NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Swatches Part 3: Club Mix

The last Velvet Gloss Pencil I have to swatch on the lips for you is NARS Club Mix. It is plum-grape perfection. I love it. A good plummy-grape is hard for me to find since many are either too red or too blue for my skintone. NARS has the best selection of plums that I’ve seen including Damage & Klute which I’ve used since my college days.

Club Mix is a deep plum with slight iridescent shimmer. It has a glossy finish like all the other glossy pencils. Being darker requires a precise application, which can be hard to achieve with the large tip. I had to blend the edges with a lip brush because the product kinda went all over the outside of the lip where I had not applied slowly. I recommend lining your lips with a plum liner like NARS Marnie or MAC Beurre first, blot and blend for an even finish, then apply Club Mix. It will help the color last longer and when it fades the stain from the lipliners will at least help to keep your lips looking even.

Here it is compared to a few NARS Lipsticks: Shrinagar, Damage, Klute

Overall thoughts on all the pencils: LOVE! I was pleasantly surprised about the color payoff. Reason I’m surprised? You have to try the pencils in person to feel the texture to understand. They have a glossy finish and when swatched on my hand the colors with one swipe were sheer. After layering with a few swipes you really see the color show through.

The texture feels nice and moisturizing, although I can’t really confirm whether or not they are in fact moisturizing. These feel like the NARS Lip Lacquers (pot glosses) in a tube form without the icky smell. I do still love the lip lacquers – I actually prefer them for pigment, finish and lasting power. I hope NARS does not discontinue them – although I have noticed more and more colors are getting discontinued. If they could reformulate to change the scent the Lip Lacquers would be perfect and I think more people would buy them.

It’s also interesting to see how these apply on the lips. For me, the color really showed through even brighter than what I see in the pencils. I love the vibrant colors and feel like NARS released a diverse range of shades which is nice. I do find it interesting that the colors Baroque, New Lover and Club Mix make me look paler due to the contrast. I’m in desperate need of a tan.

My top 2 picks: Club Mix (plum) and Happy Days (peach).

Any rants? Yes, $24 is steep, especially given the size, formula and lack of sharpener. I feel like they will get used up really quickly.

But overall thumbs up, definitely worth checking out.