I Tried The $8 NYX Powder TikTokers Can't Get Enough Of
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TikTok is a treasure trove for discovering new beauty products and finding different ways to repurpose what you already have. The social media platform has already turned me on to some of my favorite products (like the KVD foundation balm), and after every other beauty-obsessed user seemed to be praising the NYX Can't Stop Won't Stop Mattifying Pressed Powder, I decided I needed to try it.
I grew up saving my money for one Lancôme Juicy Tube rather than grabbing a handful of cosmetics at the drugstore. As much as I try to shed this bias, I still find myself not quite avoiding drugstore products, but not gravitating toward them either. TikTok users, however, have shared videos applying the powder with poreless, smooth, and matte results, which convinced me.
The shade range is, unfortunately, somewhat limited — there are 10 shades with pigment and one "universal" white shade. I settled on the Medium shade. I first put on Iris & Romeo's Best Skin Days, a tinted moisturizer with SPF that's changed my life for the better. With its pretty dewy finish, it's basically the antithesis of matte, which made the perfect canvas on which to test the NYX powder's effectiveness.
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Shop now: $8; amazon.com and ulta.com
Using a BH Cosmetics bronzer brush (it's slightly more tapered than a powder brush, which helps with precision and pigment control), I swiped it all over my face. It seemed like a pretty light layer, so I went over my chin and forehead, the oiliest parts of my face, twice.
It was a case of instant gratification. My pores looked blurred, like a camera out of focus, and my complexion looked smoother. The dark spots on my face did not disappear, but they were definitely less prominent. Overall, the Mattifying Powder did what it promised — it removed any hints of oiliness from my face, reduced the visual size of my pores, and smoothed out texture and fine lines.
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For me, however, this NYX powder has a short window of opportunity. After wearing it for several hours, including many instances of putting my face mask on and taking it off again, the powder became patchy on my face. If I had kept reapplying it regularly throughout the day, I think my complexion would have remained smooth and even. But I still think the NYX powder deserves leeway since, in my experience, 90 percent of makeup cannot withstand the chaos of mask-wearing.
Ultimately, this powder is $8, and at that price point, it does the trick and a little more. Head to Amazon to buy NYX's Can't Stop Won't Stop Mattifying Powder if your complexion could use a boost.
