NYX Product Review

Updated: I had to change my rating on the Xtreme Lip Cream...

After doing a massive clean out of my over-stuffed makeup bag, I spent several months using the same products day-in and day-out. The same five eye shadows. The same three eyeliners.  The same two blushes, and the same two  (yes, 2!!) lipcolors.   It was something of a makeup detox - essential in helping me get back to the basics, but also (let's be honest) a little boring.  Yes, I mastered four go-to looks and could slap them on in under three minutes...but my inner beauty product junkie yearned for more variety.  So I decided to branch out and try a few new products from the makeup line, NYX.

NYX products are available at Ulta and, sporadically, at drugstores like CVS. The full line is also available online at NYXCosmetics.com and CherryCulture.com (which is where I made my purchase, thanks to a 40% off sale). 

 NYX is a favorite of YouTube beauty gurus, so I thought it would be a fun line to dabble in.  I featured their Jumbo Eye Pencils (the brand's cult favorite) on Twin Cities Live - and stocked up on a few other items.  The results?  Hit and miss.  Here's what I liked and what I didn't.

5-Color Eyeshadow Palettes 

I ordered two of these palettes, one in I Dream of Jamaica and the other in I Dream of Barbados.  Upon swatching each of the shadows on my hand, I was struck by the fantastic color pay-off.  Every shade was well pigmented and felt very smooth.  After hearing a lot of great things about NYX eyeshadows, I was excited to see that they seemed to live up to their reputation.

I Dream of Jamaica (top - palette of neutral browns)

I Dream of Barbados (bottom - palette of shimmery grays/purples)

I worked with each of these palettes over the course of a week, trying different color combinations and varying whether or not I used an eyeshadow primer underneath the shades.  Each time, I created a gorgeous look that I loved...the shadows blended well and look beautiful.  For approximately 59 minutes.

Every single day that I wore these shadows, my handiwork mysteriously disappeared from my eyelids within an hour.  As in, it didn't look like they'd ever existed.  It was positively eery.  And irritating.  I don't have oily eyelids, and I've never experience anything like this.  Did I mention how irritating it was? Yeah.

Verdict:  Don't Like

Slide On Eye Pencil
I bought two Slide On Pencils, in Pretty Violet and Golden Bronze.  They're fantastic.  The staying power is impressive.  They're waterline safe.  These suckers do not budge, and the colors are intense. I'll be buying more of these liners.

 Pretty Violet- Top hand swatch

Golden Bronze- Bottom hand swatch

Verdict: Like

Xtreme Lip Cream
I bought one tube of Xtreme Lip Cream in a really punchy pink called Strawberry Jam.  The product is, as the name suggests, a cream.  It feels nice on the lips- a combination of gloss and lipstick.  The color payoff is intense.  Seriously, intense - which I loved.  It's a great way to achieve look-at-me lips, which is always trendy in the summertime.

Strawberry Jam

 I didn't love the way the product smeared all over my face.  Seriously, it wound up everywhere.  Not good.  So I blotted the cream down until it was almost just a stain - and then I didn't like the way it wore away...my lips started to look patchy and weird as the color disappeared from the center and sides of my lips.

Verdict: Don't Like