Nyx Blush in Raisin

It's been awhile since I've featured a blush, and it is high time I introduce you to some of my "new" pretties. I've actually had Nyx's blush in Raisin for awhile. I bought Raisin alongside Red and Taupe, intending to use all three as contour colors. Raisin is a plummy color with a touch of grey/ taupe which makes it a great contour shade to accompany plum, wine, berry, and purple blush colors, as well as a nice matte blush all on its own. Nyx's blushes are very pigmented and finely milled; they last through an entire day on my skin, and blend beautifully. My only complaints are that they can be difficult to find and that the surface has little raised pyramids on it, which can sometimes leave a weird pattern of blush on your brush, since it's so pigmented a small tap will do (no swirling required!). Since it blends so easily though, that's not really an issue, although you can't forget to blend the product on your cheeks because of this! I like that the packaging has a clear lid so you can see the color of the product from the front.

I purchased Raisin from a beauty supply store in San Jose and paid $7.99 for the blush; this is a bit steep, as I've seen these blushes elsewhere for $5.99, and Ulta will often run BOGO sales on Nyx cosmetics, although many places don't carry the full range of shades. Sometimes random stores will carry Nyx; an inexpensive clothing store in my local mall has a display (but only in the plus-sized store; the standard size store across the mall doesn't have a cosmetics display...), so keep your eyes peeled!

I tried to look through my existing blushes to do a comparison for you. The closest color in my stash is NARS' Sin, which is slightly lighter, less taupe, and has some golden shimmer in it. In the swatches below, Sin is on the left and Raisin is on the right:

Sin on the left, Raisin on the right

Finally, this is what it looks like on the cheek! I am only wearing Raisin on my cheeks in the following photo, although it does pair very nicely with other blushes as a contour shade as well.

Summary: Nyx blushes are worth the $6-$8 pricetag, hands down! I think they can compete with much higher end blushes as far as pigmentation and staying power go. My only complaints are that they can be hard to find, the raised diamond design makes careful blending a must, and that I wish they had a wider color selection; the shades are pretty basic earthy neutrals, and are mostly matte. More interesting colors and finishes would make me very happy! That being said, these are great "basics" to fill out a makeup collection, and I love that they have so many matte shades with a taupe or grey tone that make for such great contour colors.

Have you guys used Nyx blushes? Do you have any favorite contour colors?