What it is: Marcelle 2 in 1 Retractable Plumping Lipliner
The unexpected: As far as formulas go, these are my new favourite matte lipstick substitutes! Everything about them is utterly perfect – they feel smooth and creamy (rather than dry and gritty), go on without a hitch, and are free of scents, parabens, silicones, and gluten.
Pencils L-R: Nude Attitude, Perfect Nude, Natural, Rose Velours, Cinnamon
The shades: I have five of these, though ironically, the one I’m missing would have probably been my favourite. (It’s Cool Berry – two of my favourite words to hear in relation to a lip colour!) For the five that I have swatched here, I do find they run a bit warm and a few shades pull orange on my lips because of it. This is a common thing, though, with my lips and skintone; I’d say 70% of the lipsticks I try on will do this.
(If you’re one of the lucky majority whose lipsticks and lip liners don’t usually pull orange, Michelle has a fantastic swatch of Nude Attitude over at Lipstick Rules that’s definitely worth checking out.)
Swatches L-R: Nude Attitude, Perfect Nude, Natural, Rose Velours, Cinnamon
Swatches under a slightly different colour setting
The packaging: Marcelle’s retractable pencils are packaged in just an utterly ingenious way. I’m not sure who came up with it first, or when this happened, but I basically think it’s the coolest thing since stick gloss. (And I mean, those are pretty awesome.)
Basically, these super-sleek pencils house a built-in sharpener and brush (in the case of the eyeliners it’s a smudge tip), all in one brilliant little removable piece. It’s actually an incredibly simple concept, but I’m kind of crazy for it!
The ingredients:
Ethylhexyl palmitate, microcrystalline wax, vegetable oil, candelilla wax, ptfe, jojoba seed oil, hydrogenated vegetable oil, palmitoyl oligopeptide, tocopheryl acetate, tribehenin, pentaerythrityl tetra-di-t-butyl hydroxyhydrocinnamate, sorbitan isostearate, stearalkonium hectorite, propylene carbonate. +/- titanium dioxide , iron oxides, mica, red 7 lake, red 6.
The verdict? At just over $10,these are definitely, definitely worth your time, whether you’ll be using them to lock down your lip line or if you’re going to wear them alone. I’d love to see some shades with more cool/muted undertones, though!
Great if:
- You’re looking for a smooth, scent-free lipliner with a great wear time,
- You want to try out the matte lip trend on the cheap (& without a crumbly, dry formula)
And perfect if:
- You want all of the above + have neutral to warm undertones and/or a medium to dark skintone
