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NYX Best Cheap Makeup Picks

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NYX Cosmetics is one of the best bargain makeup lines with a complete, low priced selection with many amazing products. There are multiple foundations, concealers, lip colors, glosses, eye shadows, blushes, brushes and more to choose from. NYX offers high quality cosmetics at a fraction of the price of prestige brands and even most drug store brands. NYX Cosmetics top picks review

Shopping for NYX Cosmetics

You will find my favorite NYX low-low priced picks below, tested in a variety of conditions from wearing them in heat and humidity, cold weather and indoors. I’ve included links to buy NYX Cosmetics on Amazon.com and directly from the NYX website. I am an Amazon affiliate, so I get a small payment if you buy there at the same price at from NYX and usually with free shipping. If I become a NYX affiliate at some time in the future, I’ll mention that but the NYX affiliate program is ignoring me at this point. That’s ok NYX, I still love you.

Use my suggestions as a guide for NYX makeup to try first, and remember that if any NYX Cosmetics products don’t work well for you, NYX offers free returns for products you’re not happy with within 45 days of purchase if you buy on NYX.com. Buy at ULTA, Target or CVS and that retailer’s return policy is in effect. If you want to try products before buying them, go to one of those stores since NYX usually has test products available (I’m sure ULTA does).

Check the NYX Promotions page for more bargain makeup deals, sign up for the newsletter on their website or following NYX on social media to learn about sales. ULTA often has buy one, get one 50% off deals on NYX Cosmetics as well.

Foundation, Concealer and Primer

NYX Gotcha Covered ConcealerNYX Gotcha Covered is a  full coverage waterproof concealer in a tube that retails for $6. Use Gotcha Covered Full Coverage Concealer with a light hand by tapping it on the dark area under your eyes and any facial discolorations. The concealer is thick but buildable, so start with a little and add more coverage as needed to avoid having it settle into wrinkles under your eyes. Gotcha Covered comes in 20 shades in tones from the lightest to deepest of complexions: Alabaster to Espresso. While this concealer isn’t quite as effective as my favorite Bye Bye Under Eye discussed in my top picks for IT Cosmetics, it is really close and you’ll save $18 and you’ll find a perfect color match by using Gotcha Covered.

NYX Stay Matte Not Flat liquid foundation gets overall great reviews and is available in 30 shades. If your skin is super-pale, skip Stay Matte Not Flat since the lightest tone is reported to oxidize and not stay light enough to look natural. Consider Total Drop Foundation, reviewed below, or use NYX Pro Foundation Mixer in white to lighten the Ivory shade. Everyone else, read on. Stay Matte Not Flat is a medium to full coverage water-based, oil free foundation that is ideal for oil and combination skin.  There’s also a Stay Matte Not Flat powder foundation, but I don’t like it anywhere near as much as the liquid formula, although it works great as a finishing powder.

NYX Invincible Fullest Coverage Foundation offers full coverage in 20 shades, but it’s not ideal for dry skin. It retails for $12, so it costs a dollar or two more than my favorite drug store makeup in this category, Revlon ColorStay, which I prefer for myself, but Invincible Full Coverage Foundation comes in more shades and gives a nice finish on the face. Like Stay Matte Not Flat, skip this foundation and try the NYX Total Coverage Drop Foundation if you have pale skin as the lightest shades tend to oxidize to Oompa Loompa.

NYX Total Control FoundationNYX Total Control Drop Foundation comes in 20 shades and comes with a dropper so you can use a couple of drops for light coverage and more drops for medium to medium-full coverage. This foundation is marketed as a sheer to full coverage matte foundation, however, this does not reach full coverage on my skin. Total Control Drop Foundation covers imperfections very well for me, but not completely like Urban Decay’s All Nighter foundation does. The finish is not totally matte, it’s somewhere between matte and dewy which looks more natural than a completely matte foundation does. Read my NYX Total Control Drop Foundation Review to learn more about this $14 foundation.

Buy NYX Total Control Drop Foundation online at Amazon.com or NYX.com

NYX Pore Filler Primer does not cut back on shine as much as more expensive primers do, but it effectively reduces the appearance of large pores by filling them in. The directions say to use over makeup, but my makeup rubbed off when I tried doing that. I used it under makeup successfully.  When you use any pore filler primer, it’s important to pat it into the skin rather than rubbing it on over your face. If you have any especially large pores, you will likely have to use a smidge more product tapped into those pores. Pore Filler Primer retails for $14.00 and while I still prefer Benefit’s Porefessional, the product is a good primer with many great reviews.

Blush

NYX Baked BlushNYX Baked Blush has been around for years and still has tons of fans. This blush comes in 12 beautiful shades with a sheen (look elsewhere if you want matte). It goes on sheer and you can easily build the color with a brush, or use a damp makeup sponge to dab on for an intense look. Like most baked blushes, NYX Baked Blush has a hard “outer shell” that you have to break through by giving several extra swirls with your brush the first time you use it to get the blush to load on your brush properly. This is frustrating, but the $7 price is worth it.

  • Buy NYX Baked Blush online at NYX.com

NYX High Definition Blush has a great range of 24 shades, including some matte shades. Unless you are going for an extreme look, you may need to apply this with a light hand since most shades are very pigmented. There is not a lot of product in the pan and it’s a bit delicate – customer report the product breaking easily. The color pay off is worth much more than the $6.50 you will spend on this blush.

  • Buy NYX High Definition Blush online at NYX.com

NYX Stick Blush only comes in eight shades, but still meets the needs of many skins tones in that you can apply lightly or build up to a more intense look. This line includes some beautiful deep shades. The formula is very creamy, so it is ideal if you have dry skin or don’t wear powder over your foundation (cream over powder products looks crummy). NYX Stick Blush comes in a twist up stick like a big lip gloss so it’s easy to carry for touch ups, but applies best with a stippling brush.

Eye Makeup

NYX Eye Shadow Base is amazing! I used this almost every day. The slightly sticky formula holds shadow well and makes colors pop, especially when using the white base. The skin toned based is peachy, so it effectively covers blue tones and veins that many people have on their lids. The Pearl and Black shades are effective for brightening or deepening your look. This shadow base keeps my powder shadow looking fresh all day into the evening and comes in a small pot for $7. Use a very small amount and pat it on your lid with ring finger, a small sponge (Loreal’s concealer sponge is a-mazing!) or a tiny stippling kabuki to distributing evenly, let it dry just a few seconds so it’s slightly tacky and your shadow sticks.

NYX Proof It! Waterproof Eyeshadow Primer is getting rave reviews from customers who swear this stuff is the holy grail for keeping your shadow on in the worst of humid conditions. I have not yet tried it, but I will so I can compare it to much pricier Too Faced Shadow Insurance, a product I’ve used for years. Proof It! comes in one sheer universal shade and at $7, it’s worth a try.

NYX Lid LingerieNYX Lid Lingerie is an incredibly beautiful shadow with a satin/pearl or matte formula that comes in a tube and is applied with the included doe foot applicator. There are 12 colors each in the original Lid Lingerie (soft pearly sheen) and the Matte Lid Lingerie lines. Colors are primarily various neutral shades with lovely warm and cool undertones as well as a white shade. These pigmented shadows can be applied for a natural wash or a great smoky eye that lasts for hours even without a base. At $7 a tube, take a look at the shades before you invest in a prestige brand.

NYX Full Throttle Shadow Palette combines four pigmented powder shades, some matte, some shimmer, in one compact. The shades are stunning and can be used in combination for a more dramatic look or pop on one shade and be done when you’re in a hurry or want a simple look. My favorite palette in this collection is Bossy, which has really pretty purples in it. The cost is $10, which is pricey for NYX, but the color pay off and blendability compare to brands that cost much more. NYX Full Throttle Shadow Palette comes in eight mostly-neutral combinations. If  you’re looking for a very bright funky look, check out NYX Full Throttle Shadow Sticks where there’s not a neutral shade in the nine available.

  • Buy NYX Full Throttle Shadow Palette or Sticks online at NYX.com

Lip Color

NYX excels without question when it comes to lip color products. Take a look at the entire line of NYX lipsticks and glosses and you will find that 99% of them get rated by customers as a 4.5 to 5 out of 5 stars. I agree.

NYX Powder Puff Lippie is a lip cream in a tube with a sponge applicator. Powder Puff Lippie Lip Cream is getting rave reviews from the beauty vloggers, who say that the formula is oddly moisturizing even though it dries down to a powder. The color stands up to meals and every day wear to produce a lip stain effect. This is great for maintaining some color on your lips, but be warned the tone of that color can change. Of course, that can be corrected by just reapplying every few hours. I like the muted rose shade, Best Buds, for everyday wear. This shade is frequently sold out, so it may be worth paying an extra dollar or two to buy it from Amazon. Group Love is a true red, however it does wear down to a sheer pinkish shade if not touched up. Powder Puff Lippies will set you back just $8.50.

NYX Lip Lingerie is such a fantastic liquid lipstick. The colors are matte but not so much so that they look flat. The shades are gorgeous, from light to deep in neutral shades. The staying power is very good, excellent with a lip primer. The formula can be slightly drying for me although nowhere as much as I experience with some matte lipsticks, so I like to use a not-greasy lip balm under it. My favorite shades are Bedtime Flirt, a light lip-toned pink, and the deeper Exotic, a warm mahogany red. NYX Lip Lingerie is my hands-down all time favorite budget lippie, and it retails at just $7 a tube.

NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick is very similar to Lip Lingerie, but with a wide range of 24 shades that range from natural to so-not-natural with cost of $7. The color pay off is extremely pigmented while the formula feels light on your lips. Like Liquid Lingerie, Liquid Suede goes on smoothly and dries to a finish that’s hard to rub off. It is waterproof, but not oil-proof so you’ll probably need a touch up after eating. I have to use a swipe of lip balm under it so my lips don’t feel slightly dry at the end of the day. My favorite shade is the fun and neutral red Kitten Heels.

Affiliate Disclosure

As a consumer advocate, I don’t link to crap just to get affiliate income and not everything I link to uses an affiliate link. But, here’s my disclosure: there are affiliate links on this site.

This site participate in affiliate programs such as but not limited to Amazon.com. Click on an affiliate link and you will be charged nothing extra if you buy the item. At the same time, I may earn a few coins. It’s a win/win kind of thing, and I get paid for the time spent on this site offering advice and reviews.