NYX Duo Chromatic Illuminating Powder Review & Swatches

I literally squealed when I walked into my local Ulta Beauty and spotted the new NYX Duo Chromatic Illuminating Powders ($7.99 each) along with the rest of their Spring 2017 line. NYX has really been stepping up their game lately, and since I loved the Strobe of Genius Palette that came out last year I had a feeling I'd like these too. They were almost completely sold out when I was there but I was able to get four out of the five shades to review and swatch for you today. Let's take a look!

NYX Spring 2017 Now at Ulta Beauty!

The NYX Cosmetics Spring 2017 collection including the Duo Chromatic Illuminating Powders, Total Control Drop Foundation, and Perfect Filter Palettes (3 shades) is now available at Ulta.com!

I saw everything in-store last night and picked up the Duo Chromatic Illuminators and Perfect Filter Palette in Golden Hour. Swatches of the illuminators are on my Instagram page now but I'm planning a full review ASAP. I'm bummed that they don't have all of the palettes, as I really wanted a few of the other shades that are on the NYX website. You can see all the shades here.

Shop the new goodies now at Ulta.com

Will you be getting anything from this collection? Drop me a comment below!

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NYX Loves L.A. Library Set at Ulta Today

 NYX Cosmetics has just released some new gift sets at Ulta.com, including the new NYX Loves L.A. Library Set ($24.99). It's the cutest eyeshadow vault ever...it looks like a little bookshelf and when all the compacts are in the set, you see a panorama of the L.A. skyline.! It's also an Ulta.com exclusive so you won't see it in stores.

Each shade is named after a neighborhood in Los Angeles...here's a closer look:

NEW Nyx Wanderlust Palettes

Seven new Wanderlust Eye & Lip Palettes ($15) just launched on the NYX Cosmetics website and they're so cute! Each one contains 8 eyeshadows and a coordinating Soft Matte Lip Cream.

Here's the official description from the NYX website: 

"Copenhagen. Los Angeles. Paris. Madrid. London. Dubai. Vancouver. Roam around the world and capture the flair of your favorite city! Our special-edition Wanderlust Lip & Eye Collections showcase eight velvety shadows handpicked to bring an iconic destination to life in vivid color. Plus, the ultimate finishing touch: the matching Soft Matte Lip Cream".

I'm not sure when these will be available at Ulta, but if you don't want to wait, they're available now at NyxCosmetics.com!

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The NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Vault is Here

More holiday sets are starting to drop, including the new NYX Cosmetics Soft Matte Lip Cream Vault ($64). It contains minis of every single shade, including two new shades, Los Angeles and Bangkok, for a grand total of 36 shades.

If you're a fan of this formula, you'll definitely want to pick up this set. It would also make a fantastic gift! 

Grab yours before they sell out at NYXCosmetics.com

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New NYX Products Now Available

Last night, NYX Cosmetics posted some new products on their Instagram story, including swatches, so I grabbed some screenshots to share with you today. They have just released a brand new blush palette, face palette and brush set and they're available now on the NYX website. I'm not sure when they'll be available at Ulta yet, but I'll update you when I know more.

Let's take a look!

The Ready Set Contour Brush Set ($25) includes three brushes that are designed to make contouring easier.

Next up is the Sweet Cheeks Blush Palette ($20) featuring 8 highly pigmented shades in both matte and shimmery shades.

Finally, the Love Contours All Palette ($22) is a face palette that contains 9 eyeshadows, 2 highlight shades, 2 contour shades, and 2 brow shades.

Do you have anything on your list? I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)

NYX Lid Lingerie Available Now!

NYX Lid Lingerie is finally here and is available in 12 beautiful shades for $7 a pop.

Enhance your eyes with Lid Lingerie, our new weightless eye tint with a delicate pearl finish. Available in a range of gorgeous nude hues--from soft baby pink shimmer and bronze to deep taupe shimmer and jade--each seductively sheer shade will adorn your lids with an elegant flush of color.

I think I want the entire top row! I hope this formula is an improvement over their old Cream shadows because I found those to be patchy and hard to apply. 

Will you be purchasing these? 

Head on over to NyxCosmetics.com to purchase.

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NYX Avant Pop Eyeshadow Palette Nouveau Chic Review

I spotted the NYX Avant Pop Palettes ($16.99) at Ulta recently and decided to pick up the Nouveau Chic shade because I really liked the mix of neutrals and smoky shades. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much because the last time I tried NYX eyeshadows (which was years ago) they didn't really impress me that much.

Thankfully, these are a whole lot better! Let's take a look...

The Nouveau Chic palette contains ten wearable shades in generously sized pans. There's a nice mix of matte and shimmer finishes as well as warm and cool tones. One of the things I love about this palette is that none of the shades are close to each other...they're all very different. I have so many palettes (especially nude ones) that have a bunch of similar shades, so this is a nice change from that.

When I went to swatch these shades I was blown away by the feel and pigmentation. It's a huge improvement from the NYX eyeshadows of the past...I could have been swatching Too Faced or Urban Decay and wouldn't be able to tell the difference! The shimmer shades are super soft and buttery with effortless glide on the skin. The matte shades feel a little bit drier but are still very pigmented.

After using this palette on my eyes, I found that I did need to use primer because these shades don't seem to last a long time without it. But that's my only (minor) complaint...otherwise, it's fantastic.

Overall if you haven't tried the Avant Pop palettes from NYX yet, I highly recommend picking one up! They come in three beautiful shades and although the price is a little bit steep for a drugstore palette, I think $16.99 is a steal for a formula that's comparable to higher-end palettes that sell for $50 or more.

Grab yours now at Ulta.com

Nyx Ultimate Shadow Palette Swatches

Last week I posted about the new NYX Ultimate Shadow Palettes ($18)  that had just arrived at Ulta and thanks to @kittykatdoesmakeup on Instagram, I now have beautiful swatches of all four palettes to share with you. Let's take a look!

Photo: @kittykatdoesmakeup on Instagram

Photo: @kittykatdoesmakeup on Instagram

Photo: @kittykatdoesmakeup on Instagram

Photo: @kittykatdoesmakeup on Instagram

These look really beautiful and pigmented don't they? Kat says that they feel "buttery" and "creamy" and that they're highly pigmented. Check out her blog post here to see her full review. I'm really excited to try them now that I've seen swatches. What about you? Which one is your favorite? 

Grab them now at Ulta.com while the 20% off sale is still going on! Use code 308920 for $3.50 off a $10 purchase and also don't forget about the free beauty bag with a $25 purchase! 

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.

NYX Strobe of Genius Palette Now at Ulta

If you were bummed that the NYX Strobe of Genius palette sold out in a hot minute on the NYX website, you can now grab one at Ulta.com! Not only that, but NYX is currently BOGO 50% off! So if you've been dying to get this one, hurry over to Ulta Beauty before it's gone! 

NYX Lip Lingerie Swatches

I figured I'd post this here in case you're not following me on Instagram...here are swatches of all 12 shades of the new NYX Lip Lingerie ($7). It's a "weightless liquid lipstick with a plush matte finish" and is available in a range of nude shades. Have you tried these yet? 

From left to right the shades are: 

Honeymoon, Embellishment, Lace Detail, Ruffle Trim, Beauty Mark, Push-Up, Satin Ribbon, Bedtime Flirt, Corset, Teddy, Baby Doll, Exotic

Grab yours now at Ulta.com!

NYX Spring 2016 is Here!

I've seen some new NYX Spring 2016 products popping up at Ulta recently, but the entire Spring line is now available on the NYX Website, including the Strobe of Genius palette I've had my eye on since I saw a sneak peek on Instagram a while back. Let's take a look...

Sneak Peek of the NYX Strobe of Genius Palette + Cream Contour

I just wanted to share this photo with you guys in case you missed it in my Instagram feed earlier this morning...one of my favorite beauty accounts, @Trendmood1 posted this photo of some new NYX goodies that'll be coming our way in January! 

There's a Cream Highlight & Contour Palette, Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette, a Brow Contour Pencil, and a Sculpt & Highlight Face Duo. 

I couldn't wait to share these with you guys...what do you think? Are you excited about any of them?

Sneak Peek Inside The New NYX Rocker Chic Palettes

If you're not following nyxcosmetics on Snapchat, I have a sneak preview for you! I saw this on their Snapchat today and took some screenshots to show you inside these palettes I posted about earlier this week. 

These have five eyeshadows inside and super cool studded packaging. They'll be selling them before their official release date at their brand new NYX store in Santa Anita grand opening on 10/2, but I'm guessing we'll see these on the NYX website and in Ulta pretty soon after that. 

Sneak Peek of NYX Fall & Holiday Collection

NYX Cosmetics has a bunch of new products coming out this fall and early next year and I was able to get a sneak peek thanks to Milly Almodovar Thompson, Senior Beauty Editor at Cosmo for Latinas. Her Instagram (@beautylogicblog) and Snapchat (beautylogicblog) accounts are always featuring the newest products to come across her desk, so if you love sneak peeks, her accounts are definitely the ones to follow! 

The first sneak peek I saw was on Instagram and it's an Ombre Blush collection that's coming out in February, 2016. She said that they have "two silky colors blended into one perfectly coordinated shade" and that the "pigment is CRAZY!" They're going to be $10 each. 

Photo by @beautylogicblog on Instagram

Next, I headed over to Snapchat where she previewed items from the Fall 2015 and Holiday 2015 collection.
I took some screenshots and tried to get as many products as I could. First up are the Rocker Chic palettes which will be out in October.

beautylogic blog on Snapchat

I can see three different shades in these photos...

beautylogicblog on Snapchat

and the outside of the packaging is studded, hence the Rocker Chic vibe!

beautylogicblog on Snapchat

Next are the Beauty School Drop Out palettes. The one at the top of the photo looks like it has 80 eyeshadows (I count 8 across and 10 down) and blushes and lipsticks on the other side. The second palette in the middle of the photo has 35 eyeshadows and it looks like blushes, highlighters and bronzers.
At the bottom of the photo, it looks like a possible blush/contour palette.
I'm guessing these will be out for Holiday, but I'm not 100% positive.

beautylogicblog on Snapchat

The last sneak peek she shared are these Sculpt and Highlights out in January. It's hard to tell what type of applicator these will have but it looks like they're double-ended and that they might possibly be a liquid formula with a lip gloss style applicator.  I recently reviewed the NYX Wonder Stick which is a similar concept...double ended highlight and contour, but those are in a solid cream formula.

beautylogicblog on Snapchat

What do you think of the new NYX sneak peeks? Does anything excite you or are you not impressed? 

NYX Wonder Stick Review and Swatches

NYX Wonder Stick ($11.99 at Ulta) is a dual-ended stick that makes it a breeze to highlight and contour. Contouring has always been intimidating to me...I always worry that it'll look obvious or fake if I put the bronzer in the wrong spot or if it looks too dark. As someone with fair skin, the bronzer aspect is more of an issue for me than the highlighter because I need to make sure I find one that's not orange and not too dark.  When contouring, they say you should choose a shade that's only 2 shades darker than your natural skin tone.  Well, 2 shades darker than Casper is more of a medium skintone shade than a bronzer, so you can see the trouble I have finding a bronzer that's light enough for me, haha! Thankfully, the Wonder Stick comes in four shades, Light, Medium, Deep, and Universal (I purchased Light).