MAC Pro Longware Lip Pencil in Cultured 2,916yen
I am going to be honest with you here. I have never been a huge fan of MAC. The only MAC products I own are the limited eyeshadows that I bought a couple of years ago -which I haven't used for ages. I have heard a lot of great things about their lipsticks, foundations, concealers and highlighters....but none of them was appealing to me for some reason. MAC seemed too practical for me.
But the other day I just dropped by their counter in a mall while shopping, and their lip pencils caught my eyes. I was just looking for a perfect lip pencil to correct the uneven tone on my lips and brightens up my complexion. I also had tons of lipsticks that I wouldn't wear on their own, and wanted a lip pencil that I could wear underneath them. I had Spice in mind but it was too orange. So I asked a sales assistant to pick a perfect shade for me, and she picked Cultured.
I personally have never heard of a beauty youtuber / blogger talking about this shade, but Cultured is such a lovely shade that looks natural yet add something on the lips. The finish isn't too matte but definitely not shimmery or pearly, which makes my lips look fuller as it catches the light. It glides on smoothly and doesn't make my lips feel too dry.
I use it as a base underneath a pale-toned lipstick / lipgloss, or sometimes I just wear it on its own with a little bit of a lip balm on top.
This is how it looks on its own.
This is my favourite combo at the moment -MAC Cultured + Clarins Lip Perfecter in 03 Nude Shimmer. I love how Nude Shimmer adds beigy colour to the lips, and tones down the redness of Cultured. I cannot get enough of this combination recently, that I am wearing it every day to work.
As the name suggests, it lasts for hours -actually it's designed to last for 6 hours according to the shop assistant- so when I apply it before leaving my house in the morning, I do not have to do a touch-up until the lunch time. How genius!
The only downside is that I've used up 1/3 of it already in about a month. I don't think it will last more than 3 months if I keep using it at this pace. About 3,000yen for a lip pencil that I would use up in 3 months seems a little too expensive in my opinion, especially now that drugstores have brilliant lip pencils too...although I might repurchase it once I've used it up, that's how much I am in love with this shade.