Pencil It In! — Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Introduces Cosmetic Colour Pencils

For years now, I’ve touted the wonders of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics’s richly pigmented, long-lasting, slick-looking, bold and unapologetic Lip Tars. Well, now, the wild child of makeup brands has added a new act to its lip service repertoire with the launch of its Cosmetic Colour Pencils ($16 each at OCCmakeup.com). Like all of OCC Makeup’s products, these lip pencils are 100% vegan and, furthermore, they contain only micro-refined mineral pigments, without relying on filler, binders, or extenders. Makeup junkies like yours truly would spearhead a deafening public outcry if these lip pencils were anything other than suffused with color — and, true to form, OCC Makeup did not disappoint in this regard. Unlike other lip pencils, which are often softer versions of their corresponding lipstick shades, these are bold enough to wear on their very own.

Eleven shades were unveiled in the debut collection along with one clear primer shade dubbed Anti-Feathered. The OCC Makeup Anti-Feathered Cosmetic Colour Pencil contains hydrating vitamin E, collagen-boosting vitamin A, and a combination of coconut derived essential fatty acids (mainly omega-3s) and Japanese fruit wax that form a clear coating on the lips that, in turn, effectively locks in any Lip Tar, lipstick, Stained Gloss or lip pencil applied thereafter.

Even if you don’t invest in the Anti-Feathered pencil, however, you will marvel at the ease with which these lip pencils glide on lips. The color seems to melt onto your pout the moment the tip comes into contact with skin, so that there’s no uncomfortable pulling or tugging during the application process. To say they glide on lips would be an understatement — it’s almost like they’re tip-toeing on your pout yet depositing rich color with every delicate motion.

Among the shades introduced, you’ll find NSFW, the brand’s best-selling red shade, which has blue undertones; Hoochie, a powerful magenta with violet undertones; Grandma, a clean and bright coral orange; Anime, a neon pink worthy of a Murakami masterpiece; and Trick, a taupe-ish beige; Black Dahlia, a slightly gothic black cherry hue.

In addition to Anti-Feathered, I’ve been coloring my world with the Hoochie, NSFW, and Black Dahlia Cosmetic Colour Pencils, each of which has a corresponding Lip Tar shade that ranks among my favorites. These lip pencils help you achieve full coverage and they feel creamy and comfortable on lips. You can use them to trace lips and create a base before applying your Lip Tar of choice, apply them above your lipstick or lip tar to matteify the color and make it last a bit longer (a clever trick); or wear it all by itself. If you want to make it look a bit glossier and more slick, you can always blend the lip pencil of your choice with either MAC’s Lip Mix or even some Rosebud Salve and create your own liquid lipstick of sorts.

Lately, I’ve been wearing these on their own, without relying on any other lip products.

Check out swatches of these three hues:

The Black Dahlia lip pencil manages to replicate the color of the Black Metal Dahlia Lip Tar, sans the latter’s metallic pigments. The result is a color that’s reminiscent of black cherry yet slightly more purplish. The NSFW lip pencil, similarly, has the same tonality as the lip tar after which it was dubbed so that it resembles a Maraschino cherry but, again, the color lacks the slick, wet-looking finish of a Lip Tar. As for the Hoochie shade, it’s eerily similar to its Lip Tar sibling, which itself is reminiscent of the adorable Magenta character in Blue’s Clues.

Here’s a few shots of me wearing the OCC Makeup Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Hoochie:

Next, check me out rocking the NSFW Colour Cosmetic Pencil:

Isn’t it crazy how vibrant these look without me applying anything else?  These pencils will color your life — and your lips — happy!