** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

Shimmery shadows, you are the twinkle in my eye. I love all shadows, but in a heated makeup duel between shimmers and mattes for my admiration, it’d be no contest. T.K.O. by shimmers. So when I found out NYX made a base that enhances the sheen, you bet I grabbed it!

NYX Eyeshadow Base Pearl is…well, a base. It will not do what a primer does. Just make sure you go in with the right expectations so you won’t be disappointed. And make sure you have a good primer on hand because you’ll need it for this.

NYX Eyeshadow Base Pearl Pictures & Photos

Claims: TRUSTED

√ 100x brightening effect (not exactly 100x)
√ Intensifies colors
√ Helps makeup last longer (not on its own)
√ Holds shadows (not on its own)

Key Notes

• Name: NYX Eyeshadow Base Pearl
• Amount: 0.25oz or 7g
• What I Paid: $6 USD
• Price Per Unit: $24/oz or $0.88/g
• Related NYX Eyeshadow Base Products: Skin Tone, White
• Where to Buy: Cherry Culture, NYX US website, NYX CA website, ULTA, some local makeup/nail stores

NYX Pearl Eye Shadow Base Review

Color & Shimmer

I was afraid that NYX Pearl Eye Shadow Base would look stark white. Nope! There’s not much whiteness to it; mostly you get a milky veil of shimmer that twinkles and sparkles against the light! It’s gorgeous to look at.

Consistency & Application

Out of the three NYX Eye Shadow Bases, Pearl is the thinnest and easiest to work with. It’s very smooth and soft, allowing for easy application. With the other two, I find that it’s very hard to apply. You end up getting a thicker-than-you-want layer on the lids because the consistency is so dense. Plus, Pearl is a breeze to blend and smooth over the entire eyelid.

Fragranced

NYX Pearl Eyeshadow Base is perfumed. Whyyyyyy? Am I expecting someone to smell my eyelids? Do my eyelids smell as they are now? I wonder if they scented it just to cover up some chemical smells, but I think it’s so unnecessary. The fragrance doesn’t bother me even though I can smell it as soon as I open the pot.

Effects on Makeup

When it comes to NYX Eye Shadow Base Pearl, you must wear a primer underneath. On its own, it does not prevent creasing or fading. In fact, it’s so bad at it that it’s like it doesn’t even put in the effort to do so.

With a good primer, however, is when the coolness happens. It brightens shadow colors a little and increases the shimmeriness of it! It even works on matte shadows, too, to add some twinkling zing.

BUT! Over the course of several weeks, I tested this base on many different types of shadows. And to my disappointment, NYX Pearl is no good when it comes to mineral shadows. It actually causes creasing and fading. No lie. The mineral shadows I used work great on either UDPP or Too Faced Shadow Insurance alone. But with a thin layer of base on top of the primer, the mineral shadow creases within 3 hours. And the color fades like Fresh Prince’s hair faded as if it were scared of his face.

Ways to Use

Dip and swirl your finger into the pot. Then gently pat onto your lid and blend. Done. This is how you would use it as an eyeshadow base.

However, I really loved the shimmer NYX Eye Shadow Base Pearl provides, so I tried using it elsewhere. It works well to brighten my eyes! Take a look at my How to Brighten Your Eyes in 2 Steps post – I simply used this base in place of the pencil in my inner corner.

I usually don’t highlight my cheekbones (it’s an extra step in the morning!), but I tried doing it with the base. It did a decent job since the base was easy to smooth and blend out. Whenever I moved my face, the shimmer would catch the light and twinkle delightfully. It’s very pretty!

Packaging

Cute pot that’s travel friendly – you can easily dump it in your purse to take anywhere. But I don’t really like this sorta packaging since I always seem to get the product under my nails. :S

Pros  Adds a pretty shimmery effect Smooth consistency that’s easy to apply & blend Can be used as a highlighter on face or eyes

Cons  Will fade & crease without a primer Causes mineral shadows to fade & crease even with a primer Fragranced

Final Verdict: 8.1/10

Under the right circumstances (with a good primer and not with mineral shadows), this base performs beautifully. Though it’s definitely not the perfect product. Not by a long shot.

Have you tried other NYX eyeshadow bases? Is there a shimmer base by another brand that you’d recommend?