Slip, Slide & Glide With The NARS Cosmetics Velvet Lip Glides

Ever noticed how some people walk so smoothly that they seem to glide towards you, almost as if the ground were propelling them forward, as if they were standing atop one of those airport moving walkways, their feet changing position without any real force being exerted, without any sound being made? Well, most women want any lipstick they use — or, for that matter, the brush or sponge tip of their lipgloss’s applicator wand— to glide across their pouts with the same kind of ease. No one wants to deal with dry-feeling lipstick bullets that drag and tug at the delicate skin on our moths, with viscous and dense lipgloss formulas that can’t be spread without some serious friction. But while there are certainly plenty of lip gloss, liquid lipstick, tinted balms, lip crayons, and lipsticks that go on smoothly, none — and I do mean none — does so with as much ease and swagger as the new NARS Velvet Lip Glide ($26 at NARScosmetics.com). To use a dance metaphor, other products may wow crowds with their Hammer dance moves, but the NARS Velvet Lip Glide shuts down the house with its Michael Jackson moonwalk. This is a lip color with plenty of game, the Don Draper to everyone else’s Barney Stinson (yes, both characters are smooth talkers, but Don is, well, Don!). Imagine coasting on a skateboard, feeling carefree while moving along. That’s how this lip color glides across lips — as if it were coasting confidently, never stumbling or teetering. The moment you press the applicator’s flat-sided sponge brush tip on your lips and slide it sideways, you’ll recognize that the product’s on-lip sensation is completely unique and revolutionary — the result of a new Oil Infusion Complex that facilitates the smooth-glide effect. Even more stunning is the fact that the formula somehow manages to coat lips with opaque color, all the while feeling virtually weightless.

This, of course, was precisely what François Nars intended when creating the new Velvet Lip Glides: to unveil a product that would be as easy to apply as a lip gloss (minus the bothersome stickiness), but which would cloak lips with the type of full-bodied pigments associated with lipsticks and which would feel like neither of the aforementioned products. You might be tempted to call the NARS Velvet Lip Glide a liquid lipstick, but it doesn’t quite fit into that category either in the sense that the formula doesn’t dry all the way down to a completely matte finish. Instead, each Velvet Lip Glide color goes on with a vinyl-like sheen but eventually dries down to a semi-matte finish, all the while retaining its opacity and keeping lips feeling comfortable and moisturized.

I’ve become obsessed with the new NARS Velvet Lip Glides because of their boldness, the full coverage they offer (often with one single swipe, no less!), their non-sticky feel, and the indulgent sensation yielded by the application process. As for their staying powers, these aren’t the longest-lasting lip colors I’ve ever tried, but they do hold up for a solid amount of hours. And, unlike so many long-wearing lipsticks that leave lips flaky and chapped, these keep your pout smooth and kissable.

The current assortment of  NARS Velvet Lip Glide shades includes 13 shades, of which I’ve tried 4: Toy, a deep aubergine shade that’s slightly gothic but feels polished and regal; Danceteria, a fun-loving fuchsia with a distinctly ’80s playfulness (think of Joan Collins’s signature magenta lipstick in Dynasty circa 1981 or Olivia Newton-John’s tights in the “Let’s Get Physical” video); Bound, a nude rose hue; and No. 54, a vibrant poppy red that was presumably named after Studio 54 and is as energetic as Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. 

Below, check out swatches of all four shades:

As you can see from the pics above, the colors initially have a wet-looking finish and, in turn, a glossy sheen. As time passes, however, the colors take on more of a semi-matte finish, so that they have the opacity and wow factor of saturated matte lipsticks but still retain some of that eye-catching shine.

Here are a few pics of me wearing the NARS Velvet Lip Glide in No. 54, one of my new favorite reds:

I’m obsessed with the color’s unique finish and, as I mentioned, the texture alone is worthy of applause.

Next, check out some pics in which Im wearing the Bound hue:

This is totally the type of color you can wear with nearly anything. I tend to have difficulty finding the right shade of nude lip color since most wash me out completely, and I find that mauve-ish pinks with fleshy undertones work best for me when I opt for a neutral pout. The NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Bound, then, should hopefully prove to be just as much of a go-to shade for gals like myself!

Below, check out how the NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Toy looks on my pout:

Obviously, this is a really deep Merlot shade and, as a result, it can feel a bit gothic on gals with fair complexions, but I actually appreciate that the shade has a certain enigmatic elegance. On me, the shade takes on a slightly punk feel and, since I’ve been known to have a non-conformist frame of mind, that suits me just fine!

Last but not least, check out some pics in which I’m wearing the Danceteria shade:

Now, I’m a sucker for a bold lip, so this yummy fuchsia shade gives me all the feels. Plus, having grown up in the ’80s, there’s a nostalgic element to this shade that just makes me want to watch a Punky Brewster marathon and jam to some Bananarama tracks.

All in all, these colors are insanely fun — so fun, in fact, that you can’t wait to wear them again. It’s like the sensation you get after zooming down a water slide: all you want is to climb back up and experience the exhilaration once more!