I’ve lived with sensitive skin for as long as I can remember. As a child I had severe eczema, and although it eased for a few years, it came back with a vengeance around age thirteen. A tiny dry patch on my forehead slowly grew until it covered nearly half my face. It was angry, painful and impossible to hide. I’ve been managing it ever since.
It’s hard enough being a teenager without feeling like your skin is working against you. Children can be unkind, and adults often don’t know what to say. Makeup made it worse, while going without made me feel exposed. I spent years navigating a world where popular beauty products weren’t an option and where people misunderstood the rules I had to follow to protect my skin. I felt like I didn’t fit into the version of beauty everyone else around me was striving for.
But jewellery was my escape.
Finding Confidence in a Different Kind of Beauty
While friends perfected their hair and makeup, I relied on jewellery to feel like myself. Rings, bracelets, stacks of necklaces – I’d wear them all. They helped me sparkle when my skin couldn’t. I didn’t realise it then, but that small shift was the beginning of learning to love the skin I was in.
I often received compliments on my jewellery, and in those moments I felt seen for something other than my skin. Jewellery became my armour and my comfort. I’ve always gravitated towards unique, expressive pieces – but the ones I could afford either irritated my ears or didn’t last. Earrings, thankfully, were the one part of my body that (touch wood) never suffered from dermatitis. Even so, the quality and comfort I wanted simply didn’t exist at my price point.
That’s where the idea for Nudie began.
From Struggle to Skin-First Design
Nudie Jewellery was born from a desire to build a brand that was trustworthy, transparent and genuinely skin-first. If it doesn’t work for you, you get your money back. If your fingers struggle with delicate clasps (like mine do when my dermatitis flares), you deserve jewellery you can actually put on. If you’re tired of guessing whether metals are safe, Nudie takes away that uncertainty.
Our innovations came straight from lived experience. The Nudie Kiss counterbalance solves the age‑old problem of necklaces spinning. The Anchor Clasp gives independence back to women with reduced dexterity, limited vision or even just long nails. And every decision sits on one simple foundation: Is this kind to skin?
The Reality Behind “Perfect Products”
Quality jewellery is expensive to make properly. Choosing the right materials, the right plating thickness, the right partners – it all adds up. I refuse to cut corners, which means saying no more often than yes.
Two of our first samples – the original Perla Earrings and Perla Bracelet – were rejected entirely because they didn’t meet Nudie’s standards. It delayed the launch, but I would always rather release nothing than release something I don’t believe in.
That’s why we offer a No Irritation or Your Money Back guarantee. It’s not a marketing line. It’s a reflection of how confidently I stand behind every material, every clasp and every component.
Building a Brand That Sees Women Like Me
Nudie isn’t just a jewellery brand – it’s a community built around women who have felt excluded by traditional beauty. We celebrate natural skin, unique features and the imperfections that make us human. Our entire philosophy is about empowering women to love the skin they’re in, even on days when that feels hard.
Getting behind the camera to model my own pieces was a turning point. It taught me to stop hiding and start embracing the skin I’ve spent my life managing. It’s not perfect, but it’s mine. And I’m done apologising for it.
Learning to Love the Skin You’re In
If you take one thing from my story, let it be this:
You are the only person who has to live inside your head for the rest of your life. Be kind to yourself.
Bullying your own reflection is exhausting and cruel, especially when you’re fighting battles you didn’t choose. The sooner we accept the skin we’re in, the sooner we make space for joy.
My hope is that Nudie becomes the brand women turn to again and again – not just because our pieces last, or because they’re safe for sensitive skin, but because our mission resonates.
Because every woman deserves to feel beautiful in the skin she was born with.
Love the skin you’re in. Today and every day.
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