Filed In: NYX

NYX · Duo Chromatic Illuminating Powder, Cosmic Metals & Lid Lingerie Shadow Palettes

August 28, 2017

A favoured brand with the younger set and budding makeup artists, NYX has been steadily gaining traction even with die-hard luxury brand-philes such as myself, thanks in part to several good formulations and even better pricing. Having a good colour selection that caters to a broad selection of tastes doesn’t hurt the cause either — neither does the fact that all the latest trends are duly represented, and all without breaking the bank.

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NYX · Sweet Cheeks Blush Palette & Ombré Blush

September 23, 2016

NYX, a brand that by now has streamed onto everyone’s consciousness, continues to be leading edge where affordable makeup is concerned and as if that weren’t enough, the price point continues to amaze, especially when combined with really good quality.

As somewhat of a beauty elitist (yes, I can be snobby that way), I’ve always tended to stick to the more luxury brands but every now & then something comes across my radar to divert me. Case in point: the Sweet Cheeks Blush Palette and the Ombré Blushes shown here. By the way, if you’ve ever missed out on any of MAC’s ombré blush releases or like me, have picked them then can’t bear to use them (right? I can’t be alone in that), then here’s your chance to indulge without feeling guilty.

NYX · Sweet Cheeks Blush Palette & Ombré Blush

Sweet Cheeks Blush Palette (CAN $29.99) | An 8-pan blush palette with a range of warm to cool shades and a variety of finishes (satin to shimmer). The top row offers hues that lean warm with the two left shades also being able to perform double-duty as highlighters, while the bottom row is more suitable (for the most part) to those with cooler complexions. All display a good level of pigmentation, in particular the deeper tones, with the more shimmery colours applying smoothly and without any chunky fallout. Apart from the perk of having such a variety of blush shades in one convenient palette, you can also mix the shades to create completely new and customizable blushes — effectively stretching the value of Sweet Cheeks even higher. Not a bad deal, wouldn’t you agree?

The swatches below have been broken down in top & bottom rows respectively (shown in both direct & natural sunlight for variance), while the last swatches have the two rows combined (top over bottom).

NYX · Sweet Cheeks Blush Palette

NYX · Sweet Cheeks Blush Palette, top row swatches

NYX · Sweet Cheeks Blush Palette, bottom row

NYX · Sweet Cheeks Blush Palette, bottom row swatches

NYX · Sweet Cheeks Blush Palette, top row applied over bottom row swatches

NYX · Ombré Blush

Soft Flush Ombré Blush (CAN $13.00) | A trio of soft pink-coral shades that can be made to work on both warm and cool complexions, all depending on where in the pan you opt to concentrate your brush on; applying more of the darker bottom portion will suit warm skin tones while adding more of the top paler section is best for cooler skin tones.

NYX · Soft Flush Ombré Blush swatches

Sweet Spring Ombré Blush (CAN $13.00) | Definitely the more cooler-leaning of the three, this peony pink trio of shades is also surprisingly quite pigmented (for pink). I actually love applying a slight pop of a cool-toned blush such as this on the apples of the cheeks to add a nice flush of colour.

NYX · Sweet Spring Ombré Blush swatches

Feel the Heat Ombré Blush (CAN $13.00) | An obviously warmer leaning trio of shades, this sizzling tangerine/coral blush is made quite unique by the addition of the gold segment. Depending on how much of each shade you pick up with your brush, you can almost recreate a shade that’s reminiscent of NARS’ Orgasm (but at a way more affordable price).

NYX · Feel the Heat Ombré Blush swatches

I may be an equal-opportunity beauty lover, but if forced to choose then I’d have to say that my two weaknesses are mascara & blush. That being said, there’s no denying that nothing brightens the face quite like the power of blush and when I come across a product that A) looks visually appealing, B) is available in a good range of colours, C) performs beautifully, and D) widely available at a ridiculously low price then that’s a deal that needs to be shared. Then again, I’d have to say that these blushes sell themselves without any help from me; where else can you get an entire palette like Sweet Cheeks at such a low cost (and can most likely even score it on sale) or such artfully designed blushes like these Ombré versions, without breaking the bank? Is it a wonder then that stores can barely keep these in stock? I didn’t think so.

Available at NYX Boutiques, select mass market retailers & online

Press samples/All opinion are my own

NYX | Highlight & Contour Pro Palette, Strobe of Genius Palette & Pro Fan Brush

June 9, 2016

By now strobing and contouring are the two ‘it-words’ that have become part of most people’s vocabulary, and NYX Cosmetics has certainly covered all bases with these two lovelies. The Highlight & Contouring Pro Palette provides options without any overkill, while the Strobe of Genius Palette will satisfy the cravings of radiance lovers everywhere. And the best part? Both are quite good quality-wise AND won’t break the bank. I know, right?

NYX | Highlight & Contour Pro Palette, Strobe of Genius Palette and Pro Fan Brush

Highlight & Contour Pro Palette (CAN $29.99) | Consisting of two rows, with the top row designated as the highlight portion, while the bottom row works equally well as either contour or bronzer. The breakdown:

Top Row (left to right):

Ice Queen – oyster nude with the most shimmer of the group
Soft Light – natural nude (rose undertones), matte
Cream – soft banana yellow, matte
Nectar – light apricot, soft shimmer

There’s a nice enough mix of both matte and shimmery shades in this row as well as enough colour in the undertone of each, to suit a variety of skin tones (obviously not all complexions will benefit, but it’s still pretty comprehensive). The beauty is that all shades can also do double-duty as eyeshadows as well.

Bottom Row (left to right):

Tan – mauve undertones, cool leaning
Toffee – deep camel, warm leaning
Sculpt – soft taupe, lightest of the four and cool leaning as well
Hollow – chocolate brown, darkest of the four and also warm leaning

I like how there are options for both cool and warm complexions found here, while the texture itself is quite pigmented and finely-milled on all. That being said, those with the lightest skin tones will need to use a fluffier brush and start with a light hand to start with – remember that you can always add more, if needed (but not so easy to take away once it’s done, am I right?). Note that all four bear a radiance – somewhere between sheen and shimmer – that’s still very wearable although I personally prefer my contouring products to be more on the matte side.

NYX | Highlight & Contour Pro Palette

NYX | Highlight & Contour Pro Palette, top row

NYX | Highlight & Contour Pro Palette, top row swatches

NYX | Highlight & Contour Pro Palette, bottom row

NYX | Highlight & Contour Pro Palette, bottom row swatches

NYX | Highlight & Contour Pro Palette

Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette (CAN $29.00) | As someone who tends to hyperventilate at the mere sight of highlighters (I am completely unable to resist their allure. Powerless, in fact), this palette had my jaw dropping — and this before I even began swatching. There are two rows of highlighter gorgeousness, with the top row offering up some colours not often seen in this genre (banana golden, lilac), while the bottom row is straight-up shimmery glory. These are all quite pigmented and smoothly applying, without any chalkiness in sight (start off lightly and build your way up. Or go crazy — totally up to you), and last quite well with minimal fading, when applied over foundation. The breakdown:

Top Row (left to right):

gold/lemon, can swing both cool and warm
icy pink
pale lavender/lilac
soft rose

Bottom Row (left to right):

champagne
peach
palest apricot

While the top row definitely leans more cool and bottom row is heavy on the warm side, you can also play by mixing and matching, or even layering a few shades to create something quite unique and customized to your own skin tone. The texture is surprisingly good and comparable to some higher-end versions, while the pan size of each shade is large enough that you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination.

NYX | Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette

NYX | Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette, top row

NYX | Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette, top row swatches

NYX | Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette, bottom row

NYX | Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette, bottom row swatches

NYX | Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette

06 Pro Fan Brush (CAN $17.00) | A plush and dense fan-shaped synthetic-haired face. The bristles are incredibly soft and velvety-feeling along the skin and while the thickness might make it a bit challenging to get into smaller areas of the face, you can still apply product to narrower areas by either pinching the tips of the bristles between your fingers, or only picking up a scant amount along the very tips of one side. Another option is to use this brush along the jawline or under the cheekbone area to create shadow and depth (i.e.: contouring), although I love how effortlessly it helps buff product into the skin to leave a seamless finish, without moving around the foundation underneath.

NYX | 06 Pro Fan Brush

Whether you’re a strobing and/or contouring newb, love to play with time-worn makeup techniques (playing with light and shadow is nothing new; makeup artists have been doing exactly this for eons), or just addicted to NYX cosmetics and their well-curated range of products, you will not be disappointed with either of these, especially when you factor in the quality vs the price: unbeatable, and the perfect palettes to invest in for anyone looking to add to their existing shade ranges, or those just starting to build a beauty repertoire. If you’ve yet to try any of the NYX beauty brushes, you’re missing out on something quite good found at a very reasonable price point; in fact I’d even go so far as to say that these are giving the Real Techniques a major run for the money, which is not a bad thing, as competition is always a good idea in this industry.

Available at drugstores across Canada or online