Wednesday, August 15, 2012

NYX Summer Must and Reviews

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.
HD STUDIO PHOTOGENIC GRINDING POWDER 
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.

                    Soft Matte Lip Cream                                          

soft matte lip cream NYXNeither 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?

5 comments:

  1. Wow! Thanks for such an awesome review! I have never heard of them either, but now I am definitely going to check their site out!

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  2. This is an awesome review. You just settled my mind on a few items that I was thinking about buying. Some of the products I've never heard of and now I will be buying. Thanks for doing this review. I never purchased any of NYX products, but now I will. :)

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  3. This stuff looks interesting. I'm not sure much about different types of makeup . I just gotta wonder the cost its its something I can afford

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  4. This brand is new to me too!! I shop at ULTA but dont remember seeing it there...I will have to find out who carries it around my area. Great to know that it is comparable to better brands because the price would have thrown me off the trail! Thanks for the review.

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  5. I have never heard of it till now will have to check them out thanks

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