Frugal Find: NYX For Your Eyes Only Palette

Being a verified makeup addict, I often have dreams about stumbling into a new store and discovering a cosmetics line or product that would otherwise be beyond my reach (either via price-point or lack of accessibility). In the dream, I'm often overcome with excitement that I've found such a treasure, but then wake before the purchase is completed. Not sure what Freud would say about all of this (even my psychology background can't help me here!), but I recently had a similar real-life experience when I wandered into a Rexall in downtown Toronto, only to find a colourful display of NYX products!

NYX is a Japanese brand known for its superior quality at an affordable price. Plus, they endorse cruelty-free practices, which is a bonus! I have tested and loved a couple of their eye shadows in the past, but had no idea that NYX was available anywhere in Toronto. I was thrilled to find this treasure tucked away (literally underground, in the basement of the Atrium on Bay) and, unlike my dreams, I was able to satiate my excitement with a purchase.

The item I came home with was an eye shadow palette, generally one of my biggest makeup weaknesses. Specifically, I purchased their Mysterious Brown Eyes palette ($14.99 CAD), which features ten shades that aim to flatter us brown-eyed gals.

Here's a picture of the palette's sleek box:

And of the outside of the palette itself:

Now onto the fun stuff! Here are a few closeups of the eye shadows themselves:

Yes, my cozy blue robe makes a cameo here ;)

As you can see, there is a nice mix of neutrals and brights, lighter highlight shades and darker smoky hues. I picked up this palette not because I'm convinced that any item designed for brown eyes will work for me, but because I could see this palette being extremely versatile!

Here are swatches of the shades on my arm. I can never get the lighting right to produce clear, perfectly true-to-colour swatches, but hopefully this at least gives you an idea of what the shades are like:

And here are some pictures of a couple looks I've created with the palette so far. The first is a super neutral look, using the yellowy-gold shade as a highlight and a couple of the brown-peachy shades to contour:

And the second is a more vibrant eye look, featuring the super lovely and highly pigmented green shade in the palette:

Overall, I'm looking forward to using this palette to create may different eye looks. It truly is versatile! While a few of the eye shadows lack pigmentation, the uniqueness and vibrancy of some of the other shades (particularly the green, light gold, and deeper browns) as well as the affordable price make this palette totally worthwhile. If you have access to NYX products where you live, you should definitely check this (or the palette suited for your eye colour) out!

Thanks for reading!