As a part time makeup artist/ model, I am constantly on the search for the next best
thing—the newest products, the latest trends in colors, and the most
cutting-edge tools and techniques. And as a beauty editor, I am
constantly being bombarded with brands that are new to me that I want to
test out. Although not a new brand (just new to me), I found a brand
that is comparable to MAC in its endless options and pigmented colors
with prices at a fraction of what we are used to paying (and don’t get
me wrong, I am a huge MAC fan and always will be, but I also like
options). If you haven’t heard of them yet, I highly recommend you try
out
NYX Cosmetics.
With a product line ranging from eye shadows, lipsticks and glosses, eye
and lip liners, to base makeup (foundation, concealer, etc), palettes,
brushes, and everything imaginable in between it is hard to keep control
when making your first purchase with NYX. Since discovering the brand a
few weeks ago, I have been back three times already to try more
products!
Just to give you a taste, I’ll give you mini-reviews of a few of the products I have tried from NYX so far.
This revolutionary compact allows you to grind just enough
mineral-enriched powder for one flawless application. The result is a
finely-milled, high-definition face powder that, once applied, deflects
light, reduces the appearance of pores and smooths your
complexion—making you camera-ready in no time. The rest of your product
remains fresh and uncontaminated. Available in 6 shades.
Final Thoughts: I
love this! This is a grinding powder. You twist the top of the jar and
get fresh powder each time. This is an amazing compromise between
having the benefits of loose powder without the mess. I received the
shade Sand Beige. Typically I never do well with foundation colors that
have beige in the title, but this was a beautiful match and it gives
your skin a nice glow. You can probably get sheer to medium coverage
with this foundation. I apply with a powder brush for sheer daily wear
or to set foundation. You can also use a buffer or kabuki brush for
more coverage. The best part is that you don't have to worry about any
oil stains that you might get on your typical powder. This powder
really made my skin look amazing.
Neither lipstick nor lip gloss—this is matte lip cream. A new kind of
pout paint that goes on silky smooth and sets to a matte finish. Soft
Matte Lip Cream is surprisingly durable and, unlike some matte lipstick
formulas, also moisturizing. Available in 11 lip colors.
Final Thoughts:
Today's
review is on the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams in Antwerp and Milan. They
are applied like a lip-gloss, pigmented like a lipstick and dry
completely matte. They are difficult to define, to say the least, but
are great for us matte look lovers. Both are
very creamy in texture and glide onto the lips. After application they
dry to a velvet looking matte finish. Once dry, they retain no moisture,
similar to a lip stain. This can take up to ten minutes, but once dry
they are tough to move and will not transfer. They are incredibly long
lasting, with around 4 hours wear time before needing touching up. One thing
to note before wearing them is they will accentuate any dryness, so
exfoliating and moisturising the lips with balm before applying is
advisable. Dry spots on the lips also tends to cause flaking and
cracking after a couple of hours.
Designed to be paired with our HD Studio Foundation, this silky makeup
primer fills in pores, minimizes the appearance of fine lines and
wrinkles and mattifies the complexion for a seamless finish. It also
ensures the durability of your makeup, which will last for hours under
even the harshest lighting.
Final Thoughts: This primer is a little bit different than the silicone texture ones you
may have tried. It has more of a liquify texture. The product is a
white liquid, but applies clear one you rub it in Make sure to rub it
in well and quickly or you'll see the white residue. I actually used my
hands to do this. When it's drying it's a little bit sticky. I can
see how it would grab onto the product and make it stick. After
applying product on top, it's no longer sticky. I didn't notice a huge
difference in it making my skin look smoother but I do think the texture
helps to make your foundation last longer. It does brighten skin rather wonderfully and creates a good, even
flawless canvas for makeup. My skin doesn’t automatically look amazing
on application but does look stunning after full makeup application as
it seems to brighten, ease dullness, and diffuses minor issues creating a
smooth, flawless finish. I don’t have larger pores but I’m going to
throw it out there and say that this should create a secondary skin for
you, concealing larger pores and creating a smoother facial canvas for
you to work on! I can’t imagine my makeup life without it, def an essential part of my
beauty arsenal from this day forward. Professional quality primer
without a drugstore price!
A little bit is all I need to warm up my complexion for a summer look. Brighten up your skin with any of these Illuminators. The radiant
shimmer diffuses light so your skin looks softer and younger while
adding a subtle glow. Gleam through the day wearing any of the three
Illuminators for a natural touch of radiance!
Final Thoughts: This was the very first bronzer I ever purchased and it has not
dissapointed me! It's very natural with a slight shimmer in the pan
that transforms into a bronzey glow when applied to the face. It
applies very evenly and easily and can be built up to acheive the look
you want. It's huge and even at $15 it will last you an extremely long
time, I've had mine for over 9 months and have barely scratched the
surface! It's very natural which I like because I can use it all year
round.
Last but not least my new favorite and you will know why......
LIMITED EDITION! Captivate and mesmerize with your beauty using the
Crimson Amulet collection. This palette inspired by the film “Dark
Shadows” comprises of 24 matte and shimmery lush eye shadows, 5
intoxicating blushers, 1 luminous highlighter, 4 succulent lip colors, 1
HD Studio eye shadow base for a more intense eye shadow hue, and 1
extreme black liquid eye liner. Recreate the enticing female characters’
in Dark Shadows using the collection!
Formula: I don't think I own too many NYX shadows so it was pleasantly surprising to discover how richly pigmented the formula is in this set. They are lush and vibrant and most of all NO GLITTER! Although
some shades have sheen and shimmer it is quite unobtrusive and women of
any age and skin tone can use these colors on a daily basis. The matte
shades are neutral nudes and are all gorgeous! I only swatched a few
colors to show you the pigmentation.
Blush: I love that you get five different shades of blush, something for everyone to create many different looks. I also love that they added a deep red blush which
you hardly ever find in palettes and I plan on using it as an eyeshadow
color. It's really deep and vibrant. The shadows are semi-sheer and
look very natural on the cheeks. They were applied heavy for the sake of
getting them to show up on the photo.
Highlighter: The highlighter is gorgeous!
And next to the red blush and matte shadows, it's my favorite. It is a
pale creamy shimmer that delivers just the right amount of glow without
glitter chunks.
Lip Gloss: The lip gloss isn't that
sticky and the colors have nice pigmentation except they could have been
a little more creamier. I don't mind because I hardly use lip gloss in
palette sets and these are small so it's not that big of an issue for
me.
Eyeshadow Base: The set includes a small
shadow base which works really great in enhancing the colors. It's just
not that big of a tube but possibly you might fill it up again when it
empties out with your own primer.
Liquid Eyeliner: The liquid
liner is pretty decent but the formula is nothing special. Still it's
nice that it's included as the palette has everything to give you a
complete face look.
Packaging: The packaging is gorgeous form
the graphic Dark Shadow tree print, to the female character card page
showing some looks you can create. The palette is designed to look like a
journal and opens up with a snap closure. They could have made the
closure more substantial in material.
Final Thoughts: This gorgeous palette has everything you need to create many full face
look's and the amount of product is very generous. It might look like a
novelty item for younger girls but the shadows are neutral with matte
and shimmers making them truly wearable for all skin tones and all ages.
It's jam packed with fabulous colors and a fun design inspired by the
movie. I love that there is a hardly ever seen red blush in the set and
an all purpose glow powder.
If you're looking for a nice selection of eyeshadow in lots of on-trend
shades and a variety of finishes, I think this is a palette worth
considering. The illuminator and shimmer blushes contain more sparkle, but if you're big on sparkle, I think you'll enjoy
them very much. I can honestly say that if this palette hadn't been sent
to me, and I knew that there were matte taupes and a matte red blush of
this quality inside this palette, I would buy it in a heartbeat. The
mini tube of primer is just the icing on the cake, and the unexpectedly
beautiful (and wearable) pink gloss makes this palette a hard one to
pass up (for me, at least). I love it and I hope you will too, if you
make a purchase. You get a huge amount of product for the cost of single shadow or
lipstick making it a super value. Grab one for yourself before they sell
out. I might be getting more to give as gifts. Who is excited to try
this?
Eye Rock Designer Liner