theBalm Cosmetics: Smoke Balm Smokey Eye Palette

Swatches & Review

After seeing theBalm's new eyeshadow palettes on Kohls online, I waited for them to show up at the retail locations so that I can see them in person. My local Kohls was able to get them in this week so I went to Kohls as soon as I could. I do not know when the official release of these are supposed to be or if it is exclusive to Kohls because I have not seen it on theBalm's website. The Smoke Balm has two separate palettes, but they are only named by "Set One" & "Set Two". The one with the grey packaging is Set One, and the one with the green is Set Two. Each palette has three eyeshadow shades.

As always, the packaging for theBalm is super cute. In Set One, it says, "Warning: Men may stop drop and roll" & in Set Two, it says, "Warning: May cause shortness of breath in men." Totally theBalm-like. This is also packaged in cardboard packaging with the design on the sleeve exactly like the design on the product itself.

Set One: These were swatched with my fingers, but I will also have swatches with a brush later on as well.
Blaze: Black with silver glitter
Spark: Matte grey-taupe
Flame: Shimmery pearl

Set Two: These were also swatched with my fingers.
Kindle: Shimmery blackened-green
Glow: Matte light brown
Combust: Shimmery beige

Set One & Set Two applied with a brush with two swipes, except Flame & Combust, which only required one swipe.

When swatched using my fingers, both of the first two shades in each palette apply a bit patchy. The third shade in both palettes, the shimmery pearl & beige were very pigmented and a little goes a long way. However, the eyeshadows itself felt like most of theBalm's eyeshadows I have tried, which are smooth and buttery.

When swatched using a brush, the eyeshadows applied better, which was not as patchy as when I applied it with my fingers. The eyeshadows are very smooth, so it did kick up a bit of powder, which may lead to some fall-out, so tapping the brushes used with these are definitely recommended.

Overall, I feel like both of these are pretty similar to actually purchase both. These are perfect for a simple little palette for a smokey eye and each eyeshadow contains 0.12 oz of product, which is like twice the size of a full-size Urban Decay eyeshadow. I also like how it has different finishes in the three eyeshadows provided in each palette because there's a glittery one, a matte one, and a shimmery one. These retail for $12 and can be purchased online at Kohls(link)--non-affiliated & at Kohls with an extended beauty department.

What do you think about these Smoke Balm palettes? Do you prefer Set One, or Set Two?

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Urban Decay Oz The Great and Powerful palettes

Beauty News:

For the past few weeks, many people have been talking about Urban Decay's new Oz Palettes inspired by the movie coming out in March. The two palettes are focused on the two witches, Glinda and Theodora.

Image from Urbandecay.com

The two palettes are in their own build your own palettes. The Glinda palette consists of more pastel/light colors, and the Theodora consists of more neutral/dark colors. They each retail for $49 and are now available on urbandecay.com (link).

What do you think about these palettes? Are you Theodora or are you Glinda?

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Sleek; Blush by 3

Remember when I blogged a post about Sleek's Blush by 3 becoming available online and I purchased some? Well, they have arrived! I was actually surprised it came a week after it was shipped out because I have heard stories from how some people in the United States would not get theirs until about a month after because of customs. So the shipping to me was incredibly fast! It arrived on Monday, but it was at my boyfriend's house, so I did not have to chance to get it until today. I was super excited, but when I opened it, I found that there was only two palettes in there, instead of the three that I have ordered. My invoice was also in there and it has three palettes listed on it so I have contacted them, and I am currently waiting for their response.
Anyway, these were a lot smaller than I thought. I compared it to my NARS Danmari Blush palette so you can see the size difference. Although they are small, they seem to pack a lot of product at around 0.23oz per blush, which is not bad at all! The two palettes I have pictured are Flame and Pumpkin. I used my phone to take these since I do not currently have a camera on me, so I will also provide swatches later. Although one of the palettes were missing and I was charged for it, I was still super excited to get them! They are my first Sleek makeup products and I'm excited to try them!
What do you guys think of these? Own them? Planning on getting them? Let me know! :)

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