NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Ultimate Shadow Palette - Smokey & Highlight- £16

Is NYX  Eyeshadow any good?

The short answer, yes! The NYX Ultimate Shadow Palette is the perfect palette to try out new neutral eyeshadow looks and get a little more experimental!

When first getting my hands on this palette I wasn’t overly sure on the shade selection and how much use I would get of all the shades, as initially they didn’t appear to complement each other that well. Since having the chance to trial and error with the shades provided, I’ve come to realise that this, in fact, has a great range of colours ( mostly cool toned) that are perfect for creating a number of different smoky looks. This palette also some great warmer toned shades to create more autumnal looks (particularly with the purple,brown and pale gold shades).

I’d never used NYX eye shadows before trying this palette but have found that the darker shades in particular are well pigmented and blend easily. Admittedly, the lighter shades has a lesser colour pay off and do require more layering ( as evident from the less visible swatches above), however I do understand that this is usually the case with lighter shades in eyeshadow palettes. I’d also say that the shadows are more powdery than buttery in consistency and I did experience some fall down when applying certain shades, however this can be easily fixed by doing your eye makeup first. This most certainly hasn't stopped me from frequently reaching for this palette.

The longevity of the shadows from this palette is excellent, particularly when using a shadow primer ( I tend to use a matte maybelline color tattoo) and I’ve experienced no issues with these creasing. The NYX glitter primer also works well with these shadows. I’ve also found myself using this in conjunction with the NYX strobing palette ( review to follow soon) as the shades compliment this palette really well. The colours in this palette can easily be used for daytime or amped up for an evening look, though I will say that there are a couple of shades that are very similar and will be neglected, the same with the blue and green shades which I have found no use for.

I have been overall really surprised by this palette and it is now one of my most reached for palettes; I only wish that this had been designed with a large mirror inside to make this palette even better.