In 1903, in Easton, Pennsylvania, Binney & Smith sold the first box of eight Crayola crayons. The name came from Alice Stead Binney, a former teacher, who joined craie, the French word for chalk, to ola, short for oleaginous. Think about what that is. A pigment you can hold in your fist, draw with, and never need a brush for. Children understood it at once.

That is exactly what a Nudie is. Nudestix started in Toronto in 2014 with Taylor and Ally Frankel, who were about 17 and 14, and their mother Jenny Frankel, a chemical engineer who worked at MAC and co-founded Cover FX. It was the era of heavy contouring and loud eyeshadow on YouTube, and the girls wanted makeup that made them look like themselves, nude but better. I like that a chemist listened to two teenagers about what they actually wore, and that the answer was a stick. If you are trying to decide what to buy from nudestix, the format is the whole idea: one tin, built-in mirror, cheeks, lips and eyes, done in the back of a taxi. The brand says its sticks are paraben-free, gluten-free and cruelty-free, with vegan options.

The trick is to treat the first grid as a family of the same move in different finishes. NUDIES Matte Blush is the easy everyday flush, and the Matte Bronze is the one for a little warmth on the high points. NUDIES Bloom is the dewy one, the choice if your skin runs dry and you want a wet, lit look. NUDIES Matte Lux and the Matte + Glow Core version sit between the two, and the Glow stick is the one for cheekbones and the tops of the lids. Then the Tinted Blur Foundation Stick and the Tinted Blur Sculpt Stick for anyone who wants base and shape in the same slim shape.

Start with your fingers. Swipe the colour on, tap it out with your ring finger and stop the moment it looks like you. This range rewards a little imprecision, and the more you fuss, the less it looks like skin.

Magnetic is the second family, and it moves from the cheek to the eye and the mouth. The Magnetic Luminous Eye Color is the luminous one for lids, and the Magnetic Matte Eye Color is for the days you want the lid to look tidy without looking made up. Magnetic Matte Lip Color is the one for a soft stained mouth, and Magnetic Plush Paints are the fun ones, a small colour kit to keep in a bag and use on cheeks, lids or lips as the mood strikes.

For lips, the Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil gives a firmer line, and the Gel Color Lip + Cheek Balm is the comfortable one for winter. The Nude Plumping Lip Glace is glossy, and the Nudescreen Lip Primer SPF 30 is a sensible base under all of them.

A pairing I like: the Matte Lip Color pressed on the cheeks with a fingertip, and the Plush Paints on the lids in a shade one step deeper. It ties the face together with two products.

What I would skip: the matte lip pencil on lips that are flaking in a cold snap. Use the balm, and save the pencil for the days your mouth is behaving.

Here is a habit worth borrowing from anyone who wears a lot of cream colour: remove it properly at night. Cream pigment likes to hang around in the corners of the face, and a balm is the fastest way to lift it.

Nudestix built its NUDESKIN line for this. The Citrus Clean Balm & Make-Up Melt is the classic first step, and the Gentle Hydra-Gel Face Cleanser and Cica Cleansing Jelly Milk are the second-step washes, the names alone tell you they lean gentle. The 5% Citrus Fruit & Glycolic Glow Toner is the exfoliating one for the nights you want brighter skin, and the Citrus-C Mask & Daily Moisturizer is a mask and a daily moisturizer in one tin.

The Lemon-Aid Detox & Glow Micro-Peel is the weekly one, and the Blemish Clarifying Gel Moisturizer is the one to reach for when your skin is breaking out and you want a gel, not a cream. Nudescreen Dewy Illuminating Glow SPF 30 finishes the morning, a sunscreen that promises a little glow, which works nicely under a Bloom stick.

A pairing I like: the balm first, then the jelly milk, and only then the moisturizer. The two-step wash sounds fussy and takes about ninety seconds.

What I would skip: the glycolic toner the night before a beach day or a big event. Wait until you have a quiet week.

One rule for any cream stick: apply it before powder and after moisturizer, and always with a little warmth. Press it on the back of your hand first to soften it, then use that on your face.

The sticks from other brands are worth having in the same drawer. The NARS Multiple Soft Blur Blush Stick is a cheek, eye and lip colour in one, and Makeup by Mario's Soft Pop Cream Blush Stick is the more playful one. Ogee's Sculpted Cream Blush Stick is the one I would test in the same shade family as a Nudie, and Dior's Rosy Glow Blush Stick is the pink-cheeked, dressier one.

For shape, Westman Atelier's Face Trace Contour Stick is the smooth, refined option, and Fenty Beauty's Match Stix Matte Contour Skinstick is for anyone who wants a matte, deeper hollow. Makeup by Mario's SoftSculpt Cream Contour & Bronzer Shaping Stick is a softer approach, and Patrick Ta's Major Sculpt Shape & Shade stick is the one with the most drama.

A pairing I like: a contour stick tapped just under the cheekbone, a Nudie on top of the cheekbone, and nothing else. Two sticks, thirty seconds.

What I would skip: cream contour on very oily skin without a light dusting of powder on top. It can slide by lunchtime.

I think Nudestix is at its best when you let it be loose. The brand launched the Nudies category in 2017 and is now in more than 30 countries, but its charm has never been precision. It is a fingertip, a mirror in the lid and a face that looks a little more awake.

So I would start with one Nudie in the finish that matches your skin, add one Magnetic colour for the eyes, and wash it all off with the balm. Skip the rest until you miss it. Crayola had eight crayons in the first box. You do not need many more than that.

One note: the company was bought by a private group in September 2025, and it acknowledged limited marketing and challenged inventory buys around the change, so a favourite shade can be patchy for a while. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Lashes 101 and Vichy Skincare.