NARS Satin Lip Pencil “Rikugien” | Review

Hello friends!

When I was first getting into makeup, I basically purchased everything that was in a mini kit, which included this Sephora birthday gift from 2015!  In an effort to find out if all this random makeup I bought was worth it, I decided to give this color a shot!

Color: Rikugien is described on Sephora as a “rose pink”.  I think that’s pretty close – although to me rose makes it sound a little more nude than what this color is.  I’d say this is a more light, “spring” pink.

Finish: There’s not a lot of pigment to the actual lip product, so on my lips it looks like it’s just a slightly shiny gloss.  There’s a definite metallic appearance as well, so I would consider the finish of this product a hybrid of a gloss and a metallic lip.

When I think of satin, I personally think of something that’s almost matte, but not quite.  This formula’s finish is definitely not that, so buyer beware if you’re looking for something almost-matte instead of shiny.

Packaging: The packaging is pretty simple, but still very aesthetically pleasing!  It’s a shiny black base that has the color on the end, and a matte black cap.

One thing to note is that when putting the cap on, you have to twist it as you push it down. If you don’t, it’ll just pop right off and potentially get everywhere.

Application: I find that lip crayons are the easiest product to apply because of the shape; I use the point to line the lips and then the side to fill them in.  Because of this specific color, I honestly couldn’t tell how pigmented it was and I went back and forth a few times.  The only thing I could really see was the metallic shine and no color.

Transfer: This product did transfer, but not a ton.  You could see it on the rim of my cup, but it didn’t leave a huge imprint of color like others can.  Pressing my lips against the back of my hand did leave a small bit of color, but not a lot.  There is less transfer than a standard cream lipstick, but more than a matte lipstick, to help visualize.

Fading:  Because I couldn’t see much color in the first place, it was really hard to tell if there was any significant fading.  The only way I could tell at all was if the shine on my lips was less noticeable than before.

I would say this wore for between 3 and 4 hours before I felt like I had needed to touch up.

Comfort: In terms of comfort, I’d say this is as comfortable as your standard cream bullet lipstick.  It’s not hydrating by any means, but I also don’t feel like it’s drying at all.  I did notice that this particular formula felt sticky when I pressed my lips together, and I could feel it on my lips.  It’s not that it felt uncomfortable at all, but it never had a “weightless” feel like some products do.

The lack of color had made me hope that this could at least be used as a tinted lip balm, but it’s just not comfortable or hydrating enough to want to constantly reapply.

Overall: I think if you have much less pigmented lips than I do, you may enjoy this color more.  However, on me there was almost no color payoff and it wasn’t comfortable enough to wear like a gloss, so unfortunately, I have no use for this product.

Price Point: These lip crayons go for $27 each – definitely not a cheap item.  If you do find this formula interesting, you can buy it on Sephora, Ulta, and the Nars website.

If you’re looking for a metallic-ish lip color, I think this might work for you – the color is very neutral and just shiny enough to give the effect of a metallic without being too bold.  However, with it being so expensive it’s hard for me to recommend this product unless you have a very specific need or desire for it.  I’d say it could be dupable with any sheer pinky nude gloss that gets dabbed off a little to reduce shine.

Have you ever tried a NARS product?