NYX Highlight & Contour Palette ($25.00 for 0.72 oz.) is a set of four highlight powders and four contour powders. All of the shades included in the palette can be purchased individually, and the palette is refillable, so shades can be removed or rearranged. The only downside is that they don’t sell the palette empty, and there are two additional highlight powder shades (Bone, Soft Peach) and two additional contour powder shades (Sienna, Saddle) available as singles (each single is $5.00). I liked that two of the four highlighters had some shimmer to them, so for those who like a little sheen to their highlight, you’ll have those options, and you can always tamp down the satiny sheen by dusting one of the more matte highlight powders on top to stretch out the others if you like less shimmer. The contours all had a semi-matte to satin finish, so none were totally matte, and they looked natural on the skin without looking too shimmery or too flat. I had some trouble blending out the contour shades at times, and I had the best luck by applying with a more feathery brush to lay down the general outline of the contour, and then going back to darken as needed. The highlight shades are soft and smooth but powdery.

Highlight Powders

Ice Queen is described as a “pearly pale white.” It’s a very light, cool-toned white with a frosted finish. It had semi-opaque coverage that was buildable to fully opaque color if desired, though it’s likely a shade worn more diffused for most, so luckily, it blends out quite easily. It just slightly emphasizes pores if I’m not careful or don’t buff it out enough. It lasted for eight hours on me. Cle de Peau Pastel (11) (P, $55.00) is less shimmery, darker. L’Oreal Ice (P, $12.99) is cooler. LORAC Shimmer Highlight (P, ) is less shimmery. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Soft Light is described as a “matte nude.” It’s a very light, white-beige that is fairly neutral in undertone paired with a matte finish. The texture was soft and smooth but noticeably powdery. This looked chalky against my medium skin tone, so it is probably better mixed with one of the contours or for fairer skin tones than mine. The coverage was semi-opaque and slightly buildable, but with how powdery it was, it tended to sheer out if you blended out the edges at all. It started to fade after seven hours. NARS Highlight (P, ) is warmer. Kat Von D Lucid (P, ) is darker, warmer. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Cream is described as a “matte soft yellow.” It’s a soft, buttery yellow with warm undertones and a mostly matte finish. It had good pigmentation with a really soft, smooth consistency that was easy to blend and apply to the skin, though it was powdery in the pan. On me, it started to fade after seven and a half hours. Dolce and Gabbana Eva (P, $51.00) is lighter. Kat Von D Lyric (P, ) is lighter, cooler. LORAC Yellow Highlight (P, ) is lighter, cooler. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Nectar is described as a “pearly soft peach.” It’s a light-medium, yellowed peach with warm undertones and a soft, frosted shimmer. It was less frosted compared to Ice Queen. The texture was soft, blendable, and slightly powdery/dry but didn’t appear dry on the skin. The shimmer didn’t emphasize the skin’s natural texture or pores. It wore well for seven and a half hours before turning a little patchy/faded. IT Cosmetics Hello Light (P, $24.00) is more shimmery. MAC Star! (LE, ) is more shimmery. Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment (Original) (P, $30.00) is less shimmery, darker. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Contour Powders

Tan is described as a “matte soft brown with slight red undertones.” It’s a medium-dark brown with warm, reddish undertones and a satin finish. It had good pigmentation with a smoother texture that was slightly firmer to the touch, and it could have been a little more blendable on the skin. I started noticing fading after eight hours of wear. NYX Sculpt (P, $5.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer. Urban Decay Toasted (P, $26.00) is darker, warmer. Marc Jacobs Beauty Contour (P, ) is less shimmery, lighter. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil (P, ) is lighter, warmer. MAC Sculpt (P, $16.50) is less shimmery, lighter. MAC Matte Bronze (LE, $70.00) is lighter. MAC Matte Bronze (LE, $70.00) is lighter. ColourPop Poolside (P, $8.00) is more shimmery, warmer. Smashbox Bronze (P, ) is less shimmery, lighter. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Toffee is described as a “matte neutral brown.” It’s a muted, medium brown with warm, yellow undertones and a satin sheen. This was one of the more shimmery contour shades (it’s not matte at all!). The color payoff was fully opaque, while the texture was smooth without being powdery. It lasted for eight hours on me. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil (P, ) is less shimmery, lighter. Marc Jacobs Beauty Contour (P, ) is less shimmery. Too Faced Dark Cocoa (P, ) is lighter. ColourPop Paradise Cove (P, $8.00) is more shimmery, lighter. ColourPop Poolside (P, $8.00) is more shimmery, lighter. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Sculpt is described as a “matte taupe.” It’s a muted, medium-dark brown with a hint of gray overtones but the stronger, more orange undertones made it look warmer and browner. It had a very slight satin sheen, but it was the more matte of the four contour shades in the palette. It had good color payoff with a soft, silky texture that was a smidgen powdery. This shade blended fairly well on the skin, and it wore for eight hours. NARS Paloma Contour (P, ) is lighter, warmer. MAC Matte Bronze (P, $25.00) is lighter, warmer. MAC Sculpt (P, $16.50) is warmer. MAC Matte Bronze (LE, $70.00) is lighter, warmer. Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze (P, ) is more shimmery, lighter. Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze (P, ) is more shimmery, lighter. Kat Von D Shadowplay (P, ) is lighter, warmer. NYX Tan (P, $5.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Hollow is described as a “matte deep brown.” It’s a medium-dark brown with warm, reddish-orange undertones and a satin finish. It had good pigmentation with a slightly firmer consistency, which made blending more challenging than desired. Once on, it stayed put for eight hours. Kat Von D Subconscious (P, ) is less shimmery. LORAC Deep Contour (P, ) is cooler, better quality. Marc Jacobs Beauty Contour (P, ) is lighter, warmer. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

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NYX Highlight & Contour Palette

NYX Highlight & Contour Palette

NYX Highlight & Contour Palette

NYX Highlight & Contour Palette

NYX Highlight & Contour Palette

NYX Highlight & Contour Palette

NYX Highlight & Contour Palette

NYX Ice Queen Highlight Powder

NYX Ice Queen Highlight Powder

NYX Soft Light Highlight Powder

NYX Soft Light Highlight Powder

NYX Cream Highlight Powder

NYX Cream Highlight Powder

NYX Nectar Highlight Powder

NYX Nectar Highlight Powder

NYX Tan Contour Powder

NYX Tan Contour Powder

NYX Toffee Contour Powder

NYX Toffee Contour Powder

NYX Sculpt Contour Powder

NYX Sculpt Contour Powder

NYX Hollow Contour Powder

NYX Hollow Contour Powder

NYX Ice / Tan

NYX Cream / Sculpt (with NYX Banana Split Lipgloss)

NYX Soft Light / Toffee

NYX Nectar / Hollow