NYX • Eyeshadow ES12 * Golden • Eye Shadow

*TOP REVIEWER* glamstep on 11/13/2011 11:17:00 PM more reviews by glamstep

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Black    

Cherry Culture is having their 40% off ALL NYX sale right now!! NYX is known for their high quality, pigmented, soft, long wearing affordable variety of color shadows. This one is a close enough dupe to Mac Amber Lights.

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HappyLittleNinja on 10/8/2011 10:18:00 PM more reviews by HappyLittleNinja

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I purchased this shadow as I had read that it's a dupe for MAC's Amber Lights. This is a richly pigmented metallic gold-bronze colour with great pigmentation and colour payoff. In fact, it is almost too pigmented for me -- but take this with a grain of salt as I prefer subtle looks. It leans slightly orange/coppery on my NC20/25 complexion.


Golden is quite soft in the pan so I suggest you use a firm shader brush to pack it on your lid; a fluffy brush will create fall-out and might cause you to go through the product very quickly. The softness is what gives it its buttery application.


The packaging is standard for drugstore-type eyeshadows. Doesn't add much to the experience but doesn't detract from the experience either. The flip-top is convenient, which I can't say for Smashbox single eyeshadows. :) This shadow is at the higher-end of drugstore pricing but you get a lot for your money. One issue I have with NYX is the fact that it is difficult to find in stores, which makes it difficult to swatch and evaluate against your skin tone. (In Canada it's available at Rite Aid, Rexall, and Save On Foods.) I didn't mark down Golden for this.


I wouldn't repurchase this product -- not because it lacks anything -- but because I have similar versions of this colour from other brands. In other words, this colour isn't unique to NYX.


Overall, I think this is a great eyeshadow for people who are looking for a smoothly textured eyeshadow with great colour payoff for their money, don't have a similar colour in their collection, new to makeup, or experienced with makeup and want to add a bold colour to their arsenal without breaking the bank. Go try it out! I think it's worth it!

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summrgirl720 on 2/22/2011 1:33:00 PM more reviews by summrgirl720

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Olive, Warm   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Hazel    

I am NW25-36 depending on the season, and i was looking for a pretty neutral metallic look so i picked up this (and NYX's Copper). Both are my first NYX e/s purchases and after much thought, i am so happy with the product! Specifically together. This gold is the perfect shade... not too muddy... not to brown... not to bright. I have a gold in one of my HiP duos and i hated it. It looked super gold in the pot, but when I put it on, it was brownish. Very strange. Too tarnished looking. This is very blendable and long-lasting. I MAC's orb on my whole lid up to browbone, NYX's Golden on the outer half of my lid, and then NYX's Copper on the outer V. It's like a fiery/summer look that i'm excited to try out as i get more tan! I use either a Palladio primer or UDPP-Sin. I've been getting compliments from coworkers on my shadow, so the formula is doing something right! My one con... the product is soo blendable and creamy that it feel like I waste a lot in the pot when I pick it up with my brush. A lot to blow away.

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*TOP REVIEWER* AmyDbaby on 10/8/2010 4:49:00 PM more reviews by AmyDbaby

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

I don't see this as a dupe for Amber Lights at all. I bought this before reading the reviews and when I saw several refer to it as an Amber Lights dupe I didn't even open it up as AL looks pretty bad on me. I decided to go ahead and swipe some on last week and thankfully this is far less orange than AL and totally workable for me. It's gorgeous! More yellow/golden than Amber lights when you swatch them next to each other. They don't look anything alike really. As with most NYX shadows this is pigmented and blends like a dream. I love it!

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*TOP REVIEWER* Lomelindi on 9/24/2010 9:45:00 PM more reviews by Lomelindi

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Black    

This color isn't nearly as coppery as it looks in the case, it's actually a rich, shimmery, very pigmented gold. It may be SLIGHTLY darker than what you might expect from a pure gold, but in my opinion, that makes it more wearable and less tacky. Yet another perfect eyeshadow from Nyx! This one is a staple to anyone that loves gold eyes like I do!

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*TOP REVIEWER* careypiper on 9/10/2010 9:36:00 PM more reviews by careypiper

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

This is my signature color, I received so many compliants when I wear this shade that I just can't go wrong with it. I do wear different neutral shades, but when I wear this with a matte dark brown in the crease a lot of people tell me how nice it is or how nice my eyes look. I haven't had anyone say anything when I wear Iced Mocha or something else, so I have a couple of backups.


I just wear this on the entire lid and down around the inner corner of my eye. MUFE 98 in the crease over WnW Brulee to blend out and then 98 smudged on my lower lash line. Finished off with Ulta Automatic eye Liner in Deep Brown on my upper lash line and a quick coat of a black brown mascara.


UPDATE (01/01/2011) Zinc doesn't work well with my skin's chemistry so I sadly had to put this up for swap.

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*TOP REVIEWER* megathon on 8/23/2010 11:09:00 PM more reviews by megathon

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I keep experimenting with this eyeshadow because it's a beautiful color in the pan and I want to love it, but it just isn't very pigmented. I typically wear it on the inner half of my lid, and it shows up as a subtle wash of color that disappears almost completely by the time I'm done blending in the outer corner and crease colors. I usually love NYX eyeshadows, but this one is a definite miss.

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*TOP REVIEWER* botitas1977 on 5/23/2010 12:17:00 PM more reviews by botitas1977

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

This is MACs dupe to Amber lights and BRONZED. Its long lasting and it goes on sooo creamy. Its very pigmented. A LOT like the FROST type of e.s from MAC.

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MandieJ on 4/7/2010 6:36:00 AM more reviews by MandieJ

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

I bought this as a dupe for Amber lights. This colour is nice for blue eyes however I didnt find the colour payoff that great and after swatching the real amber lights I could see that amber lights is a much nicer colour with much better pigment and usability.

I think next time I will save my money and buy the real Amber Lights!

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*TOP REVIEWER* angelixia07 on 2/16/2010 5:23:00 AM more reviews by angelixia07

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

Golden is a warm toned down 24k gold kind of color. Its texture is very buttery, pigmented and blendable. I have about NC30 skin and find that its not a super flattering color and I find myself not using it too often.

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*TOP REVIEWER* spamela74 on 1/28/2010 11:24:00 PM more reviews by spamela74

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

NYX Golden is a an exact dupe for MAC Amber Lights! Unfortunately I did not realize this until a week after buying and using AL. Like AL, Golden is a rich and warm bronzy/tarnished gold and is both subtle yet noticeable--very versatile. If you are on a budget, I strongly suggest trying NYX Golden since it is about 1/3 the price of AL.

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Nell405 on 10/5/2009 7:46:00 PM more reviews by Nell405

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

Four lippies for another great quality eyeshadow from NYX. Unfortunately anything with orange undertones looks awful with my skin tone. If I could find a way to wear this that would look nice on me I would repurchase, but so far I haven't found one. Still a good eyeshadow, just not for me.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

catlady09 on 7/13/2009 4:59:00 PM more reviews by catlady09

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Olive   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

LOVE this colour. Works well with lots of colours . Blends really well and stays put for hours. Comparable to mac quality.

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amz410 on 4/24/2009 7:29:00 AM more reviews by amz410

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

I love it! It's so versatile and the texture is so lovely. Like others have said, it's so pigmented. One of my favourite eyeshadows. It's a bit more of a bronze than gold though, certainly darker than most shades of gold.

I usually buy trios because it works out cheaper, but I made an exception for this colour (i'm not sure if there is a dupe for it in the trio form) and I'm so glad!

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beautyaddict09 on 3/15/2009 8:41:00 PM more reviews by beautyaddict09

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Dark   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I am a NW47 for reference. I purchased this after reading some of the reviews on this site. I really like this colour and think that it compliments my skin tone beautifully. Even my boyfriend commented on it when i wore it the first time. Will defintely be used more as the weather gets warmer as this for me will be my Summer colour. Suitable for both day and evening wear. Just need to adjust the coverage accordingly.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Leylani on 1/31/2009 4:33:00 PM more reviews by Leylani

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This is a very pigmented medium light golden bronze shade with a nice shimmer that is not OTT for daytime use. It compliments my blue eyes very nicely. I like it a lot.

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*TOP REVIEWER* TakenByHim on 1/30/2009 9:51:00 PM more reviews by TakenByHim

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Dry, Tan   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

It looks very orange on my naturally tanned skin instead of golden. It's not what I was expecting..it's a lot darker and prettier in the pot. The quality is decent but I do notice that it is slightly less smooth than the other NYX singles that I own.

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sconzzy on 11/8/2008 12:28:00 AM more reviews by sconzzy

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

Great eyeshadow, I was so excited when I saw these for sale as iv not seen NYX eyeshadows in NZ before. This was NZ$5 which is very cheap (MAC eyeshadows cost NZ$34!) I like the colour but it deffinitly has alot of orange undertone, i was hoping it would replace my MAC woodwinked which I broke, but unfortunatly its very different. All the same its a lovely strong pigmented colour. I would buy again.

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daphneannigje on 10/23/2008 11:28:00 AM more reviews by daphneannigje

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

another great eyeshadow from nyx, pigmented, looks good, stays put. this color looks great with the purple nyx has. it`s cheap, you can buy it online and they ship almost anywhere and fast (at nonpareil) i received my package within 10 days (i live in the netherlands)

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xchristinex on 10/15/2008 7:45:00 PM more reviews by xchristinex

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Olive   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Gorgeous shimmery gold eyeshadow. Great pigmentation and lasting power. Definitely recommended to ad shimmer to a neutral look, or to add glam to a dramatic look.

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