NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil Review and Swatches

NARS has a great line of lip pencils that come in three finishes: Satin (soft sheen), Velvet Matte (velvet finish) and Velvet Gloss (glossy shine). They're fantastic products and you feel like you're colouring using them. It's fun. 

Here's a review I did of NARS Dragon Girl, one of the Velvet Matte lip pencils, from ages ago. 

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose

In this post we look at the NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose, which is a colour I've been eyeing for a while. Mexican Rose is a bright pink, perfect for spring and summer. 

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose

The pencil packaging means that they're easy to use and very portable. Just toss into your handbag and go! There's no need for brushes with this (if you keep the pencil sharpened). 

Speaking of sharpening, you'll need a jumbo pencil sharpener for this. The pencil is coated but inside it's some sort of wood or wood-like product so it's easy to sharpen. Since the gloss itself is so soft though, you're not looking for a lead pencil tip. Something like how it is in the photo below is what you want to aim for. 

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose

Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss is interesting in that it can start fairly sheer but it seems to itensify on its own after a little while. Of course, you can layer it to get a punch of colour, but even when you apply it very lightly, it goes on one way and itensifies.

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose - swatched (NW15 skintone)

The texture of Mexican Rose is smooth and light-weight but slightly sticky. Once it's on, you feel confident that it's not going to move. And move it does not. This is a long-lasting lip gloss. Its finish makes your lips look almost wet. Eventually the sheen wears off, but the colour is left behind in a stain meaning there's no immediate need to reapply. 

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose - swatched (NW15 skintone)

Colour-wise, it's a beautiful, bright, blue-toned pink. Oh, and NARS Velvet Glosses are moisturizing, so it's not going to feel drying like many glosses can after wearing them for awhile.

Here it is on my face! I'm not sure what blush I'm wearing in this photo, but it goes really nicely with Mexican Gloss, no? I'll have to figure out which one it is!

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose

I love wearing Mexican Rose. It's such an easy colour and product to just keep in my handbag and apply on a whim. Especially suited for warmer months of the year, it's also great for adding a pop of colour to the face in the colder months.

I highly recommend checking out Mexican Rose or any of the other Velvet Glosses if you're looking for an easy-to-apply, long-lasting, moisturizing, pigmented gloss. 

$26 US

In Canada, NARS is readily available at Sephora stores, The Bay stores and Murale stores.

Grade: A

Vichy NormaDerm Tri-Active Masque Review and Photos

In March, Vichy Laboratories launched two new products in their Normaderm collection. The Normaderm collection is meant for acne-prone skin. Beauty Squared was sent the new Tri-Activ Masque and Total Mat Oil and Shine Control for review. Since neither Jill or I are prone to regularly occurring acne, we thought it best to wait until summer when our skin was oilier and more prone to breakouts. 

The Tri-Activ Masque is a mask for imperfection-prone and sensitive skin. The "tri-activ" refers to three actions:

1. Purifies - eliminates sebum and impurities
2. Exfoliates - to unclog pores
3. Mattifies - clarifies complexion for a purer and mattified skin

It contains a combination of clay, salicylic acid and glycolic acid and can be used as a face mask or as a cleanser. According to Vichy this product immediately purifies skin eliminating excess sebum, leaving skin mattified for 3 days. In addition this product is suitable for sensitive skin, contains soothing agents to leave the skin without discomfort and dehydration, and is paraben, soap and alcohol free.

The Tri-Activ Masque comes in a 125 mL tube and costs approximately $19.95 CDN. 

A close-up of the instructions on the back of the tube.

Tri-Activ Masque 

Jill: I have combination skin, with a oily t-zone and normal cheeks. I live in a very dry climate and the warm weather of summer makes my t-zone even oilier. I do suffer from acne when I'm stressed or sleep deprived, but my breakouts generally consist of one or two cystic acne pimples in my t-zone (I do not suffer from large scale breakouts).


This product reminds me of a more sophisticated version of Noxzema, it has a similar scent and creamy texture which I find pleasant. I found it refreshing as a cleanser, and it left my skin feeling clean and oil free. For my t-zone, this cleanser was great, but I did find it a touch drying on my cheeks. I would definitely use this cleanser in the summer, but it would be too drying for my cheeks in the winter and fall months. And while I did find the product to reduce my excess sebum, I did not find it left my t-zone mattifed for 3 days. 


I did prefer using this product as a mask once or twice a week, and as a mask I found it to offer a deep, but not overly aggressive cleansing. Using Tri-Activ as a mask is nice because you only need to apply a thin layer of mask and it dries very quickly so it's fast but effective. Like Catherine I found I had to work the mask quite heavily with water to remove it, but in removing it you do get some exfoliation.


Generally I found this cleanser to be good for a product aimed at acne prone skin. It cleanses and mattifies quite thoroughly but in a gentle manner. 


Grade: B

Catherine: My skin tends to be oily in the t-zone and normal on the cheeks. I live in a climate that is often quite steamy and hot in the summer. My skin tends towards very shiny in the summer, both from oil, moisture in the air and perspiration.

I used the Tri-Activ Masque as both a cleanser and a mask and I liked the effects of both. As you might imagine, as a cleanser it has a similar but less intensive effect than as a mask. I am really impressed with how well it sucks up all the oil from my skin and leaves it smooth and soft. I leave the mask on until it dries and in order to rinse it off, you need to work the residue with your fingers so you're exfoliating at the same time. Adding water to the dried mask and working it creates a creamy residue so it's pleasant to use.

I do find that it's difficult to completely rinse off the mask once it's dried. I really need to work at it and I always use a toner to make sure that my skin is as clean as possible. I've been using it on my throat, chest and upper back as well, since I get breakouts in those areas in the summer. It has a refreshing, tingling, tightening effect and definitely reduces the oil production of my skin.

Grade: B

Bare Escentuals High Shine Eye Colour in Glisten Review and Swatches

I was on vacation in San Francisco recently and although the shopping was surprisingly kept at a minimum, I did find a Bare Escentuals Boutique at the Macy's near Union Square. It just so happened they were launching a new product the following day, their new High Shine Eyecolour, so I made a point of returning. 

Their High Shine Eyecolours are glistening loose powder eyeshadows that unlike the regular Bare Escentuals  eyeshadows come in a tube with a spongetip applicator similar to many cream or liquid eyeshadows on the market. There are six shades - Electric (Deep Teal), Glisten (Golden Sand), Patina (Golden Khaki), Moonshine (Deep Plum), Frost (Silver) and Bronzed (Bronze Brown). 

I picked up Glisten.

Bare Escentuals High Shine Eyecolour in Glisten

The back of the box says: "Get high-intensity sheen from the naturally vibrant pigments of 100% pure bareMinerals High Shine Eyecolours. Free of preservatives and chemical irritants, the ultra-smooth formula glides on effortlessly for an extra creamy, opaque finish full of glistening, foiled effect."

Glisten is a soft, silvery taupe shade, very pretty and of the six, the most neutral and wearable. A safe choice, perhaps but you'll see how insanely shiny it is if you scroll down! It takes some chutzpah to pull off this much shine. 

Sponge-tip applicator

The packaging is very good. Loose powders can be very messy and by including the applicator as part of the package, it minimizes the mess and ensures the applicator will be ready to use as soon as you open the tube. Also, with the lid of the tube as the handle of the brush, it's easier to use than the standard tiny applicator that tend to come with products. 

Close-up of the applicator

Are you ready for the shine? This stuff is seriously, seriously high shine. They're not lying. This is hardcore metallic shine for your eyes. It can be blended down with a brush or your finger if you like and would look amazing on a nighttime eye look.

Glisten swatched on NC15 skintone

See? Crazy metallic foil shine. It's glorious, isn't it? I love it! It's almost like it's liquid.

It goes on very smoothly and the texture is silky and creamy. The spongetip applicator doesn't get right down to the lashline, so you'll want to use a brush to blend it down if that's the look you're going for. There can be quite a bit of fallout from these as well, so beware of product landing along the top of your cheekbone. This can be remedied by waiting until after to apply your foundation or by patting a line of loose powder along the top of your cheekbones to catch any fallout.  You can also start with a little product and build it up and apply gently to minimize the fallout.

Another angle

Buffed down with my finger

As I said, it can be blended with a brush or a finger so that it's less metallic and harsh. The above photo is after I've buffed it right down with my finger and you can see it's still got the shine and colour, but it's more like a normally shiny eyeshadow.

My verdict? I'm drawn to shine like a magpie but it can be difficult to wear. Shine picks up every little bump and crevice as you can see in the swatches above. You can see all the little lines and crevices on the skin on my hand. It will do the same on your lids, so be aware. Many make-up artists will recommend that older women should stay away from this much shine, simply because it picks up on wrinkles and lines that normally should be minimized, so this is a look for someone with smooth eyelids.

For me, I'll wear this in moderation and pair it with other shadows such as in a brown smoky eye.

What do you think? Has anyone picked up one of Bare Escentuals High Shine Eyecolours? Love it? Hate it? How do you wear it?

C.