NYX Menage a Trois HD Grinding Blush ($16.50 for 0.25 oz.) is one of eight shades of blush from NYX’s HD Studio line. According to NYX, by grinding a blush powder each use, you’ll avoid “oil trappings on powders, contamination, and cracking.” The blush formula itself is supposed to reflect light from the skin while giving pores a smaller and smoother look. Menage a Trois is a soft tangerine-peach with spun gold shimmer-sheen. It’s really a gorgeous shade and one that will work exceptionally well on warmer skin tones.
Next to the blush, you might recognize an elephant–the price tag. NYX is known as a brand with affordable options but still a wide variety and higher quality products than many other more affordable brands (overall). It’s obvious the HD Studio range is at a higher price point, but I think it might be outpricing the comfort zone of some of their customers. Their Powder Blushes are $6, Cream Bushes are $6.50, and Mosaic Powders are $8. The HD Grinding Blush is double the price of their more expensive blush. I’m not worried that NYX is going to change directions and move to mid-tier, but it’s an interesting move.
my thoughts on the formula: The texture of the HD Grinding Blushes is very smooth–definitely finely milled. The colors themselves are a lot less intimidating when applied than they look initially–I did not find that you could quite get the level of intensity as see in the shavings themselves, but you can get close. The softness of the blush powder makes it easy to apply, blend out, and difficult to overdo. On me, it wears around six hours before there is some fading (over liquid foundation, set with loose powder).
Though I haven’t personally tested Smashbox’s Halo powders, the grinding mechanism of NYX’s HD Grinding Blushes reminded me of them. I’m not sure if Smashbox has put out Halo blushes, but they do have the twist ‘n’ shave mechanism for their Perfecting Powders, Perfecting Bronzers, and Color Correcting Powder. It’s neither a pro nor con but more for your reference.
I’m not keen on the grinding packaging, actually. It’s cool, but any excess powder left inside inevitably seems to get everywhere else. I had twisted and ground each blush for photos and carried them to my bathroom and left little blush shavings in my wake. When I opened the blushes, the loose shavings had collected on the outer rim, where the cap screws on, and easily escaped to the freedom of my carpet, sink, and swatching pants! (And that is exactly why one wears swatching pants…) The only mitigating factor is that usually you do not twist too much excess, so there is an end in sight, unlike perhaps an entire jar of loose blush.
I’m not particularly surprised that I’m most drawn to this shade–after all, if it’s gold, peach, or coral, I’m already there. The whole grinding concept is more of a novelty for me, and the packaging could use some tweaks so that any excess shavings stay within the jar, rather than settle around the rim (outside of the recessed opening). It could wear a touch longer; most blushes last all day (eight to ten hours) on me.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
7.5/10
Application
4/5
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NYX Sparkling Beige Diamond Sparkle Lipstick ($4.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a rose-tinged amber brown with lots of copper shimmer and micro-glitter. It is kind of opaque, but it doesn’t apply evenly, so it ends up looking patchy in some places but totally opaque in others. This one was a bummer, because it wasn’t as creamy as NYX lipsticks typically are, and the overall result was less impressive.
my thoughts on the formula: NYX Diamond Sparkle lipsticks are super, super shimmering/glittery (I think the formula’s name should give that away!). Sometimes they’re opaque, but sometimes, in this instance, they aren’t quite. Texture can be a little gritty. However, the scent of them can run from waxy to synthetic sweetness (neither are particularly pleasant)–and sometimes they smell like nothing at all. I typically get two to three hours of wear.
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Product: 24/30
Value: 9/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
final thoughts: It just depends what your expectations are; I think it can be a fun layering shade for the price tag, but it’s not the same quality as other NYX lipsticks.
NYX Espresso Lipstick ($4.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a muted red-toned berry with a creamy feel and semi-glossy finish. The color applies evenly and opaquely with very little product, and it feels comfortable to wear.
my thoughts on the formula: NYX Round Lipsticks are really creamy and generally opaque in color. The texture and shade range are great. However, the scent of them can run from waxy to synthetic sweetness (neither are particularly pleasant)–and sometimes they smell like nothing at all. I typically get two to three hours of wear.
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Product: 27/30
Value: 9/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
final thoughts: This shade works well on both cooler and warmer skin tones, but it is particularly lovely on cool, pale skin.
NYX Brown Sugar Round Lipstick ($4.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a rich bronzy, reddened brown with copper shimmer. It has opaque color coverage with a frosted finish, so it is less creamy than some other NYX Round Lipsticks I’ve tried, but on the plus side, lasts for four hours as compared to my usual two to three.
my thoughts on the formula: NYX Round Lipsticks are really creamy and generally opaque in color. The texture and shade range are great. However, the scent of them can run from waxy to synthetic sweetness (neither are particularly pleasant)–and sometimes they smell like nothing at all. I typically get two to three hours of wear.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
Product: 26/30
Value: 9/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
final thoughts: If you tend to stay away from brown lipsticks for fear of wearing a more dated shade, this copper-shimmered brown is a modern take on a classic look.
NYX Burgundy Mega Shine Lipgloss ($5.50 for 0.21 fl. oz.) is a darkened raspberry red with soft ruby and pink micro-shimmer. It’s semi-opaque on lips, and it has a high gloss finish and almost looks metallic due to the ruby shimmer. This gloss was scent-free, but in the past, I’ve NYX glosses that have smelled like plastic as well as synthetic berry.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
Product: 27/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
FINAL THOUGHTS: If you’re not sensitive to those scents, the Mega Shine Lipgloss range is always a good place to start. It looks beautiful on, and it wears a solid four hours without leaving lips feeling dry.
NYX Decadent Lipstick ($4.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a red-toned brown with a creamy, slightly glossy finish. The color is rich, and definitely decadent, with full-color coverage. It is a less vampy, lighter version of NYX Very Berry Lipstick (which was anything but berry!). I get around four hours of wear with NYX’s Round Lipstick. There’s a slightly synthetic sweet scent in the tube, but I don’t notice it lingering once I’ve applied it.
Is this the right brown for you? Would you wear it?
The Sultry Season is a series of posts featuring deep, rich shades of brown, berry, plum, and wine lipsticks and lipglosses — just right for autumn — that runs through December 2010.
