MAC Boldly Bare Lip Pencil Review

Hello lovely ladies,

Today’s review is on a lip pencil from MAC, which I wouldn’t even have bothered to look at, let alone buy, had I come across it 6 months back. However, my experiments with bolder eye looks made me search for neutral and n*de shades. Hence, this lip pencil. Let’s find out more details about this one.

Product Details:
A pencil designed for shaping, lining or filling in the lip. Lip pencils have a smooth, creamy texture that is perfect for lining the lips or filling them in. They are long-lasting and available in a wide selection of colors that work well with many different lipstick shades. The color of lip pencil is protected by vitamin E, which acts as an antioxidant, and they contain emollients that moisturize the lips. Lip Pencils can be worn alone, with lipstick or lip glass.

Price:
$16.50 in US / INR 1400 for 1.45 gm.

Packaging:
The lip pencil is a regular sharpen-able wooden pencil, which comes packaged in a black cardboard box. The good thing about the packaging is that the plastic cap is snugly secure and doesn’t come off easily. Also, the pencil bottom is colour coded corresponding to the product shade, so it’s easy to identify in the stash. As is usual with pretty much all MAC pencils, it does not come with a sharpener.

My Experience with MAC Boldly Bare Lip Pencil:

Color: Okay, let me be honest, I could look at neutral shades but n*des are just not up my alley, right? Well, that is what I thought. Till the MAC MUA did my lips with this lip pencil and topped it up with MAC Yash lipstick. And Voila, I felt transformed – actual n*de lips, but they didn’t look deathly and unbecoming. They looked ultra sophisticated, exactly how it is for the famed celebrities! I went back and tried MAC Yash again, on its own! But no, it wasn’t the magic, at least not for me! The magic was this shade instead.

The shade is a n*de peach with just hints of brown and a bit of pink. It turns a bit more pink on my lips because of the pigmentation of my lips. I’m surprised how wearable the shade is even on its own. Top it with a gloss and you would be good to go. Also, needless to say, it forms a great base for similar neutral shades of lipsticks.

Texture: The texture for this one is fairly smooth, as smooth as a MAC lip pencil can be! 😉 It’s definitely not “buttery smooth” – let’s face it, lip pencils will never be buttery smooth, but it was fairly creamy and did not tug. You need prepped and exfoliated lips, the whole thing comes together so much better when your lips give a smooth canvas to the product. When used on its won, it feels pretty okay for about 3-4 hours, post which it starts to feel dry. With a lipstick or lip gloss on top – it’s easier to manage.

left : boldly bare, right : edge to edge

Pigmentation: The pigmentation is good. Considering how light and n*dish the shade is, it still covers all lip pigmentation very well and provides an even base.

Lasting Power:  The product lasted about 6-6.5 hours on me – on its own, but it did get very drying and clingy by the end of that time. With a lipstick applied, it increased the longevity of the lipstick by a couple of hours.

To sum this up for you:

Pros of MAC Boldly Bare Lip Pencil:

• A beautiful n*de color, one which actually works for Indian skin tones! Surprise! Surprise!
• Lightweight matte texture.
• Precision application.
• The pencil applies without tug or pull!
• No feathering or bleeding.
• Convenient packaging, easy to apply and easy to carry, doesn’t take much space in the bag.

Cons of MAC Boldly Bare Lip Pencil:

• Not a hydrating formula; however, considering they are supposed to provide an iron-clad base for lipstick – one kind of expects them to be drying.
• Tends to cling to dry patches, would suggest exfoliating lips before applying.

IMBB Rating:
4.5/5

I think this is a must-buy shade for office goers and gals who generally prefer n*de lips, it’s an absolute winner. More than longevity, I think, what the MAC lip pencils do is that they provide a perfect even canvas for the lipstick to go onto. The sad bit is that the shade is generally sold out. I had to finally pick mine from the MAC Duty free, but the good thing is that when the stock for something moves fast, it also means that you get a fresher piece. And like I mentioned, when I reviewed the shade “Magenta,” for lip pencils and eye pencils, I feel getting a fresh piece is extremely crucial.

Do I Recommend MAC Boldly Bare Lip Pencil?
Absolutely, I would pick this up again once (not if) mine gets over!  The collage pics, I am sharing, are of the lip liner alone. The single pic is of Boldly Bare with lipstick on top and a bit of gloss. This is just for your reference how the combination looks – in case you want to pick up both the products.

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