NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils

Following my previous review NYX review, I am doing a NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil review. I have a total of 12 Jumbo Eye Pencils and fair to say, that's a lot of colors to experiment with! If you don't know what Jumbo Eye Pencils are, these are creamy eye pencils that you can use (and sharpen) as eyeshadow sticks and blend out on your eyes. They are both an eyeliner and an eyeshadow.

Let's get started:

(L to R): Milk, Cottage Cheese, Strawberry Milk, Cashmere, Yogurt, Pure Gold, Iced Mocha, French Fries, Rust, Dark Brown, Slate, Black Bean)

I've laid them out in the order of lightest to darkest. Let me point out a few things:

1. The caps: They are terrible. If you cap them too tight, they crack. If you don't cap them carefully, you might smudge the pencil. ARG. Let's hope NYX can find a better solution!

2. Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk: This is a cult favorite. It can be used as a base, it's a great white matte cream that you can use to cancel out all color on your lid and you can use it to lay your bright shadows on (or any shadows).

3. Milk, Dark Brown and Black Bean are the 3 matte colors that I have. The rest all have a hint of shimmer in them.

4. The lighter colors have less of a color pay-off than the darker colors.

5. Oily lids beware! Prime your lids (and wear powder shadows on top, if necessary) to prevent creasing.

Swatched on NC 25 skin:

NYX products can be found at NYX Cosmetics Ulta, Cherry Culture, Target

NYX Blushes

NYX is a company who's products that I absolutely adore. Not only are their products great in general, but they have a wide selection in color variety and their prices are very affordable.

Today's post will be about their blushes. I have mostly their powder blushes with a few of their cream blushes. Let's get started...for reference, my skintone is NC25.

Here's the whole picture. I have the powders on top (the squares) and also a mosaic powder blush on the bottom right corner.

 Let's break it down and review the powders first:

 Swatched in the same order:

Amber, Cinnamon, Pinched and Terra Cotta will be my go to colors for Fall. Cinnamon is a great burnt orange color (it looks bright in the pan, but as you can see, swatched, it's not so rough). Terra Cotta is a color that I will use to layer blush colors with. I will use it as a highlight on top of blush. Finally, one of the most talked about blushes: Taupe. This is a great contour color for those that are NC25 or lighter. If you are darker than NC25, this is not probably not for you (in my opinion) as it will probably not show up on you very well. Taupe is matte, so it's wonderful to contour with.

Cream Blushes:

Swatched below:

First off, let me just say, these are ONE swipe swatches. The colors are amazing. Pigmentation is out of the world on these. The best way to use these cream blushes is with a stippling blush. I can't imagine using my fingers applying this because I can't control how I apply it with my finger.

I will be using more of these cream blushes in the colder weather. I didn't use much of these cream blushes in the summer because I'm not a huge fan of too much cream on my face during the summer (I have combo skin and very oily t-zone), so I try to stay away from creams as it slides off  my face.

Cream blushes don't last as long on me as powder blushes. I noticed these NYX cream blushes had the same affect as well. To make them last longer, I will layer the blushes. I will put the cream blush on first (with the stippling blush) and then powder my face (set it) and then I will find the matching blush color (powder) and top it off and it will last ALL day/night.

NYX products can be found at NYX Cosmetics Ulta, Cherry Culture, Target

Palette Wars: Lorac Pro -vs- Naked 2

Most of you have heard of the Naked palettes. More specifically, there are 3 Naked palettes: Naked, Naked 2 and Naked Basics. In my humble opinion, there is absolutely no need to own all 3 of the Naked palettes (unless you have money to throw around). Many have said that the first Naked (1, or the original) palette is better suited for those that are more neutral or cool toned and the Naked 2 is more for those that are warm toned and the Naked Basics palette is an all matte neutral small, convenient palette that's easy to carry.

I own the Naked 2 and the Naked Basics palettes. I also own the Lorac Pro palette. 

If you are thinking of only owning (1) ONE universal palette, I'll share with you my comparison of the Naked 2 -vs- the Lorac Pro below and hopefully it will help you decide which is a better choice.

Urban Decay NAKED 2 ($50):

PROS: This is great palette with 12 shades of warms and neutrals that's mixed with shimmers and mattes. The first shade, Foxy is the perfect brow highlight shade and the last shade Blackout is the perfect black to seal your liner with. It's versatile and multifunctional. The case is durable and sturdy, made of a metal tin (beats the cardboard stuff anyday). It comes with a dual ended brush and it also comes with a mini lipgloss. Let's be real, no one is getting the Naked 2 for the gloss or the brush though. It also comes with a HUGE mirror, which is great for travel/on the go. The textures of the shadows are buttery soft and glides on smoothly. 

CONS: To maximize the use of the colors, especially the lighter colors, I would definitely suggest using a primer or a base. The lighter colors does not show up as well without it. I do experience slight fallout with the shadows, this also might have to do with the fact that the shadows are so buttery soft (which is a good thing). I just suggest that you do your eye makeup first. Color variety is lacking for the cost. These are just your basic neutrals and warms. You will not be able to create any colors that are fun and vibrant with the Naked 2.

Lorac Pro ($42)

PROS: This is a great palette with 8 mattes and 8 shimmers (which totals 16 shadows, compared to Naked 2's 12). The price is cheaper than Naked 2 as well. I love the fact that you so many mattes. Matte shadows are hard to find, has anyone noticed that? Also, the color spectrum of the Lorac Pro is amazing. You have your lights and you have your darks. The number/variety of looks you can pull off with the Lorac Pro is probably higher than with the Naked 2. The colors were easier to blend compared to the Naked 2 and the payoff was also better.

CONS: The packaging can be a lot better. I feel as though if I dropped my palette, it will break and shatter into a million pieces. Other than that, really that's the only con I can think of. 

So the winner of the Palette War? LORAC PRO!

If you are in the market for one palette, one palette to rule them all...Lorac Pro is your best bet! Just try not to drop it.

You can find this product at:

Sephora: Naked 2 for $50 or Lorac Pro for $42

I give Naked 2 a 8/10 and Lorac Pro a 8.5/10