NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils

The NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils retail for approximately $4-$6 CDN and can be purchased wherever NYX Cosmetics are sold. In Canada, those places are few and far between. I know that Rexall sells them, as well as Save On Foods. And that's about it. However, NYX Cosmetics are also for purchase from www.cherryculture.com, so even if you don't have access to them in person, you can still pick them out online. The Jumbo Eye Pencils are available in 28 shades, differing in shade and finish. One pencil contains 0.5 g (0.18 oz) of product.


I have these pencils in Cottage Cheese, Gold, and Black Bean.

Top to Bottom: Cottage Cheese, Black Bean, Gold

These pencils come in a sleek white casing with the company name, the product, and the shade printed in black on the front. The pencils are the old-school, sharpen-when-dull kind, which means that you need an oversized/jumbo pencil sharpener on hand. A little inconvenient to buy an extra sharpener if you don't already have one in this size in your collection, but it's definitely not a waste of money. The caps are translucent plastic, but very flimsy and easily broken. Two out of three of my caps have splits up the sides.


NYX Cosmetics describes these as an eyeliner and eyeshadow all in one. With their blend of mineral oil and powder, these are said to glide on effortlessly - so as not to tug or pull at your eye when applying.


Cottage Cheese is a frosty, off-white shade. This one is really beautiful as a highlight shade, but my only gripe is that it can sometimes apply unevenly - some areas will get too much product and other areas won't get enough. This one can be 'too frosty' for me at times...

Black Bean is an intensely pigmented semi-matte black (it has a sheen, but can be blended down into a truer matte finish). This one is crazy pigmented - a little bit goes a very long way. Excellent for sultry and smokey eye looks. Love it.

Gold is a shimmery copper bronze shade. I like putting this under my Wet N' Wild Walking on Eggshells trio to intensify the shimmery bronze-y-ness of the look. Fantastic shade for the summer, but still my least reached for shade.

First off, I will just say that these pencils are ridiculously creamy and smooth. They glide over your eye with very little effort - no tugging or pulling required!!
Secondly, these are intensely pigmented. One swipe of these bad boys leaves you with unquestionable pigmentation and color. Fantastic quality.
Third, there is a color for everyone. With 28 colors to choose from, you will undoubtedly find a color that suits your personal needs and style.
Fourth, different finishes. There are mattes, shimmers, frosts, even satins, I believe.

Left to Right: Cottage Cheese, Black Bean, Gold

Left to Right: Cottage Cheese, Black Bean, Gold

While I adore these pencils, there are also some downsides. You can NOT use these pencils without first using an eyeshadow base, such as Urban Decay's Primer Potion, Too Faced's Shadow Insurance, a MAC paint pot, etc. These will crease like mad before you even make it out the door without a primer. In fact, sometimes, even when you use a primer first, these can still crease horribly if you're not very particular about your application technique. Less is more! When applying, start with very little product and blend out. If you feel that you need more, add a little bit more. Building is really important here. The less product you use, the better. Best to start off small and use more as needed, than to just glob on as much as you can and hope for the best. In addition, it is in your best interest to use a powder over top of these to lock them in place and create a vibrant eye look.


I'd call these pencils 'color bases' instead of using them as stand-alone eyeshadows or even liners. They create fantastic pigmented bases for any look, to really punch up the color intensity. I've never used them strictly as eyeliner, and I don't think I'd want to. The jumbo size would make it incredibly difficult to get a) an even line, and b) a thin line.


The other thing I dislike is the sharpening factor. It's inconvenient and messy to sharpen this huge pencil every time I need a sharp point to create the look that I want. I would prefer a twist-up pencil instead, but that's just my opinion.


I would really love to try Milk, NYX's matte white shade, but it's not for sale at my local Rexall. If I did want it badly enough, I'd purchase it from Cherry Culture online.


All-in-all, these are fantastic color bases for the price. You have a ridiculous selection to choose from, and the price tag won't break the bank. And that's why I love them. I only wish they were more available in Canada - that would be nice. And I wish the packaging was more stellar... oh well! Room for improvement!


4 out of 5 stars.
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What shades of the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil variety have you tried? Do you love them or hate them? Are there any other shades I should try??