Review: The Balm Blushes

The Balm must be one of the amazing make up brand that has not been talked much about in the beauty community. I first found out about this product when I went to Beauty Bar at Gateway Mall. I was searching for a new blush and then bam! There I saw The Balm blushes. What first caught my eye was the vintage packaging. It's kinda like Benefit Cosmetics packaging. It's fun and out-of-the-box kinda thing. 

My first blush was Cabana Boy. It's a plummy rose blush with subtle shimmers. When I say "shimmers" don't get freaked out. The shimmers is actually hardly noticeable. I must warn you that this blush is highly pigmented. When I first used this, I got excited that I swiped my brush and didn't even tap my brush and then I looked like a clown. lol. So use a light-hand application especially if you have a fair skin. It will work for everyone. Just build the color as you go. I think this is worth the buck considering it's about P850 ($1 x P45) and you get 8.5g of the product. The product is velvety, not chalky. So it's silky smooth when you apply it. It also works as an eyeshadow which I haven't tried. The only thing I don't like about this is the cardboard packaging. As cute as it is, I cannot carry it with me in my purse because I'm afraid I might dent it. I think this is a must have for your collection. The quality of the product is great and it will last you a long time.

My second blush is actually from the Big Mama palette. I got this on sale on a 40% off at Beauty Bar.

This the Hot Mama blush. I read on other blogs that this is a dupe for NARS Orgasm because of it's peachy-pink tone with gold shimmers. I do not have NARS Orgasm so I couldn't compare. Honestly, I use this as a highlighter on my cheekbones. I do not like it on my cheeks because of the shimmers, it highlights my pores or if I have zits on my cheeks. But I'm loving this as a highlight. A little different from the usual highlighters out there. This is also highly pigmented so better be careful. :) It's also smooth when applied. Not chalky at all. According to The Balm it works as a blush, eyeshadow and a highlighter. So this is a multi-tasking product.

Now that we're at it, let me do a review also on the other powders on this palette. Let's me start with the bronzer, Bahama Mama. This is a matte bronzer which is good because if you're planning to use Cabana Boy as a blush and Hot Mama as a highlighter, this matte bronzer will balance it out by not making your whole face shimmery. haha. We don't want that. As dark as it looks on the pan, it's not that pigmented enough to make my face look muddy which I am NC30 by the way. You can build the color and it will not make you look orange. It will give you a natural bronzy glow.

Last stop is the finishing powder, Sexy Mama. White on pan, white on the face? Nope. Don't let the white powder scare you because once you apply it, it will be invisible because it works as a translucent powder. I use it to set my liquid foundation or even my concealer. It does what it's suppose to do and it absorbs the oils on my face. I do have a combination skin, more on the oily side. It does not look cakey even if I pack it on. It mattifies my face without making it look flat.

Swatches:

Cabana Boy, Bahama Mama, Hot Mama, Sexy Mama

I would definitely repurchase these powders and even grab a few from their line. The Balm does not have much products so this is a brand that you can collect in a snap because they are not like MAC that release collections every five minutes. wink*