Maybe it’s a result of living through the darkly lined lips + pink pearlized lip gloss trend (that, unfort, is still taking place in certain Jersey cities), but I’ve never gotten into lip pencils. I KNOW they’re a must for keeping lipstick in place. But most pencil shades are either too dark or change the color of my lipstick for the worse. That goes for you, MAC pencil in Spice—even you are not “universally flattering.” Let’s just say I did not go quietly when I heard about The Perfect Pencil ($14) by Beauty For Real. It was created by Leslie Munsell, a makeup artist and former color cosmetics creator for Aveda. She’s no slouch. The pinky-nude pencil is designed to match your natural lip shade. How it knows, and how it does that, is the miracle. After I applied it, my lips looked EXACTLY how I want them to look at all times: slightly darker and rosier than they are naturally. They effect completely brightened up my face. Plus, the pencil is soft and creamy so it’s easy to smudge either into the lip line or on the entire lip—which is how I prefer to wear it, topped with a little clear gloss—like Beauty For Real’s minty, plumping version ($22). The tube even comes with a mirror and built-in light, making the stuff easy to apply at the club, yo, or find in your giant satchel. You can guess which scenario applies to moi.

Filed Under: aveda, Beauty for Real, lip gloss, lip pencil