Earlier in the month NYX Australia very kindly sent me a little pack of treats. As one of my most adored high-street brands, I was giddy when it arrived and tore it open like a little kid at Christmas.
NYX finally made their debut in Australia after signing exclusively with Target in 2013. Despite a few teething issues surrounding stock availability Aussie buyers are finally able to examine, swatch and discern between products- walking away with their purchases without the month-long wait of online shopping. Despite shameless plugging to all my friends, many Aussies remain unfamiliar with the brand as it continues to break into the Australian market. NYX offer a huge range of excellent quality products without the frightful price tag- exemplified by the diversity of the goodies I received in my gift pack. I felt it was only fitting to do a first impressions post, as I was intrigued (and pleasantly surprised) by products I might never have chosen for myself.
First up is this vibrant lipstick in the shade ‘Betrayal’. Developed as part of the ‘Wicked lippie’ collection, this metallic purple is extremely opaque with subtle flecks of silver shimmer. This is definitely far from what I would normally choose, but as winter is upon us it may be time to break with convention and explore these vampy shades. What is most striking about this product is the smoothness of application, staying power and pigmentation. If you’re out to break the mould, this shade is definitely for you.
If you’ve seen my Simple Day-to-Night eye look, you’ll know I am a huge fan of the Love in Paris palette in ‘Parisian Chic’ for creating elegant, simple eye looks. I have been eager to purchase another since this discovery, so was thrilled to see this little addition in my package. Aptly named ‘Madeleines and macaroons’, this palette contains a mixture of matte nudes, beiges and pinks. As with my other palette, all shades are well pigmented, creamy and easy to blend. I’m looking forward to creating some tutorials with this palette!
Next up is this absolutely stunning roll-on shimmer in ‘Chestnut’. I’ve been on the hunt for an affordable alternative for the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow sticks, and at $8.95, I think it can be found with this shimmer. The packaging is designed as a roller ball that glides swiftly and easily, depositing product in a uniform and highly pigmented manner. I was able to blend out the edges out prior to the product drying and experienced minimal fall out. I’ll be interested to see how well this works when applied with a brush, but overall I’m very impressed with the quality and beautiful finish. This is marketed as an eye, face and body colour, but I think this particular shade is best suited to the eyes.
Keeping with the theme of eye products is this rather unusual eyeshadow in ‘Bad seed’. This bright berry shade contains a subtle hint of gold shimmer, and in true NYX fashion is extremely pigmented and creamy (the above photograph demonstrates a single swipe!) Whilst this is not a shade I would gravitate towards initially, I think it would make for an excellent addition along the lower lash line or inner corner to make your eyes pop. I’ll also be experimenting with this as a blush colour in the summer! 
Moving on to face products, I was delighted to receive one of the infamous Baked Blushes in the shade ‘Full on femme’. This blush is designed ‘to provide a natural glow and highlight to the face’, and unusually can be used wet or dry to amplify the colour. I am an enormous lover of bright pinks, with Nars’ ‘Mistinguette’ at the top of the pile. I’m impressed by the colour pay off considering the product is quite tightly packed, and the subtle sheen provides a flattering glow to the face without being overpowering. I’m really looking forward to trying this one out in the summer.
Last but not least is the Radiant Finishing Powder in ‘Sunkissed’. This product offers a variety of shades that can be used individually or together to create a highlight, bronze or overall lasting glow to the complexion. Trying to swatch the product on my hand didn’t yield much of a photographic result, but I suppose as a finishing powder it should have more of a translucent effect. I’m a little on the fence about the results thus far, but after a quick sweep of the internet it seems to have rave reviews so I’ll withhold my judgement for now.
All in all I’m thrilled with the new additions to my NYX collection, and have definitely been awakened to the idea of adding unusual shades and products to my kit. I’m really looking forward to trying out some different looks with these products. I highly encourage you to check out NYX-available in all major Target stores nationwide!
♥