Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

NYX jumbo eye pencils are a dream come true for your wallet, your limited time and your gorgeous, deserving eyes. ;-) I have Oyster, Strawberry Milk, Yogurt, Cashmere, Peacock, Milk and Cottage Cheese. They are far less expensive than Urban Decay or even Maybelline Color Tattoo or Loreal Infallible -- about half the price of the last two and about a third of the price of Urban Decay. THE PRODUCT IS ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME, with very few differences. For example, in a side-by-side comparison, Maybelline Color Tattoo's "Too Cool" and NYX "Cottage Cheese" look identical on. The saturation, coverage, color and shine are exactly the same. Except that Maybelline is $7 an NYX is $4! Urban Decay is $14!! For an in-depth comparison of NYX to Urban Decay, go to makeupgeek.com "product smackdowns" (no, I am not affiliated with her, just a big fan). NYX is more convenient because you can grab a few, throw them in your purse and go. You don't need a brush, just your finger to touch up and blend. They CAN BE SHARPENED VERY EASILY (more on that in the rest of this review) and, when properly applied, do not crease. Milk (by far the most popular and useful of the colors) has multiple uses and should be your new makeup bag staple. I truly hope NYX doesn't catch on to how wonderful and convenient their jumbo pencils are and start charging us more -- it is RARE that we ladies can find an affordable product that actually WORKS and makes us happy we purchased it. They can be purchased on Amazon, of course, but also (for those of us on the East Coast) at Ulta. A few tips and comments: *SHARPENING: There is a lot of talk online about needing to depot your Jumbo Pencil to be able to use it because the product is so creamy (the reason it is so easy to use and looks so great on) that when you try to sharpen it, it turns to mush. NOT TRUE. You can certainly depot your Jumbo Pencils if you like that application, but it's much more convenient to use them as a pencil and a lot more trouble than it is worth once you know how to sharpen them. You need pliers, an empty shadow pan, a hot hair dryer and loads of time and patience to depot your pencils. You only need a little know-how to sharpen them. A no-brainer. 1) Get an inexpensive E.L.F. or NYX dual sharpener ($4 -- it has two sharpeners side-by-side, one regular sized, one large, with a removable cover to catch the shavings) and use the large side for sharpening your Jumbo Pencil. 2) PUT YOUR NYX JUMBO PENCILS IN THE FREEZER FOR 15 MINUTES. The edge where the pencil meets the product looks and feels like plastic but it is not -- it is actually very heavily shellacked wood. If you sharpen your Jumbo Pencils within about five minutes of taking them out of the freezer, they sharpen quite easily. No product is wasted and they are just like new. 3) Use a q-tip to remove any creamy product from the blades of the sharpener so the next color doesn't transfer or smear and you start with a clean sharpener. You are totally welcome :) *DIFFERENT USES FOR THE COLOR "MILK": 1) Eye Primer/Base -- I use E.L.F. Face Primer, Revlon PhotoReady foundation, E.L.F. Eyeshadow Primer and a light dusting of powder and then run Milk on the lower lid of my eye (not into the crease) and blend it a bit. BAM! Any color that goes on top not only stays on longer but really POPS. I have never had a problem with creasing when I prep my lids this way. You can really pile on the product and it stays put. If you want extra insurance, dust your eyes with a little powder when you're finished with your shadow (before you put on mascara) and use a makeup set/finishing mist (E.L.F. Finishing Mist is $3 at Target and works wonderfully). 2) Use Milk on your lower water line -- truly opens your eyes 3) Milk blended on the center lower lid as a finishing accent -- it adds pop, dimension and a more natural accent 4) Brow accent -- blended right below your eyebrows in the upper/outer corner to create depth and contrast 5) Finishing concealer -- to cover and conceal any flaked eyeshadow/liner underneath your eyes after you are done 6) Inner tear duct accent -- just a dot blended in each corner opens and brightens your eye The uses go on and on. You can buy Milk in a three-pack -- well worth the purchase as they go FAST. *COLOR SATURATION: The only reason NYX Jumbo Pencils do not get five stars is because the lighter colors are not as saturated as they could be. Oyster, Strawberry Milk, Yogurt and Cashmere are BEAUTIFUL, but not saturated colors for fairer skin. They are silky, shimmery and natural, but not bright. I am very pale and these are more like accent colors to either make a sweet shimmery brow highlight or a finish for the center of the lower lid to create a lighter effect against a dark background. No doubt if you have darker skin, all these colors will show up well and be gorgeous on you. Peacock, on the other hand, is a beautifully saturated green-blue color that mixes and blends wonderfully with Cottage Cheese and Oyster to create an ocean-themed summery eye that is not over the top (although Peacock could certainly be used for big drama -- especially if you line your eyes with black. Va-va-VAVOOM!) Since they are creamy and well-made, all NYX jumbo pencils mix and blend very well -- the lighter colors will even blend completely out if coaxed enough with a brush or your finger. But their staying power is not as good as a product like Maybelline Color Tattoo, for example. This is good if you want to get your makeup off more easily at the end of the day! Color Tattoo takes soap, water, scrubbing and cold cream to really remove. NYX takes as many steps (for me -- I want a CLEAN face at bedtime) but not as much elbow grease. So, long and short: JUST GET THESE. Totally worth it!