Thursday 28 June 2012

It's The Balm.com... Literally! (Haul/Review)

Oh god, the makeup is starting to pile up in my room. I have to clear a path to my door now.
Everyday is a step closer to Hoarders for me...
On that note, here's the second haul/review I promised you!


Before you judge me (because come on, I know you're going to) you should know that I only got two things this time! I have been hearing some really great things about a brand called The Balm from a number of people, most significantly Emilynoel83 of Beauty Broadcast on Youtube. She is my all time favourite beauty youtuber! She's kind, honest, and really articulate, not to mention she takes her reviews very seriously and does a really thorough job. She's so much fun to watch and learn from. She has taught me more about makeup than I can even imagine and after watching her channel for years, she seems like a friend!
(Does that make me weird? Maybe. It's okay).
Her blog is also an amazing place to get tips, ideas and to get to know her better.

She made a video reviewing several products from the line which she got for a steal on a flash sale website called Hautelook. I have heard you can find this line at Marshalls, or TJ Maxx in the US but to the best of my knowledge, there are only two ways to get The Balm cosmetics in Canada. Buying it full price (which actually isn't that bad to begin with)  from their website or waiting and hoping to find it on Hautelook.
I was lucky enough to notice that The Balm was going to be on Hautelook recently and got my items at a very discounted rate :) aww yeah.
So let's look at the new stuff, shall we?


First up, I got the much raved about "Nude 'Tude" eyeshadow palette. This palette retails for $36 on their website but I got it 50% off on Hautelook for $18.


It's a neutral palette with a lot of potential for smokey/darker looks, using the right side of the palette.


There are two versions of this palette on the Balm website. Both versions include the exact same colours. The only difference is that the "Feeling Nice" version that has a cute vintage room as a background for the shadows (the same room that's on the sleeve the palette comes in: pictured above). And the version I have, the "Feeling Naughty" version which has... uhm.. *cough cough* naked ladies on it and the shadows covering up their lady bits. Now since I got mine on Hautelook, I didn't have the choice of which version to get, but I think I still would have picked this one. It kinda rocks.


The first half of the palette is your highlight colours and lid colours. My overall favourite shade out of this palette has to be "Stand-offish" it has the most beautiful multi-coloured shimmer, it's truly unique. I love the colours "Selfish" and "Sulty" as daytime, natural crease colours. 


The second half of the palette is your darker, smokier colours. The "Sexy" colour is very beautiful in the crease for subtle colour at night. I love that this palette contains a mix of both shimmery colours and mattes, especially since one of those mattes is a black which is very useful for darkening a look or using as liner.
I really love that you can tell a lot of thought went into the making of this palette. All the staple matte colours you need are included and all the staple shimmery colours are there too, but there are also some really beautiful, unique standout shades which I have fallen in love with!


The creativity and quality of the packaging is unparalleled by any other makeup palette I have. It's useful, but also really beautiful to just look at as well.


I don't always have the greatest lighting for my pictures but these swatch so beautifully I thought I would try. These shadows are so soft and pigmented, one swipe and the colour translates perfectly. 


Next up: a shimmery highlighter called "Mary-Lou Manizer" - isn't the packaging really cute?
This retails for $24 on their website, but again I got it 50% off for $12!


This product doesn't have any glitter or obvious shimmer particles in it. But even for a darker skinned girl like me, sweeping this on your cheekbones give you the most beautiful, luminescent, natural glow. It's really beautiful.


I just love how they pick a theme and go with it! The picture on the front of the compact is supposed to be a mug shot so there's her "case file" on the back of the box including fingerprints! Really adorable. 
The packaging is really solid, very high quality. Plus it comes with a really big mirror so this would be a great compact to throw in your purse. It could serve as your mirror and you could use the highlighter for a some face boosting touch-ups during the day. For someone with dry skin like mine, that's exactly what I need, but girls with oily skin can definitely use this too.


Just like the eyeshadows, the product is soft and almost buttery feeling. The swatch above is a heavy one so you can see how reflective this highlighter is. My new favourite highlighter, hands down. 

Overall
I m loving both my new purchases from The Balm! I use both regularly in my makeup routine, especially the highlighter. That is a new daily use products for me. My experience has been great thus far with The Balm and I look forward to trying more things from the line when I get a chance! :) 

Just a Few Things...
  • I recently picked up one of the new Revlon Colorstay Smoky Shadow Sticks because they look extremely similar to a product that recently came out with the MAC Beth Ditto collection. I have both so I am going to do a review/comparison to see if it's a good drugstore dupe!
  • Despite the fact that this blog is just a hobby, it requires an intense amount of effort and time. More than I realized it would. But it's still so much fun to write! That's how you know you really love something...
  • I am so excited for my family vacation to Cuba in August, it's so far away but I'm already so pumped.
  • The boyfriend's leg is in a cast for 4 weeks! Stress fracture. Poor guy <3 
  • Tomorrow is Friday, aka date night! I get to see Jon all day. :)
  • I have really enjoyed seeing my friends again frequently since summer started! I never see them during the school year and it's so amazing to see them in the summer so often :)
Hope you enjoyed this post!
Thanks for reading,
-Tash<3

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