NYX Stick Blush in Pink Poppy Review, Photos and Swatches

To think that about a year ago, I'd never tried any NYX products and now I use them nearly every day!

Cream blush. My goodness, I love a cream blush. As my skin ages, I find I like using cream blushes much more than powders. They give a softer effect, and don't catch on the fine hairs on my cheeks like powders do. Plus they give a soft and natural flush to the skin.

I especially love them in the summer, when my battle with the oily bits of my face is at its fruitless peak. My cheeks are normal in the summer, not oily and not dry, so when the rest of my face looks like a oil slick due to sweat and oil, powder blush looks especially incongruous on my oil-free cheeks. I tend to go lighter with my makeup in the summer, and cream blush looks very natural and light.

This post looks at one of NYX's Stick Blushes - Pink Poppy, a neutral pink. It reads on the cool side, and definitely works for my cool-toned skin but I could see it working well on warmer skintones as well.

The Stick Blushes are 6.2 g each, and cost $6 each. Here's what the NYX website has to say about them:

Add a touch of color with our creamy and extremely pigmented Stick Blush! Available in eight rich shades! Apply and receive the perfect glow every day!

NYX Stick Blush in Pink Poppy

NYX Stick Blush in Pink Poppy - ingredients

The Stick Blushes come in a stubby little twist-up tube, and the size and application-ease make it very easy to carry them with you.

NYX Stick Blush in Pink Poppy

There's not a tonne of product in these little tubes (6.2 g), but I really don't need to wear much of Pink Poppy to get the effect I want. I am fair-skinned so a little colour goes a long way, for the most part.

In the photo above you can see a teeny bit of gold sparkle. That's accurate, though I don't find that the sparkle reads on my cheeks at all. 

Here it is swatched on the back of my hand (NW15 skintone). All you do is twist up the tube a little and swipe it on. Below there is one swipe of Pink Poppy. 

NYX Stick Blush in Pink Poppy - swatched

The texture is smooth and a little tacky. Sort of gel-like. It is very easy to blend and the more moisture on your skin, the easier the blending. It dries as it sets but never looks artificial. You could use a brush or a sponge to apply and blend this, but I typically use my fingers. The warmth of my skin helps to soften and blend this into my cheeks.

See? Here it is on my face. It looks incredibly natural. The gold sparkle doesn't look artificial, and isn't really noticeable at all, but perhaps is adding to the skin-like smoothness in effect. I love how natural this looks on me.

In terms of longevity, it doesn't last as long as a powder blush, but I don't see much fading at all. Perhaps because my cheeks don't get oily, I don't look in the mirror at the end of the workday and see a tired complexion. If your skin is oily on your cheeks, I'd recommend topping the Stick Blushes with a powder blush. It'll help it to last longer. I do this sometimes too, if I want a more dramatic effect. 

Well done, NYX! I love Pink Poppy!

Grade: A