Hello dolls. How are you today? Today I will be reviewing a full face of The Balm makeup for you.
I purchased all the products I’m about to review from Birgettes Boutique for a discounted price. I purchased 2 eye shadow palettes, foundation, concealer, pressed powder, mascara, liquid liner, a flesh toned eye liner, and a liquid lipstick. I didn’t need to purchased blush since I own 3 of the The Balm’s blushes, and I thought I had one of their bronzers and highlighters however when I searched for them I couldn’t find them so I chose a bronzer and highlight that is similar to the ones I couldn’t find. I also thought I had already purchased primer from The Balm but I didn’t so I am using another brand’s primer.
Base: I used Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer ($45 at Sephora for 1.7 fluid ounces), for concealer I used The Balm’s Time Balm ($18 on their site) in light medium, my foundation today is called Even Steven Whipped Foundation ($22 on their website) in the color light medium, to set my concealer I used the ELF Smooth and Set Eye Powder as always, to set my face I used The Balm’s Sexy Mama Anti-Shine Translucent Powder ($20 on their website).
Eyes: I used as always Tarte Shape Tape in the color Light Medium Honey, eye shadow palettes…. Meet Matt(e) Ador and Meet Matt(e) Nude (both $42 on The Balm’s website). I started with Meet Matt(e) Ador and used the color Matt Johansson to set the Shape Tape. As my Transition color I chose Matt Bernard follow by Matt Jones as my transition shade, I switched to Meet Matt(e) Nude for my crease color and I picked Matt Rosen (I also used this color for my lower lash line), as my outer v I chose Matt Wood and I used Matt Malloy as my brow bone highlight, on the inner 1/2 on my lid I used Matt Munoz and on the outer 1/2 I picked Matt Russo from the Meet Matt(e) Adore, Brows are the same as always the brow powder from Oh La La brow Bar, I used Schwing Black Liquid Liner ($19 on The Balm website) and on my lower inner rim I used Mr. Write Eyeliner Pencil ($13 on The Balm Website) in the color Seymour Datenights, and my mascara is What’s Your Type? Black Mascara ($19 on The Balm’s website).
Cheeks and Lips: Since I couldn’t find my Bahama Mama Bronzer ($20 on The Balm’s website) I chose Mac Bronzing Powder ($30 at MAC) in the color Matte Bronze which is almost an exact duplicate, same with the highlighter… I couldn’t find my Mary-Lou Manizer ($24 on their site) so I chose Milani Afterglow ($9.99 at Ulta) in 01 Strobelight which is a spot on dupe for the Mary-Lou Manizer, my blush I chose Shadow/Blush ($21 on their website) in the color FratBoy, and finally for my lipstick I chose Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick ($17 on their site) in the color Doting.
The Review: Time Balm Concealer comes in a small pot and is a drier cream formula however even though it is drier it still needs to be set with powder because it settles into the fine lines around the eyes. It comes in 9 shades, 3 deeper shades. Even though it is a drier formula it goes on cream as it melts into the skin and brightens the eye area so well that I didn’t find the need to use my under eye corrector. Even Steven Whipped Foundation comes in the smallest pot I have ever seen for a foundation so when I first got it I was upset considering the price tag. When I applied the foundation I finally understood why the pot is so small. The littlest amount goes a long way. All I used was the small amount that was in the cap and that covered my face and neck perfectly. It comes in 8 shades (2 darker shades). This mousy foundation does not need to be set it dries down to a velvety finish. It doesn’t feel like I am wearing foundation. This foundation is amazing and so far is wearing beautifully. It does oxidize so you may want to do a light covering of powder to keep the color true if you have a shade that matches you perfectly, for me I welcomed the oxidation because it made the shade perfect for my skin (even though it doesn’t look like it in the pictures). Be careful with this one it does cause flash back in flashed pictures. Sexy Mama Anti-Shine Translucent Powder is not translucent at all; it has a light flesh tone to it that I feel caused me to look pale. It is finally milled and silky, a great powder to use to take down that afternoon shine. It’s compact so it fits easily in a purse and is great for travel.
Schwing Black Liquid Liner has a learning curve to it. It goes on super wet and dries down completely matte. The brush tip is finely pointed and flexible. Because it is such a wet formula, it does seep into fine lines of the eyelid and it did transfer to the inner corner of lower lash line. I will need to play with this one a bit more before I give my final opinion on it. I right now have a love hate relationship with it. I love that it is super black and that it dries down completely matte, what I don’t like so far is that it’s such a wet formula… I meant to only do a small wing and ended up with such a thick line. With practice I’m sure I will be able to perfect the wing, it’s just going to take time. Mr. Write Eyeliner Pencils are creamy and pigmented and do not smudge. They go on great on the water line as well. It’s a really great pencil. I plan to purchase other colors.
Meet Matt(e) Nudes palette is 25.5 grams of product and has 3 cool tones; Matt Johnson is a true toned grey, Matt Malloy is a bright white, Matt Abdul is a grey toned brown. The remaining 6 shades are warm toned. Matt Garcia is a reddish brown, Matt Rosen is a light orange based brown, Matt Wood is a deep true brown, Matt Singh is a muddy peach, Matt Lombardi is a yellow based tan, and Matt Hung deeper grey based brown. Meet Matt(e) Ador is 21.6 grams of product and is a cool toned palette. Matt Russo is a dark peach, Matt Bernard is a yellow based tan, Matt Munoz is a pink based coral, Matt Jones is a mustard based brown, Matt Williams is a true brown, MAtt Johansson is a vanilla, Matt Soto is a blue based black, Matt Borski is a cobalt blue, and Matt Lee is a true black. Both palettes have 9 shades and a full sized mirror. The palette is a sturdy cardboard. Both are, obviously, matte palettes. They both are stand alone palettes, meaning you can get a complete look from just 1 palette. They are both compact and easy to travel with. The shadows are extremely pigmented and layer well with each other. There is a little bit of kick back with these shadows but nothing too intense. Some of the darker shaded I did notice fall out but the lighter shades were OK. I really love these palettes. They are great everyday makeup palettes that you can get multiply neutral looks from. There are 4 palettes in the “Matt(e)” line and I plan to purchase Meet Matt(e) Trimony. The only thing these palettes could use would be a shimmer and a inner corner highlight shade. I highly recommend these 2 palettes if you are in the market for a new neural palette.
What’s Your Type? Black Mascara has a .04 fluid ounces. It has a natural brush applicator rather than the standard plastic brush that seems to be popping up. This formula is on the wetter side and does transfer if you move your lids too much while it dries and it produces lengthy natural looking lashes. It’s the perfect mascara to use on no makeup makeup days and basic neutral eyes. I do like this mascara and will definitely be reaching for it on low maintenance makeup days.
Shadow/Blushes are not that pigmented. I had to build FratBoy up several layers to get color payoff. It’s been a while since I’ve used these blushes that I can’t remember if this is the same across all the colors or if it’s just FratBoy that is subtle. It’s a pretty color so I don’t mind the extra work. These blushes last long on the cheeks. Shadow/Blush comes in 5 shades…. there are other lines of blushes on The Balm’s website as well.
Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick comes in 18 colors and has .25 fluid ounces. These liquid lipsticks are thin in formula. Doting went on streaky, I needed 3 layers to get even coverage. It has a minty scent that is cooling on the lips. There is no transfer and it is long wearing, however it does wear off on the inner part of the lips. Unlike most liquid lipsticks, this formula is comfortable on the lips, my lips don’t feel dry as a desert like they do with most liquid lipsticks. I’m banking on it being because it’s such a thin formula. It does however pick up on any dry skin on the lips so a good lip balm is needed before you apply the lipstick. I wont buy any of the other shades, I just don’t like it enough to purchase more , I will however use Doting again.
Final Thoughts…. The Balm is a pretty good brand with cute packaging. The products are great quality and easy to work with. I’m glad I tried them out and will be purchasing more from them.
Well that’s all for now dolls, hope your day brings you greatness, and as always save a spoon for a bit of lipstick.
XOXO
A Spoonie's Makeup Bag 