Close your eyes and think, for a second, about what you were doing at 17 years old. Fighting with your parents? Visiting the mall with your friends? Maybe thinking about what you wanted to do after high school graduation? When Taylor Frankel was 17, she was building a brand.
At the time, in 2014, makeup was bold. It was artistic. More is more was the name of the game. Makeup artists and burgeoning influencers would upload daily tutorials on YouTube, carefully demonstrating how to achieve the perfect ultra-thick winged liner and bold contour, finishing the look with bright orange lipstick.
But Frankel wasn’t interested in those beauty trends. She wanted something simpler, quicker, and more natural. Together with her sister, Ally, and their mother, Jenny, a chemical engineer who developed products for MAC and co-founded the brand Cover FX, Frankel decided to launch an easy, minimalist, multi-tasking beauty brand. That brand is NUDESTIX.
With Frankel serving as the Chief Brand Officer and spokesperson, the company has grown exponentially. In just ten years, NUDESTIX is now sold in more than 30 countries and 2,300 global retail locations and its best selling Nudies cream sticks are sold every minute.
Watch the video below to view Taylor Frankel’s full GRWM where she answers burning questions and walks us through her beauty routine. View shop the latest NUDESTIX products here.
Ahead, Frankel shares more about the brand.
Ebonie Walker: You started as a makeup brand but most recently have been venturing more into skincare with NUDESKIN. Can you explain the desire to expand into that skincare?
Taylor Frankel: “NUDESTIX was launched with the modern day woman in mind who craves real beauty that is easy, nude and on-the-go to simplify her beauty routine. Because our makeup philosophy has always been about skincare infused, less is more beauty—skincare felt like a very natural next step. In addition, our NUDESTIX community was increasingly asking for fuss-free products amongst the overwhelming amount of skincare products on the market to achieve a primed glow prior to using makeup. Listening to community feedback, we partnered with a dermatologist in 2019 to begin ideating and developing a simple, yet effective clean skincare routine—known as NUDESKIN.”
You started NUDESTIX in 2014, which was 10 years ago now. If you think back to Taylor at that age, how have you grown since then? And how has the brand evolved with you?
“Naturally, over 10 years, there is a lot of personal and professional growth. When I started the business with my family at 17 years old, I was quite naive when it came to the idea of building a business. 10 years later, I have a much better grasp on the challenges and dedication that it takes to start a business and it’s shaped who I am today. I think I’ve become more resilient and adaptable to unpredictability. From a brand perspective, when in beauty you are always trying to find the balance between evolving and staying true to your brand. As I’ve evolved and grown, it was so important that our brand remains consistent with our origin story and philosophy, while staying relevant and differentiated in the market. I don’t know if there is a perfect formula for this but we are constantly playing this balancing act as we go.”
Nudies have been a product which has been incredibly successful for Nudestix and you continue to expand that product range. Why do you think it’s so popular?
“Dare I say that I knew Nudies would be a hit when we launched the category in 2017?! Being a multi-tasking, all-over face colour, Nudies perfectly embodies our NUDESTIX ethos of easy, effortless and on-the-go beauty. As mentioned, the community is the busy woman who craves easy, nude beauty — so naturally, Nudies were adopted instantly. Knowing that our community loves our Nudies collection – from the formula, packaging and shades – we continue to innovate within nudies and bring new colour stories to the market.”
The beach is a theme that comes up throughout your brand in naming and in product inspiration. Can you explain why it’s such a source of inspiration for you?
“My background is Portuguese, so our family would spend many summers on the beautiful beaches in the south of Portugal. These summers remain some of our fondest memories as a family and serve as inspiration in our shade development and naming. Additionally, there’s a feeling of calm and peacefulness surrounding the beach which we love to convey through product.”
What is your favourite product and why?
“This is a tough one… I would have the say our Nudies and our Nudescreen SPF. I feel my best when my skin is protected and has a natural flush of colour to the eyes, cheeks and lips.”
When you look at the beauty landscape right now, what is something you see that excites and inspires you?
“I’m very inspired by the skincare meets makeup category. We’ve been infused our products with good-for-you ingredients since our inception, so we’re obsessed with finding new, untraditional ways to incorporate skin-loving ingredients into all of our makeup products — a great example is our new nudescreen SPF30 mineral blush tint!”
What’s one of the things you’re most proud of about the brand?
“I’m really proud of the community we’ve built both externally (our incredibly loyal customers) and our in-house team. It’s incredibly rewarding to be able to work alongside smart, passionate likeminded people who have a common goal. Our NUDESTIX community has grown over the years and I’m so proud of our ability to connect with them whether that be via social or IRL moments – they always serve as a reminder of why we do what we do.”
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