*hangs head in shame* ... I really need to get my act together... lol I know I say I am an 'occasional blogger' but come on Christine... I have had these products since last year but obviously it has taken me forever to get round to typing the post up *rolls eyes* .. on the plus side however... it means I can give you a better review... no?
theBalm is an indie makeup brand that has been around for a while. I first heard of the brand a few years ago whilst watching a Makeupd0ll vid on YouTube. It has however, recently been getting a lot more love, particularly because of their liquid lipsticks and that infamous Mary- Lou Manizer highlight! I was mainly drawn to the brand because of their packaging! I don't know why but I am happy to see something other than black plastic and rose gold for a bit. Their products also have the cutest names ever!
This is up first because I am obsessed with this product.. omy goodness! I am so glad that I was able to get hold of this palette because I really wanted Mary- Lou and Betty - Lou but I didn't want to spend the money on the single highlighters. The single highlighters are £17.50 for 8.5 g and this palette is £18 for 3g of each highlighter. Granted, you get much less but I feel like highlighters last for ages because you are only using a little bit each time, so I know these will last me for a while. I absolutely love the rich buttery texture of these. They are all really pigmented and can be blended and buffed for a more subtle highlight or applied with a fan brush for that serious glow! I feel like these work best when you slightly dampen your brush... You'll be on that ultralight beam *word to Kanye*
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| L-R- Mary-Lou Manizer, Cindy- Lou Manizer, Betty-Lou Manizer |
Mary - Lou is described as a 'honey- hued' luminizer. It is the most beautiful champagne gold and it is super pigmented. You need to be really careful when applying this, particularly if you are of a deeper skin tone but blended well it is gorgeous!
Cindy- Lou is described as 'peachy pink' hued luminizer. Unfortunately, I don't think this one works very well on deeper skin tones as a highlight shade however.. recently I have been mixing it with MAC Raizin and it just takes that blush to a whole new level. It just gives me this gorgeous glowy look .. think Sleek Flushed.
Betty - Lou is described as a luminizer that gives a 'sun kissed glow'. This shade is really similar to MAC Gold deposit, which I love, but it's a little warmer in my opinion. I blend this with Mary- Lou and it is perfection!
This liner is black and quickly dries to a completely matte finish. Unfortunately, I just haven't mastered how to use this properly :( I feel like I have no control- especially as it dries so fast there is literally no room for error here. This would be great if you are one of those people who have mastered the single stroke wing liner. The tip of the applicator is thin and glides on smoothly. I think I prefer gel liners as I can use a brush I feel comfortable with and take my time.. In my case about 15 minutes per eye *the struggle is real*..
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| L-R - Loyal, Grrr!, Pop!, Honest |
Liquid lipsticks are literally everywhere, everytime I open my Instagram feed I see new swatches from different brands! I have to say that the Meet Matte Hughes liquid lipsticks is the most comfortable formula I have tried out so far. When it sets it doesn't feel excessively drying like most other liquid lipsticks. You can definitely build up the layers with this formula without it looking cakey. They also smell AMAZING... I picked up Honest which is described as a warm coral and Loyal - a deep red. Honest is just incredible... it's not normally a colour that I would wear so I was very surprised to see how flattering it was. Loyal is a gorgeous red, I prefer applying this a little sheerer for some reason but you can definitely build it up to its true opaque finish.
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| theBalm Meet Matte Hughes- Loyal (lined with MAC Chestnut) |
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| theBalm Meet Matte Hughes -Honest (lined with MAC Nightmoth) |
theBalm Pretty Smart Lipgloss (Read my Lips in the US)
Firstly, these glosses smell and taste so nice! (not that I am eating lipgloss or anything) ...I don't normally wear gloss because it's hard to find a non sticky formula but these are everything! They are not sticky and they just give your lips the most luscious look. I picked the most neutral looking shades because I couldn't think of anything more scary than coloured gloss on me! You have to pump the wand a little bit in order to get enough product on it but they apply really smoothly have good staying power! I have been wearing Grrr! everyday and I will have to buy a new one pretty soon!
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| theBalm Pretty Smart Lipgloss - Grrr! |
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| theBalm Pretty Smart Lipgloss - Pop! |
You can shop the full range of theBalm products from quite a few places in the UK now. Sometimes the products are cheaper on different sites, particularly ASOS so it is worth shopping around:
Debenhams ( some Debenhams have a theBalm stand where you can swatch everything)
Superdrug (some Superdrugs have a theBalm stand also)
TKMaxx (you can find certain theBalm products for a crazy reduced price in some TKMaxx stores!)
Have you tried any products from theBalm?
'I'ma keep running because a winner don't quit on themselves'- Beyoncé
Christine x
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