Guess what I haaaaaave?! The NEW (to Australia) NYX Strobe of Genius (like stroke of genius – ha ha) illuminating palette! I posted a photo on Instagram and some swatches on Snapchat and you guys were super intrigued so here is a review with swatches and the works.

The Packaging
The palette is made of hard, sturdy plastic. I’ve dropped the palette a couple of times and still no cracks or damage. The pans are split by black plastic dividers and the palette has a clear front meaning there is no mirror in this palette.

The palette comes in a black cardboard box. Below is a photo of the front of the palette and back of the packaging.

The Shades
There are 7 shades in this palette. 4 smaller and 3 large pans. The shade range is so good! Unlike the Anastasia Glow Kits who have very similar shades in their kits, this NYX palette has 7 very different shades that would be able to suit a large range of skin tones!

All the shades (minus the Lavender) are pearlescent and reflective – exactly what a highlighter is supposed to be. They are finely milled with no chunky glitter pieces which make application a dream.

The lavender is the odd one out in this palette. When swatched, the shade looks very white-based and scared me a little. I have darker skin and I had no idea what a white based colour would look like. However, when I applied it with a brush, it applied a lot lighter and silver based.

Of course finger swatches are somewhat useless when it comes to highlighter as it is usually applied with a fan brush, dome brush or super fluffy brush.

The following swatches are of the palette (first row left to right and then second row left to right) using the above brush – Anastasia Beverly Hills A23 hilighting brush.

All the shades have a soft, fine texture and layer nicely on top of each other to build up the glow. For a more subtle glow, I pat my beautyblender with any left over foundation into the outer edges of my hilight.

I thought I’d see if I could find a Becca Champagne Pop (arguably the most famous hilighter ever) dupe in this palette and here’s the closest. This is the “Light gold with peachy undertones and shimmer” against Champagne Pop (CP). Whilst CP is a little more golden, they reflect similarly. The textures are different, which is expected seeing as the one shade of CP is double the price of the whole NYX palette.

Cost Breakdown
The Strobe of Genius palette is exclusive to Priceline with an RRP of $29.95. There are 7 shades in the palette, with the top row (4 shades) weighing 0.07oz each (about 2g) and the bottom row (3 shades) weighing 0.14oz (about 4g). This makes each of the smaller pans $3 each and the larger pans, $6 which is decent considering the size of the pans and the amount of powder used per application.

Would I repurchase?
Heck yeah I would. I am a hilight fanatic and this is more than just a collectors item. Whilst my Anastasia Glow Kits sit in my palette draw, I have been using this palette non stop (mainly because the golden pink/rose gold is the best thing ever). It has a great shade range – for all skin tones as well as fun shades to experiment with like the lavender. At $29.95 for 7 universally flattering shades, this palette is not only great for makeup artists but economically viable for the hilight obsessed like myself.

This palette will be available at Priceline from mid-November!

*Please note that this palette was gifted to me with no obligation to review. I fell in love with these shades and was asked by many of my readers and social media followers to write up a review. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by anything other than my trialling.*