NUDESTIX

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

May 22nd, 2019 by Karen 37 Comments

L.O.V.E.

Good day, sunshine! ☀️🤗

Did that make you think of the opening lines to this song?

’tis a good day to celebrate love, so here are some of the things I’ve been loving lately…

1. This Serena & Lily French bistro-inspired kitchen

Now that’s a phrase I did not expect to ever see in print…because when have I ever thought that deeply about kitchens?

For the record, Serena & Lily is not a hip 20-something singer-songwriter duet. They’re a high-end furniture line kinda like a more streamlined, bougie-er Pottery Barn (as if that were possible). Think Crate & Barrel meets minimalist French country.

As I was flipping through their latest catalog, looking for design ideas, these cute kitchen scenes caught my eye…

THOSE BLACK AND WHITE BISTRO CHAIRS!

Now, I’m not normally a big wicker person (hard to clean, cat claws get caught in it, squeaks when you sit down), but I love the look of these chairs. They bring back so many memories of strolling the streets of Paris with El Hub (who was El Boyfriend at the time) and sipping strong cups of coffee at cute, cozy sidewalk cafes.

I love the feminine curves and how the chairs look like they’d be comfortable to sit in for hours. They’re crazy expensive, though, so I don’t plan to get ’em, but I sure do like how they look in this room!

2. Chantecaille everything

Speaking of French style, I have a low-key Chantecaille addiction brewing. I’ve been wearing their gel bronzer and blush on bare skin (apparently, I can’t be bothered with foundation anymore), and man! — SO GOOD. You can’t see the edges of either the blush or the bronzer, and neither one moves an inch.

I squeeze a tiny bit of the bronzer on the back of my hand, swirl a small blush brush around in it, then buff that on my upper cheekbones. Then I do the same thing with the blush (same brush), applying it only on the apples.

I like that you really can’t tell where the blush and bronzer begin and end (like something you’d see on Megan Markle on her wedding day), and it’s the kind of makeup that looks particularly good in full sunlight, like at a BBQ or a beach wedding.

chantecaille blush bronzer swatches — Cheek Gelle Blush in Happy (cute name, yeah?) and Radiance Gel Bronzer… I’m 100% sure you’re gonna ask me about the polish now, so it’s Chanel Purple Ray. 🙂

chantecaille blush bronzer — Blush and Bronzer on my cheeks. LOFT sweatshirt from winter 2018. The gloss is Hourglass Unreal Gloss in Horizon.

3. “Say You Will” by Fleetwood MAC

Um…did I really just automatically capitalize the word “MAC” when I typed “Fleetwood Mac”? Yes, yes, I think I did.

My three-year-old loves this song, which in my mind also means that she loves Stevie Nicks…

OK, my work here is done.
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Crazy About Creams! NUDESTIX Magnetic Eye Color

January 15th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

Neutrals 24/7, 365

This month I am CRAZY ABOUT CREAMS. Stay tuned for some of my favorite cream makeup products all throughout January.

Hey, man, if you’re looking to break your neutral eyeshadow addiction, I 100% can’t help you there. Sorry ~~not sorry~~ to say that the NUDESTIX Magnetic Eye Colors ($24) will just throw metaphorical makeup gas on the neutral 🔥 fire, because hello glowing gold, bronze, beige and taupe!

I’m crazy about these creams. They’re smooth enough to spread on toast! They’re like buttah, baby! Once they set, which takes about 30 seconds, you can pretty much forget about touching up for the rest of the day. They’re the creamiest, longest-lasting eyeshadow pencils I own.

nudestix magnetic eye color swatches — Swatches of my favorite shades

Every time I wear one, I wonder if I should just ditch powder eyeshadows completely. Being able to practically paint by numbers and apply shadow with a pencil tip is so much less hit or miss than applying shadow with a brush, since you know EXACTLY where the color’s going, and you’re in complete control. And when you have a hooded lid situation, precise placement is everything.

nudestix magnetic eye color 2 — Why, yes, I’ll have a cup.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: NUDESTIX Eyebrow Stylus Pencil and Gel

December 18th, 2018 by Karen 6 Comments

nudestix eyebrow stylus pencil gel ash brown k flash — Yes, please! Gimme those quickie brows!

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

If some gorgeous genius beauty-loving inventor decides to design an entire line of makeup comprised of dual-ended pencils and other multipurpose products like this $24 NUDESTIX Eyebrow Stylus Pencil with something different on both ends, GIRL — I’m gonna be all over that! Having two things in the same stick makes my life so much easier.

It’s great, isn’t it? That’s how I feel about this brow pencil/clear brow gel combo, because I’m always a brow pencil/gel kinda gal, and this means I don’t have to go digging through my bag for two separate things. And both products attached to this little stick of greatness are really good, too!

These come in a bunch of colors, like Blonde, Dirty Blonde, Ash Brown, Brown and Brown/Black. I wear the one called Ash Brown, although I could probably also wear Brown or Brown/Black, but I like Ash Brown’s gray undertone. I also like how natural, lush and full (and not aggressively block-y) it makes my brows look.

nudestix eyebrow stylus pencil gel ash brown — I wear it in Ash Brown.

I use it by first brushing the brow gel through my brows when they’re naked, and I keep brushing it in the direction I want the hairs to go until the gel is completely dry. Then I fill in my brows with the pencil.

The reason I use the gel first is because I like to get all of the hairs where I want them, and I kind of maximize the fullness of my brows using just the gel first. The formula stiffens in about a minute, and in that time I comb my brows to fluff them up and make them as big as possible, which means that I can get away with using the least amount of the pencil as possible.

nudestix eyebrow stylus pencil gel ash brown natural light — Brows in the wild, a.k.a. outdoors.

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NUDESTIX Nudies Tinted Blur Sticks Are Perfect for the Playground

May 29th, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

nudestix nudies tinted blur stick — Three of 10 shades

Unwritten Rule of the Playground #327: Adults are to refrain from wearing glam makeup to the playground (of course I’ll have to break this rule eventually, right?). I’ve been wearing these NUDESTIX Nudies Tinted Blur Sticks when I take Connor to the playground lately, and they’ve been great. For the record, they do not violate rule #327.

connor and k at playground — At the playground, ya know?

They’re $30 each and available in 10 shades. The 0.22-oz. twist-up sticks come with a reusable storage tin that also has a mirror.

NUDESTIX Nudies Tinted Blur Sticks ($30)

I’m not a huge fan of products that require me to exert massive amounts of ~~man~~ woman power to achieve no-makeup makeup — like buffing, patting, stippling, setting, spraying. That’s too much work! These cream sticks combine a sheer tint and a blurring face primer to get it done in a few swipes and by quickly blending with my fingers.

They make my pores look a little less…pore-ey, and my skin looks slightly more even-toned. My freckles are definitely still in the house, though, so FYI, these are the kind of base designed to showcase your natural skin as much as possible, so, if you were hoping for a full-coverage product, this ain’t it.

“This natural-looking tint blurs to create the appearance of smooth texture and even skin tone. The lightweight, cream-to-powder finish is suitable for all skin types.

Tinted, light-reflecting minerals soften the appearance of uneven skin tone to provide a youthful, diffused glow. Shade-adjusting pigments blend with your real skin tone coming through to naturally tint your skin. The overall effect is a soft-matte glow that’s never flat or blah.

Mix your stix: Use this easy multitasker for all-over tinted coverage, a blurring primer, a blotting cream, highlight, or contour. Use Nudies Tinted Blur Stix in shades lighter or deeper than your skin tone to highlight, contour, and define your features. Just draw and blend.

Your skin will look and feel like your skin, but better. So let’s go nude and get real.”

— sephora.com

meghan markle inspired — In action! (I was going for “Meghan Markle at the royal wedding.”)

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The New NUDESTIX Love Me Nudes (Natural Edition) Lip + Cheek Kit

February 22nd, 2018 by Karen 11 Comments

nudestix love me nudes ALLY — New fave nude lip: Ally from the NUDESTIX Love Me Nudes (Natural Edition) Lip + Cheek Kit

Seeing as how I’ve been wearing this nude pencil (Ally) on my lips almost daily since 14 Days of Ravishing Red ended, the time has come to give it a proper shout-out.

Meet Ally, one of six shades in the new NUDESTIX Love Me Nudes: The Natural Edition lip and cheek kit, which itself is one of two $59 LE Love Me Nudes kits. One is filled with bolder colors than the other. The Natural Edition is the slightly lighter pink, peach, rose version.

nudestix love me nudes — Love!

nudestix love me nudes — Love Me Nudes (Natural Edition) comes with six full-size NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek pencils, a sharpener and a tin.

nudestix love me nudes swatches — Mystic, Rose, Retro, Purity, Tay Tay and Ally

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Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, which I’ve been doing daily since 2007 (!), you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my three-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my torbie girl cat (Pretty Girl Rosie, a.k.a. PGR).