Category Archives: NYX

NYX Indie Flick Matte Lipstick Review, Swatches, Photos

NYX Indie Flick

I recently bought NYX Matte Lipstick in the shade Indie Flick, which is a very bright tomato-red with some orange tones. I bought it from a small store that sealed the NYX products with tape to prevent people from using them (yay!), but unfortunately that meant that I didn’t know that the tip was crushed until I got home and opened it. It doesn’t really matter, but explains the non-prettiness of the photo!

Regardless, I like the packaging of this lipstick – as you can see, it has a clear area so you can see the actual color of the lipstick inside, which would be nice if you had several of these.

I absolutely LOVE the color of this lipstick – it is very bright, almost looking neon on me. The finish, however, isn’t great – it looks fine in the below photo, but it is a little bit chalky/uneven looking in real life – it’s something I can live with for the awesome color, but it doesn’t hold a candle to any of, say, NARS’s matte formulas.

NYX Indie Flick

Unfortunately, the wear time also leaves something to be desired. I actually tested this for wear three times; the first time I ate a non-greasy meal (sushi), and the lipstick wore off unevenly, leaving a ring around my mouth. The second time, I wasn’t paying attention, and after three hours (with some sipping on coffee), the lipstick was gone – again with the ring around my mouth. So, I tested it again today and carefully checked every 30 minutes to see how it looked; this time, it was fine after two hours, at which point I removed it due to a nap 🙂

So, although I can’t give you an exact amount of wear time, I would say that it doesn’t wear well. It won’t last through even light snacking, and when it fades, it fades unevenly. Still, if you’re willing to reapply frequently, it can look fine. For me, the color is awesome enough that I see myself wearing it occasionally, but not as frequently as I would with a better formula.

Overall, I am not impressed with the quality of NYX’s lip product range. I find the round lipstick line greasy (I’ve tried a few, including Femme, which I reviewed here), and I found the one Jumbo Lip Pencil that I tried (and reviewed) sort of goopy. This one is definitely the best – I find it wearable, unlike the other formulas, but I wouldn’t consider it a high quality formula.

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NYX HD Eyeshadow Primer Review, Swatches, Photos and Comparison

Eyeshadow primer is one of my absolute must-have items; in addition to extending the wear of my eyeshadow, I love how it makes my eyeshadow more vibrant! For the last year or so, I’ve been using Too Faced Shadow Insurance, but I’ve grown quite frustrated with how it separates – it often comes out of the tube with a little bit of liquid. I’ve heard good things about NYX HD Eyeshadow Primer, so the last time I was at Ulta I bought a tube to test out.

The one major downside of the NYX primer is the packaging; I feel like the tube with the doe-foot applicator is a lot less sanitary than the squeeze tube TFSI uses. However, that’s not a dealbreaker for me.

NYX HD e/s primer – unblended and blended

I really like the consistency of the NYX HD eyeshadow primer – it’s very smooth, and there’s no separation like there is with TFSI. It is creamy, weightless, and blends easily into my skin.

I wanted to see if there was a difference in the vibrancy of eyeshadow over different eyeshadow primers. Below, I’ve swatched NARS Lhasa eyeshadow over (from left to right), bare skin, TFSI, NYX HD eyeshadow primer, and Urban Decay Primer Potion (original formula; I had a sample). The below pictures were taken at night and are not very color accurate, but work for comparison purposes.

Eyeshadow primer comparison – with flash

Eyeshadow Primer comparison – without flash

As you can see, using any of the three primers really helps the eyeshadow adhere. The UD primer may have a slight edge, but it’s a very close call; all three perform very well.

Of course, I tested out the NYX primer on my eyelids as well as my arm! I’ve worn the NYX HD eyeshadow primer six or so times now, including one day where I was outside in the sun for several hours. I experienced no creasing or fading at all; my eyeshadow lasted perfectly, just like it does with TFSI. Note that I have normal to dry skin, and rarely have any problems with creasing or fading (unless I neglect to wear primer at all).

Overall, I’m really happy with the NYX primer. It performs just as well as the more expensive eyeshadow primers on me, and it’s only $7 (and frequently on sale!) at Ulta.

What eyeshadow primer are you currently using?

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NYX Single Eyeshadow Review, Swatches, Photos

Peach Bronze, Deep Bronze, Hawaiian Coffee

I was recently lucky enough to stumble upon a store that was going out of business and had a $1 sale on NYX products. The display was very picked over and most items were opened, but I managed to find five still-sealed eyeshadows that I was interested in! I bought three neutral eyeshadows: Peach Bronze ES58A, Deep Bronze ES09, and Hawaiian Coffee ES102. I also got a lovely purple, Morocco ES122, and a red that I plan to use as blush, Africa ES 160.

Morocco, Africa

The packaging of these eyeshadows is fine; it’s sturdy, and I appreciate the clear lid, as it makes it much easier to tell them apart! I’ve actually depotted them, as I don’t really use eyeshadow singles very often. Overall, I think NYX eyeshadow is of reasonable quality – it’s not exceptional, but it’s decent. The quality varies quite a lot by color. I wouldn’t buy most of these at full price, but I am happy to have spent $1 on them.

Peach Bronze is the one eyeshadow that I would absolutely buy at full price. The swatch doesn’t show how soft, buttery, and smooth it is – it is of the same exceptional quality as the best of my Urban Decay eyeshadows. Deep Bronze is an average quality eyeshadow – it is pigmented and smooth, a little bit more sheer than I would like, and a lovely color, but it’s just not anything special. Hawaiian Coffee, which has a satin finish, is similarly average. It’s soft, but a little bit sheer, though buildable.

When I swatched Morocco, I was immediately reminded of Half Truth, from the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette. They are extremely similar in color, but Morocco is a little bit patchy, while Half Truth is quite buttery and smooth.

And finally, Africa is surprisingly smooth for a matte – though it has a little bit of sheen. I wore this as a blush yesterday, and it worked beautifully; it blended easily and lasted until I took it off. It’s much less intensely pigmented when swatched than in the pan – so it wouldn’t be good for a deep red eye look – but that works very well for my purposes when using it as blush!

One last note – as I mentioned, Peach Bronze has by FAR the best, softest, silkiest texture – and the bottom of the eyeshadow looks different than the others. So, I looked a little more closely, and while the other four are 2.4g and made in China, Peach Bronze is 2.7g and made in South Korea. I don’t know if all of the eyeshadows made in South Korea are better quality than those made in China (and Google didn’t turn up any information), or if NYX changed manufacturing locations at some point, but I thought it was worth noting!

What do you think of NYX eyeshadows?

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NYX Gold and Hot Gold Glitter Powder Review, Swatches, Photos

Sometimes, a girl wants to sparkle! Recently, I bought NYX Glitter Powders in Gold and in Hot Gold. NYX Glitter Powder comes packaged in little jars; they’re a little smaller than nail polish jars, and they hold .09fl oz / 5ml of product. The jars are cute, but the packaging is a little irritating. The back of the jar has a label holding it closed. While I appreciate packaging that remains sealed in-store, this label leaves a sticky residue when it is removed.

As you can see, the label covers the whole back of the jar – it’s a lot of sticky residue to deal with. Note also that this glitter is NOT eye safe, although I intend to use it in the eye area anyway.

The jar has a narrow opening, not a wide opening, which is nice; it’s much less prone to spills this way. In order to use the glitter, I can either dip a small brush into the jar or pour a little glitter out.

I prepped my skin with Darling Girl Glitter Glue for these swatches – I wouldn’t expect this, or any glitter, to adhere to dry skin. Then, I dipped a dry brush into the glitter, and gently patted it on to my skin. It adhered well.

Here’s a blurred swatch to show the sparkle!

And here’s a quick look I did with Hot Gold. I’m wearing Urban Decay Half Baked on my lid, Urban Decay Darkhorse in the crease, and TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer on my browbone. To use this on my eyelids, I do my eyeshadow first, pat on some adhesive primer (like DG Glitter Glue or Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxie), then pat on the glitter.

I bought my NYX glitter powder from Ulta.com.

This post contains an affiliate link. For more information please see my disclosure policy.

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NYX Femme Round Lipstick Review, Swatches, Photos

I have mixed feelings about the NYX Round Lipsticks. I have owned a couple NYX Round Lipsticks at various times, but the only one I still own is Femme. I’ve kept it because it’s a really great color – a vibrant coral – but the problem is the formula. I find it really slippery – not moisturizing, but flat out greasy. It looks nice and glossy from a distance, but it feels quite uncomfortable to me to wear. Because it’s so uncomfortable, I’ve actually never worn it out – so I can’t speak to wear time.

photo taken with flash; color appears a little more vibrant than reality

While swatching for this post, I did discover that this shade also looks quite lovely blotted down, which takes care of the greasiness and turns the lipstick into a moisturizing, comfortable stain. It lasts quite well like this, and I’m really happy with the color.

photo taken with flash; photo is relatively color-accurate

Overall, the difficultly of the formula means that I would not recommend the NYX round lipsticks. Yes, it’s possible to make the colors work by blotting them down, and yes, they’re inexpensive and come in a wide range of colors. But the formula is just SO uncomfortably greasy for me that I can’t in good faith recommend it to anyone!

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