Having made an impact on the beauty scene from the very start (see previous reviews here and here), NUDESTIX continues its meteoric rise in the beauty world with the introduction of their Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencils and Blur Pencil (CAN $28.00 each). As we all know, matte lips are still trending strongly and while I do love the look, I’m not a fan of the way most products seem to suck out every last drop of moisture in my lips. That’s where these Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencils (available in 8 shades, four ‘nudes’ and four ‘reds’) come into their own; glidingly smooth and super-pigmented, each pencil deposits enough colour in one swipe for excellent coverage without any tugging along the skin, in a waterproof, long-wearing, and non-feathering formula that lasts 6+ hours, staying true throughout the wearing.
The Blur Pencil is an unscented clear pencil that has been designed to be worn several ways; applied to clean lips before adding colour, it serves to act as a smoothing base and may also help minimize the look of lip lines. Applied to areas of the skin where pores are visible, it works as a ‘filler’, helping to give the appearance of smoother skin. Lastly, it can also be used as a liner around the lips to ‘clean up’ any unevenness and create a sharper line, especially effective when wearing any of the brighter/darker Intense Matte pencils.
Each NUDESTIX product comes housed in its own matte black rectangular metal case that has the brand name in raised lettering on top plus a large mirror on the inner lid for convenient on-the-go touchups. All NUDESTIX pencils also come with their own sharpener that caps snugly on one end, making sure you’ll always have a sharpener on hand when needed. Another bonus to the case, is that it’s large enough to accommodate several of your fave products while keeping them safe and protected – plus it just looks pretty cool, no?
As a fan of multi-tasking products, I really appreciate how wearable each Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil shade truly is, not to mention how one simple pencil is all you actually need to provide both lip and cheek colour. Bonus points scored for how easily the product blends into the skin for a believable and even-looking hue that will also last beautifully until removed. For obvious reasons, the nude shades are much easier to use on cheeks and require less effort to appear ‘natural’, and while the red shades provide a true flush of colour, you do need to be careful to start with a small amount and blend, blend, blend (you can always add more, if needed). Another option is to combine one or more shades for a completely customized hue, whether on lips or cheeks.
For convenience, the 8 shades have been broken down into 2 groups: the nudes & the reds
NUDESTIX | Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil & Blur Pencil
NUDESTIX | Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil (sharpener)
NUDESTIX | Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencils
NUDESTIX | Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil swatches
The Nudes:
- Tamed – nude with a mauve tint, cool leaning
- Entice – neutral nude, wearable by both cool & warm complexions
- Belle – nude with a soft plum tint, provides just the right amount of colour
- Purity – flesh tone nude, the most pigmented of the four
NUDESTIX | Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencils, the ‘nudes’ swatches
NUDESTIX | Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencils, the ‘nudes’
The Reds:
- Kiss – described as a ‘rude’ nude, looks more like a bitten-lips effect to me
- Stiletto – sizziling chili-pepper red, flattering on all skin tones
- Royal – classic true red, both sexy and sophisticatedly modern
- Raven – deepest red of the group with aubergine hints, wearably dark – not goth
NUDESTIX | Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencils, the ‘reds’ swatches
NUDESTIX | Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencils, the ‘reds’
INGREDIENTS: Dimethicone, Diisostearyl Malate, Synthetic Wax, Distarch Phosphate, Polybutene, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Methicone, Dimethylimidazolidinone Rice Starch, Glyceryl Caprylate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Silica, Isoceteth-10
I am a 100% bonafide fan of every single product produced from this brand; not only is the packaging on point and well-thought out, but care goes into the ingredients listing to ensure performance and quality are what comes through every time. From the nude group of these Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencils, my personal faves are Belle for its Brigitte Bardot-nude vibe and Purity for those times I want a darker neutral. From the red group, my standouts are Stiletto and Royal, two shades that are heart-stoppingly gorgeous with some seriously amazing pigmentation + staying power. The only issue I can find – and remember that this is just a personal quirk of mine – is that I would much prefer the pencils came in a retractible format, as I don’t like the product waste that accompanies sharpening, especially when talking about a product that’s THIS good and that you want to hang onto as long as possible. But then again, why hoard when there are so many other gorgeous shades to try?
NUDSTIX products are available through Sephora stores across Canada, as well as Beautylish. Find more information on the brand via www.nudestix.com
Product samples kindly provided by NUDESTIX for my unbiased consideration
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