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
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
Shadow & light playtime done the NYX way/As always, all opinions are my own
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