Today, we have the In theBalm of Your Hand Greatest Hits Vol. 1, theBalm's 2015 limited edition Holiday Palette, to review.
Isn't she lovely?
theBalm is one of the brands I've always wanted to try. Not only have I heard rave reviews about their products, especially their highlighter (Mary-Lou Manizer) and their bronzer (Bahama Mama), their packaging never fails to catch my eye.
Isn't she wonderful?
That's why when I first saw this featured by one of the YouTube makeup gurus, emilynoel83, as her "favorites", my radar automatically turned on and I started looking for it on different sites to check its reviews. What drew me to this the most, is the number of theBalm products I can try with this palette alone! Aside from that, the packaging (which is to die for) of course, also caught my attention! theBalm always has that unique, fun, and quirky vibe going on with their products. From their catchy names, down to their sexy, retro packaging. So, if you haven't purchased anything from them yet, this may well be THE ONE palette to get, as this has most (if not all) of their best sellers/greatest hits! And if you already have any of these, this will be the perfect way to get an-all-in one palette that's very convenient to travel with as it comes in a thin, compact, sturdy, and lightweight cardboard that comes complete (I just wish it also had a brush) with a mirror and a separate compartment for their cream products.
Isn't she precious?
Now, during my Just In post, I featured this palette and introduced you to the products that's included but I haven't really gotten around talking about them in detail or showing you swatches, so here they are:
The first row features their face products that includes 3 blushes and 1 bronzer.
- Hot Mama Blush - a beautiful peach with gold fine shimmer blush. It give a very natural/subtle glow when applied on the cheeks. They say it is similar to Nars' cult-favorite Orgasm blush.
- Instain Blush in Argyle - a cool-toned medium matte pink blush that stays put for an entire day. It may look scary on the pan, but looks very flattering on the skin, and I can just imagine, looking good on a lot of different skin colors.
- Cabana Boy - my favorite among the three. A dusty rose or a deep plum berry shade that doubles as an eyeshadow. It has a satin finish and when sheered out or applied lightly, gives one a very natural flushed look.
- Bahama Mama Bronzer - a medium brown with a matte finish that lasts almost the entire day. Great for bringing warmth to the skin without making it orange. Also works well as a crease/transition color on the eyes.
Let's go to the next row, which features four of their eyeshadows from different palattes, that still complements each other and looks great together, but, can still be worn separately. And of course, their infamous highlighter.
- Insane Jane from Shady Lady Vol. 2 - a beautiful silvery taupe/gray shade with a (very fine) shimmer almost metallic finish.
- Mischevious Marissa from Shady Lady - a shimmery gorgeous copper/champagne almost rose gold that works great as a lid color.
- Sexy from Nude 'Tude - a matte cranberry/burgundy color. I love this color! And just like all the other products included in this palette, this shade is very pigmented and easy to blend. However, this particular eyeshadow, feels powdery and dry, applies patchy and can turn muddy (if over blended) really quickly and has a little fallout.
- Lead Zeppelin from Balm Jovi - a lovely olive green shade with tiny gold shimmers. Very pigmented but is a little dry, has a bit of a fallout, and creases on my lids.
- Mary-Lou Manizer - if you haven't heard of this highlighter before, you must have been living under a rock (Joke!)! A classic champagne highlight that looks great on everyone (which is probably why it's considered to be one of the top highlighters in the market). It also works great as an eyeshadow and can be applied in the inner corners of the eyes or the brow bone.
Lastly, let's talk about their cream lip/cheek products.
- Caramel Lip/Cheek Cream from How 'Bout Them Apples - a flattering mid-toned peachy pink nude. I really like this color! This applies evenly without making my lips dry. It could have been better if it lasted longer and didn't come in a pot, as I am not really a fan of having to dip or use my fingers on my lips to get the product for hygienic purposes.
- Mia Moore from theBalm Girls - a cool-toned classic red. Honestly, in my mind whilst swatching, I was thinking lipgloss or lip balm, so I wasn't expecting it to be so opaque and pigmented! It feels creamy and comfortable on the lips too.
Truly the angels' best
(For the list of ingredients, please see my Just In post.)
The Final Verdict: While I feel that this is a great palette and I see why a lot of people have this as their "favorite", I won't say you need this palette in your life. I love their face products, and I also like how creamy and easy to blend most of their eyeshadows are, however, the shades, I find are not really unique and can be easily duped. I also expected more from them since this is not really cheap. But with the creasing, the fallout, and the lasting power (even with a primer), I am a little disappointed. Overall, I still think this is a good palette (since I only really had issues with a couple of their eyeshadows) as all their shades are wearable, it gives you variety and they still are, I would say, quality products. I would still consider this a great buy since I finally got to try a lot of theBalm's products for a lot less money compared to having to purchase them separately. I mean this palette gives you a little bit of everything, it is well-thought of, with attention given to details, includes multi-use products that are of great quality, all at a bargain price! So if you are on the hunt for one palette to buy that would have everything you need, you may want to look at this one as this may well be what you are looking for.
Until next time, I'll see you junkies on my next post!
Until next time, I'll see you junkies on my next post!
Xoxo 💋,
Missus C
