NUDESTIX

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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NUDESTIX Rock N’ Roller Easy Eyeliner Ink: 3 Things You Need to Know

February 6th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

nudestix rock n roller easy eyeliner ink review — Wearing the new NUDESTIX Rock N’ Roll Easy Eyeliner Ink in Golden Rosé

There’s an unwritten but not-so-secret rule in the Makeup Codex (which is an official-sounding book I just made up…but it’s real, though!) that says that if you’re in a hurry, don’t even think about attempting liquid liner, because you will regret it — we’re talking certain disaster — and generally, I agree, because whenever I’ve tried to do a cute cat eye flick with liquid liner while I was rushing, I’ve ended up with a pterodactyl wing instead — one that spreads from the corner of my eye up into my hairline.

But there’s an exception to this rule when you’re using the new NUDESTIX Rock N’ Roller Easy Eyeliner Inks ($24 each and available in three shades). I’ve been using them in 10-minute-makeup looks lately, and I’m able to draw dainty cat eye flicks with them every time.

nudstix bronze patina — That’s Bronze Patina on my upper lash lines.

1. They’re easier to use than the MAC “pizza cutter” liner.

When it comes to liquid liners with a roller wheel applicator (commonly known as a “pizza cutter liner”), I’d previously only tried the MAC one, and I thought it was quite challenging (and ticklish!) to use. Not only did/does the applicator tickle…but the liquid tightens up on my skin when it dries.

Not the case wit hNUDESTIX Rock N’ Roller.

nudestix rock n roller swatches — The “pizza cutter” applicator

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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 kitty supermodel cat (Tabs).