November 21, 2011

NYX Stay Matte Not Flat Powder Foundation Review, Swatches, Photos

NYX has extended its HD Studio Collection to include a new matte powder foundation product. Matte Not Flat is a talc free foundation that promises a waterproof, sweat proof formula that has a silky feel on skin.

I’m totally the wrong type of person to review this considering how dry my skin is at the moment….!

Let’s take a look!

Ok, dry skin…stop, step back…this isn’t for you. The powder laid eerily atop of my skin and emphasized my dryness in a major way so I had my best friend Jai check it out for us as he has traditionally Asian oily skin, who better to try out a matte foundation right?

This comes in a chunky double compartment black compact. The compact is quite nice if not a bit large but regardless it has a full size mirror inside ideal for touch ups on the go and a stealthy little bottom compartment that houses a sponge for application. If you have drier skin and for some odd reason you want to embrace Stay Matte Not Flat, I highly suggest dampening the sponge for a smoother application.

From my perspective the powder is packed tightly into the compact so you aren’t getting a ton of dusky kick up when you run a brush or puff over it. The powder proves silky (the shade swatched here is 06, Medium Beige) and you can obviously see that the texture will prove fantastic for soaking up excess oil. I tried it on my forehead where I occasionally get a bit of shine (it’s rare though in the cooler weather for my skin to have any oil) and it seemed to soak up excess oil nicely.

According to Jai the coverage is pretty sheer but builds up easily to almost medium and evens out skin tone and creates a nice base for makeup. He’s pretty slick and proclaims that it kept the shine away for a solid five hours before he needed a touch up. According to him the powder is a bit thick so it does lay on skin a tad unnaturally, in another words if you look close enough people will know you have a layer of powder on your face. I found this to be the case for me as well plus it really did a job on my dry spots as it brought them out in a major way…actually it showed me dry spots on my face that I had originally thought were nicely moisturized. According to Jai he was mighty impressed with how well this battled with his shiny, oily face.

It photographs well, being an HD product it doesn’t really surprise me, as it gives a beautiful finish on skin that looks incredible on film. If you blog or by some chance you do some sort of modeling this is an ideal powder for creating a beautiful finish on your face. The formula is mineral oil free as well as talc free so if either upsets your skin you can happily use this formula since it lacks those ingredients.

Overall, I couldn’t make much use of NYX Stay Matte Not Flat since it emphasized by dryness in a major way however if you have oily skin you might want to check this one out.

It’s available now from NYX Cosmetics.

Anyone try?

Do share your thoughts!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • dcdiva

    I saw this and was intrigued before i realized that it was powder foundation. would it work as just a powder to give skin that final polish after putting on your regular foundation or is it too heavy?

  • Molly

    I have this nyx powder and I love it! I use it over my liquid foundation as a setting powder for a little extra coverage. I have a MAC msf natural and since I’ve bought this I don’t even think to reach for that anymore. I’m definitely a NYX girl lol

  • Maren

    What is your favorite foundation and primer while your skin is dry? My skin has gotten pretty dry with the weather change and I am driving myself mad trying to find some makeup that doesn’t emphasize the dryness. I would really appreciate any product recommendations, dry skin is a new thing for me.

  • Sharon

    I bought this when Cherry Culture had a 50% off about 2 weeks back. Have yet to receive the package though but I got this to try out since I have oily skin and I live in a tropical country.

    Using ZA Face Powder now and it looks as tho (after a few hours use) that the powder seems to ‘sit on top’ of my skin – if you know what I mean. It’s like the powder’s floating on oil. Does this make sense at all?

    Anyway, hope this will be better than ZA!

  • Eve

    I need this! Something that photographs well for my cosplay shoots and keeps the shine and sweat away. I may have to try this!

  • Chibi

    Ooh! Wants! What mac shade is Jai? I’m an NC30 – NC35 with asian + oily skin, so this seems like it’d be a dream for me. <3

  • Cassie

    i love this powder, and im super oily… 🙂 makes my skin less angry than mac’s studiofix. 🙂

  • Natalie

    Does anyone know which shade is equal to mac nc20 foundation powder? I really want to try nyx stay matte but not flat…