Is anyone else as baffled as me that Christmas is right around the corner? I'm still trying to brainstorm gift ideas for my dad (the most difficult man to shop for in the world) and have a pile of things to wrap, and just realized that I've got ONE WEEKEND left before the holidays are here. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? I swear, when you are a kid the month of December lasts for an eon, but as an adult you blink and two weeks have evaporated. Fortunately, even though I personally may be riding the Holiday Strugglebus, my favorite beauty brands are seriously bringing their festive A-game this season. Which brings us to this lovely little gift set!
This year I got an early present from my new beauty bestie, Nudestix. As a little thank you for sharing the love this year (and because they are oh-so-sweet) they sent me this SUPER ADORABLE set of mini lip and cheek pencils. Earlier this year I totally fell in love with the Lip + Cheek Pencil in Ripe that came in the Limited Edition Prestige Headliners Birchbox, and couldn't help but exclaim my feelings from my theoretical internet rooftop. Somehow, miraculously, Nudestix heard said profession and reached out to me. Honestly, that is perhaps one of the coolest things about blogging. Obviously I have a bit of a passion for beauty products, and I get really excited to share my thoughts (good, bad, or otherwise), and I think it's so amazing that through a blog you can reach people all over the globe and form friendships that would otherwise never have come into existence. To know that beauty brands out there can read my reviews and say, "Hey, thank you for sharing your thoughts!" still blows my mind sometimes.
Speaking of which, let's get back to these #TooCute lippies. I was kind of devastated to see that this Limited Edition holiday gift set is sold out online already (although your local Sephora may have some still in stock), however, you can still snag a full-sized pencil at any time. All Nudestix products come in a handy little tin, making them perfect stocking stuffers for any fellow beauty lover. So, rather than shed a tear over missed opportunities, let's swatch and play a little bit instead.
For those of you who haven't come across these handy little sticks before, the Lip + Cheek Pencils are basically the quintessential lazy girl makeup product. They've got Vitamin E, Shea Butter, and peptides to moisturize and plump the skin, and allow you to effortlessly swipe on a bit of color to your lips or cheeks. Every Nudestix product comes packaged in a collectible tin (with a giant mirrored lid) AND is accompanied by pencil sharpener, which basically means that you can throw the whole thing together in your bag and always be good to go.
In this set were three lovely shades, each of which being about 2/3 the size of a full-sized pencil. Satan, a bright holly red, was exclusive to this set. The full-sized range of this particular product doesn't have anything remotely like this shade in it, so that is a bit of a bummer. However, the shades Mystic and Sin are both part of the permanent collection. Mystic is a deep mauve-y nude with a glossy finish, while Sin is rose gold with a matte finish. While all of these pencils can be worn on the lips or blended out on the cheeks, they don't all have the same texture or pigmentation. Naturally that meant I needed to test each of them out to see whether they were better as lipsticks, blushes, or superstars that could totally do both.
Satan is undoubtedly amazing for that statement holiday red lip. The texture of this pencil was matte, but also very silky. You get a TON of pigmentation without patchiness, and it was incredibly comfortable to wear on the lips. The soft texture also makes it really easy to blend on your cheeks, however its really easy to go overboard with such a bold color. If done right this will give you that perfect, rosy, "I just was out on a sleigh ride" flush but less is DEFINITELY more. To keep the color under control, I would swirl a bit of product onto my finger, dab gently on the apples of my cheeks, and blend it out. If things get a little too intense you can also always go back in with your foundation brush or beauty blender to mute out some of the color.
Sin is another beautiful matte shade, this time in an easy, everyday wearable rose color. While you can definitely wear this as a lipstick, the super silky texture of this pencil makes it perfect for a flush of color on the cheeks. Of the three colors in this set I think this is the one I'll be reaching for the most (along with my full-sized Ripe pencil I love so much).
Last is Mystic, which is a sheer, glossy nude. I think I prefer using this pencil on the lips over cheeks, as the texture is a bit more sticky than the other two shades. Also, since the pigmentation isn't quite as intense, this shade is much less visible when blended out on the cheeks. If you have very fair skin I think you could use this shade as a blush, but for most people I think it's best suited to create a nude lip.
If you can find a way to get your hands on this little trio, it is definitely an awesome little gift to give (or keep, I won't tell). Otherwise each full-sized Lip + Cheek Pencil retails for $24. Nudestix also makes Dual Pencils if you're still craving for a bit of variety. They also have a ton of other products available for face, eyes, and lips if you or someone else would like to get in on more of the #crayolameetschanel action. Whether you're a teen just breaking into the makeup world, or a woman who loves easy, natural looking makeup, Nudestix is definitely a brand worth checking out. I really appreciate having the opportunity to try out a few more shades of these pencils, and I seriously can't wait to see what they come up with in the new year!
Have you tried the Nudestix Lip + Cheek Pencils? What is your favorite shade?
