Are any of my readers still surprised when I review another dark red lipstick? No? Good, because I bought another one. In my defense, this is my cheapest dark red purchase. I wanted NYX's Jumbo Pencil in Milk (I was going to review this, but seeing as every other beauty blogger owns this, I'm sure there are more than enough reviews out there!). I spotted this jumbo lip pencil in Vixen in the sale section, and had to give it a go. The pencil has now disappeared from the UK website, but US ladies who have more access to NYX may still be able to find this one.
Having never tried any NXY products, I wasn't sure what to expect. I've heard good things about their round lipsticks and jumbo pencils for eyes, but almost nothing about jumbo pencils for lips. The jumbo lip pencils are the same size as the eye pencils. They're pretty chunky, but they're still a nice usable size (think Clinique Chubby Sticks, rather than Urban Decay Super Saturated Lip Colour).
Vixen is a nice deep red colour, which leans more brown than purple. It's a more pigmented version of Chanel's Rouge Noir, which I love. However the formula is what lets it down for me. I have a problem with super glossy dark colours that slide about everywhere. They're just not practical. And unfortunately the Jumbo Lip Pencil is just to wet for a colour this dark. It does mean that it's a really moisturising and comfortable lipstick to wear, and quite forgiving on dry lips, but the colour just doesn't stay put. If you don't eat/drink/go anywhere near your lips it'll last for about 3 hours, but it never sets down. In a lighter colour this wouldn't be so much of a problem. But this is the hunt for the perfect dark red lipstick, and whilst the colour is great, the formula just isn't. I don't usually have to worry about lipsticks bleeding, but as you can see from the picture below, which shows the lipstick on it's own, you need to wear a liner with this one.
So whilst I love the colour, this is one lipstick which will probably sit unused in my makeup drawer. It hasn't put me off of NYX lipsticks completely though, and if they have another sale, I may pick up a couple more in more forgiving shades.
