REVIEW| #WORLDOFNYX GOODIES

It’s no secret that I am an avid fan of NYX Professional Makup, so when I got an invite to attend the pre-launch of the first #WorldOfNYX in Africa in November last year, I was very excited. I have since also been able to attend a meet up that they organised for a few bloggers and influencers in Johannesburg. 

At the meet up we got to test out a few of their products that will be launching in April (can’t wait!) and yes I’ve spotted a few products that I simply have to have, including a beautiful radiant finishing powder which may just be a worthy dupe for MAC’s Mineralise Skinfinish Natural range. The meet up was also in part a celebration of the two new upcoming openings of #WorldOfNYX displays at Mall of Africa (Johannesburg) and Gateway (Durban). I caught some of the action on my Insta stories, however makeup artist and beauty influencer Thandi Gama has a vlog on the event – check out her channel HERE.

Anyway, as the excitement mounts up leading to the two new openings, I thought I would share with you some of the products I received at the pre-launch and give a brief review, so that you may know which products to get while you are out there.

My favourite shades

NYX Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette

If you follow my blog and social media (do subscribe if you haven’t already J ), you’ll know that I have raved about this highlighting palette quite a number of times, so I won’t go into as much detail. You can however check out this BLOG POST to get an in-depth review of the palette and other loved NYX products. What I will tell you though is that it’s a worthwhile product to have if you love an extreme glow. Furthermore it has seven different shades that can be layered to create high definition multi-dimensional radiance. I love to use the bottom row of champagne and bronze shades for my hazelnut chocolate skintone :) 

Beautiful ombre but deosn't pick up on dark skintones

NYX Ombre Blush in ‘Strictly Chic’

If I hadn’t attended the recent NYX meet up, I honestly wouldn’t have anything good to say about this ombre blush except that it’s pretty and applies velvety smooth. This particular shade does absolutely nothing on my skin tone so I wouldn’t recommend it if you have a similar skin tone. It applies more like a muted highlighter than a blush. A shade that I do love is called ‘Insta Flame’ – it grades from a nude peach hue to a vibrant hot pink. That particular ombre blush is definitely one of the ‘less is more’ due to its intense pigmentation and I actually prefer to combine it with MAC’s Raizin Blush to create a blend that looks more ‘natural’ for my skin (well as natural as pink can look on dark skin, lol).  

 

Winter is coming and this cranberry shade is perfect

NYX Hot Singles™ Eye Shadow in ‘Addiction’

Of late I find myself quite addicted to single eyeshadows as opposed to the regular eyeshadow palettes. Although a lot pricier than set palettes, single eyeshadows give you the freedom of creating your own customised palette with colours that you actually use – I can’t tell you how many palettes I have that have 4, 5 shades that are untouched which I believe is a complete waste of hard-earned money. Some of the NYX single eyeshadows live up to the pigmentation and longevity of MAC shadows, so for a ‘drugstore’ brand I think they do pretty well. This particular shimmery cranberry shade (dupe for MAC Cranberry) has reasonable buildable pigmentation however I prefer to intensify it by using an eyelid primer prior application – try the NYX HD eyeshadow primer. Furthermore, the colour payoff lasts longer with primer so I would say primer is a definite necessity especially if you have oily lids like mine. In terms of application, it is smooth and easily blendable.

  

The pigmentation of NYX pencils/liners is insane!

NYX Slide On, Glide On, Stay On & Definitely A Turn On Waterproof, Extreme Shine Eye Liner in ‘Glitzy Gold’

Yes, the name is honestly that long and the eyeliner actually lives up to it! I’m beyond impressed with it, so much that I have already bought another one in the colour ‘Golden Bronze’. Ultra smooth on application and extremely pigmented, these eyeliners are perfect for using on your water line as they don’t budge or fade. They also work well as a base for metallic eyeshadow and can be worn alone as cream eyeshadow. The price tag of R99 is quite steep for an eyeliner however with the many uses that it provides, I can deal with it. NYX also has a similar lipliner range that is just as pigmented and my favourite colour there is ‘Dark Soul’ – I won’t say anymore just check it out!

NYX Wonder Pencil in ‘Deep’

The ‘wonder’ of this pencil lies in its multi-functional claim – according to NYX is can be used as a concealer, eye brightener and reverse lipliner. I prefer to use it as a nude eyeliner to make my eyes appear bigger and more awake. As a concealer and reverse lipliner (lightening the perimeter of your lips to accentuate them) the shade is too light for my skin tone even though it’s the darkest shade in the range, however it works well in brightening the arch of my brows. Like other NYX pencils/ liners, it applies smoothly and had great pigmentation. 

Vibrant colour payoff and great matte finish

NYX Lingerie Liquid Lipstick in ’Baby Doll’

Do you remember the US, UK hype surrounding these matte liquid lipsticks? When I heard that they had arrived in South Africa I didn’t waste any time in getting the two shades most recommended for dark skin tones – Embellishment and Beauty Mark. I have an in-depth review of the application and pigmentation HERE, so check that out. In terms of the ‘Baby Doll’ shade, it’s way too light for darker skin tones – it’s a true Caucasian nude however I use it to create an ombre effect with my nude lipsticks. The colour payoff is great and long-lasting, however the lipstick tends to crack and look patchy if you apply multiple layers of it.

NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in ‘Orange County’

Now orange lipstick isn’t really on my list of beauty products to have, but I do love the formula of these cream lipsticks. They apply like a high-pigmented, creamy liquid lipstick and set to a semi-matte finish or comfortable matte as some brands like to call it. At the recent meet up that I attended, I received another one of these lipsticks in the colour ‘Brooklyn Thorn’ (what a badass name, hey?) and it’s a cement brown shade that work perfectly as a nude colour on dark skin skin tones. Another perk of these lipsticks is the longevity of the colour pay off – very long-lasting however reapplication is required if you’ve been eating etc. 

Which red do you love?

NYX Pro Lip Cream Palette in ‘The Reds’

Like nude lipsticks, one can never have enough red lipsticks –there are so many shades to choose from! This compact cream palette is a perfect collection of various tints of red lipsticks that are suitable for a multitude of skin tones - I will have a follow up post with swatches of the six shades that comprise this palette. I’m normally quite weary of cream lipsticks as they tend to fade much quicker than matte lipsticks however this palette wears quite well – the darker shades are better in longevity. All of the shades apply quite smoothly and I can’t fault the pigmentation, except for the lightest shade, a vibrant peachy orange (top left corner) which is a bit patchy. I think if you have darker lips, you might need to apply a colour corrector or concealer as a lip primer to get the true intensity and colour of that particular shade (I will describe the other shades in the follow up post). The compact palette is also travel-friendly so if you are a makeup artist, this is a worthy product to have in your collection.

There are a number of other great affordable products to get from NYX – check out this POST if you’d like some ideas on what to get. Any I hope the review has been helpful, especially if you are one of the 200 waiting eagerly for the Mall of Africa and Gateway opening. I would love to see what you get – tag me on social media (@vuyelwa_vm) or leave a comment below. 

‘Til next time,

V