When a brand as cheap as NYX goes on sale for almost half off, I can't resist going a little crazy. Ulta was having a huge sale on their website (not sure if it was in stores as well), and I noticed that all NYX products were practically half off! I had been needing to pick up a few things, as well as wanting to try out some new products, so there was no better time than now. Well.. not now, but.. then. You know.
Unfortunately the sale seems to be over, but it's not like NYX products are terribly expensive to begin with. So if you decide to pick up any of the products I mention below, the original price is also listed so you know their original prices. On sale, I got this entire 10 product haul for only $37.70! But Ulta is always having sales, so I'm sure it won't be long until their next one.
I absolutely loved some of them, and I don't think I'll be using others. Keep reading for my reviews!
1. NYX Slim Lip Pencil in "Peek-a-Boo Natural" ($3.50, $2.09 on sale)
Swatch is below product review #3!
Okay, I'm just gonna say it right off the bat. This is my new favorite lip liner. Yep. A $3.50 product has now trumped my MAC, MakeUp ForEver, Sephora.. you name it. It glides on without tugging, and is so creamy and pigmented. It's the exact shade match of my natural lip color, and I am obsessed with it. It's a perfect every day color for any eyelook I want to create. And I know that everyone has different pigment to their lips, so this won't look the same on you as it does on me. But if your natural lip color is pretty naturally dark and rosy/mauve, this is the nude for you! Trust. (Swatch on my lips below.)
2. NYX Simply Nude Lip Cream in "Exposed" ($6.50, $3.89 on sale)
Swatch is below product #3!
This is another product that I immediately fell in love with, omg. Just like the Peek-a-Boo liner, this shade is almost identical to the natural color of my lips. "Cream" is the perfect description of this lip stick -- super creamy, and even though it's a pretty matte finish, it's definitely not drying. This paired on top of Peek-a-Boo is the perfect shade for that lighter neutral "Kylie" lip that she has been wearing lately (as opposed to the darker mauve shade).. if you care about those types of thing. If not, it's just a gorgeous fall-appropriate nude lip.
3. NYX Retractable Lip Liner in "Pinky Beige" ($4.50, $2.69 on sale)
Hokey. I'll just be honest and say that I am not a fan of this color or the formula of the product in general. I like to try retractable products because they waste so much less of the actual liner, but this one ended up being too soft and creamy. It didn't actually stay in place on the outline of my lips, and just moved and slid around before I even applied a lip stick on top of it. It was also a strange shade for me, and pulled too cool toned and blue for my skin tone. Because it was sort of ashy and baby pink, it made me look corpse-like (which a lot of nudes can do if you're using the wrong neutrals for your skin tone!). So I probably won't be getting a lot of use from this product.
SWATCHES:
4. NYX Matte Lipstick in "Eden" ($6, $3.59 on sale)
Swatch is below product #5!
I really do love a good red lip when done right. And I have been wanting to pick up a deeper red shade for the fall season. So when I saw this I thought it was a perfect opportunity to grab an inexpensive lipstick. But I am ever so slightly disappointed at the color -- it isn't as deep as the swatch on Ulta's website made it out to be. I love the formula and the opaqueness of it, and it feels super smooth for a matte lipstick, but it's a little too fire-engine red on my skin tone. I'll definitely still wear it, but it's much more of a blue-toned true red than the cranberry color I was hoping for.
5. NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in "Monte Carlo" ($6, $3.59 on sale)
I'm already a pretty big fan of the soft matte lip creams from NYX, so this was a no-brainer. And again with this product I was going for a red that leaned more burgundy than fire engine. It is closer to what I was hoping for, but still pulls slightly redder than a true cranberry. The texture of the soft matte lip creams is a little on the stranger side, but I think it wears really well on the lip. The only downside is the reapplication -- I feel like I have to reapply this lipstick all the time, especially if I'm eating or talking a lot throughout the day.
SWATCHES:
6. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Dark Brown" ($4.50, $2.69 on sale)
SWATCH:
The versatility of the jumbo eye pencils is amazing -- you can wear it as a liner, a shadow, or an all over base. I'll probably be using this matte dark brown shade more as a base than anything else, to deepen up smokey and coppery looks. It's also great as a smudgy liner for that just-woke-up intentionally messy eye. For being only $4.50, the actual product itself is really high quality. It just glides over the skin without any pulling or tugging. It's extremely creamy and blendable, but sets perfectly and doesn't get all over the place throughout the day.
7. NYX Doll Eye Waterproof Mascara in "Black" ($9.50, $5.69 on sale)
SWATCH:
Now this is a product I don't think I'll be using much. I really like the L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara, and was thinking something with the name "Doll Eye" would give my lashes a similar effect. I was pretty disappointed with this mascara. It's not absolutely terrible, but it's not something I'll be grabbing for when I'm getting ready in the morning. It did make my lashes look decently long, but that's not what my problem-area is -- I have naturally super-long lashes, but they really lack in volume and thickness. (There are so few hairs that I can basically count how many eyelashes I have on each eye.) I always look for a volumizing formula, but this didn't do much in that department. It lengthened them, but sort of made my lashes look stringy and sparse. It clumped all the hairs together and had virtually no separation. If you have naturally full and thick lashes but are looking for some length, this might work for you!
8. NYX Powder Blush in "Terra Cotta" ($6, $3.59 on sale)
SWATCH:
LOVE. Love, love. I normally like a matte blush, but I am in love with this terra cotta shade. The shimmer is subtle enough to give a slight sheen to the skin, but not make it look sparkly or Twilight-esque. I think wearing a coppery, brown, or bronzy shade for blush in the fall is definitely the way to go. I'm a huge fan of peaches and corals for spring and summer, but the cooler months call for some darker blushes. After all, you want to look autumnal and rosy, not flushed and sun-kissed, during the fall and winter seasons. This is a great blush shade to pair with a dark, vampy lip and a swipe of mascara.
9. NYX Illuminator in "Ritualistic" ($9, $5.39 on sale)
SWATCH:
This is probably my favorite product of the bunch. A good highlight can change your entire makeup look. And I've been looking for a good, inexpensive champagne-colored highlighter. I'm a tried-and-true user of Benefit's Watts Up, and have been hoarding my Dior shimmer brick (which was discontinued indefinitely) like it's water during the apocalypse. But I definitely couldn't turn down the opportunity to buy a new highlight for under $6. And I'm so glad I did -- this Illuminator is amaaaazing! I'd compare this to the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone ($38), or the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light ($45). Try this $9 dupe and be prepared to be amazed. The powder is blendable and sheer, and definitely buildable. There is no glitter or chunks of anything -- it's gorgeous and shimmery on the skin. And.. only $9! Seriously such a steal.
10. NYX "The Natural" Eyeshadow Palette ($7.50, $4.49 on sale)
SWATCHES:
Womp. Womp. And more womp. I honestly will probably just keep this palette around because I think some of the shadows will make pretty face highlighters. As you can see from the swatches, the pigmentation of this palette is more than disappointing. Even over my NARS eyeshadow primer (the bottom row of swatches), a dark brown color looks ashy and sheer! And without a primer, barely any of the colors are visible on the skin. Perhaps it would work a little better on someone with a paler complexion than my tanned-self, but overall I am super disappointed with these NYX eyeshadows. Like I said, I think the champagne shadow could make a pretty highlight, and maybe the white shade for browbone highlight. But the others are pretty useless, when I have some amazing shadows from other brands in the same shades. For $4.50, though, it was worth a shot! I wouldn't recommend picking it up for the full $7.50, though.
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I hope this NYX haul/review was informative and helpful! I found some great steals in this bunch, so for these prices, I say go out and pick 'em up! The ones I truly recommend are definitely worth buying even at their full prices, which, let's be real, are some of the best bargains in the makeup game at the moment.
xojaybee
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