Read ALL about my review process including how I take swatches, photos, and more here.
Though this is not a new concept (makeup artist brands have made products like this for years), it is amazing that something like the NYX Pro Foundation Mixer exists on a more accessible level for everyone.
Official Description:
Your custom shade is just a Pro Foundation Mixer away! Our new shade mixers are designed to adjust the tone, shade and finish of any liquid foundation, resulting in a truly perfect match.
NYX Pro Foundation Mixer comes in six shade-altering shades: White, Opalescent, Luminous, Warmth, Olive, and Deep. I bought four: Luminous, Warmth, Olive, and Deep. These are a dream come true for many women of color (especially that Warmth shade) as well as those with very fair skin who also get excluded in the shade range for many foundation lines. Here’s how the shades work:
White: White (lightens a shade. I don’t have this but assuming it lightens without making significant changes to undertone) UPDATE: Here’s a video demo with the White on fair skin.
Opalescent: Sheer white with opalescent shimmer (adds an opalescent glow to your foundation—I don’t have this but assuming this is better on lighter skin tones)
Luminous: Champagne cream with gold undertone (adds a golden luminous glow to your foundation—this is pretty for deeper skin tones but be careful how much you add as it can alter the shade a bit too much—you might need to add more of the Warmth and/or Deep to bring it back)
Warmth: Burnt orange (adds warmth to your foundation/concealer and is great for women of color especially with foundations that can turn a little ashy on us OR if you’re like me and tend to get a little redder in undertone when you tan)
Olive: Deep beige with olive undertone (this can change the undertone of your foundation/concealer making it more olive or neutral in undertone and could also make it lighter depending on the shade you’re mixing it with)
Deep: Deep dark brown (this makes your foundation/concealer shade deeper in color—but you may also need to add a little Warmth or Olive as well to bring the undertones back)
These work with liquid foundations, concealers, and could work on creams depending on how emollient they are—I used these on my beloved Cover FX Total Cover Cream Foundation and it blended really well. I’m super excited about these because there’s SO much you can do with them. SO much. You can try to save that foundation that you love but the shade isn’t just quite right. You can spend money on that fancy foundation and be able to use it even as your skin tone changes throughout the year. THERE’S JUST SO MUCH.
You can see a few quick alterations I did to a few different shades below:
I think it’s beneficial for women of color to have the Warmth, Deep, and Olive. The Luminous is also awesome but only if you can see yourself using it often enough.
I also think more brands will bring out products like these so I’ll have my eyes and pockets open…lol.
NYX Pro Foundation Mixer Demos
N110 Cream + Luminous
P125 + Olive
N110 Liquid + Warmth
G110 + Deep
N110 Liquid + all four
See more swatches of the new Cover FX Deeper Shades here
NYX Pro Foundation Mixer Demo Video
Make sure you also check out this video—there’s things like nuances in the Luminous and other cool things to see that I couldn’t give you in photos. Also make sure you subscribe to my Youtube channel!
Also check out this e.l.f. Mix to Match Adjuster video
Bottom line: I can’t think of any reason to NOT try NYX Pro Foundation Mixer if you want to have flexibility in your foundation and concealer stash. In playing around with them I didn’t find they altered the performance of my complexion products though I wouldn’t completely rule that out depending on the formulation of what you’re mixing it with. This is something you may have to play around with at first to get the hang of mixing the right parts of each NYX Pro Foundation Mixer to get your perfect shade, but once you get it, it’ll be much easier going forward.
These differ from the Cover FX Custom Cover Drops in that these aren’t foundation pigments (they’re not pigmented enough). So you won’t be able to mix these with skincare to “create foundation” like you would the CCDs BUT you can use these WITH the CCDs. In other words these just alter the color of your foundations and concealers.
Caroline Kessellie
This is exciting!!
this looks like something I’ll buy soon , it looks so handy I can’t imagine the amount of times I’ve had to mix foundations just to get a perfect shade ! this’ll definitely help that problem
Yaaaaaassssss
Yay!! So excited to try! I feel like a kid using paint in art class for the first time.
I bought these in the shades, luminous and warmth. They’re pigmented and thick in consistency, so a little goes a long way. They have the potential to change the finish of the product you are using. Some more than others. So far I’ve had no problems. Maybe its because I’ve always mixed my foundations.
Great article. I wish you had used the same foundation as a starting point to make it easier to compare the different effects tho’
Author
Thanks for reading! I get what you mean—I did want to show how it could change a variety of shades, but definitely get how it would have been easier to just use the same shade. Thanks!
Can you mix the nyx pro mixer with the cover FX custom cover drops ? Will it alter the formula
Author
You could mix them! The NYX Pro Mixer will alter the drops depending on which ones you use (i.e. the luminizing NYX mixers will give the CFX drops a more luminous finish). I would also still maybe play around with also mixing in a skincare item with the CFX drops and the NYX mixers because the CFX drops are super concentrated—try different combos until you get the finish and coverage you want.