FAQ: Turning Lip Tars into Lip Pencils

I've had a few people ask me a few questions on my lip tar to lip pencil tutorial (check it out here if you haven't yet!) so I thought I would write up a FAQ post answering ones that I've gotten!

lip tar lip pencil

The lip tars and the corresponding pencils are Memento, Radiate, and Pretty Boy.

Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of the lip pencils over the lip tar?
A: There are a few advantages and disadvantages. 

Advantages
  • Travel friendly 
  • Less messy
  • Precision without a brush needed
  • Helps prevent any bleeding or feathering on the lips
  • Can color customize
  • Wear time is the same or improved 
  • A more traditional lipstick feel
Disadvantages
  • The end product is not vegan
  • The pencils have to be sharpened so you lose some product that way
  • The color can look slightly different due to the satin finish but the difference is so marginal. 
  • You can't sharpen it too much otherwise the tip will break like a traditional pencil.
Q: Is the eyeliner base you use from TKBTrading lip safe?
A: Yes, the ingredients in the eyeliner base are lip safe. Prior to posting the tutorial, I made sure to ask the manufacturer (TKBTrading) who confirmed that it is.

Q: Will the lip tar lip pencils be vegan after the process?
A: No. This process will de-veganize your lip tar since the eyeliner base used in the tutorial contains beeswax.

Q: Why chubby pencils as opposed to slim line pencils?
A: I chose the chubby pencil barrels because I wanted to find a way to turn the lip tars into a traditional lip pencil and those are usually in the chubby pencil barrels and they are easier to fill than the slimline barrels without sacrificing precision. 

Q: What sharpener do you use to sharpen the chubby pencils?
A: I've had great results with my Essence pencil sharpener that you can get at ULTA and my Covergirl pencil sharpener.

Q: Will you be making a video tutorial?
A: I'm actually in the midst of recording one, it should be up soon!

Q: Is the color changed during the process?
A: In my experience, it looks like there's more of a difference than there actually is. When you swatch them on your hand, it looks like there'a huge difference but when worn on the lips, the slight difference is virtually indistinguishable. Check out my comparison of Pretty Boy Lip Tar and the corresponding pencil here!

Q: Can I make a custom color lip pencil?
A: You most definitely can! If there's a custom color that you like, you can mix it up (as long as it adds up to 2 grams) and make a pencil out of it!

Q: This looks like a lot of work! Will you consider making and selling these lip pencils?
A: I've been thinking about this actually and I think I will be. Feel free to contact me for more information!

Q: Does this work with the Stained Glosses or Metallic Lip Tars?
A: I do not know. I don't own either so I cannot assess to it. However you may want to keep in mind that the lip tar is essentially a colorant so if you have a sheer lip tar, then it'll produce a sheer lip pencil.

Q: The bottom cap for my lip pencil is loose, is there any way I can fix this?
A: If you take a pair of flat pliers to it, you can adjust it to fit the pencil better!

Q: What's the shelf life of the pencils?
A: I recommend you toss them after 6 months.

I hope this FAQ helped answer any questions you might have! Feel free to ask me questions and I'll be sure to answer them. Would you do me a favor and check out a poll I have going on my Facebook page? That would be so helpful!

8 comments

  1. I ran across a picture of these on Inatagram. Really brillant idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. I need to try it with Electric Grandma :0
    One thing I wanted to add when I was doing mine was that I should have worn gloves! I would definitely recommend wearing some lol
    It got really messy at one point for me and stained my hands/sink/counter. I found the rubbing alcohol did a good job at removing it thankfully.

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  3. Oh I suggested wearing gloves in the tutorial but I think it wasn't prominent enough for people to see (the tutorial is so long and full of text ><), I'll be sure to make it more obvious in the post and add it to this one!

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  4. So far I've tried it successfully with - Super NSFW, Belladonna, RX, Butch, Strumpet, Nylon, Radiate, Annika, a custom mix of Featured and Pris, and a custom mix of RX, Tarred & Belladonna. The only one that really failed on me was Batty by itself. I mixed Batty with Tarred, and it's semi sheer. It really needs a whole lot more Tarred and less Batty.

    Your tutorial worked flawlessly :)

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  5. Yep, you had it under suggested/optional so I assumed I could be careful for the most part--and I was when I was prepping and making the pencil. When it came to clean my silicone bowl, the water splashed it everywhere and naturally, my hands D:

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  6. Awww boo! I think it is actually easier to reheat the bowl and then use a cotton pad with rubbing alcohol to "soak up the mixture" before rinsing it out! By the way, thank you again for sharing your results on Instagram! I love seeing how people have done it and it makes me feel like my results aren't a fluke

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  7. I didn't even think of that! :x Will keep it in mind for next time.
    And no problem! I'm so glad you put this all together :D

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  8. Is there any site that would sell the pencils and the base online internationally. I only need about 5 pencils, maybe 10. It would be insane to pay $25 for a box worth $5. Any tips?

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