At the moment I’m obsessed with two matte velvet lip pencils from NARS. I either swipe them on and then blot with my finger for an unfussy stain or counterproductively, pair them with a gloss. The benefit of layering a gloss is that it easily hides any imperfections of the pencil application and adds staying power.

Damned (pictured on the left) is a blue-toned red with a hint of purple, while Train Bleu is a deep plum. If I’m going the gloss route I’ll pair them with either Bad Education or Penny Arcade, also by NARS.