These New NUDESTIX Launches Let Me Nail The Monochrome Makeup Trend SO Easily

As the story goes, you always find love when you least expect it, and that’s exactly what happened to me when I discovered NUDESTIX a few years ago. I’ve been obsessed with the brand since around 2015, and the new launches from NUDESTIX have me falling in love all over again.

Back in 2015, I was wearing heavy makeup to hide cystic acne and draw more attention to my eyes. The unexpectedness of my new love for NUDESTIX came as a surprise, especially because the brand’s whole philosophy revolves around the idea that “less is more,” even though my “more is more” mantra came with me to my vanity table every morning.

Not only do I love the formulas and brand message, but I also really look up to their co-founder, Taylor Frankel. Despite being about five years my junior, Frankel fully impressed me with her wisdom and maturity the first time I met her for a deskside meeting to discuss new NUDESTIX launches in 2016, and her passion for this brand really rubbed off on me.

Since my earlier years of piling on makeup, I’ve toned down the heavy layers and embraced my natural look more. Perhaps you can credit my new look to the fact that I'm getting older every year, but I think it was NUDESTIX that made me alter my perception of true beauty.

I can’t even tell you how many NUDESTIX products I have in my collection, but I will say that my favorites are all of the eye colors. From the Magnetic Mattes to the Magnetic Luminous shades ($24 each, Sephora), each stick never lets me down, and their staying power is seriously on point.

Last week, I got the chance to see Frankel again and test the new NUDESTIX launches. Naturally, I ran home after the event to try the new products on my face, and of course, they did not disappoint.

Following the very successful Jetsetter Palette ($69, NUDESTIX) created by makeup artist Mary Phillips, the brand asked her to help create two new shades in their Nudies Blush and Nudies Bronze collections: Sunset Strip and Sunkissed. A beautiful soft coral shade, Sunset Strip ($30, Sephora) was made for the person unafraid of color and looking for a pop on their cheeks. Apply with your hands (as the NUDESTIX founders suggest for all their products) or dip a brush onto the stick and sweep across your cheekbones for an incredibly natural-looking flush. Frankel suggests applying the product to your lids, the bridge of your nose, and your lips for a flawless monochromatic look.

The newest addition to the Nudies Bronze collection includes a complementary coral bronze shade, Sunkissed ($30, Sephora). This pick is perfect for contouring your face, but I can see it also working well on the lids, or even to fill in blonde or light-brown brows if you’re in a pinch. Both Nudies formulas go on like a cream, but have the staying power of a powder and won’t budge after application.

Finally, the last launch of the day included the new Magnetic Nude Glimmers ($28 each, Sephora). These new highlighters are one of the few products in the NUDESTIX line that aren’t in a stick form, but I think keeping them in a tube rather than melting them into a stick was vital to keeping them the proper consistency and providing staying power, too. NUDESTIX carries three other highlighters, called Nudies All Over Face Color Bronze + Glow ($30, Sephora), but as Frankel mentioned at the product launch, the Nudies All Over Face Colors are more of a “wet look,” while the Magnetic Nude Glimmers dry down and don’t look or feel as heavy as the Nudies ones might.

I was a bit disappointed to discover that there were no new eye color additions to the NUDESTIX line, but considering I have close to 20 or 30 sticks for my lids, I think it’s probably for the best. And I know my cheeks, nose, lips and chin would agree — they finally want in on the spotlight, too.