The Balm: Blushes, Bronzers, Highlights & Translucent Powder

Written By Elle

If you are a sucker for packaging then there is a good chance you own something by The Balm.

Their packaging is retro 50's pinup inspired and my goodness are they cute.

Not only are their products so adorably packaged, but the products inside are AMAZING.

(In my humble opinion) ;)

The one downside to the packaging is that it does get quite dirty quite quickly, but it is easy to clean (bonus again?)

This post is going to review the collection of blushes, a highlighter, a bronzer and a translucent powder. 

I will include the prices that are listed on thebalm.com :)

So this is my little collection of The Balm products. Not the biggest. Not the smallest. Oh and I apologise in advance for my swatches, because GURL that is a heinous thing to do.

Mary-Lou Manizer

Definitely a holy grail product! I'm sure everyone has heard of this highlight, and as you can see from how much I have used, I love it too.

The only thing I wish was different about this highlight is that it is a little more gold than silver. Although it looks gold in the swatch, when it is applied to the face it can come off quite white/silver.

I am really pale (NW15) so I'm not sure how this would work on those with a darker complexion. But it is perfect on me and I use it every single day!

It not only works as a cheek highlight but is also the perfect inner corner eye highlight :)

Overall this product is extremely pigmented and definitely worth the splurge!

Price: $24.00

Sexy Mama

This is the cutest little translucent powder.

I wouldn’t use it for all over the face, purely because of how small the packaging is. But because of how small it is, it’s perfect for chucking in your purse with a small kabuki for those days when you are feeling a bit oily.

 I also always feel glamorous pulling it out of my purse as well, such a packaging sucker ;)

Price: $20.00

Hot Mama

This blush is not only the most intense blush I own, but the most glamorous and beautiful. It’s dark peachy colour with gold shimmer throughout. 

For every day wear I think it is a little intense, I generally like a bronzer, blush and highlight on my cheeks, but with this I use it on its own because it does all of those things for me.

It’s perfect for a night out and especially good when I am wearing a dark lipstick, because I am so pale, it helps to combat looking like a vampire.

A lot of people say it is a dupe for NARS ‘Orgasm’ So I swatched it next to it. As you can see the ‘Hot Mama’ is a lot more intense, I feel like ‘Orgasm’ is a lot more suitable for day wear.

I do however only have the stick version of ‘Orgasm’ so maybe the powder version is a lot more similar.

One negative for me, which is not really a negative, is how pigmented it is. I have to be so careful when applying this because my fair skin can’t take too much of this!

Price: $20.00

Cabana Boy

This is a beautiful dusty rose blush. It looks a little scary in the palette, but swatches absolutely beautifully. Thankfully it isn’t too pigmented, which is definitely not a negative when it comes to a colour like this because less is more. Especially on pale girls! Yay!

Price: $21.00

 Down Boy

Favourite packaging, Ever. Love. It.

A baby pink blush, I love this for every day because it adds just enough flush to my face. I especially love this blush when I am not wearing foundation because it isn’t too intense and it gives a really natural look.

 This swatch is a couple of layers just so you can see the colour. It definitely does not come off as dark on the skin. I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't want a really intense blush, but wants to add a slight bit of colour back into their face.

Price: $21.00


Frat Boy

This was the first blush I owned by The Balm. It's a really deep peach colour and is perfect for the summer. The only thing I don't like about this blush is that it becomes really powdery/granually when you put a brush over it, meaning it makes a mess. It definitely doesn't turn me off too much though because the colour is so perfect.

Price: $21.00

 Bahama Mama

This bronzer is the best contour shade I have found for my skin tone. I hate a lot of bronzers because they make my skin look like it's been attacked by mud. This provides just the right depth to contour with. It does not have any shimmer in it, which I know a lot of people hate when they use some bronzers. This a matte brown, which is perfectly pigmented so you can build it up for a more intense contour. I use this almost every time I do my makeup, hence the really dirt packaging!

 Price: $20.00

Put A Lid On It

This an eyelid primer. I purchased this because I really love The Balm eyeshadows and I thought their primer would be really good.
It's definitely not my fave! It helps to prevent the shadow from moving but it doesn't bring out the colours. I like my primers to help make the shadows more vibrant, so this product definitely dissapointed. I will stick to my NYX Jumbo eye pencil in milk.

Price: $18.00