NYX Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette Review & Swatches

I've had my eye on the NYX Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette ($18.99 at Ulta) since it was released earlier this year but I don't live close to an Ulta store and convincing the hubby to make the 45 minute drive with me is like pulling teeth. I could have just ordered it online but there weren't many reviews or swatches out at the time and I wanted to see it in person. So when my husband left for Vegas on a business trip a few weeks ago and my sister came to stay with me, it wasn't too hard to convince her that an Ulta trip was in order. As my luck would have it, they were totally sold out and I left empty-handed.  I was bummed but when my husband returned a few days later, we were looking for things to do on a Saturday and he suggested that we go to this town that we like down by the shore (about an hour away) and when I hesitated, he tried to convince me by saying, "but there's an Ulta there!" So off we went, and I was able to purchase the very last Strobe of Genius they had on the display.

So was this palette worth all the searching and driving around?  Keep on reading to find out! :)

Description: Introducing the Strobe of Genius palette, NYX Cosmetics' incredible new collection of must have illuminators designed to give you everything needed to achieve today's most buzzed about highlighting trend: strobing. This breakthrough palette features seven velvety-smooth shades that will enhance your features with serious levels of illumination. The best part? Mastering the look is easy - all you need is a little extra natural light.

Price/Where to Buy: $18.99 at Ulta.com and Ulta stores

Quick Verdict: You need this!

Strobe of Genius comes in a black plastic compact with a clear top (no mirror) and contains seven highlighting shades. The top four shades are .07 oz. each and the bottom three larger shades are .14 oz. each.

The back of the palette says to "Lightly buff shimmer shades onto the highest points of the face. For an ultra-runway strobe effect, layer with the lighter shades."

Inside, there is a wide range of shades that are incredibly versatile. They range from off-white, champagne and pale lavender to rose gold, yellow gold and bronze. The thing I like most about this palette is the way these shades can be mixed and matched and layered together. It's so nice having a variety like this all in one place.

My favorite combination is to use the rose gold shade (top right) on my cheekbone and then layer either the lavender shade or the pale pink (to the left) over it. I was a little intimidated by the lavender shade at first, but it looks so beautiful and subtle on the skin. When I thought about it, I realized that lavender is used to brighten dull skin when you're color correcting and this shade does just that!

I also like using the champagne shade (bottom left) under the off-white shade (bottom right).

I haven't really used the yellow shade or the bronze (bottom center) much yet because they're a little on the darker side for my fair skin.

The shimmer in these shades is very finely milled, so there's no chunky glitter...they look really natural on the skin and catch the light in just the right way. But that doesn't mean that these are subtle by any means... these give you that intense sheen that you want in a highlighter to make your cheekbones pop.

 I find them to be comparable to highlighters from Becca and ABH for a lot less money. In fact, I tend to use this more often than my higher-end highlighters because all of the shades are in one place and it's so easy to mix and match them together to get the exact look you want.

Here are the swatches starting with the yellow shade in the top left corner and going across to the right. The shades are soft, velvety and beautifully pigmented, and they do go on a lot heavier when I swatch them with my finger versus when I use a brush. So they're not going to look this intense (unless you build them up) when you're applying them to your face.

Below, I'm wearing the rose-gold shade with the lavender shade layered on top. It's so hard to pick up highlighters with a camera when you have fair skin because there's not a lot of contrast, but you can definitely see the sheen on my cheekbone. It's subtle but still noticeable, like being lit-from-within, which is exactly what I look for in a highlighter. But if you want even more shine, the nice thing about these is that you can build them up easily and get a really intense look too. 

Overall, I'm so happy I was able to find this palette and it was totally worth all the travel time back and forth to two different Ulta stores. At $18.99, it's on the pricier side for a drugstore palette, but when you consider that it comes with seven shades and the quality and finish rivals the higher-end highlighters, it's definitely worth the price, in my opinion. 

You can grab the Strobe of Genius palette now at Ulta Beauty.