Swatches and Review
The Balmbini Volume 1
Jealous Jordana, Insane Jane, Mary Lou-Manizer, Hot Mama & Down Boy
All swatches have been swatched over Urban Decay's Primer Potion
This is the Balmbini from theBalm cosmetics, which is a company based in San Francisco. I bought this palette a while back & I use the blushes from these almost everyday. This palette is basically my go to palette in the morning to just put on some blush quickly before I leave for school. I know that they have the Balmbini Vol. 2 now & although I'm a bit disappointed in it since it does not contain any pressed powder blushes, I'm still dying to get my hands on it since all the shadows appear to be new except for Open to Offers Olwen.. unless they renamed a few shades.
Here are the reviews from the Balmbini Vol. 1:
Down Boy: It is a matte pink shadow/blush. I mainly use this for blush because Down Boy appears on my eyelids sheer. This blush is very pigmented so I always have to be careful when I am putting it on so I don't end up looking like a clown! A little goes a long way :)
Hot Mama: Hot Mama is also a blush that can be used as a shadow as well. This is a pink-ish peach colored blush with specks of gold shimmer to it. It is comparable to NARS Orgasm, but at a more affordable price! If you buy the full product, it is $19 on Sephora and you get 0.25oz worth of product while NARS is $27 for 0.16oz worth of product. I own both of the blushes and I can see myself buying more of Hot Mama over Orgasm because Hot Mama is super pigmented as well. I suggest also using a light hand on this because a little goes a long way!
Mary Lou-Manizer: This is a luminizer & I usually go to this to highlight my cheeks or my eyes after applying eyeshadow on. It's definitely not a luminizer that will make your face look too "glowy" and like the other products, this is also very pigmented as well. A full size for this is $24 at Sephora, but they are selling theBalm sets at TJ Maxx now & there is a set that includes a full size of this product for $29.99 that also has a brush & lip gloss in it.
Insane Jane: Insane Jane is an eyeshadow that is also in Shady Lady Vol. 2. Insane Jane is a gorgeous taupe color which is work appropriate. In the pictures of my swatches, the eyeshadow was only swiped on once & it was already very dark on my skin. I love using this color whenever I go for a neutral eye look.
Jealous Jordana: This is a dark shimmery forest green. I love dark colors, and I do think this is very pigmented, BUT this color fades off on me real fast. Maybe it's just me because even when I apply this color with primer, the color fades off me in less than an hour so I end up looking like my eyes have uneven color on it especially when I am using this color with something else. I think this looks amazing on my swatches and in general, but if only it would last on me for more than an hour, I would love it more.
Overall, I think this is a great product to get if you are curious about trying items from the brand because it has a few of the best selling shades in this small CD sized palette which will actually last you a long time! Everything in this palette is pigmented and have a really soft & buttery texture to it. The eyeshadows have a bit of fall out given since the eyeshadows are so soft so remember to tap your brushes before applying :) This palette is available on thebalm.com for $28 and if you are in the US, theBalm offers free shipping and unlike other brands, theBalm also ships items internationally, although it does cost a bit much.
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