What it is: NYX Pro Fix Sticks are a high-medium coverage creamy concealer in a stick that come in both skin tone and color correcting shades.

Price/Quantity: $9.00 for 0.05 oz / 1.6 grams

Availability: NYX, Ulta

Shade Range: 6 color correctors and 18 complexion shades

Packaging: These come in a slim twist up tube similar to a lipstick. The caps click into place and remove with a small amount of effort, and stay on well. I am able to twist the product all the way up and then completely retract it again. One of the photos above shows the product completely extended so you can get an idea how much is in the container. So far I’ve only swiped them on with a tiny bit of the product exposed past the plastic casing and haven’t felt it might break. I’d be cautious to avoid twisting it up too far though or using too much pressure when applying it.

Smell/Fragrance: There is a noticeable scent if I get up close and look for one but with normal use, I haven’t noticed the scent at all. It doesn’t smell like fragrance at all and more like a chemical smell. 

Expires After: 18 months after opening

Ingredients:

ISODECYL NEOPENTANOATE   • PROPYLENE GLYCOL DICAPRYLATE/DICAPRATE    •  SYNTHETIC WAX   • ISONONYL ISONONANOATE    •  OCTYLDODECANOL    • PARAFFIN   • CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE    •  SILICA    •  DIMETHICONE    • POLYGLYCERYL-3 DIISOSTEARATE    • CERA MICROCRISTALLINA / MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX / CIRE MICROCRISTALLINE   • LIMNANTHES ALBA SEED OIL / MEADOWFOAM SEED OIL   • STEARALKONIUM HECTORITE    • DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER    •  LECITHIN    • ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE    •  ISOPROPYL MYRISTATE    • PROPYLENE CARBONATE    •  ISOSTEARIC ACID    •  ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE  •  POLYGLYCERYL-3 POLYRICINOLEATE    •  POLYHYDROXYSTEARIC ACID    • PHENOXYETHANOL

nyxcosmetics.com

Performance

Shade: I picked up 5 shades in total. 2 are concealers and the other 3 are correctors. I have the concealers in 03 Alabaster and 04 Light and both are too light. 04 Light will work for me now as it’s winter and my skin is about as light as it will be for the year but I doubt I will be able to continue using it through next summer. I get the feeling the shades run light in general. I also have the pink, yellow, and green correctors. I like the depth/tone of the pink and yellow ones and find they work well with my complexion. I don’t think they are too saturated in their respective colors and blend out well enough to disappear into my skin fairly well. The pink corrector is only barely more pink-toned than the two concealers and could easily pass as just another concealer shade. On me, it works okay under the eyes but I find it more useful to use around the sides of my mouth where my skin looks a bit more yellow than the rest of my face. It helps to neutralize that yellow tone so that the area better matches the rest of my face. The yellow corrector is the most versatile for me and works well on the purplish tones of my under eye circles, reddish purple marks from acne scarring, and also helps to neutralize redness better on me than the green one. The green one is a bit too saturated for me and difficult to apply lightly enough. If I don’t apply it heavily enough, it doesn’t really neutralize redness but it’s so easy to go overboard and apply too much, leaving behind a fairly obvious green/grey cast. It is the only one that I feel the need to go back over with concealer to rebalance the skin tone.

Application: I have mainly used this with brushes. I very briefly tried just swiping the stick directly on the skin and it worked okay that way. It transfers fairly well with minimal dragging on the skin. It isn’t the most emollient concealer ever but it’s also not very dry. So far I am preferring the texture of this for the under eye area and to add coverage over larger portions of the face (like areas of redness on the cheeks) than for spot concealing. Coverage is pretty good and when a concealer and corrector is used together, I’m impressed with how well it evens the under eye area out. However, I don’t think it has enough coverage to be super effective as a spot concealer and the formula moves around a little too easily on the skin as well. I prefer products that dry down and really stay in place once they set for spot concealing. If I accidentally touch a spot I’ve covered, it can easily rub off. 

Texture/Consistency/Finish: Both the concealers and the correctors feel and apply the same, they’re just different colors. They are creamy and transfer pretty easily without being oily or waxy feeling. They don’t totally set but do dry down a little bit as they are blended out and have a semi-matte, almost powder-like finish and feel. Thy sit very nicely on my skin when my skin is well maintained and hydrated. For the demo photos, my skin was edging into being more dehydrated but I felt the product still looked decent. The pigment/powder that’s in them seems to be pretty fine and melds well with the skin so they don’t look heavy or dry even from up close. 

Coverage: High medium. It does build up and you can get full coverage but because it transfers pretty easily, I’m hesitant to call it reliably full coverage.

Here are some before and after photos using only the concealer in the shade 04 Light. I didn’t use any of the corrector shades for either of the two examples below:

Longevity: Under the eyes, the coverage and finish hold steady until the end of the day with only the very faintest bit of creasing in the fold under my eyes. I need to pay better attention to how it holds up as a spot concealer. My feeling based on how it applies is that it will probably stay on okay as long as I don’t touch it, but it is more prone to transferring when touched than a liquid concealer that completely dries down and sets.

Pros and Cons:

Things I like:

• It sits well on the skin even if my skin isn’t in its best condition.
• Effective amount of coverage for “everyday” makeup. It’s not too heavy/opaque but it actually does brighten and even the skintone noticeably.
• What creasing I do get is minimal.
• The pink and yellow color correctors are really nice to have in addition to the concealer shades to help even things out that a concealer alone might not do the best at by itself. 
• I like that the price is not very high. I don’t feel so bad about possibly buying the wrong shade as it doesn’t hurt the wallet too bad to just try again.

Drawbacks and other considerations:

• Although the price is not very high, there’s not much product in the component. For the color correctors the amount is probably enough to last a good long while but I feel it will be easy to use up the concealers quickly.
• I prefer this formula better for use under the eyes than for spot concealing.
• Not the easiest to blend out over larger areas with a buffing brush. Using a small flat brush (like a concealer brush or a lip brush) works okay for me though on smaller areas (around the eyes, small spots on the face).
• Complexion shades seem to run light. 
• The green is very saturated compared to the other two correctors and is more difficult to use.

Do I Recommend It?

I am liking the quality of the product, how it applies, how it wears, the price, and having it in stick format (just because it’s kind of convenient). That said, the small amount you get is a very big drawback for me. If it weren’t for that, I’d give it a glowing recommendation as long as you think the coverage and format is something you’d like. I’m especially happy to see some new correctors. I’ve noticed a lack of choices in this category for a long time and I think tones of the pink and yellow ones work really well for me.

Some Tips for the Color Correctors

• Use a small amount (less than the amount of concealer you’d use). It’s more of a way to cancel out color than actually add coverage.
• If you have a few different shades, experiment with them. You may find the recommended use doesn’t actually work for you and that’s totally fine. 
• Try using them under concealer or over concealer. You can kind of blend the color of the corrector into the shade of your concealer to tint the concealer.
• I definitely recommend using some small brushes if you have them to apply the product more lightly. You can dot the correctors directly from the stick onto the skin as well but they may apply more heavily that way.
• Green typically is used to cancel out redness. That can be from blemishes, healing scars, rosacea, or just naturally reddish cheeks. Green has always been tricky for me personally if it’s not just the right shade or if it’s too dark/saturated/blue-toned. If you get frustrated, try yellow, as that can also work for redness.
• Pink and yellow both work for me around the eyes. My dark circles are multicolored so I sometimes use both together around the eyes. For example the inner corner has some greenish veining and the pink corrector works well for that while the yellow corrects the purple in my dark circles more effectively than the pink one.

Where I Place The Color Correctors

For this demo, I am only using the correctors and no concealer. I used the pink one under one eye and the yellow under the other so you can see how they both kind of do the job. Personally, I prefer the yellow for that area. I used the pink corrector to neutralize some yellow tones around the sides of my mouth.

What they are: NYX Fat Oil Slick Click Lip Balms are tinted glossy lip balms that come in a click-up stick format. They are solid like a lipstick in the packaging but melt quickly upon application. One or two swipes across the lip leave a generously thick but even coating of color and juicy shine. They come in 12 shades in a wide variety depths and colors. Some of them have shimmer and sparkle but most have a cream finish. They have a moderately strong fruity/sugary scent but don’t have much of a taste. It is most noticeable upon application and it lingers for a short while after but it seems to fade in intensity very quickly. These are $11 each and can be purchased from NYX and Ulta.

Packaging: These come in slim plastic housings with a click button on the bottom. The product sits inside in a stick format like a lipstick and is pushed upward each time you click the button on the bottom of the packaging. I need to click several times just to move the product up a little bit but it moves fast enough that I don’t find it frustrating. The cap stays on securely and pulls off relatively easily with a tiny bit of effort. I purchased these directly from NYX and they came with a small perforated sticker that held the cap and body of the product closed.

Smell/Fragrance: The fragrance is more noticeable as a scent however I cannot actually taste it. It’s a generic, sweet fruit-juicy scent that doesn’t bring to mind any particular fruit or note.  It is not sharp, but more warm and rounded. The scent is moderate and noticeable without having to go and actively hunt for it. Without trying, just opening up the product to use it, I notice there is a fragrance. Personally I don’t find it offensively strong and after application it fades quickly enough that I soon forget about it entirely.

Expiration: 18 months after opening.

Ingredients:

BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2 • POLYISOBUTENE • TRIDECYL TRIMELLITATE • DIISOSTEARYL MALATE • PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE • SYNTHETIC WAX • POLYGLYCERYL-2 TRIISOSTEARATE • PERSEA GRATISSIMA OIL / AVOCADO OIL • RUBUS CHAMAEMORUS SEED OIL • RUBUS IDAEUS SEED OIL / RASPBERRY SEED OIL • TIN OXIDE • AROMA / FLAVOR • SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE • TOCOPHERYL ACETATE • PHENOXYETHANOL • CI 15850 / RED 7 LAKE • CI 77491 / IRON OXIDES • CI 77492 / IRON OXIDES • CI 77499 / IRON OXIDES • CI 77891 / TITANIUM DIOXIDE • CI 19140 / YELLOW 5 LAKE • BENZYL ALCOHOL (F.I.L. N70034292/1).

nyxcosmetics.com

Performance

Shade Selection: There is a good range of depth in all of the 12 shades. They go from nearly colorless to somewhat deep, and a few are more colorful/bright. 3 of them have shimmer and/or sparkle that is actually noticeable on the lips against the base color. The larger sparkle in a some of the shades adheres to the lips pretty strongly if I try to remove it soon after application so that only using a tissue isn’t quite enough to remove all the sparkle. A makeup remover helps to dislodge the sparkle. Personally, I feel comfortable in all of the shades that are offered and feel they are flattering or at least don’t clash with my skin tone. Some shades are similar to each other but none are so close that there are dupes within the shade range. I feel they differ enough from each other that I can tell them apart. Some groupings of similar shades are

• Going Viral (more pink) and Link In My Bio (more nude)
• DM Me (lighter) and #Thriving (deeper, brighter)

Application: I apply these just like any other lipstick, directly from the tube. The main difference is the need to click the bottom of the packaging to continually push more product up. In the few times I’ve used each shade, I had to click more lip balm up with each use. Immediately upon swiping the product, a generous amount of it melts onto the lips, giving me the impression I could probably very quickly run through an entire lip balm if I used it daily. Two passes across the lips is about enough to get a noticeable amount of color and shine from these. I don’t feel they apply too heavily though and the product stays pretty much where I apply it. It doesn’t move around super easily on the lips or gather in patches if I press my lips together.

Texture/Consistency/Finish: I love love love the texture of these. They are thick but melt easily with warmth. They are not waxy like cheap lip balms are and they are not sticky if I press my lips together. Right away, they have a shine that looks almost like a gloss but they do not slip around like a gloss. As I wear them for a while, the shine dissipates into a glow more true to the finish of a balm. The product feels soothing, moisturizing and substantial on the lips but not heavy and they don’t seem to trap heat in a way that feels like you’ve got butter on your lips. 

Pigmentation/Color Payoff: These range from clear to semi-opaque depending on the shade. A couple of the deeper/brighter shades like #Thriving and Double Tap are the most pigmented and border on the color payoff of a semi-sheer lipstick. In general the color shows up well in a satisfying way without having to layer the product on too heavily to get it there. They give me more color payoff than a gloss but less than a lipstick. I feel every shade here shows up well against my skin tone and even the deepest shades still feel comfortable/appropriate for everyday wear. They are good for those that like the idea of wearing more color but might be kind of afraid to go too far.

Longevity: Still trying these out for longevity. The only thing I know at this point is that they wear off easily if you’re drinking something, let alone eating.

Pros and Cons

Things I like:

• Texture is amazing. Comfortable, hydrating, soothing, cushiony, smooth.
• “Wearable” shades with good color payoff for a balm formula.
• Sparkle in the sparkly shades actually shows up, without looking like glitter.
• Color applies evenly and doesn’t gather in patches or move around on the lips.
• Not sticky or goopy feeling.
• Price is reasonable.

Drawbacks to consider:

• I’m guessing these could be used up quickly with daily consistent use.
• There aren’t any totally clear shades but this has a formula that I think would be amazing for just a clear lip butter / lip balm just for use as prep / treatment.
• Fragrance / scent may bother those that are sensitive. 
• Sparkles adhere strongly and require some extra effort to remove from the lips.

Do I Recommend Them?

Yes. If you like tinted lip balms or hydrating lip products that add a hint of color, I absolutely recommend giving these a try. These are one of the more enjoyable and surprisingly high-quality-for-the-price products I’ve tried in a while.

Swatches

Main Character

Main Character has a colorless, clear, glossy base with a good amount of large purple sparkle. It gives me the look of a clear gloss with an added bit of purply-pinky dazzle. Although the particles are fairly large, almost the size of glitter, I can barely feel them at all if I press my lips together. When I go to remove this shade the sparkle really clings on to the lips and I find it very helpful to use a makeup remover wipe (as opposed to just a tissue) to get them to unstick.

Clout

Clout is a very pale cool toned pink. I don’t usually like these kinds of shades on me but being a sheerer color makes it much easier to pull off. There is enough saturation in the pink color and it’s just dark enough to not wash out my complexion.

No Filter Needed

No Filter Needed is a subtly cool-toned, medium pinky mauve with fine shimmer and just a little bit of larger gold sparkle. The shimmer in this shade is not like the sparkle in Main Character. It’s much more subtle and is far easier to remove. This is the type of shade I could see myself reaching for often.

Going Viral

Going Viral is a light nude pink with no shimmer or sparkle. It is similar in depth and color to Link In My Bio but this one is just a little pinker while that one is more neutral.

Link In My Bio

Link In My Bio is a light nude beige with no shimmer or sparkle.

Hits Different

Hits Different has a very sheer caramel base (almost looks clear) with lots of large gold and pink sparkle. The sparkle in this is a lot like the shade Main Character in that it adds a noticeable glimmer to the glossy finish, I cannot really feel it on the my lips, and it can be difficult to remove without a makeup remover wipe.

DM Me

DM Me is a lighter version of a cool-toned bubblegum pink without any shimmer or sparkle.

#Thriving

#Thriving is a medium cool toned pink without any shimmer or sparkle. It is similar to DM Me, but slightly deeper.

That’s Major

That’s Major is a medium orchid purple without any shimmer or sparkle.

Double Tap

Double Tap is a semi-sheer pinky red with the slightest bit of sparkle. The sparkle is only visible in the product itself and not on the lips. I don’t see any when I go to remove the product either.

In A Mood

In A Mood is a deeper mauve without any shimmer or sparkle. I can apply this fairly heavily and still have it look even on the lips and I don’t see much of it settling into my lip lines. If I press my lips together the color stays put and doesn’t gather weirdly in certain spots.

Trending Topic

Trending Topic is a sheer deep berry with a good amount of large bronze and purple sparkle. The sparkle is somewhat noticeable but not crazy obvious. It clings to the lips during removal just like the sparkle in Main Character and Hits Different.

NYX Duck Plump Lip Glosses are spicy, plumping lip glosses in a range of 16 higher pigment shades and 1 clear shade. These are $13 each and available to purchase from NYX and Ulta. They provide a tingly warming sensation on the lips much like the Maybelline Lifter Plump Lip Glosses (my review). Ginger is the ingredient NYX features the most, however this also contains capsicum frutescens fruit extract (chili pepper extract). The heat and plumping I get from these feels nearly identical to what I get from the Maybelline glosses but these are much more colorful and pigmented. They plump the lips a little bit for me but not a very noticeable amount. I tend to have drier, liney lips and this can help to smooth them out a bit and make them look a little more hydrated.

For the arm swatches below I just swiped the applicator directly out of the tube on my arm. The applicator is very heavily coated in gloss when I pull it out, so much so that I ended up using a lip brush to apply the lip swatches. Many of the arm swatches look darker just because the product is applied thicker. On the lips, I have a thinner application. Attempting to use the applicator to apply the product is possible but it can look pretty heavy/uneven and is difficult to get clean lines around the edges. Maybe with use over time, as less product is in the container, it might not be such an issue.

If applied lightly, these feel comfortable and non-sticky. If I apply it straight from the applicator without dabbing off excess, it feels like I have too much on, and if I press my lips together the excess will kind of bunch up and slide around on the lips. I don’t get too much color/pigment settling in the lines of my lips though even from the shades that are lighter than my lips and the very deepest shades. Even a thin layer gives me a noticeable amount of color payoff, which is nice. Some of the deeper and more intense shades stain my lips slightly. None of them contain any shimmer or glitter.

I have all the shades that are currently available swatched here but my favorites out of all these are Lilac on Lock (for a my lips but better shade), Brick of Time, Mauve Out My Way, Strike A Rose, and Hall Of Flame.

01 Clearly Spicy

Clearly Spicy has a very slight peachy tone to it but is totally transparent on the lips.

02 Bangin’ Bare

Bangin’ Bare is a light nude beige. This shade is a tiny bit lighter than my natural lip color (which is very pale) and gives me the nude lip look that could go well with darker eye makeup.

03 Nude Swings

Nude Swings is a light pinky beige. This one is about the same depth as my lip color but a hint warmer in tone.

04 Apri-Caught

Apri-Caught is a nude peach.

05 Brown Of Applause

Brown of Applause is a medium caramel brown. This is the first shade that starts to look like it has some depth on me.

06 Brick Of Time

Brick of Time is a medium reddish brown.

07 Mocha Me Crazy

Mocha Me Crazy is a medium milk chocolate brown with hints of red.

08 Mauve Out My Way

Mauve Out My Way toes the line between being a purple-toned, and pink-toned mauve. This one is a like a deeper version of 10 Lilac On Lock.

09 Strike A Rose

Strike A Rose is a medium cooler-toned pink.

10 Lilac On Lock

Lilac On Lock is a light purplish pink. It’s not so purple that it looks unnatural and blends in well with the color my lips.

11 Pick Me Pink

Pick Me Pink is a light blue-toned pink.

12 Bubblegum Bae

Bubblegum Bae is a bright medium blue-toned pink. It stands out but is much less loud than you might think based on the swatch. This one stains just a tiny bit.

13 Peach Out

Peach Out is a medium peach that adds some warmth to my natural lip color.

14 Hall Of Flame

Hall Of Flame is deeper cool-toned red that looks more like a deep rose pink on the lip. This one also stains a little bit.

15 Twice The Spice

Twice The Spice is a deep brown with subtle red tones.

16 Wine Not?

Wine Not? is a deep warm red that leans slightly orangey-brown.

17 Pure Plum-p

Pure Plum-p is a deep purple. The heavier I apply this shade, the cooler-toned it looks. If I thin it out, it looks a little bit more red. I feel like the lip swatch came out a little warmer here than what I see in real life, which is closer to the arm swatch. This one leaves the strongest pinky purple stain on the lips out of all the shades.

NYX Bare With Me Blur Skin Tint Foundation is a medium coverage, matte finish foundation that comes in 24 shades. Its main claim is that it’s supposed to blur not just the look of texture and pores but also discoloration and imperfections. It is supposed to feel lightweight, have buildable coverage and leave the skin with a shine-free finish without being drying. This can be purchased from NYX or Ulta for $14.

I initially bought the second shade from the lightest and found it was WAY too light on me but decided to give it a try anyway. Coverage was about medium and it sat decently well on the skin and didn’t emphasize texture too much given how light it was. Having high hopes that the correct shade might actually look very nice, I bought another one 2 shades darker.

It looks darker in the container than it ends up being on the skin. When I first apply it, it matches what I see in the container pretty well but lightens as I spread it out. I was sure I was going to need to mix it with the lighter shade I had to make it work, but the way it brightened up as I blended it out surprised me. If you’re interested in this, definitely go a bit darker than you think you need.

Application was easy and I didn’t feel the need to alter the way I normally do my foundation, which is by applying it all over with my fingers, not super carefully, and then going back in with a sponge and/or a brush to blend it out. The consistency is slightly on the thicker side but it doesn’t feel heavy or thick once applied to the skin. If I squeeze some out onto the back of my hand, it doesn’t run at all. It spreads out easily without drying down too quickly so I have plenty of time to blend it out. Once I buff it in, it has a matte finish and doesn’t leave much tack to the skin at all. I could skip powdering and be fine (though I still do powder anyway to help with eyeshadow fallout).

For the before/after below, I applied one layer of foundation over bare skin (no primers) and did not set it with any powder. It looks very matte but I wouldn’t say that it looks dry.

Attempting to build coverage, I can somewhat layer it without it looking cakey, but it starts to pool in pores when I do that. Because it never dries to an unmovable finish, I am able to easily fix those areas.

Now for the big bold claim on the packaging. Does this blur? Yes. Most foundations blur texture to some degree and this is up there with ones that do it well. Having a matte finish adds to the effect. Looking at the before and after, it seems to work best on areas with small-medium size pores and skin that is generally already smooth. When I focus in more on my forehead, I’ve got much more visible texture and it doesn’t work as well there. Yes, it smoothes the skin but don’t expect miracles.

This is not a very long wearing foundation for me. It starts to look oily about mid afternoon and just looks plain greasy by the end of the day without any extra powder throughout the day. It doesn’t break up over that time or gather in creases/pores much but it is easy to lift once it starts getting oily.

The NYX Lift & Snatch Brow Tint Pen is a brush-tip brow product that comes in 10 shades and retails for $12. The product inside is a semi-sheer liquid, similar to an eyeliner but not as pigmented and the brush tip is very fine and offers a high level of control. I have used maybe 5 or 6 products like this over the past several years. The one I’m currently most familiar with is the ABH Brow Pen (links to my review) and I’ll share my thoughts on how they compare later on.

I use this like I would use an eyeliner or a pen and I draw individual hairlike strokes where I feel that my brows look a bit sparse. If what I draw comes out too harsh, I will take a clean spoolie and lightly brush through where I applied it after it has had a minute to dry down. This will soften the effect. If I have over-softened it, I will simply redraw over the area again until I get it how I want it.

I can use this by itself or together with other types of brow products. My favorite way to use it is for small detail work at the very front part of the brow and then fill in the rest with a brow powder or micro pencil (like ABH Brow Wiz, for example). If I use it by itself for the entire brow, I can create a very natural and perfected look but this can be time consuming and I don’t always get a consistent result. How well I apply it is highly dependent on how relaxed/patient I feel in the moment. Being calm and having plenty of time helps with having a steady hand.

It takes a little bit of practice to get used to a brush tip brow product and even after getting the hang of it, if I skip a week or two of using it, I can become out of practice. I will say if I’m in a rush or feeling extra stressed or tired, this is not the product I want to reach for in the morning. But after having a brush tip brow product like this, I would never want to be without one. It’s a great addition to have if brows are important to you.

How It Compares To The ABH Brow Pen

I have used both of these pens side by side and there isn’t that much of a noticeable difference between them. The slight difference in color is hard to tell unless I’m really inspecting and looking for it. The NYX brush looks finer and sharper but the lines I get aren’t that different. The ABH Brow Pen draws very slightly finer lines and I feel like I can control the ABH pen a bit more. The NYX one seems a little easier to wiggle. Maybe the thicker base of the ABH brush helps give it some stability? For the way I apply this type of product, the difference really isn’t noticeable unless I’m looking way up close.

The NYX pen is a way better value. You get .5 mL of product for $22 with ABH and 1mL for $11 with NYX. For reference, I have had my ABH Brow Pen for about a year and a half. It is a little more dried out now than when I first got it but it doesn’t seem to be running out of product yet.

I have the shade Ash Brown in the NYX pen which is similar to Medium Brown from ABH, just a bit lighter and warmer. The color payoff from my NYX pen is a little sheerer and more transparent than ABH. I have at times gone over an area once or twice more to build up the color if it didn’t come out as dark as I wanted. The depth of the shade is more noticeable if I do a thick swatch on the back of my hand. Using these pens the way I do in my brows, drawing very fine lines, the difference is much less visible.

The lighter shade of the NYX pen makes it more forgiving if I do a wonky job of filling in my brows and it’s light enough that I often skip brushing through with a spoolie to soften it.

If you’re deciding between these two, they are so very similar that I don’t think you can go wrong either way. Go with the brand that has the best shade match for you or that has the price you feel most comfortable with.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

Product Details

The NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette contains 40 shades of eyeshadows and pressed pigments in a wide range of colors and finishes. Each shade is 1 gram / 0.03 oz. It retails for $35 and can be purchased from NYX Cosmetics or Ulta.

I will note which ones are pressed pigments as I describe each shade below. Pressed pigments are not considered eye safe because they can cause staining and sometimes irritation. Regardless of this, many people still use them as eyeshadows, including myself. If I ever encounter shades that cause irritation I will always let you know.

Formula Overview

The mattes vary in quality and ease of use but, all in all, there is nothing terrible or unusable in this palette. The trend seems to be that the deeper shades tend to be a bit more resistant to blending. Some of the lighter shades are also on the sheer side but can be built up. They generally feel on the thinner and drier side (compared to something like ColourPop’s formula) but at the same time they are very smooth and finely milled.

The shimmers come in several finishes. Many of them contain larger sparkle particles and some of them have moderate fallout. Most pick up decently with a brush. The lighter shades are sheerer. Some of the deeper shades are more pigmented and contain a base color with more opacity.

Shade Selection

This palette has a very well rounded color story with a good balance between warm and cool tones and plenty of range in depth. You can do a lot with this palette. If you like the price point of something like ColourPop’s larger palettes but aren’t a fan of the thicker formula, you might enjoy this.

Wear Time

I got some really long wearing looks out of this, and some that creased earlier in the day. I tested 5 of my looks for wear time and 3 out of the 5 wore for 13 hours with minor creasing. One wore for 11 hours with heavy creasing. Yet another wore for 8 hours with very minor creasing. I think it just depends on the shades you choose to use.

• Shade 1 – Pale yellow matte base with fine golden sparkles.
• Shade 2 – Pressed pigment. Pale peach shimmer.
• Shade 3 – Pale matte peach.
• Shade 4 – Pressed pigment. Pale matte pink.

• Shade 5 – Pressed pigment. Medium coral-pink with a matte finish.
• Shade 6 – Clear base with mixture of larger gold and silver sparkles.
• Shade 7 – Pressed pigment. Pale cool toned lavender with a matte finish.
• Shade 8 – Pressed pigment. Pale grey with slight purple undertones and a matte finish.

• Shade 9 – Pale iridescent mint green with a sparkling shimmer finish. There are some larger flecks of sparkle in this.
• Shade 10 – Cool greyish green with a matte finish.
• Shade 11 – Pale gold with green undertones and a sparkling shimmer finish. There are some larger flecks of sparkle in this.
• Shade 12 – Pressed pigment. Warm reddish brown with a matte finish.

• Shade 13 – Intense yellow gold sparkles in a clear base. The sparkles are on the larger side.
• Shade 14 – Pressed pigment. Medium pinky purple with a matte finish.
• Shade 15 – Pressed pigment. Pale grey with blue undertones and a matte finish.
• Shade 16 – Light taupe with a subtle bluish grey flip.

• Shade 17 – Medium peach with a matte finish.
• Shade 18 – Pressed pigment. Medium peachy brown with golden shimmer finish.
• Shade 19 – Warm terra-cotta brown with a matte finish.
• Shade 20 – Vibrant chartreuse with a sparkling shimmer finish. There are some larger sparkles in this.

• Shade 21 – Pressed pigment. Medium peachy shimmer with some larger gold sparkles.
• Shade 22 – Pressed pigment. Deep reddish brown with a matte finish.
• Shade 23 – Pressed pigment. Subtle multi chrome. Shimmery light blue with sheen that flips between light teal, light green, and gold. When the light hits at an extreme angle, I can see that this has a lavender-grey base color.
• Shade 24 – Medium-deep muted teal with a matte finish.

• Shade 25 – Mustard yellow with a matte finish.
• Shade 26 – Clear base with larger flecks of golden sparkle.
• Shade 27 – Pressed pigment. Medium-deep brick red with a matte finish.
• Shade 28 – Pressed pigment. Medium coral with a matte finish.

• Shade 29 – Charcoal with a matte finish.
• Shade 30 – Pressed pigment. Purple-toned deep grey with a matte finish.
• Shade 31 – Deep grey matte base infused with multi color shimmer and sparkles. The shimmer has a muted plum color. Among the sparkles, cobalt blue stands out to me.
• Shade 32 – Pressed pigment. Very muted deep purple with a matte finish.

• Shade 33 – Pressed pigment. Eggplant with a matte finish.
• Shade 34 – Pressed pigment. Medium orangey brown with a matte finish.
• Shade 35 – Medium olive green with yellow undertones and matte finish.
• Shade 36 – Pressed pigment. Deep grey, almost black, matte base with larger golden sparkles. This mixture of colors reads as olive green when you look at the effect as a whole vs looking at what it’s composed of.

• Shade 37 – Pressed pigment. Medium reddish orange shimmer.
• Shade 38 – Pressed pigment. Light reddish peach shimmer.
• Shade 39 – Medium warm brown with a matte finish.
• Shade 40 – Pressed pigment. Deep purplish grey base with lots of cobalt blue sparkles and smaller amount of pink sparkles.

Looks

Look #1:

• Shade 3 – Brow bone and inner corner
• Shade 10 – Outer crease
• Shade 5 – Inner crease
• Shade 17 – Transition
• Shade 24 – Outer lid
• Shade 14 – Inner lid
• Shade 9 – Inner corner
• Shade 7 – Inner lower lashline
• Shade 33 – Outer lower lashline
• Shade 40 – Center of lid

Look #2:

• Shade 1 – Inner corner, brow bone
• Shade 25 – Crease, lower inner lashline
• Shade 34 – Outer lid, lower outer lashline
• Shade 35 – Center of lid
• Shade 26 – Center of lid, layered over previous shade

Look #3:

• Shade 24 – Outer and inner lid blended into crease, lower outer lashline
• Shade 8 – Transition, inner lower lashline
• Shade 23 – Center of lid
• Shade 11 – Inner corner and I used the residual left on the brush to add some sparkle to the brow bone area

Look #4:

• Shade 39 – Crease, inner lower lashline
• Shade 38 – All over lid
• Shade 34 – Outer crease, outer lower lashline
• Shade 3 – Brow bone
• Shade 2 – Inner corner

Look #5:

• Shade 12 – Outer crease, outer lower lashline
• Shade 8 – Inner crease
• Shade 15 – Inner lid
• Shade 16 – Center of lid
• Shade 30 – Outer lid, outer lower lashline
• Shade 3 – Brow bone, also used this to clean up around the edges on the outer part of my eye

Look #6:

• Shade 28 – Crease, blended pretty high up into the transition area
• Shade 27 – Outer lid, crease
• Shade 21 – Center of lid
• Shade 3 – Inner corner and brow bone

Look #7:

• Shade 4 – Brow bone, inner corner
• Shade 15 – Transition
• Shade 30 – Crease
• Shade 29 – Deepen outer corner
• Shade 31 – Center of lid
• Shade 6 – Inner lid

Look #8:

• Shade 25 – Inner crease/transition area, outer lower lashline
• Shade 24 – Crease, outer transition area, inner lower lashline

The shimmer in this look is Callisto from Terra Moons Cosmetics.

Look #9:

• Shade 3 – Brow bone
• Shade 7 – Under inner part of brow, outer lower lashline
• Shade 10 – Outer crease/transition area, inner lower lashline
• Shade 33 – Outer lid/crease
• Shade 24 – Inner lid
• Shade 20 – Center of lid
• Shade 9 – Inner corner

Look #10:

• Shade 3 – Brow bone, inner corner
• Shade 25 – Transition
• Shade 27 – Crease
• Shade 29 – All over lid
• Shade 23 – Center of lid
• Shade 24 – Lower lashline

Look #11:

• Shade 4 – Brow bone, inner corner, inner lower lashline
• Shade 15 – Inner crease, transition
• Shade 22 – Outer lid, outer crease
• Shade 20 – Center of lid
• Shade 10 – Outer lower lashline

Look #12:

• Shade 3 – Brow bone, set lids
• Shade 19 – Outer crease/transition area
• Shade 32 – Outer lid, inner lid blended all the way up to the brow
• Shade 37 – Center of lid
• Shade 18 – Lower lashline, more diffused application
• Shade 36 – Outer lower lashline, applied with dampened brush
• Shade 13 – Inner corner, applied with dampened brush

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

In this look, I used mostly the NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette plus one shade from Terra Moons Cosmetics for the shimmer on the lid. Most of the comparable shimmers in the NYX palette have a chunkier sparkle formula whereas the Terra Moons shade is more of a metallic formula with a soft mutlichrome effect.

Shades Used:

• Shade 25 – Inner crease/transition area, outer lower lashline
• Shade 24 – Crease, outer transition area, inner lower lashline
• Callisto (Terra Moons Cosmetics) – Center of lid, inner corner

Whenever I open up the NYX palette, the yellow and the teal are always the first two shades to catch my eye but I hadn’t used them together before. The yellow has good pigmentation, adheres well, and blends easily. The teal is pretty darn good but can be a little trickier to get a smooth blend along the outer edges without the help of a transition shade. I am happy enough with it’s performance given how deep and cool-toned it is against my skin. Callisto from Terra Moons can be applied decently with a flat shader brush though I prefer to use my finger to get more color payoff from it. It had very little shimmer fallout.

Base:

• Nars Pro Prime Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Light
• Smashbox Photo Finish Oil & Shine Control Primer
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup in 1N1
• Too Faced Born This Way Multi Use Sculpting Concealer in Snow
• Physicians Formula The Healthy Powder in LC1
• Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder

Brows, Lashes, Liner:

• Viseart Brow Palette – deepest powder shade used in brows and along upper lashline
• Benefit Roller Lash Mascara – upper and lower lashes
• Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil in 500 Boundless Bisque – lower waterline
• Hourglass 1.5mm Mechanical Gel Eye Liner in Obsidian – upper waterline
• Lorac Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner in Black – upper lashline

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

Here’s a grey smoky look using the NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette. I don’t do a whole lot of these just because I tend to gravitate more to color. Also, grey eyeshadows tend to be harder to work with no matter what brand I try.

NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette Shades Used:

• Shade 4 – Brow bone, inner corner (This shade is a little dark for my skin tone to use for this purpose)
• Shade 15 – Transition
• Shade 30 – Crease
• Shade 29 – Deepen outer corner
• Shade 31 – Center of lid (lots of shimmer fallout)
• Shade 6 – Inner lid (some shimmer fallout)

I decided to use Shade 30 again after having some difficulty using it in a previous look. It was still not easy to work with today but didn’t seem quite as challenging as it did last time. This time, to help blend, I would tap my brush both into this shade and into Shade 15 to mix the two before applying to the lid. That method helped a lot. Shade 6 was just a wash of sparkle in a clear base. I like the tone of Shade 15. It’s like a bluish dolphin grey.

Base:

• Nars Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Light
• Hourglass Veil Mineral Foundation Primer
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup in 1N1 Ivory Nude
• Too Faced Born This Way Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer in Snow
• Physicians Formula The Healthy Powder in LC1
• Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder

Brows + Lashes:

• Viseart Brow Palette – Two lightest powder shades on the bottom row
• Mac Shape + Shade Brow Tint in Taupe – Just the liquid side to define/lengthen tail of my brow
• Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Mascara

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

Here’s a coral and gold look using the NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette. I am a sucker for this combination of colors, especially for a summer look.

NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette Shades Used:

• Shade 28 – Crease, blended pretty high up into the transition area (good pigmentation, blended fairly easily)
• Shade 27 – Outer lid, crease (seemed slightly patchy on the lid but was workable)
• Shade 21 – Center of lid (tiny bit of shimmer fallout)
• Shade 3 – Inner corner and brow bone

Base:

• Nars Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Light
• Hourglass Veil Mineral Foundation Primer
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup in 1N1 Ivory Nude
• Too Faced Born This Way Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer in Snow
• Physicians Formula The Healthy Powder in LC1
• Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder

Brows + Lashes:

• Viseart Brow Palette – Two lightest powder shades on the bottom row
• Mac Shape + Shade Brow Tint in Taupe – Just the liquid side to define/lengthen tail of my brow
• Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Mascara
• Tarte Tarteist Brow Gel

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

On this day I ended up with a neutral eye look that has both warm and cool toned elements using the NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette. I used to feel like I could only wear warm shades or cool shades but not both together in a look and that is totally false. In fact, I think mixing the two is really what makes some looks most interesting.

NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette Shades Used:

• Shade 12 – Outer crease, outer lower lashline
• Shade 8 – Inner crease
• Shade 15 – Inner lid
• Shade 16 – Center of lid (tiny bit of fallout)
• Shade 30 – Outer lid, outer lower lashline (This shade was quite hard to work with. It was resistant to blending and wanted to just STICK where I initially applied it.)
• Shade 3 – Brow bone, also used this to clean up around the edges on the outer part of my eye

This look took longer to do because of the deepest grey. The outer crease got blended further out than I intended because of all the blending I had to do to get it to look smooth. All the other shades seemed to work just fine.

Base:

• Nars Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Light
• Hourglass Veil Mineral Foundation Primer
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup in 1N1 Ivory Nude
• Too Faced Born This Way Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer in Snow
• Physicians Formula The Healthy Powder in LC1
• Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder

Brows + Lashes:

• Viseart Brow Palette – Two lightest powder shades on the bottom row
• Mac Shape + Shade Brow Tint in Taupe – Just the liquid side to define/lengthen tail of my brow
• Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Mascara
• Tarte Tarteist Brow Gel

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

Here’s a warm brown neutral eye look using the NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette. I swatched all the shades in this palette here.

NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette Shades Used:

• Shade 39 – Crease, inner lower lashline
• Shade 38 – All over lid (I applied this with my finger. It had some shimmer fallout.)
• Shade 34 – Outer crease, outer lower lashline
• Shade 3 – Brow bone
• Shade 2 – Inner corner

These all worked well for me. The mattes had good pigmentation and blended out easily. The shimmers adhered well. Shade 38 is really pretty. I find it difficult sometimes to get the nuances of certain shimmers to come across in photos and that is the case here. This shade has a muted warm sheen to it that reminds me of the way sunlight looks through smoky skies. There’s something ethereal about it. I wore this look for 13 hours and there was only very minor fading in the crease.

Base:

• Nars Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Light
• Hourglass Veil Mineral Foundation Primer
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup in 1N1 Ivory Nude
• Too Faced Born This Way Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer in Snow
• Physicians Formula The Healthy Powder in LC1
• Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder

Brows + Lashes:

• Viseart Brow Palette – Two lightest powder shades on the bottom row
• Mac Shape + Shade Brow Tint in Taupe – Just the liquid side to define/lengthen tail of my brow
• Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Mascara
• Tarte Tarteist Brow Gel

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

I was feeling a blue look on this day so I ended up creating this halo eye with the NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette. I swatched all the shades in this palette here.

NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette Shades Used:

• Shade 24 – Outer and inner lid blended into crease, lower outer lashline (Took some time to blend out due to how dark it is on me but performed nicely.)
• Shade 8 – Transition, inner lower lashline
• Shade 23 – Center of lid (I applied this with my finger. It had quite a bit of fallout.)
• Shade 11 – Inner corner and I used the residual left on the brush to add some sparkle to the brow bone area (This adhered well without having to wet the brush.)

These shades all worked nicely for me. I applied the deepest shade with a fluffy brush which is why it isn’t super intense. I wore this look for 13.5 hours and it was a little creased but for the most part I think these shades held up well.

Base:

• Nars Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Light
• Hourglass Veil Mineral Foundation Primer
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup in 1N1 Ivory Nude
• Too Faced Born This Way Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer in Snow
• Physicians Formula The Healthy Powder in LC1
• Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder

Brows + Lashes:

• Viseart Brow Palette – Two lightest powder shades on the bottom row
• Mac Shape + Shade Brow Tint in Taupe – Just the liquid side to define/lengthen tail of my brow
• Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Mascara
• Tarte Tarteist Brow Gel

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

For this look I knew I wanted to use that vibrant mustard yellow in the NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette and built the rest of the look around that. I swatched all the shades in this palette here.

NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette Shades Used:

• Shade 1 – Inner corner, brow bone (Sparkles in this don’t show up as much as I thought they would.)
• Shade 25 – Crease, lower inner lashline (Very pigmented and buildable, fairly easy to blend out.)
• Shade 34 – Outer lid, lower outer lashline
• Shade 35 – Center of lid
• Shade 26 – Center of lid, layered over previous shade (I pressed this on with my finger. There was some fallout but not too much.)

This look was pretty quick and easy to do. Nothing gave me trouble to use. The mattes were pigmented, buildable and not hard to blend. The shimmer had some fallout but not as much as the shimmer I used in the last look I did. I wore this look for 11 hours and it was slightly creased but not super noticeable. These shades held up better than the shades I wore in Look #1.

Base:

• Nars Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Light
• Hourglass Veil Mineral Foundation Primer
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup in 1N1 Ivory Nude
• Too Faced Born This Way Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer in Snow
• Physicians Formula The Healthy Powder in LC1
• Too Faced Peach Perfect Setting Powder
• Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder

Brows + Lashes:

• Viseart Brow Palette – Two lightest powder shades on the bottom row
• Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Mascara
• Tarte Tarteist Brow Gel

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

My first attempted look with the new NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette. I just kind of picked out whatever random colors stood out to me without trying to plan the look out. I swatched all the shades in this palette here.

NYX Ultimate Utopia Palette Shades Used:

• Shade 3 – Brow bone and inner corner
• Shade 10 – Outer crease (This was very buildable but a bit difficult to blend out.)
• Shade 5 – Inner crease
• Shade 17 – Transition
• Shade 24 – Outer lid
• Shade 14 – Inner lid
• Shade 9 – Inner corner (I had to dampen my brush to get this to adhere to my skin.)
• Shade 7 – Inner lower lashline
• Shade 33 – Outer lower lashline
• Shade 40 – Center of lid (I applied this with my finger. There was a fair amount of fallout.)

In general I was pleased with how these worked. The mattes were buildable and adhered well. The shimmers that I used were more like topper shades. I wore this look for 11 hours and it was super creased by the end of the day.

Base:

• Nars Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Light
• Hourglass Veil Mineral Foundation Primer
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup in 1N1 Ivory Nude
• Too Faced Born This Way Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer in Snow
• Physicians Formula The Healthy Powder in LC1
• Too Faced Peach Perfect Setting Powder
• Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder

Brows + Lashes:

• Viseart Brow Palette – Two lightest powder shades on the bottom row
• Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Mascara
• Tarte Tarteist Brow Gel

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

NYX 3 Steps to Sculpt ($12 for 15 grams) contains a contour, a matte highlighter, and an illuminator. The trio I am reviewing here is the shade Fair but there are four palettes to choose from for different skin tones. They can be purchased from NYX, Ulta, Target, Walmart, and Amazon.

Highlight is pale cream with subtle pink undertones and a matte finish. I don’t use this as a matte highlight because I don’t like the way it looks on my skin but I do use it to buff out the edges of the contour or to mix in with the contour to lighten it up. I have tried using this all an all over face powder and to set the under eyes but I don’t think that it sits well on the skin used that way. It looks powdery and doesn’t meld into foundation the way a setting powder does. Nevertheless, I am glad that it is included as I think it’s very helpful to have to tone down the shade of the contour for a more natural look.

Illuminate is definitely more of a sparkle/glitter and not really a shimmer or sheen finish. The sparkles are smaller than a typical glitter and they adhere decently so long as the skin is not overly powdered or dry. It can be applied lightly for a subtle sparkle or heavily for a nearly metallic shine. Because the sparkles spread out and you don’t get an even sheen like you would with more of a traditional highlighter, I don’t find that this emphasizes texture or pores on my skin.

Contour is a medium brown with slight yellow undertones and a matte finish. In the photo, it’s pulling very red for some reason, but in real life it’s much more neutral. I purchased this online before it was available in stores and, based on the product photos, I thought the contour was going to be more of an ashy, cool toned contour shade which aren’t all that easy to find. It’s not. It’s definitely warm, but not overly so. It works as a contour or as a bronzer for me and I am happy with the undertone of it. It is pretty pigmented so I have to use a light hand and tap excess color off on the back of my hand before applying the color to my face. I also have to spend a bit more time blending it out. It’s not the worlds most even contour powder but I can get it to work.

Here, I used an angled blush brush and tapped back and forth between the matte highlight and the contour shade. I patted the excess color off on the back of my hand before applying the color to the hollows of my cheeks, then blended generously. I applied the sparkly highlight with a big fluffy eyeshadow brush with somewhat of a heavy hand and buffed it out on the tops of my cheekbones.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

Product Description

NYX Sculpt & Highlight Face Duo is a two-in-one cream product containing both a highlighter and contour shade. The formula is not as emollient as the type of cream product you’d find in a pan or stick but it offers a finish that looks more like skin than a powder. It doesn’t smell fragranced but it does have a very mild paint-like smell that I did not find noticeable during normal use. Each side of the product contains 0.17 fl. oz / 5.3 mL. It retails for $12 and can be purchased at NYX and Ulta.

Performance

I bought the lightest shade option, Taupe/Ivory, and neither side had any shimmer or sparkle at all. Taupe is very neutral, neither leaning warm brown nor cool grey. Ivory is also very neutral, not too pink and not too yellow. The color of the highlight shows up on my skintone better than many other highlights included in contour/highlight products I’ve tried but how well it shows depends on the shade of foundation I am wearing. One interesting and useful thing I use it for is, if I am using a foundation that is a tad darker than my complexion, the highlight enables me to use the foundation shade as a subtle contour. I apply this by dotting it in the areas I want to highlight or contour, then I blend it in a little with my fingers and finally I use a brush to finish blending it in. It doesn’t dry down too quickly so I have plenty of time to work with it and sets well enough that I don’t feel the need to apply powder on top. It doesn’t look patchy or streaky but the more I blend it in, the better and more natural it looks. Both shades sit on the skin extremely well, not emphasizing pores, fine lines or dry patches. I wore this for 9 and half hours and it did not fade or break down.

Worth Buying?

This product is very easy to use so it seems like it would be really great for people that are new to contouring or who want to try something different than a powder or cream/stick formula. This formula is thinner and less emollient so it would work well for someone with oily or combination skin. For those with active acne or who need to conceal in areas where you will use this, it might be tricky because blending it in could wipe off the concealer underneath. In that case, you’d probably be better off using a powder formula.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

Product Description

What it is: NYX Matte Lipsticks are described as long-wearing, highly pigmented and non-drying. There are currently 33 shades available on NYX’s website.

Price/Quantity: About $6 USD for 0.16 oz / 4.5 g

Availability: NYX, Ulta, Target, Amazon, Cherry Culture

Colors/Finishes:

• Natural – Mauve
• Angel – Bright, warm pink
• Indie Flick – Super bright, reddish orange

Packaging: The tube is lightweight and made of black plastic with a see-through portion in the middle, where you can see the color of the product inside. The lipstick twists up easily and the cap is easy to remove but stays on securely.

Smell/Fragrance: The ingredients do list fragrance but to me these just smell waxy.

Performance

Application: For a matte these glide on more easily than expected. I had to use a bit more pressure compared to a non-matte to get the color to transfer but it didn’t drag or tug at my lips. It’s a good idea to exfoliate your lips and use a light layer of lip balm underneath to get a smoother application. Because they have such great color payoff, using a lip brush can help achieve clean, crisp edges.

Texture: These go on pretty creamy and, at first, don’t appear to be truly matte but they do eventually dry down. While wearing them, they felt heavy and I was always aware of them being there.

Pigmentation: These are pretty much opaque on the lip. They do not leave behind a stain.

Longevity: I get between 2 and 4 hours of wear from these depending on how much effort I put into prep. If I am not dehydrated and I exfoliate my lips and use lip balm underneath, wear-time is closer to 4 hours. The drier my lips were, the more they faded unevenly, remaining intense on the outer edges but wearing away easily toward the inner edges.

Overall Opinion

Pros:

• Highly pigmented
• Creamy, easy to apply
• Large shade range
• They hold up through meals pretty well

Cons:

• Not the most comfortable to wear – feels heavy
• High maintenance and requires lots of prep

Worth Buying?

I can see why these have lots of great reviews – tons of shades, awesome color payoff, actually pretty creamy as far as matte lipsticks go, and affordable. Unfortunately though, these just weren’t for me. I don’t have much patience for lip products that require lots of prep and maintenance.

Product Description

What it is: NYX HD Eye Shadow Base is an eyeshadow primer that is supposed to make eyeshadows look more vibrant and last longer. It also claims to make eyelids look “smoother, more even toned.”

Price/Quantity: About $7.00 for 0.27 fl oz. / 8 mL

Availability: NYX, Ulta, Fred Meyer

Packaging: A lipgloss-style tube with a doe foot applicator.

Smell/Fragrance: There is no fragrance in this but it does have a chemically smell to it. It’s not something I ever notice during normal use – only when trying to smell it.

Performance

Before now, I have never tried a budget/drugstore eyeshadow primer simply because there weren’t many out there – at least not ones I could pick up in-store. There were some available online but I was skeptical. I was even skeptical this product but since I found it at a local store, I figured I could return it easily if it didn’t work out.

I first tried using this under the eyeshadows in the NYX Adorable Eyeshadow Palette. It extended the wear by at least 2 hours and slowed the process of my eyeshadows breaking down. I wore those eyeshadows for a total of 10 hours and only had very minor creasing (most people wouldn’t notice it). I also tried it under my Almay Shadow Softies and it extended the wear of those by 3 hours and again kept creasing very minor.

The consistency of this product reminds me a little of an eye cream. It has a sheer off-white color but it doesn’t really add any coverage for veins or discoloration on my lids. It feels thick, smooth, and creamy when I first apply it and as it dries down, it becomes more tacky. It does a good job of making eyeshadows stick to it, the way a cream eyeshadow would, and makes them look a little more vibrant than they would on bare lids. When using this, my eyeshadows just look more polished and more evenly blended.

As for the claim that it is supposed to make eyelids look smoother and more even-toned – I didn’t really see any difference. The texture and tone of my lids looked exactly the same with or without this primer.

I also have Urban Decay Primer Potion and Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer and I feel that this product works just as well as those and costs far less.

Worth Buying?

Yes. I love it when I find a budget/drugstore product that work just as good if not better than a high end version.

Product Description

What it is: NYX Adorable Eyeshadow Palette is an inexpensive, mostly-neutral palette containing six eyeshadows. 4 of them are matte and 2 have glitter. What makes this one different than other neutral palettes is the inclusion of a baby pink eyeshadow. In general the shadows are sheer but do have plenty of color payoff when used with a primer.

Price/Quantity: $7.50 for 6g / 0.21 oz.

Availability: NYX, Ulta

Colors/Finishes: The individual shades do not have names so I will describe them from left to right:

• Dark brown with a matte finish. This shade is pretty sheer and isn’t pigmented enough to use as a liner unless you use a damp brush. It’s dark enough to deepen crease contouring, though.
• Warm medium brown with a matte finish. This is the most pigmented shade in the palette. One swipe of my brush over the shadow picks up a good amount of color.
• Sheer nude with small silver glitter. This shade is extremely sheer and all that really shows up is the glitter when I layer it. The glitter easily falls off the lid when blending.
• Chocolate brown with fairly large gold glitter. This has okay pigmentation but it is sheer. The glitter in this shade also comes off the lid easily when blending.
• Sheer baby pink with a matte finish. This shade is very light and pretty sheer so it doesn’t show up very easily on my skin tone. I had to layer it quite a bit to make it show up.
• Sheer white with a matte finish. This shade is pretty sheer as well. It also made my lids look very dry and stuck to peach fuzz.

Packaging: Plastic snap-shut palette that includes a double ended sponge tip applicator. The lid stays securely closed and opens easily. There is no mirror on the inside of the palette.

Smell/Fragrance: No smell or fragrance.

Performance

Application: These apply easily but I recommend using a primer to help make the shadows look more vibrant and increase their wear time. They were buildable and blended easily. There wasn’t much eyeshadow fallout but there was some glitter fallout. Applying the glitter shadows was somewhat frustrating because they didn’t really have enough glitter and what I was able to apply to the lid easily fell off as I blended the shade in. I think they would have been better as matte or shimmer shades instead.

Texture: Overall these had a soft, smooth feel but seemed to be packed somewhat tightly in the pan. The shade with the best texture was the medium brown (second shade from the left). It was buttery smooth, easy to blend, and I was able to easily pick up plenty of color on my brush. The shade with the worst texture was the white (rightmost shade). It was stiff and powdery and make my eyelids look drier than they really were.

Pigmentation: All the shades in this palette are pretty sheer but they do apply evenly. They aren’t so sheer that they don’t show up, but a primer, layering, and some patience go a long way to make these look good. The only exception was the medium brown (second shade from the left) which had really good color payoff and only needed layering if I wanted to intensify the color.

Longevity: On unprimed eyes, these lasted about 6 hours before they started creasing. On primed eyes (using NYX HD Eye Shadow Base), these lasted about 8 hours before showing minor creasing. The creasing remained very minor until I removed the shadows after 10 hours.

Worth Buying?

The only thing that really sets this eyeshadow palette apart from other neutral palettes is the inclusion of the baby pink shade, which wasn’t really very pigmented. For $7.50 you do get a really good value as far as color selection, so it does make a pretty good budget neutral eyeshadow option. On the flip side, I have seen some great products from NYX and I’d expect higher quality and more consistency across all the shadows in this palette. It’s not bad but it’s not great either.

NYX Butter Lipstick comes in 22 shades and is supposed to offer intense color payoff while feeling lightweight and comfortable. The whole bullet is made of plastic and feels lightweight but sturdy. The lipstick twists up smoothly and the cap stays on securely. The outside of the bullets are supposed to represent the color inside. There is a label on the bottom of the lipstick with the name of the color inside. These cost $6.00 for 0.16 oz. / 4.5 g and can be found at NYX and Ulta

Fireball is described as a “deep coral”. I find that it is a very vibrant coral that can almost look red if applied heavily. It has a very soft balm-like sheen and has no glitter or shimmer in it. It is highly pigmented but slightly sheer and doesn’t leave a stain on my lips. I get a lot of color with just one swipe but I need to go over it once more to make sure the color is perfectly even. It has a very lightweight feel and glides on easily. Even if I make several passes over my lips to build up the color it still feels lightweight. Despite the name “butter lipstick”, I wouldn’t say the formula is hydrating but I don’t find it drying either. I wore this a few times when I had chapped lips and felt that it emphasized the dryness and didn’t last as long. There is a very light fragrance but it’s hard to tell exactly what it’s supposed to smell like. I get hints of caramel and spice – maybe cinnamon. The fragrance is incredibly light, though. This wears about 3-4 hours on me, depending on how hydrated or dry my lips are. The drier my lips are, the shorter this wears. I didn’t have any issues with this bleeding outside my lips lines.

Worth Buying?

I’m really happy with this lipstick and plan on buying some more colors. If you are familiar with NYX Round Case Lipsticks and like them, I have a feeling you will love these. They have some quirks – they don’t last an incredibly long time but they do last long enough. They also don’t sit well on dehydrated lips. Other than that, they have excellent color payoff, feel lightweight and comfortable to wear, come in tons of colors and only cost about $6.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

NYX Angel Veil Skin Perfecting Primer is a lightweight, oil-free primer that mattifies, smooths skin texture, and extends the wear of foundation. It can be worn alone to give a smoother look to the skin or as a primer to make foundation last longer. It costs about $16 for 1.02 fl. oz. / 30 mL and can be purchased from NYX and Ulta. I found mine at Fred Meyer and I expect other stores that carry NYX will probably be getting it shortly.

It only comes in this one shade. It would be nice to see a tinted version with a few different shades to choose from. In the very few reviews that are available (so far), I have read that one person with a deeper skin tone claimed that it left a white cast on her skin. I wouldn’t doubt that for one second – just take a look at the before/after photos below. You can see that the product did slightly lighten up my complexion. On me, this really isn’t a big issue but for someone with darker skin this could really be a problem.

The texture is not as slippery as some primers and it leaves the skin feeling like velvet. It’s very comfortable to wear because there is no greasy or heavy feeling to it. It spreads over the skin and blends in as easily as a moisturizer. I only need a thin layer to keep shine away and a slightly thicker layer where I want to blur pores. What it doesn’t blur are the blackheads on my nose and it doesn’t tone down redness or discoloration. If you have oily skin, the oil is probably still going to come through but for me it came through at a slower rate. Instead of looking like a grease ball by noon, my forehead was somewhat dewy in a way that looked healthy, not gross. I still had to blot around mid-afternoon but I appreciate any oil control I can get.

The one thing that I didn’t like so much about this product was that it didn’t work with with all foundations. The one it worked best with was NYX HD Studio Photogenic Foundation – it blended out easily, looked smoother, and made it last significantly longer on me. The one it was worst with was Lorac POREfection Foundation – it made blending pretty hard, caused the foundation to pool in pores, and made the peach fuzz on my face really obvious.

Worth Buying?

I’m pleased with how this looks, especially on camera. It doesn’t offer any coverage but it does a really good job of toning down shine and a pretty good job of blurring pores. This is the first primer that has actually worked to give me some oil control on my forehead (the oiliest part of my face). Most primers work well to smooth out my skin but this one seems to slow the process of oil breaking down my foundation. Just be warned that it doesn’t work well with all foundations and might create a white cast on darker complexions.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

I’ve been seeing the display for NYX Wonder Pencils at Ulta for about a month now and it has not been in stock for that whole time! I’m so glad to finally have them to share with you. Keep reading on to see how this multi-use product performed.

Product Description

Price/Quantity: About $4.50 for 1g
Availability: NYX, Ulta, Amazon
Color Range: 3 Shades

Color/Finish: All three are nude shades meant to suit different skin tones. I am hoping that NYX will eventually release a wider range of colors. I think most skin tones would be able to find a use for these since they serve more than one purpose. The current color range is okay for most people if it is used for lining your waterline but for concealer use, more colors should be available. Light was too light for me and Medium was too dark so I found myself layering the two together to get a good color match.
Packaging: Eyeliner-style pencil. I like how precise this pencil is. There have been times that I’ve wished I could just “draw” my concealer on exactly where I want it and now I can. This would be really convenient for travel or to keep in my purse for quick touch ups.
Smell: None.

Performance

Application: This is a multi-use product. It can be used as a concealer, an eyeliner, or a reverse lipliner to prevent your lipstick from bleeding or to highlight your cupid’s bow. They are similar to the L’oreal True Match Super Blendable Crayon Concealers but they are much more precise. I would recommend using a small brush to blend and feather out edges because your fingers can easily rub too much of the product off. I don’t think this would be a good concealer to use if you have a larger area you want to conceal because it would take a lot longer to use than a traditional concealer. When applying to the waterline it applies fairly well and deposits a good amount of color. When using it as an under-eye concealer it was a little too dry making it look patchy and drag during application which made it uncomfortable to use. However, I love how easy and quick it is to spot-correct acne scarring and dark spots with these pencils.
Coverage: Medium to full coverage. To achieve full coverage I had to apply, blend, and repeat if more coverage was needed.
Texture: This has a thick almost waxy feel to it and it takes some work to blend it out but it does layer well. I can forgive the texture (but only a little) because it is affordable and the texture does lend to better coverage but I would prefer if it were just a tad more creamy and didn’t tug at my skin when applying.
Longevity: On my face, it started to fade just a little after about 6 hours. After the natural oils from my skin mixed with the product it became easier to accidentally rub off. It lasted 2-3 hours on my waterline.

Overall Opinion

Pros:

• Affordable
• Compact
• Precise
• Good coverage
• Works well for blemishes and on waterline

Cons:

• Requires a pencil sharpener
• Might be easy to use this up quickly
• I’d be wary of using the same pencil for both waterline and facial use
• Not so great for covering dark circles
• Very limited shade range

Would I buy this again? Yes because there aren’t too many products like this at this price range out there and I love the precision application I can get with it.

Product Description

Price/Quantity: About $5.50 for 3 grams
Availability: NYX Website, Ulta, Amazon.com
Color Range: 9 Shades
Color/Finish:

• Glam Nude – Metallic light gold
• Glam Purple – Frosty/glittery bluish-purple
• Glam Azure – Metallic electric sky blue
• Glam Lagoon – Frosty/glittery green with a teal pull

Packaging: These are pretty standard eyeliner tubes. The applicator is a thin brush that is attached to the lid and dips into the product. They are color coded with a faux jewel top and color band around the middle of the tube. The name of the color is on the bottom of the tube as well.
Smell: They didn’t smell like anything to me.

Performance

Application: I found it hard to get a clean line using the applicator because the bristles were a bit too long and flimsy. I couldn’t get a complete line with just one dip because the product would start to dry out on the brush mid-application.
Pigmentation: I needed to apply two layers to get an opaque line. Be careful with Glam Azure and Glam Lagoon as they will stain your eyelid. It helps to use a primer and eyeshadow underneath but it still may stain your eyelid. I had to use concealer and a nude shadow for about 2 days before the stain completely faded. Glam Nude and Glam Purple did not give me this problem.
Texture: They look really glossy when you first apply them but after dry-down the glossiness fades and leaves a very frosty/sparkly appearance. Once they dry, they don’t smudge or fade until you remove them.
Longevity: These last like crazy. I wore them for 12 hours and they looked exactly the same at the 12th hour as they did when I first applied them. They also require a good makeup remover to take them off. My Neutragena makeup remover wipes did a good job of removing these.

Overall Opinion

Pros:

• Long lasting
• Does not smudge, fade, or flake off
• Beautiful vibrant colors

Cons:

• Can be hard to remove
• Not a fan of the applicator
• Glam Azure and Glam Lagoon stain skin

Worth buying? If you really like a particular color (and can put up with possible skin-staining) then I would go for it. They don’t necessarily compel me to collect all the colors but for an occasional pop of color and shine, these do the trick.

Product Description

Price/Quantity: $7 for 6 grams
Availability: NYX Website, Ulta, Amazon
Color Range: 6 colors
Color/Finish: The individual shades don’t have names but I will describe them in order from left to right.

• Sparkly black
• Matte black
• Blackened plum satin
• Blackened blue satin
• Dirty gold satin
• Shimmery white

Packaging: Plastic snap shut palette that includes a double ended sponge tip applicator. The lid is stays securely closed and opens easily.
Smell: Barely detectable but what I do notice is a typical eyeshadow smell.

Performance

Application: These were not easy to work with but I did manage to get them to look okay in the end. I had to pack on color far too many times in the same spot. They did not adhere well to the skin so blending removed too much of the color where I wanted it and created a muddy mess everywhere else. There was some fallout but it wasn’t too bad, not as bad as the NYX Natural Eyeshadow Palette I reviewed yesterday. I will say that if you apply these over a sticky base like a cream eyeshadow or even concealer, they do show up very well and look pretty. These were not my favorite to work with but I could make do with them if I had to.
Pigmentation: The pigmentation of these is not very good. The most pigmented one is the white one.
Texture: Dry, powdery, loosely packed in the pan.
Longevity: They started to crease after 3 hours.

Overall Opinion

Pros:

• Inexpensive
• Compact
• Selection of colors work well together
• Pigmented and pretty if you apply over a sticky base

Cons:

• Powdery
• Underwhelming pigmentation
• They do not adhere well to the skin

Worth buying? I’m leaning towards no but with some exceptions. It is only $7 which is less than I expected this to be but I’m surprised at the quality. It isn’t terrible but it isn’t great either. I don’t feel that the quality of these eyeshadows is the same as their single eyeshadows. I wouldn’t purchase these again but they could be a fun little gift for someone younger who is just starting out with makeup or to use for non-beauty stuff (think halloween looks and such). Alternatively, if you were willing to work with these and use different eyeshadow bases in order to make them work better, you could still totally use these.

Product Description

Price/Quantity: $7 for 6 grams
Availability: NYX Website, Ulta, Amazon
Color Range: 6 colors
Color/Finish: The individual shades don’t have names but I will describe them in order from left to right.

• Satin off-white
• Golden white with light gold microglitter
• Matte peach
• Light golden beige with a satin finish
• Satin taupe
• Matte dark brown

Packaging: Plastic snap shut palette that includes a double ended sponge tip applicator. The lid is stays securely closed and opens easily.
Smell/Fragrance: Barely detectable but what I do notice is a typical eyeshadow smell.

Performance

Application: I ended up having to pack on a lot of eyeshadow in order for it to show up. The only color that required a lot of blending was the dark brown shade.
Pigmentation: The dark brown is the most pigmented shade. If you apply these directly to the lid, they will not have good color payoff. If you apply them over a base, the colors look more rich. While this is true for most eyeshadows, the difference was much more pronounced with these.
Texture: These were dry and even though they are light colors, they created fallout which ended up in my eye. Ouch!
Longevity: I wore these without a base for 5 hours before they started to crease. After 10 hours the creasing was much worse.

Overall Opinion

Pros:

• Looks natural as far as color and finish (except for the sparkly shade)
• Lasts a decent amount of time before creasing
• Inexpensive

Cons:

• Most shades don’t have very good pigmentation
• Dry, crumbly texture with lots of fallout
• Not super versatile

Worth buying? If you already have a neutral palette such as the Urban Decay Naked Basics or the Lorac Pro Palette, or even a small drugstore neutral quad then this would be an unnecessary purchase. The two colors in the middle of the palette (peach, and golden beige) are so lightly pigmented and hardly distinguishable on the lid from one another that I feel they shouldn’t have included both. It is only $7 which is really reasonable for what you get but I wouldn’t consider it a good alternative to those higher end neutral palettes because the quality is nowhere near as good. I could see this being a good purchase for someone who is just starting to get into makeup, someone on a tight budget or someone who prefers barely-there eyeshadow looks. If you don’t have patience for using eyeshadow bases or packing on color then you might want to skip this.

Product Description

Price/Quantity: $7 for 0.5 fl oz.
Availability: NYX website, Ulta, Amazon
Color Range: 2 colors
Color/Texture:

• Sunbeam – Pinkish shimmer with small glitter particles.
• Gleam – Peachy bronze shimmer with a subtle glowy finish.

Packaging: Flat squeeze tube with a twist off lid.
Smell/Fragrance: It is not fragranced but it does smell like an “unscented” moisturizer.

Performance

Application: Easy to just tap on and blend with your fingers. Feels lightweight and not sticky. Dries down completely after a minute so it won’t rub off easily. This could also be mixed in with your liquid foundation to give it a more dewy finish.
Pigmentation: Provides a subtle glow. It’s not frosty or shiny. Sunbeam will deposit a few tiny glitter particles and seems to be a bit more light reflective than Gleam. Gleam just has very fine light reflecting particles that are hard to see unless you look up close.
Longevity: Since it dries down it will easily last all day.

Overall Opinion

Pros:

• For Sunbeam, a little goes a long way. It can be built up to be more frosty if that’s what you like.
• Gleam can be used on darker skintones as a subtle illuminator or on lighter skin tones as a liquid bronzer
• Could work on more than just cheeks for added glow (eyes, shoulders, collar bones, etc.)
• Feels lightweight on the skin
• Dries down completely

Cons:

• For those who like shinier, frostier illuminators, these may be too subtle

Worth buying? Yes. I am not sure why but I just did not expect to like these as much as I do. They don’t create a dramatic visual effect but they sure make me feel like it. This product offers one very natural looking shade (Gleam) and one more glitzy option (Sunbeam). Gleam would be an excellent one to mix with your foundation for a nice summer glow. These are very nice and could hold their own next to higher end illuminators.

Overall Impression: I really like it. The color, texture, price, and performance are all great. The packaging is not terrible but it feels flimsy and easily breakable. One of my NYX blush compacts is cracked and I’ve only used it a few times. Not a huge downer though – I can always depot it and put it in a palette. If a product is going to have a negative, the best place for it is in the packaging.

Comparison blushes swatched from left: NYX Blush in Cinnamon, Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Blush in Sunset, Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful, Milani Baked Blush in Corallina, Sephora + Pantone Universe Blush Duo in Desert Flower and Coral.

This blush is hypoallergenic and cruelty free. It retails for about $5, or less with a deal or coupon. The pan contains 0.18oz (5.2g) of product.

Ingredients: mica, talc, zinc stearate, silica, aluminum starch octenylsuccinate (and) boron nitride, mineral oil, isopropyl myristate, tridecyl trimellitate, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, bis-diglyceryl polyacyladipate-2, polybutene, bht, methylparaben, propylparaben, red iron oxide (Cl 77491), D&C red no. 6 (CL 15850), fd&c yellow no 5 (Cl 77492), mic (Cl 77019)