NYX Menage a Trois HD Grinding Blush Review, Photos, Swatches
NYX Menage a Trois HD Grinding Blush
NYX Menage a Trois HD Grinding Blush
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. Â It’s cool, but any excess powder left inside inevitably seems to get everywhere else. Â I had twisted and ground each blush for photos and carried them to my bathroom and left little blush shavings in my wake. Â 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! Â (And that is exactly why one wears swatching pants…) Â 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.
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NYX Menage a Trois HD Grinding Blush
NYX Menage a Trois HD Grinding Blush
NYX Menage a Trois HD Grinding Blush
NYX Menage a Trois HD Grinding Blush
NYX Menage a Trois HD Grinding Blush
soo pretty! but, uh… how does the mechanism work?? eventually you’ll have to grind the entire blush brick away, but does the grater portion spiral down like a screw top or is the brick being constantly pushed up or…?!
I believe it goes down 🙂
I’m guessing the higher price reflects the more costly packaging. I have Smashbox’s Halo powder and rather than using the “shaver”, I prefer using a stiff flat topped brush to pick up the product through the “holes” (every so often, I give it a bit of a turn so I’m getting a different section of the product). I’d love to try these NYX blushes but in Canada, NYX has such a limited line of their products available in stores and I’m always iffy ordering products online the first time.
I get my studio stuff from nonpareilboutique.com to Canada.
I was just going to say “Halo anyone!” I also use my Halo like you do. Unless I only shave a itty bitty bit, I find I get the correct amount of product when I use the brush over the holes.
53 I remember Elizabeth Arden products, I didn’t get a chance to play with them, but I am a big fan of the product design.
I personally like this concept, it makes it great for travel and more durable, and you really can custom the amount of product with ease.
I also remember Smashbox having problems with this type of packaging with the Halo eye shadows. they just couldn’t get it to translate well with the darker color, too much product. Plus many were having troubles trying to twist for color.
I think the price is reasonable for this type of packaging, but I wonder if they will have problems pop up like Smashbox did. One of the biggest with Halo was, never quite knowing when you would ‘hit pan’.
really great on you!
Wow that is really gorgeous on you. I’m not sure about the price, though. I don’t own many NYX items (mostly due to availability in my area) but it seems strange to price it so differently. Do you think it’s just the packaging or is there an actual product difference in the way it’s made or ingredients that prompt such a large price jump?
At least some of it must come from the packaging, and the blush seems to have a better texture than their regular powder blushes, I have no idea if that makes up a substantial portion of increased costs. It would seem they are trying to carve out a premium tier within their brand – perhaps like E.L.F. and their Studio brand or MAC and its Couture collection.
Christine, your make up looks absolutely gorgeous in this photo! What have you used?
Please read the FAQ!
Hi I believe Elizabeth Arden released a limited edition grinding bronzer and it was hit with Oprah.. I tried to look for it with no luck. I believe one of their foundation also have this grinding mechanism you can test out for yourself.
Hi there! You can find the Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Mineral Bronzing Powder or the new Pure Finish Mineral Cheekcolor (both grinding bronzers/blushes) on http://www.elizabetharden.com or at any Macy’s!
So beautiful! The price tag is a bit steeper than I’d like, but I might get it anyway.
That color looks amazing on you! Seeing this makes me want it badly but if it’s that messy I’ll probably steer clear. I’m still on the hunt for some nice, non shimmer-bomb blushes that last at least 7-8 hours and are good on fair skin. Any recommendations?
Korres, Estee Lauder, and Le Metier de Beaute seem to have a nice level of shimmer without being frosty – more sheen than shimmer – and last awhile.
This looks really great on you!
I wonder how well this works once the blush starts running out?
Wow, that’s really pretty. The $16.50 price tag, however, is not. I feel like I’d rather buy a MAC blush for a little more… or a NARS one for a lot more, but that I know I’ll have forever and use a lot. I wonder why they chose to raise the prices SO high on this line.
It probably cost more int he packaging process to make these. Love the shade though! I would have been tempted if I didn’t just get my La Femme blush palette.
(I’m in the process of getting rid of almost all my other blushes but my Benefit purse trio.)
Which pencil do you use fpr your blush?
Pencil?
You look lovely in this look Christine! The blush looks really stunning on you!
I love this color but I definitely think $16.50 is way too much for a “drugstore” blush. Also, I’m not sure how long you’ve been putting on your posts but I like that you tell us what you’re wearing on your “full face photo”. Thanks!
I’d try it. The NYX products I’ve tried in the past have all been worth more than the cheap prices I paid for them. I actually think I’d be more likely to try a $15 blush from a ‘cheap’ brand whose products I’m happy with than I would be to try a $15 blush from a higher end brand that I’d never tried/ or had so-so results with in the past.
$16.50 for a NYX blush? PASS.
If I’m going to spend that much money on a blush I’m going to look towards brands that deserve that price point.
Christine, I think that all blushes look pretty on you but I’ve never seen you look this radiant and flushed. Your cheeks draw all the attention.
Is it available at Ulta, do you know?
I don’t know if it’s there or not, sorry!
Hi Christine,
Can you please list some of the must have blushes in coral, gold , pink and peach colors. I am an NC42 and I love coral gold shades. It would be great if you can post articles on must haves for blushes like you have done for lipsticks.
Thanks.
Please read the FAQ: http://www.temptalia.com/temptalia-faq-recommendations
Which shade is this? I just got NYX and there 8 shades to choose from.
I’m not sure what you’re asking – could you clarify? This review is only about one product.
Looks quite similar to Guerlain Blush G?
This blush is crazy pretty on you Christine!
Oohh! So pretty!! I love NYX products one of my favorites!
Very pretty on you!
wow that color looks great on you!
lololololololol swatching pants
I’ve been real interested in trying these, but the price tag has made me shy away. Once I cross the $15 price point on blushes I head to Sephora and splurge on the high ends. The color is beautiful, but I’m afraid that on my more mature skin the “glow” will emphasize my pores.
Pretty! I honestly wasn’t expecting the color in the swatches, looks darker in the grinder. It does remind me of a more shimmery Estee Lauder Peach Nuance/MAC Ripe Peach (maybe used a little heavy handed)
I haven’t seen this blush swatched this beautifully elsewhere. You certainly are the queen of swatches.
This blush looks absolutely gorgeous on you. Well, everything does, anyway.
Reminded me of ybf and smashbox immediately. To control the excess powder try dialing a 10th of second rather than a full second(in terms of the dial/shave mechanism). Great color though!
You know, I’ve gone through the Nyx section on CherryCulture various times during their sales and I think that, despite the fact that they have a lot of cheap offerings (and that’s what B&M stores stock), they’ve got plenty of higher priced products. For instance, they’ve got a deluxe lipstick that I haven’t seen anywhere in person that’s around $8.50, twice as much as the round lipsticks. Some of the eyeshadow palettes do a jump in price as well.
The entire HD line seems to be a little bit pricier than their more popular items, but it’s not entirely out of line with the rest of what I’ve seen in the makeup line.
However, I don’t know how popular the higher price stuff is, or could possibly be. That is possibly a down side of having so much higher quality products at the lower price point.
oh my god, I love that you have swatching pants.
I really like this but I love your eyes…what is on your waterline and does it stay there???
Please read the post FAQ, I listed all products there!
Well, if it’s at Ulta or Harmon’s they ALWAYS have coupons.
Is it me or does this remind me of LMdB Echo? The skin swatch and the gold sheen reminded me of it..
Echo is deeper and more pigmented!
That’s really pretty! It’s quite expensive for NYX, though.
So what exactly is the purpose of the grinding function? Is the blush not fine enough until you grind it or is it just a gimmick?
I explained NYX’s reasoning in the first paragraph!
soooo pretty! Reminds me of marine life, de picking this up.
Oh beautifull!
I always want to try nyx foundation but I can only buy it online. How can I be sure about my Nyx foundation shade?
Great blog!
Unfortunately, you have to kind of guess! You could try to search for swatches of a particular shade.
Pretty!
What brush did you use?
MAC 116
The colour is exactly how MAC’s Springsheen looks on my cheeks. And I don’t get it: is it powder underneath the grinder, so it just grinds the already ground blush? I like no mess and pressed powders, so this is a no-go for me.
It’s a pressed powder that grinds off – I imagine it’s a more fragile powder so it makes it easy to grind off the product.
Aah that makes more sense. Thanks!
I really want this blush! I wonder i fyou can pop that metal shaver off and just stick your brush int here like a regular blush? I wonder if anyone has tried this yet or done a tutorial on how it can be done?
I have no idea – haven’t tried to do that!
Vey pretty color!
Oh thank you for doing this! My absolute favorite blush is Lancome’s Shimmer Mandarin Sky. I thought for a second it looked similar & now that you have confirmed it in your “dupes” I may have to try this one out. $16.50 may be more than the average NYX line but certainly cheaper than the $28 Lancome one. 😀
This is really pretty but for the price, I’d like to be able to at least swatch it before I buy it. I would be more inclined to go to Mac at that price point. I do like this color though, it looks so pretty on you.
This blush looks a lot like Nars Orgasm blush, if you ask me!!
It’s a pretty color but I think I’m turned off by the grinding aspect.
that blush shade i think looks stunning on you!
smashbox halo was the best thing to ever happen to me. the packaging on the smashbox compact doesn’t get powder residue everywhere either. i don’t think there are halo blushes though. does anyone know?
That is rather pretty on you. However I do like their cream and regular powder blushes, so I’ll be content with those.
That’s so gorgeous! I wonder how much it’ll cost in Canada though, the price will probably be bumped up :/
i love NYX, but i have to agree that this sounds totally gimicky.
Is this made in china?
South Korea
Uhm..NYX was feeling themselves a bit with that pricing. That’s such a turn off. It’s a pretty colour, but not for 16.50, not a NYX blush.
Oooh, pretty and super subtle! It looks really nice on you!
The color is beautiful and I get the grinding function. I’ve had times where I’ve scraped a layer of blush off the product because it got a bit caked down, but charging $16 for it seems a bit steep, especially since NYX is known to be more reasonably priced. I could defiantly see a lot of product wasting if you grind too much and the powder gets stuck in the groves of the top. Good concept, but a tad pricey for NYX. The color is divine though.
I have Mandarin Sky, so I don’t need to get pink powder all over my makeup with this…
Hi Christine! How is this comparable to Estee Lauder radiant peach? What blush would recommend / prefer EL radiant peach or Lancome mandarian sky? You look so lovely! I love this color on you! Thank you 🙂
This is a bit more tangerine, not as much pink in it! If you want something more orange, than this, but if you like a lil’ pink, then the latter two!
I read the FAQ’s but you didn’t mention wearing anything on your face (i.e. foundation or tinted moisturizer). Are you not wearing any base in this picture? Thanks!
NYX HD Foundation
Thank you!
that is SUCH a beautiful photo of you Christine!!!
Unfortanetly, I still can’t find anywhere where I could buy NYX cosmetics here in Canada, other than online, but I don’t shop online. T.T
But the blush is really stunning!
FWIW, this looks exactly like their regular powder blush in Pinched. I like the grinder for powders (I love Smashbox Halo) but I think this would be a complete PITA for blush. With powder if there’s a little excess, you can just use it – no one notices a extra dab of powder. But with blush…eek!
will it look good on nc42? really look good on you.wonder if its too bright on my skintone?
this is comparable to benefit corslista! 🙂
Does it come with any applicator? A brush?
Nope!
Is this comparable to macs style? Would love to know. Thanks. Xoxo
I believe Style is more orange!
The color looks an awful lot like this one Hard Candy baked blush. Does anyone know the color I’m talking about?
PRETTYYY
I know this is a really late reply, but where in Canada do you live? I’ve found that some Pharma Plus/Rexall drug stores sell a lot of their products 🙂 I live in the GTA.