NYX Cosmetics: Dark Circle Concealer

Hi everyone!

Today's review is of the Dark Circle Concealer by NYX Cosmetics. I recently stocked up on a bunch of NYX Cosmetics products during Ulta's 40% off sale so you'll be seeing me review several of their products over the next couple weeks. But honestly, how could I pass up a deal like that?!?

I do struggle with dark under eye circles and I'm always trying out new products to see which work best at covering them. I love trying out drugstore products because I'd love to find a cheap option that works well and that I can recommend to people to try out. So far I'm still on the hunt because unfortunately this product did not work for me. Nonetheless, I am reviewing this product because I know it does work on some people. This product received a 3.8/5 based on 90 reviews on Ulta's website and a 3.8/5 based on 44 reviews on the NYX website, which shows that for some this product is amazing while for others it just doesn't work.

Okay, so to start this product retails for $5.99 at Ulta and $6 on the NYX Cosmetics website. The concealer contains 0.10oz of product and is available in four different shades - fair, light, medium, and deep. I selected the color light, which will be the shade described throughout this post.

This is an orange-toned product which is suppose to counteract the blue and purple tones of under-eye circles. Since I have a significant yellow undertone to my skin, I didn't find that this orange-toned product wasn't all that color correcting on me. It actually seemed more like a regular concealer to me, as the orange was very faint. I think this product would work best for those with neutral undertones who don't need much help with color correcting. I was honestly expecting the product to be much more orange based than it actually is, more like the Ben Nye Mojave Adjuster in Sienna Orange, Adobe Brown, or Apricot.

The formula of this product is very lightweight and creamy, and it contains coconut oil which helps moisturize and hydrate the under eye area and keep it from getting dry. Unfortunately though, this coconut oil does end up making the product feel a bit on the oily side. When applied, it made my under eye area seem very oily and shiny, and since I have dry skin so I can only imagine how bad it would look on those with oily skin!

This concealer claims to be full-coverage, but I think it is much more of a light coverage product, as my dark circles seemed to still show through even after multiple layers of it. However, when you use multiple layers of this concealer it looks very cakey and unnatural. This concealer does have some light-deflecting particles in it which help to brighten the under eye area, but unfortunately on me, all these did was illuminate the area where my dark circles weren't covered - not a look that I want! I also did find that this product settled and creased into the lines under my eyes, so I wouldn't recommend it for older people who may have more fine lines and wrinkles than me.

As I said briefly above, I was disappointed in the orange-tone of this product. Since it claims to be an orange based concealer, I was expecting much more of an intense orange shade. In the photos below (left is a light swatch, right is a heavier swatch), you can see that the concealer actually seems more pink and salmon in tone than orange on my skin. I think you can also tell from the photos below how sheer and light coverage this concealer is. Also, you can see that it has an oily sheen to it, even in the natural light photo which was taken without a flash. I honestly don't see any difference with it applied to my under eye area.

Final Verdict
All in all, I like the creamy texture of this concealer, but there's no coverage or pigmentation so even when you apply multiple layers of this product it still shows your darker circles through it. I thought the formula was a little too oily and too lightweight to do much color correcting or providing much coverage. In all honesty, I will probably return this item as it doesn't seem to do anything for me and I know I won't use it.

Have you tried any NYX concealers yet? Are there any that you would like to see me do a review on? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

NYX Cosmetics: Soft Matte Lip Creams

Hi everyone!

Thanks so much for taking the time to check out my blog, I really appreciate it! Today's post is a review of NYX Cosmetic's Soft Matte Lip Creams. Prior to trying this product, I tried out a couple shades of the Butter Glosses by NYX and I have to say I wasn't all that impressed. I liked the color pigmentation of them, but felt that they were very heavy and sticky so I was surprised with how many rave reviews I was seeing on them. If you would like me to do a review of the butter glosses that I have please leave a comment below and I am more than happy to share my thoughts and swatches with you. Anyway, after my disappointment with the butter glosses, I was a little hesitant to try another "cult favorite" product by NYX, but I have to say, I'm so glad I did because I ABSOLUTELY ADORE this lip product. I now have this product in six shades, a true testament to how much I like it!

Some background on this product, it retails for $5.99 at Target (only a few of the shades are available), CVS, Ulta, and $6.00 on NYX's website. Make sure you buy your NYX products from an authorized vendor, as there are lots of fakes out there these days - check out this article for more information on you to distinguish between genuine and fake NYX soft matte lip creams. Back on topic, each soft matte lip cream tube contains 0.23 oz of product which is a decent size for a drugstore lip product. 

The first color I purchased was Antwerp, a gorgeous bright coral color, and since I loved it so much I went back to Ulta and purchased five more! The shades I now own are: 
     - Prague (#18): deep berry with a slight hint of fuchsia
     - Cannes (#19): muted mauve/dusty rose, great everyday shade!
     - San Paulo (#8): bright strawberry pink
     - Antwerp (#5): bright rose pink with a hint of coral
     - Ibiza (#17): bright deep rose pink with hints of coral
     - Amsterdam (#1): true red, great for all skin tones!

So to start generally, this is a really interesting product as NYX claims that it "straddles the line between lipstick and gloss," similar in my mind to Too Faced's Melted Lipsticks, except without the promise of a staining power. This lip product is a highly pigmented, creamy, lightweight matte lip cream that applies smoothly and lasts for hours! The product applies as a cream and dries to a matte finish. I have found that some of the darker shades, like Amsterdam, do have a bit of a staining power, even though NYX doesn't mention anything about that.

The texture of this lip product is so creamy that it's super easy to apply evenly over the lips without getting messy. The formula is lightweight and non-sticky. I love that you can apply these products lightly or build them up for a more intense look depending on your mood. This is a matte product, which matte products are notorious for being very drying on the lips, but I find it to be the least drying matte product that I've ever used. I do find that the product goes on best when you exfoliate first since it is matte and tends to show any imperfections you might have, but if you don't it's not the end of the world and the product will still look very nice.

The colors in this product line vary from the most neutral everyday look to intense vampy dark lips. I love that all the shades are highly pigmented and are true to the color on the outside of the tube. Of the six colors I currently have, you can tell that I've been leaning toward the brighter shades in the line. I love how vibrant the bright colors are - they have been perfect for the summer and will continue to be great as we transition into fall. I love dark lips for fall but I also love nude lips so I will probably be buying some of the nude and more neutral shades next. If you are interested in a review of any shades in particular please let me know in the comments section below.

One of the things I like most about this product is that it lasts forever on your lips! Seriously, it's crazy how long this product lasts, almost all day without reapplication - even through eating and drinking. When they say it's a long-lasting formula, they aren't kidding! The product also doesn't budge or move into your fine lines or off your lips during the day which is great since you don't have to worry about constantly checking to see if it's running all over your face. It's a stress-free product! 

Oh and I also love the smell of this product, it smells like cupcake frosting, so delicious! I will say, if you are sensitive to product scents, this one is intense and will linger throughout the day so take that into account if you think that might be a problem for you.

All in all, when I'm in the mood for a matte look, this is hands down the one I reach for first. It's so easy to apply and honestly feels like I'm not wearing anything on my lips - I actually forget I'm wearing a lip product! It's by far the most comfortable matte lipstick that I own.

Below are some additional photos of each color and some lip swatches to give you a better idea of what the color looks like in real life.

Prague (#18): 
Deep berry with a slight hint of fuchsia

Cannes (#19): 
Muted mauve/dusty rose, great everyday shade!

San Paulo (#8): 
Bright strawberry pink

Antwerp (#5): 
Bright rose pink with a hint of coral

Ibiza (#17): 
Bright deep rose pink with hints of coral

Amsterdam (#1): 
True red, great for all skin tones!

All in all, this is a matte lipstick that you must try! After being hesitant to first try it out since I didn't like the NYX butter glosses, I'm so happy that I gave this product a try as it is now a staple in my beauty collection. This product is so comfortable to wear and so affordable that I think everyone should own at least one, and honestly, once you have one you'll want them all! I will definitely be purchasing some more of these lip products in the near future, and I'm really excited to try out some of the more neutral and mauve shades.

Which shade of the NYX soft matte lip creams is your favorite? Please leave a comment I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading!