In any good makeup arsenal, you’ll find the high blended with the low. I may have more NARS eyeshadows than I can count, but I’m never against a cheap purchase – sometimes really exceptional products can be found for under $5, and failing that, it’s an easy way to experiment with color and texture.
I picked up a few products from NYX Cosmetics recently, an American brand with a vast range of reasonably priced products.
NYX's Xtreme Lip Cream (Absolute Red, left), and Soft Matte Lip Cream (Sao Paolo, right)
NYX's Xtreme Lip Cream (Absolute Red, left), and Soft Matte Lip Cream (Sao Paolo, right)
I’ve been dying to try the Soft Matte Lip Creams and though I couldn’t find the color I wanted, I did pick one up in Sao Paolo, a bright (but still wearable) warm pink. The texture of this product is really lovely – very much like a rose petal. It applies like a gloss but dries down to a feather light, silky matte lip color that stays and stays. The texture is not 100 percent matte, as it does give a slight lustre to the pout, but isn’t shiny like a gloss either – rather, it looks very much like a cross between a stain and a lipstick. The odour, however, is sickeningly sweet, like artificial buttercream, which makes initial application torturous. That scent fades however, leaving only bright, lasting color with a gorgeous finish. Available in 11 shades, mostly neutrals, this product retails for a steal at $6USD.
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Sao Paolo
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Sao Paolo
I also grabbed a tube of the Xtreme Lip Cream , a recently launched product that is said to be a hybrid between a gloss, a lipstick, and a stain. This product goes on very thick – almost like honey – and doesn’t have amazing longevity considering the texture. It is, however, a fun way to experiment with color and does provide quite the bold look – though it is slightly difficult to apply precisely with its somewhat large, doe foot applicator. I picked this up in Absolute Red, a bright scarlet that leans slightly cool, pulling only the tiniest bit fuchsia. The odour problem here is the same as with the Soft Matte Lip Cream, but not as strong – it smells almost like a mix of vanilla and plastic, but fades quickly enough. These can also be found for $6, but aren’t as unique as the Soft Matte Lip Creams.
NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Absolute Red
Lastly, I picked up two small shakers of the NYX‘s Loose Pearl Eyeshadow, a loose pigment with a fine, sparkly texture best suited to eyeshadow or highlighting purposes. These products are a reasonable dupe for MAC pigments, and can be mixed with water to use as liner, brushed on the eyelids, blended into glosses or patted on top of cheekbones. At $3 USD each, these are an absolute steal, and a good product to own due to versatility and quality. As shown in the photos, these come in tiny jars and can be a wee bit messy to apply (there is no sifter, only an open top to the jar), but dipping a small, wetted brush directly inside of the jar can avoid messy mishaps. I poured a bit of each pigment out to show the beautiful, sparkling textures of these – they really shine, and don’t apply with any gritiness. I can’t recommend these enough as a true ‘steal’ purchase !
NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in Mink (left) and Baby Pink (right)
NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in Mink (left) and Baby Pink (right)
