NYX Natural Eyeshadow Palette and Smokey Eyeshadow Palette – swatches and review
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High-end beauty on a real-life budget!
There’s a new beauty reality in town and its name is NYX. If you’re like me, a beauty lover with “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” taste on a “Honey Boo Boo” budget, you can have the style you desire without breaking the bank thanks to NYX’s high fashion, low priced makeup.
After hearing raves about the line’s highly pigmented, long lasting shadows, I was excited to check out their buzzed about The Natural Eyeshadow Palette and The Smokey Eyeshadow Palette
, each retailing for a mere $7!
The first thing I noticed was the appearance of the palettes, which look a whole lot like those of very expensive lines that have been featured in every magazine and on every blog.
The Smokey Eyeshadow Palette includes 6 stunning shades (two matte and four shimmer): sparkly charcoal, matte charcoal, plum, midnight blue, medium brown, and matte white. NYX calls these shades “sultry and sexy,” a fair assessment of this dramatic palette.
sparkly charcoal, matte charcoal, plum
midnight blue, medium brown, matte white
The Natural Eyeshadow Palette includes 6 nude shades (three matte and three shimmer): matte light cream, sparkly light cream, matte peach, golden cream, medium beige, matte plum-y brown. The range of colors offers everything you need to create a “me but better” daytime eye or a nighttime natural eye with more impact.
matte light cream, sparkly light cream, matte peach
golden cream, medium beige, matte plum-y brown
These slim, trim palettes pack in a lot of color and a decent double-ended sponge applicator without wasting any space on excess packaging. At two by five inches, and weighing practically nothing, the palettes would fit into any makeup bag.
The Smokey Eyeshadow Palette: sparkly charcoal, matte charcoal, plum, midnight blue, medium brown, matte white
A closer look at the sparkly charcoal, matte charcoal and plum
And midnight blue, medium brown and matte white
I had mixed results with the coverage of the shadows. Some (the darker shades) had great pigmentation and blended well. Others (mostly light colors) were extremely sheer and required some work (and a primer, for sure).
The Natural Eyeshadow Palette: matte light cream, sparkly light cream, matte peach, golden cream, medium beige and plum-y brown.
A closer look at the matte light cream, sparkly light cream and matte peach
And the golden cream, medium beige and plum-y brown
So do these palettes measure up to their high end counterparts? While the darker shades have lots of pigment, blend well, and last for hours – the lighter shades require lots of layering to see decent color payoff. As for the palettes themselves, they’re a little less fancy, but still solid and compact.
But it’s the difference in price that’s significant. Think of what you and your beautifully shadowed eyes could find to spend that extra money on! Thanks to NYX, I feel like I’m wearing rich girls’ makeup and no one has to know the reality.
Pros:
• Bargain version of high-end palettes
• Between the two palettes, there are colors for everyone
• Mix of shimmer and matte shades is versatile
• Packaging is compact, portable and stacks neatly
• NYX is a cruelty-free company
Cons:
• Natural shades are very sheer and need to be applied over a base for more opaque color
we heartsters – do you get your high-end beauty fix with drugstore-priced NYX products?
Melissa loves road trips, bargain shopping, drive-in movies, lip gloss and rock ‘n’ roll. She lives in Baltimore with her precious pup Zeus.
photos: we heart this
Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. It also contains an affiliate link, a link that gives us a small commission if you purchase the item. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.
Wow, these sure do pack a lot of pigment in these palettes! I didn’t even know that these existed…I do love NYX so I must check these out – especially that Natural one!
I’ve been loving NYX shadows for years. These palettes are gorgeous and do indeed look like their high-end competitors. I would have absolutely no guilt in purchasing both palettes for a mere $14.00! I especialy love the “Smoky” one; the swatches look seductive and gorgeous on your arm! Imagine what it does for eyes . . .
Hey, I’m on that Honey Boo Boo budget too! A lot of bang or our buck. I’d definitely try these out at that price! The sparkly charcoal has me especially intrigued! I had never heard of NYX until very recently, and I am loving their black liquid eyeliner lately.
I want pigmentation in ALL of my colors. NYX has some great shadows (especially their eyeshadow singles and trios) but I just do not like colors that have to be layered on to get some color going. I’m glad the darker shades are pigmented though!
Wow, these NYX shadows are seriously catching my eye.. HA HA! I like the Smoky Eyeshadow Palette. I dont mind a lighter smokey eye for day time, so this may be a perfect match with its sparkly charcoal, matte charcoal and plum.
NYX is an awesome brand for the buck. I’ve seriously loved everything of theirs I’ve tried (shimmer/highlighting powders and eyeliners FTW). I don’t need much convincing that these are pretty awesome–you had me at NYX.
I love the Natural shades palette, it’s a nice amount of shadows for the price and those deep brown shades are so pretty!
“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” taste on a “Honey Boo Boo” budget.
HAHAHAHAH, that’s the perfect way to put it! I love NYX, and these palettes make for a great collection of basics. I can see these colors getting a lot of use!