NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils & Eyeliner Pencil: Review & Swatches

It seems likely that by now, everyone has heard of the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils, and for good reason - they come in a massive range of colors, and work wonderfully as eyeshadow bases or liners. The set that I picked up on HauteLook came with 601 Black Bean, 608 Cottage Cheese, 606 Baby Blue, 618 Purple, 612 Gold, and 613 Lime. Another set also came with one of their Slim Eyeliner Pencils in 903 Dark Brown, which I'm including in this post since after all, it is a pencil.

All of the colors are pretty shimmery, even when they don't look like they should be, although colors like Cottage Cheese and Gold are particularly shiny. Black Bean is fairly matte, and only gives off a tiny bit of sheen in the pictures because of its creamy consistency. But even the shades that are very shimmery can be used underneath matte shadows, because it is possible to cover up the shimmer with a few layers of a matte shadow. The formula on these is great, and they smooth onto the eyes very easily. They do crease so I don't wear them without using a primer first. But the primer is worth it, because layered underneath a similar color of eyeshadow, they make your entire look pop.

The slim eyeliner pencil is just as creamy as the jumbo ones, which means it does move around during the day if you don't set it with a primer underneath or a shadow on top. The color is very pretty and I love it as an alternative to black eyeliner, and the staying power is not bad by any means. But if you're someone like me, who has to be at class by 9 AM and then doesn't take her makeup off until 11 PM or later, you're going to need some touch-ups. For me, this tends to be the case with all of the pencil liners that I use, so the NYX one definitely doesn't under-perform compared to other liners. And like I said, all it needs is a bit of primer or shadow to hold it in place. The application is pretty effortless because it is so creamy, and all you need are one or two swipes to get a nice opaque line.

Rating:
Jumbo Eye Pencils: 4.5/5
Slim Eye Pencil: 4/5

Recommendation: If you don't already love the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils, give them a try - the only real negative is that they crease, but with a primer that's hardly an issue. And the Eyeliner Pencils are great quality and come in 31 different colors; for just $3.50, a fraction of the price of an eyeliner from Mac or Urban Decay, you get a smooth, pigmented liner with only a few drawbacks. Both products live up to their descriptions without a doubt.

XOXO, Ally