NUDESTIX Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil

Most Helpful Critical Review

Keeping One But It's Not a HG Lippie

I love Nudestix eye pencils and am a sucker for makeup in this form, as I find it easier to apply amd easier to travel with. I purchased the Sweet Cheeks and Kiss (and Pulse in the Gel lip) and wasnt overly impressed. In terms of color, these mattes are nice and pigmented, as you would expect for a ...matte. I found Sweet Cheeks to be too bright on me, so she is going back. Kiss is a great pink-nude (no rude on me!) although mine arrived witg the tip broken off, which I don't love. Both of the mattes are fairly comfortable on although they never fully dry down so expect a bit of tackiness (which is probably why they are more comfortable than many mattes that dry down fully). Unfortunately, that means the wear time is not great. I put Sweet Cheeks on just before a meeting at 11, had a coffee (no visible transfer, which made me hope for a long wear time) and a yogurt for lunch, and as you can see in my pic, only the outer portion survived. I suppose if you are suuuuper careful, you might be able to have it survive a meal, but I wouldn't wear this on a date or an outing as I would feel the need to constantly reapply. All that said, I am keeping Kiss because I think she's a great color on me and I struggle to find pinks that don't clash with my pink cheeks. I do think the colors look quite different from how they appear on Ulta and Nudestix's websites, so if you can, try them in person. As much as I love supporting women-owned brands, I'm disappointed Nudestix has not changed their practices with regard to excess packaging. Yes, it's nice to have a little mirror and I try to find ways to repurpose the metal cases these come in, but it is really unnecessary and inevitably, they will end up in landfills. Couldn't they at least offer the option of no case? Maybe a thin cardboard one that's recyclable/biodegradable?