NUDESTIX

FOTD: Khaki and Copper Tones for a Zoom Call

June 24th, 2020 by Karen 21 Comments

Wore this look on a Zoom call with a beauty brand yesterday (it was Urban Decay to talk about their latest Naked palette, for the nosey noodles who were wondering!), and in classic K-dawg fashion I banged it out in 15 minutes before it started because that’s how I roll.

And, um…Connor also had a social distancing playdate at the park shortly before the call was scheduled to start, and we made it back home by the skin of our teeth, ha ha ha! Whenever I’m pressed for time but want to look gussied up, I always fall back on smokey eyes and nude lips. This khaki and copper version relies on just two products.

I paired the eyes with peach lips and cheeks because EASY. PEASY.

I’m also wearing a little more base makeup than I have been lately because I knew that “makeup people” (air quotes) were going to be present, so if there were ever a time to load up on a little more concealer, this was it.

Since we’re on the topic of quick looks, what’s your default medium-impact makeup look when you’re pressed for time?

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Spring Makeup Ideas: Blue Eye Makeup With a Green Top

March 25th, 2020 by Karen 8 Comments

Unsolicited life tip: When you unknowingly grow a Machiavellian mustache on your upper lip, it’s probably time to put some makeup on again.

So here we go!

OK, raise your hand ?‍♀️ (which I’m assuming has been vigorously washed with soap for a minimum of 20 seconds) if you tend to go matchy-matchy with your clothes when you wear colorful makeup. BECAUSE I TOTALLY DO. You know that girl wearing orange eyeshadow and orange lipstick and an orange shirt? Yup. So me!

A surprisingly springy combination

I would never think to wear this blue eye makeup with a green shirt (am I the only one?), but when I saw the blue shadow and green outfit on Meghan Markle recently, I was like, “YES. Rock those jewel tones together, Meg!”

I think the blue shadow and green clothing pairing is surprisingly springy, especially if you wear it on a rainy day, which I did. When it’s wet and cold and everything outside is stone cold gray, the blue-green combo stands out even more.

Also, yeah, I know there’s a lot of eyeshadow swatches up in the mix. While I’m usually one for keeping eye makeup streamlined, especially for the past few months with the new job at the bakery and all, this time around I went ham on mixing and blending ALL THE EYESHADOWS. Try your hand at custom mixing your own shades sometime. Mixing and matching is so, so fun.

Key makeup worn in this look

EYES: It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette (a mix of cool and warm browns in the crease, and the navy shade on the lid), Kevyn Aucoin ElectroPop Palette (blue/green shades on lid), Maybelline Tattoo Studio Gel Liner in Striking Navy and MAC Coffee liner (waterline and lower waterline), Laura Mercier Caviar Volume Mascara (lashes)

Cheeks: NARS Amour (blush), Hourglass Radiant Bronze Light (bronzer)

Lips: Nudestix Cheek/Lip Pencil in Mystic, MAC Boldly Bare lip liner, MAC Beaux Lipglass

Base: Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Honey Bronze mixed with MAC Strobe Cream in Pinklight, Estée Lauder 24HR Concealer in Medium Deep Warm

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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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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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