Zoom In On: Nyx Blush in Expresso

One of the American drugstore brands that had successfully made a dent into the makeup lovers’ consciousness is Nyx. The hype surrounding this brand started with the round lipsticks. Along with this rising popularity came the public’s awareness of its other product lines. Among the most raved would have to be their powder blushes. I was able to acquire two of these babies namely, Expresso and Pinky. This post will be more about Expresso.

Let me start this review with the generic characteristics of these blushes. Compact has a squarish shape with rounded edges. Case is transparent so the user can actually take a glimpse of the blush shade without having to open it (very useful especially when one’s blushes are stuffed with other). My only gripe with the packaging is that the print on the case would eventually fade away especially when it is often used. 

 

As to the blush itself, I’d say that it may be at par with the more expensive brands when it comes to pigmentation. To my combination skin, it also lasts relatively long (especially Espresso). If I put it on early in the morning, I would still see hints of it around lunch time when I’d usually retouch. The blushes are silky-textured. This is not the typical “kaskas” blusher so there is no need to be exert extra effort to get product to one’s brush. I also like the quilted design of these blushes since I find it very feminine and unique. Moreover, for its price, this is a good buy. It retails $6 in the US. Online sellers sell these blushes at Php 400 – 450. If you are based in Cebu, there’s a small stall in White Gold that displays Nyx stuff. I remember seeing Nyx round lippies and blushes when I went there. The blushes were only Php 250 at that time.
Expresso, as a shade, can be described as brownish with a hint of pink. This is a great shade for contouring. This is perfect if you want a refreshing alternative to the usual pink blush. I imagine this shade will be popular especially during the summer season as it can complement one’s tan very beautifully. It can warm up one’s cheeks making it very versatile and suitable for different skin tones.

The only downside for these blushes is the fact that they can be very powdery or loosely pressed, I should say. Blush brushes applied a bit brusquely on it may cause a lot of fall-outs. Personally though, I think this is no biggie. By the by, go get your own Nyx blush if you want something that works and will not cause massive damage to your wallet. This is not widely available locally but I think there are a number of online stores that has these in their inventories. Moreover, you will have fun choosing from among the twenty-five shades of Nyx Powder Blushes that are available.

Zoom In On: Nyx Eyeshadow Trio in Hippie Chic

Aside from their round lipsticks, beauty bloggers all over the world also rave about the eyeshadows of Nyx. In fact, Nyx and Milani are identified as two drugstores brands that have products that are comparable to high-end MAC. During one of my many trips to Cebu, I chanced upon Nyx in a local department store. I scored some lippies and the eyeshadow trio that time.

Since I have already reviewed the Nyx lippies, I will now be reviewing the eyeshadow trio in Hippie Chic that I got. This trio consists of a shimmer gold, green and light purple shades.



Here are my thoughts about this trio:

• The three shades have a shimmery finish.
• The texture of these e/s are creamy especially the shimmer gold. (Comparable to that of Stila if I may say.)
• Uber pigmented. A single dab of an e/s brush would already pack in too much color.
• Relatively long-lasting when used with an eyeshadow base or primer. I did not see any crease in my e/s for five hours when I wore this. ( But then again, I do not have uber oily eyelids which is the reason why I haven’t felt the need to buy UDPP until now.)
• The packaging is nice. It houses a mirror and a dual-ended sponge eyeshadow applicator. It also features a clear window in its front casing like the ELF studio blushes which enables us to see the shades of e/s inside. This is a plus for me as it eliminates the need of having to open the palettes every time we look for a particular shade.
• This is such a travel-friendly eyeshadow palette.
• Affordable. Got this at Php 250 only.
  

While I generally liked this, I am not able to use it as frequently as I wanted to since I prefer wearing neutral e/s to work or e/s with shades that are similar to any of our four official work uniforms.

So would I recommend this? Yes! Just make sure to choose the palette that includes shades that you would be able to wear regularly.

Zoom In On: Nyx Round Lipsticks

(WARNING: PICTURE HEAVY POST)

I knew I was going to get the Nyx Round Lipsticks the first time I read the glowing reviews from many beauty bloggers. I’m not very particular about lippies in general but I just found these irresistible. I even contemplated on purchasing some of these online since apparently, nobody from the Philippines was selling it middle part of last year. I pondered on ordering from Makeup Masala but frustratingly, I discovered that the Nyx shades I was interested in were always OOS. I did not lose hope however, because I knew sooner or later, some enterprising Filipina kikay would start selling these babies. I was not mistaken since I was able to buy 5 of these babies from two local Ebay sellers. Their prices were also reasonable at Php 215 to Php 220. The ones I got were Louisiana (which I assume is one of Sis Khymm’s favorites), Tea Rose ( which is often featured by Sis Nikki in her FOTDs), Indian Pink (a favourite of Sis Shen), Narcissus, and Thalia.

Apologies for my unkempt appearance in the photos. I was sans makeup in these except for the Nyx lippies I'm featuring. (I'm even donning one of my rattiest house shirts when I took these pics.)

When I got the items, I was surprised that the packaging of the Nyx lippies I got from one seller was not the usual one that I saw on online pics. Hers came in a squarish purely black casings. Anyway, I gave Indian Pink and Narcissus to my friends because I did not like how they looked on me. I’m loving Tea Rose, Louisiana and Thalia however and I usually wear them to work. Last month, I scoured White Gold, a local department store since I learned that Nyx is sold there. I was not able to locate it the first time I went there but I struck gold during my second visit. Nyx round lipsticks is only Php 100 a pop in White Gold. The eyeshadow trios are priced at Php 250 while the round glosses cost Php 150. These prices are significantly cheaper than that of many online Nyx sellers. But then again, the selections in the store are limited and some of the items on display have minor damages. When I went there, I was not able to help myself and so I got a Fig round lipstick, an eyeshadow trio, and a round lip gloss in Mauve. ( My Fig lippie as you can see got broken. I did not notice that when I bought it because I thought that the item was sealed. When I saw it, I was already home and it was already too much of a hassle to go back again to White Gold. Now, I have to use a lip brush to apply it.) 

All in all, I love Nyx lipsticks as they are cheap yet very highly pigmented. It also moisturizes to some extent. But since I was scared of having cracked lips as many reviews revealed, I always make it a point to apply a lip balm on my lips first before the Nyx lippies. Its staying power is not that awesome but I don’t really mind retouching since these items are not costly. So, I would highly recommend this brand to every kikay who want an inexpensive yet quality lippie in her stash.