| It's not often you come across a product that makes all that stuff you love to death seem like hit-n-quit shit. But at this point, if I had to throw all my other glossy lipsticks overboard and could only cling to three, these Nars Satin pencils might just be it. They'd have to fight my Bite pencils in the rigging with cutlasses, but that's Darwinian selection for you. Their incredible texture knocks me the fuck out of my boots. Yes, I know they're expensive and need sharpening and that is tremendously annoying. But they were on special dammit. And who has anything like Golshan in their stash? I sure as hell didn't. Golshan and Luxembourg are exceptional A+in-every-respect must-haves, with Palais Royal scoring a very respectable A- that is only really diminished in comparison. Let's look at them in that order.  |  Golshan is often described as red and it does read a little red in the swatches, but it really, really isn't; look at the tube shots and then pull it back toward caramel with the power of your mind. The first three-shade swatch is very true. It is a concentrated, boiled-down terracotta ochre with a very minor suggestion of vintage rose in its background. |
I collect textiles and can find this exact shade in at least half my antique rugs, derived from madder but reacting with the wool and decades of sunlight to become a mellow, candied rust, or darkest hot-smoked salmon, or golden-toasted burnished leather. It's difficult to describe just how beautiful and harmonious this shade appears on someone with complimentary tonings. If you're medium to dark haired and neutral to warm-leaning (regardless of the depth of your complexion), or a natural redhead of any description, Golshan wants to do you right. I'd describe the finish as taffeta-satiny rather than glassy-glossy; full opacity is achieved with one weightless stroke. You'll probably dismiss as hyperbole my attempts to convey this shade's extreme smoothness and pigmentation; it glides on almost of its own accord, distributes perfectly, allows infinite intensification from the lightest smudged-on stain to full opacity and in spite of all this lissome comfort does not bleed and barely moves around at all.
I don't know how all that is possible, and I don't care. Below, L2R: Palais Royal, Luxembourg, Golshan.
I don't know how all that is possible, and I don't care. Below, L2R: Palais Royal, Luxembourg, Golshan.
Where Golshan is mellow and luxurious, Luxembourg is brilliantly luminous, a vivid, vibrant watermelon fuchsia with such stunningly perfect colour balance that I'm flummoxed trying to think of someone who absolutely couldn't wear it. Royal fuchsia is the nonsensical term that springs to mind when I'm admiring the refinement that sets it from all those other Barbie/scrubber pinks. It boasts the same buildability as Golshan though it's a little more translucent and this is perhaps the key to its general wearability; it adapts to your existing lip colour. If you're into this colour family and are looking for something beyond those basic safe-for-work tricks, you can confidently buy blind and that's not something I usually recommend. Did I mention its utterly luxe and polished gloss level? Luxembourg sings. It is a triumph.
 Palais Royal reminded me of Guerlain Rouge G Gigolo as soon as I slapped it on, but you can see from the swatches that the latter is quite a bit warmer and PR is actually more akin to something like Nars Terre de Feu or MAC Diva in its coolish berry leanings. It is sedate, adult and very slightly smoky, mooching toward grapey purple, especially on my dark mouth. At around 80 % opacity, it does suffer from minor creasing and very slight migration, but doesn't bleed and any shortcomings are just nitpicking (especially relatively speaking) for something both dark and glossy. In fact, only that infamous OG Gigolo surpasses it for smoothness and lip-comfort in my experience, and so it bloody should for twice the price. Palais Royal smudges out to a really beautiful wine stain with a bit of finger work. Sorry about the messy swatches. I got overexcited. |  Above L2R: Luxembourg, Golshan, Palais Royal.  |
I also owned Rikugien Satin Pencil briefly; it has the same delightful formula and offers a lovely polished, plumping gloss in silvery coolish pink but was too muted and translucent (around 50%) to make much of an impression on my lips. I gave it to a non-makeup-wearing friend. It is a very nice conservative workplace or casual shade, though, so don't let my dramatic requirements deter you.
L2R: Nars Golshan, MAC Russian Red, Nars Deborah, Nars Palais Royal, Nars Terre de Feu, Guerlain Gigolo, Nars Luxembourg, MAC Glam, Bite Amarone in a range of natural, unflashed lighting
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L2R: Nars Golshan, MAC Russian Red, Nars Deborah, Nars Palais Royal, Nars Terre de Feu, Guerlain Gigolo, Nars Luxembourg, MAC Glam, Bite Amarone in a range of natural, unflashed lighting
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