NYX Cosmetics Stick Blush
First picture, left to right: NYX Stick Blush in 06 Orchid, 02 Pink Lotus, 05 Tea Rose, 04 Tulip, 07 Water Lily
Second picture, left to right: Swatches of Orchid, Pink Lotus, Tea Rose, Tulip, Water Lily
According to NYX Cosmetics, these blushes are “creamy and extremely pigmented,” and help you achieve “the perfect glow every day.” The blush, which comes in a small plastic tube with 0.013 oz. of product, is available in eight shades: 01 Magnolia, 02 Pink Lotus, 03 Hibiscus, 04 Tulip, 05 Tea Rose, 06 Orchid, 07 Water Lily, and 08 Pink Poppy.
In this post, I’ll be reviewing the shades 02 Pink Lotus, 04 Tulip, 05 Tea Rose, 06 Orchid, and 07 Water Lily. NYX Cosmetics describes the shades as: Pink Lotus, a “bright blue-pink with gold shimmer”; Tulip, a “soft blue-pink”; Tea Rose, a “plummy-pink”; Orchid, a “peachy pink with gold sheen”; and Water Lily, a “deep mauve pink.” I found those descriptions to be mostly accurate—in my second photo, my swatches are in the order Orchid, Pink Lotus, Tea Rose, Tulip, and Water Lily, and you can see that Orchid and Pink Lotus both have a golden sheen, whereas the three other shades are more of a satin finish and less shimmery. But I found Tea Rose and Water Lily to be less “plummy” and “mauve” and more red-based on the skin, and Tulip to be so “soft” that it was sheerer than other shades. These differences didn’t totally contrast with how NYX Cosmetics described the shades, but they are still important to note.
Most pressing, though, is the question of application ease and wear time. Powder blushes and cream blushes in a pan are easy enough to apply—I mean, all you need is a brush, right?—and stick blushes, at first, may seem tricky. How many swipes of product do you need? Do you need to use a brush afterward, just on your face, instead of using the brush initially to grab product and then apply it? How much product do you really get in that small tube?
The good thing about NYX Cosmetics Stick Blush is that it’s really affordable—$6 is seriously inexpensive, cheaper than most drugstore lipsticks—and packs a good amount of pigment in only a few swipes. I found the best way to use these was to apply directly to skin, straight from the tube, and then blend out using my fingers. That way, you get a dewy, fresh-looking finish, like your skin is glowing. But on top of foundation, the blush tended to clump, and did even worse on pressed powder. I liked these best on bare skin as a way to add some direct color; the non-shimmery shades will work best for daytime, whereas Orchid and Pink Lotus seem more appropriate for nighttime or weekends.
And wear time? Well, there’s a downside there. I only got about three or four hours of wear; that’s a little low, yes, but the stick is so petite (and the top so secure) that I threw it in my bag during testing days and touched up later on without any problems. Weirdly, these lasted longer on top of foundation—about six or seven hours of wear—but then they developed that clumping issue, so it’s a tradeoff. If you want shorter wear time but no clumps, try them on bare skin; if you want longer-lasting color and don’t mind putting more effort into blending, pair Stick Blush with foundation.
For the most part, though, I liked NYX Cosmetics Stick Blush. It’s fairly affordable and comes in some really pretty shades, and I think it would be a good investment to buy one or two and sprinkle them in your purse or car, places you can just grab and use them. They’re not flawless, but for the price, they’re not garbage, either.
VERDICT: B.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: $6 each at NYXCosmetics.com or $5.99 each at Ulta.com and Ulta store locations.
EDITORIAL NOTE: The products featured in this post were provided to Chesapeake Family’s About Face blog by the manufacturer or their public relations company for review. Chesapeake Family’s About Face blog posts are inspired by personal experience and opinion, and are not paid for or influenced by the manufacturer, PR company, or any other organization unless mentioned.
Photos by Roxana Hadadi.
In middle school, Roxana Hadadi was a cosmetics-scorning tomboy; in high school, a glitter eye shadow- and black nail polish-loving trend kid; in college, obsessively committed to dying her hair unruly colors that upset her mom. Now a bit older and a bit more mature, she’s trying to figure out what hair, body and cosmetics products will work for her, you and your family in About Face, Chesapeake Family’s new beauty blog — and she’ll leave the sparkle makeup and neon highlights in the past. Roxana also writes movie reviews for Chesapeake Family’s Popcorn Parents blog.
