lips what you see in the tube. Here it is on me, again on bare lips, no liner or foundation underneath. In daylight:

At night with a flash: