NYX

For Lids That Shimmer From Dusk Til Dawn, the NYX Dream Catcher Dusk Til Dawn Eyeshadow Palette

February 3rd, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

NYX Dream Catcher Palette Dusk Til Dawn — Wearing the new NYX Dream Catcher Palette in Dusk Til Dawn ($15) on my eyes

Shocker of all shockers (I’m serious, you may want to sit down for this), I was running late yesterday to go to my parents’ house for Super Bowl Sunday. 🙂

I know! — me, running late? Can you imagine? Haha, but seriously, I was running late, so I just threw some makeup into a bag to get ready in the car on the drive over to their house about an hour away.

NYX Dream Catcher Palette in Dusk Til Dawn — The Dream Catcher Palette in Dusk Til Dawn, one of three NYX limited edition palettes available now

One of the things I put into that bag was NYX’s new Dream Catcher Palette in Dusk ‘Til Dawn, one of three $15 limited edition eyeshadow palettes made to be, so says NYX, the answer to your shimmery dreams (assuming, of course, that there’s a lot of shimmering in your dreams).

Well, as far as any dreams I’ve ever had in which I’m putting on my makeup in the car (and there have been a few)…this palette probably would have helped. It does seem ideal for makeup-in-the-car dreams, particularly for ladies (and lords) who like how they look in warm-toned neutrals.

Ten baked shadows in warm shades of gold, brown and beige, along with a sprinkling of purple and black, reside inside. I ended up doing a shimmery gold and brown smokey eye in the car, and I, despite the bobbing of the car as we crossed the Richmond Bridge, I didn’t have to contend with any fallout or battle with my blending.

NYX Dream Catcher Palette in Dusk Til Dawn swatches — Swatches of Dusk Til Dawn on my NC42 skin…

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At $6 Each, These NYX Baked Shadows Make Wallets Say, “Sweet!”

January 30th, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

Wearing the new NYX Baked Shadows in Lavish, Kush and Sugar Babe on my eyes

OK, so maybe NYX’s new Baked Shadows are neither nutritious nor delicious, but they are a treat, and where else can you get a baked dessert this good for $6?

$6… I almost can’t believe that price is real. Almost. Hey, this is NYX. Everything on their makeup menu is super affordable.

Oh! — and calorie-free, which makes my muffin top shimmy with joy/relief. 🙂

First things first, like NYX’s new Baked Blushes (and many other delicious desserts), these have a crunchy outer shell, beneath which exists the really good stuff. Break through the crust (seriously, what’s up with that?), and you’re rewarded with eyeshadows utterly devoid of fallout.

Zero. Zip. Nada.

And blending these shadows is easier than saying “yes, please” to a second brownie. Buffing and softening lines between these eyeshadow colors is a total cakewalk. All it takes is a few swipes of my trusty blending brush.

NYX Baked Shadow in Blue Dream — Blue Dream

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NYX Baked Blushes, and They’re Sweet, Dainty and Only $7 Apiece

January 29th, 2014 by Karen 25 Comments

NYX Baked Blush in Ignite — Wearing NYX’s new Baked Blush in Ignite on my cheeks

I haven’t baked anything in ages, but right now I’m in the mood. (Ooh…maybe a pan of gooey brownies.)

Normally, I would blame a sudden urge like this on PMS, but not today. Today the cause is NYX.

Four of 12 new NYX Baked Blushes, $7 each

Their new line of Baked Blushes is just as sweet as can be (and they’re only $7 each), from the darling black bow on the front closure to the dainty shades. The pink, peach and tan ones here look almost as good as frosted cupcakes.

They’re designed to be applied wet (for more oomph) or dry. I prefer dry because I think they look a little more delicate that way.

After playing with four of the 12 shades, I came away impressed…but only after I broke through their tough outer layer. Like my BFF Cindy’s personality, they’re tough on the outside, but sweet and gentle on the inside. 🙂 Just gotta chip away at that bad-@ss exterior, which doesn’t take much to get through (I swirled a dense kabuki brush around for a minute or two in each pan).

After you shave off that top layer, eureka! — makeup gold. You reach a soft, easy-to-blend powder with a radiant sheen. Two or three layers quickly blended with a blending brush creates a lovely flush, and it doesn’t look like you’ve tried too hard.

NYX Pink Fetish Baked Blush — Pink Fetish

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Like Butter, These Bargain Glosses Make Everything Better: The $5 NYX Butter Glosses

February 13th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

NYX Butter Gloss Peaches and Cream — Wearing NYX Butter Gloss in Peaches and Cream ($5), one of 12 new Butter Glosses for spring 2013

Just in case you were wondering, if you wear one of the new $5 NYX Butter Glosses while eating cinnamon walnut French toast with a heaping scoop of butter, you will not — I REPEAT! — will not experience butter overload.

(As if there were such a thing.)

On my lips, each of these 12 new moisturizing, non-sticky lip glosses feel all smooth and slick like little sticks of butter…but they don’t taste or smell like butter (whew!)

Nope, more like brown sugar and vanilla, yum!

Yes, yum. 🙂

I’ve had mixed luck with NYX lip product flavors and scents in the past, know what I mean?

Not these though. As far as my nose and palate are concerned, NYX nailed these. On a sensory level, these Butter Glosses represent probably the best experience I’ve ever had from the line. Both the brown sugar and vanilla notes are faint, too, just barely there, and dissipate quickly after 1-2 minutes.

One swipe from the doe-foot applicator leaves behind a sheer layer of color and satiny shine, while a second layer ups the coverage to medium.

Either way, these don’t last all that long on my lips. Most of the time I get about an hour.

NYX Butter Gloss Product Shot — From the left: Strawberry Parfait, Eclair, Peaches and Cream, Merengue, Creme Brulee, Peach Cobbler, Tiramisu, Apple Strudel, Vanilla Cream Pie, Cherry Cheese Cake, Maple Blondie and Cherry Pie

NYX Butter Gloss Swatches — Swatches from the left: Strawberry Parfait, Eclair, Peaches and Cream, Merengue, Creme Brulee, Peach Cobbler, Tiramisu, Apple Strudel, Vanilla Cream Pie, Cherry Cheese Cake, Maple Blondie and Cherry Pie

NYX Butter Gloss Strawberry Parfait — Strawberry Parfait

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NYX Shows Its Softer Side With the $18 Spring Fling Palette for Eyes, Cheeks and Lips

June 1st, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

NYX spring fling palette

Wow, the first day of June already!? That leaves barely enough time for an NYX Spring Fling before summer. 🙂

The powders in NYX’s new $18 Spring Fling Palette are some of the softest I’ve ever felt from the brand.

So soft, in fact, that I think they might even be a little too soft for everyday use.

With its 12 powder shadows, two blushes and two lip glosses in a sweet, subdued mix of neutrals and pastels, the only thing missing is a pair of kid gloves to handle them.

nyx spring fling swatches
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NYX The Crimson Amulet Collection Harbors a Bewitching Bevy of Nudes and Brights for Lips, Cheeks and Eyes

May 31st, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

nyx crimson amulet dark shadows

If you’re not already a fan of multi-product palettes, the NYX The Crimson Amulet Collection ($25) may confirm your worst fears about pre-stocked makeup kits.

Creams placed next to powders, gah! A dizzying array of 24 eyeshadows in a mix of matte and shimmery finishes lurk within this tomb, along with a teeny liquid liner indubitably designed for elfin hands.

Recently launched to coincide with the opening of the movie, Dark Shadows (four-word summary: Johnny Depp disco vampire), the limited edition palette of products for cheeks, lips and eyes harbors a supernatural society of bewitching nudes and brights!

nyx crimson amulet dark shadows front

I like the balance of serious colors and playful party shades, as well as the overall quality of the pieces and the number of products you get for the price.

If you maintain a pro-palette position, I think that’s enough right there to sway you.

But experienced NYX adherents might have a different take, one that flits between excitement over the eerily enticing Gothic packaging (isn’t there something very Flowers in the Attic about it?), and hardcore frustration.

I know I’ve definitely seen most of these colors before, like in the Nude on Nude palette, Butt “Naked” Eyes, Bohemian Rhapsody Casting Call and Haute Model.

Wisely for NYX, the palette has a built-in fail-safe: value.

For $25, you get 36 pieces! — all of high quality.

I think the HD Studio Eye Shadow Base, cheek products and lip products rock, but I would have liked to see more pigment added to some of the eyeshadows.

Unfortunately, the tiny liner seems like a bit of a throwaway product (dude, I can barely hold it properly, and I have small hands!), but I guess that’s what greatness like LORAC Front of the Line Pro is for. 🙂

nyx crimson amulet dark shadows open

nyx crimson amulet dark shadows tutorials
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In the Bronzer Olympics, the NYX Matte Bronzers Get the Gold

May 30th, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

nyx matte bronzer
Wearing NYX Bronzer in Medium

To the uninitiated, spotting the differences between the new NYX Matte Bronzers and the many other compact bronzing powders currently on counters is like trying to tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi blindfolded without tasting either one.

In other words, it’s tough.

After all, like most of the bronzers vying for our attention this summer, these new ones from NYX promise to do the same things — deliver a natural-looking, honey-like glow for your skin.

But if MAC is trying to rule the department store market with their Pro Longwear Bronzing Powders, NYX is going after drugstore divas and budget-minded babes with their five new Matte Bronzers.

At $9 each, the prodigious 0.33-ounce pans shout “BARGAIN!” from their perches in drugstore makeup aisles. For the price of one MAC Pro Longwear Powder, you could get two of these from NYX and still have enough change left over for a drugstore ice cream cone (do you like mint chocolate chip?). 🙂

I’ve been wearing three of the five shades this week, and impressed doesn’t come close to describing how I feel. Blown away is more like it.

nyx matte bronzer

nyx matte bronzer
Clockwise from the lower left: Medium, Deep and Light

None of that “BS” Oompa-Loompa orange business here. No way. The golden russet glow these bestow upon skin is worthy of beach barbeques and pool parties.

Very long beach barbeques and pool parties.

How long?

Well, starting with that first buttery cob of sweet corn, they last past the late-night singalongs and woozy revelations (like “S’mores are so genius!” and “Whoever invented nude wedges deserves a medal!”), and all the way until you’ve said your goodbyes before packing up the cooler to head home.
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The NYX Illuminating Bronzers: Has NYX Invented a $9 Time Machine? Inquiring Minds Want to Know

May 30th, 2012 by Karen 50 Comments

nyx chaotic illuminating bronzer
Wearing NYX Illuminating Bronzer in Chaotic on my cheeks

Shimmery bronzing powders in almost blush-like shades of luscious peach and pink aren’t exactly uncharted territory. Chanel, for example, has been there, done that, a few times before.

But NYX weaved quite a tapestry together with their three new Illuminating Face and Body Bronzers. By combining eminently flattering shades with a pearly finish and a soft, comfy texture, and then keeping the price well below department store, they created something greater than the sum of its parts.

All it took was a few swipes of Narcissistic (a beige), Chaotic (a golden peach) and Magnetic (a peachy pink) to get me hooked on all three.

nyx illuminating bronzer compacts

The marketing material doesn’t say, but I wonder if NYX co-created them with Cher, because they are, after all, designed to “turn back time.” 🙂

How so?

By bestowing a natural radiant glow to the skin that also diffuses incoming light, helping skin appear softer and, or so I hope, younger.

Yeah…I can’t even begin to tell you how appealing that sounds now that 37 is officially less than two weeks away!

But seeing as how I can’t really stop this train I’m on, I’ve been doing my best to ~~slow it down~~ embrace the inevitable with positivity and panache.

Now, when people call me “ma’am,” I try to own that sh*t! — but that does not mean refusing a little makeup help along the way.

Like Fox Mulder with his aliens, I really want to believe, LOL!

What do you think? Do I look 10 years younger wearing Chaotic, my favorite of the three shades, up there at the top?

Okay, how about 5? 🙂

nyx illuminating bronzer open
The NYX Illuminating Bronzers, clockwise from the lower left: Narcissistic, Chaotic and Magnetic

nyx illuminating bronzer swatches
Swatches from the left for comparison: NYX Illuminating Bronzer in Narcissistic, Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Luminous Bronzing Powder in Sable Beige, NYX Illuminating Bronzer in Magnetic, NARS Blush in Luster, NYX Illuminating Bronzer in Chaotic and Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Luminous Bronzing Powder in Sable Rose
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