theBalm

A Bounty of Beauty Awaits in theBalm Balmsai Eyeshadow and Brow Palette

October 23rd, 2014 by Karen 57 Comments

I’d fully intended to channel the spirt of the bikini babe on the front of theBalm’s new Balmsai Eyeshadow and Brow Palette ($39.50) this morning by doing a light, colorful, tropical surfer babe eye makeup look, but then I started listening to The Smiths and this dark smokey eye happened…

Oops.

Oh, well. I am human and I need to be loved! 🙂

Oh, Morrissey… How I love your emo warbling. I think you really get my pain, the pain all the way down in the marrow of my bones (my lower back still hurts after the half marathon).

Speaking of things that really “get it,” theBalm always seems to know what I want/need in an eyeshadow palette. Their Balmsai palette has a great combination of neutral matte and shimmer finishes fabulous for classic looks, as well as some fun teal, blue and purple shades for spice.

On my lips: Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick in Naked and MAC Cremesheen Glass in Stately Shimmer

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: theBalm Cindy-Lou Manizer

August 19th, 2014 by Karen 10 Comments

NARS Audacious Lipstick in Anna — Wearing theBalm’s Cindy-Lou Manizer on my upper cheekbones

Quick! Grab my hand! Guuuuurl, we’re making a prison break. I’m busting you out of this shimmer-free solitary confinement, Shawshank-style, with theBalm’s Cindy-Lou Manizer ($24).

Super shiny highlights without the drama of a finicky frost

theBalm Cindy-Lou Manizer — It’s theBalm…

With peachy pink Cindy-Lou, theBalm got it totally right. You can wear this powder as a highlighter, an eyeshadow or a blush. The fabulous finish is unconditionally Unsung Heroes worthy.

The otherworldly opalescent sheen lifts dull skin, making your mug look fresh, bright and alive. The effect is like a Broadway spotlight manned by the best lighting guy in the biz — dramatic, but still soft and flattering, and without the harshness of a high-shine frost.

A little goes a loooong way…

It’s important to use just a smidgen, though. A little definitely goes a long way with this.

I like to load a skinny tapered eyeshadow brush like the MAC 224 by running it lightly across the pan. Then I’ll gently buff that on my upper cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose and on my Cupid’s bow, where it lasts from 8-9 hours (without touchups) on my combination dry/oily skin.

I’ve been wearing it a ton lately for “KA-POW!” highlights on my upper cheekbones, and the best thing about it? — it doesn’t settle into my fine lines or embiggen my pores.

Teams up well with matte foundation

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How ‘Bout Them Apples? Fresh This Season From theBalm, a New Six-Piece Cream Cheek and Lip Palette

January 30th, 2014 by Karen 29 Comments

theBalm How 'Bout Them Apples — Taking a bite out of the newest palette by theBalm

Frrresh fruit! Get your fresh fruit here! Sweeet apples! Crisp and hunky!

Don’t be alarmed if you feel like taking a bite out of theBalm’s new cheek and lip cream palette.

It’s completely understandable. 🙂

And not merely because it houses a bushel of six juicy shades sweet enough to strike fear into the sweetest Honeycrisp…

It’s also because the men of Magic Mike appear inside! WOO HOO!!

OK, not really… Well, maybe.

Seriously, though, I don’t think these dudes have ever grinded to Pony on stage with Channing Tatum, but it looks like they could, judging by the way that cobbler pops that hip. That man clearly two-steps like a pro.

I have to admit that the inclusion of so many abdominal muscles probably heightened my enthusiasm for this palette. I mean, I think I would have liked it anyway, but I’m just sayin’. It’s true. 🙂

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What a Trip! The Balm Voyage Holiday Face Palette by theBalm Is a Trip

November 11th, 2013 by Karen 12 Comments

theBalm Balm Voyage Holiday Face Palette — Wearing the new $42.50 limited edition Balm Voyage Holiday Face Palette by theBalm

How flippin’ cute is this holiday palette?! I’m a sucker for retro postcards and posters, so this is totally my style. Plus, I have a soft spot for theBalm because, like moi, they’re from the Bay Area.

Yessir, I grew up in the 510, moved to the 415 after college, and now I’m just over the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin.

So WOOT! Bay Area represent. 🙂

Balm Voyage… Cheeky name, and fun way to tie in the trip theme. They go all out with the travel references, by golly, from the different cities on the cover, to assigning a “seat” to each of the powder eyeshadows (there are 16 of them, along with three lip and cheek creams). Even the mirror on the inside of the palette looks like a passport for “Anita Vacation,” haha! GURL, anita vacation, too. You don’t even know.

I wore this palette pretty much all through last weekend, and it was perfect for chill-axing on Saturday and Sunday. The eyeshadows apply with either sheer or medium levels of pigment, probably making the palette better for casual, natural eye makeup than bold, high-fashion looks.

You could always crank up the intensity by applying them with a wet brush, or by layering them on top of a pencil or cream base, but that could interfere with how they blend.

When I do just a straight-up simple look with one or two colors on a primed lid, the powders meld seamlessly into each other, but the second I add a cream or pencil to the mix, the lines between the colors become more difficult to diffuse.

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Forget Milkshakes, theBalm’s Cabana Boy Blush Brings All the Boys to the Yard

March 15th, 2013 by Karen 19 Comments

That’s theBalm Cabana Boy Blush ($21) on my cheeks

Once I babysat this adorable little girl who somehow knew the lyrics to that Kelis song, Milkshake…and she also took them to heart.

She believed that milkshakes would literally bring all the boys to the yard, and since she also believed that all boys were yucky, she swore to never have a milkshake.

Hahaha! From the mouths of babes… 🙂

That’s what I thought of this morning when I pulled out theBalm’s new $21 Cabana Boy Blush. Like the milkshake of the makeup world, it’s also supposed to bring all the boys to the yard.

In a manner of speaking. theBalm claims that this pigmented, warm rosy pink, with its hint of plum, will have the boys (or girls) attending to your every whim.

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En Root to Second Day Hair, I Ran Into theBalm’s New Detour A-Head Dry Shampoo

March 13th, 2013 by Karen 38 Comments

theBalm En Root Dry Shampoo — Using the new $19 theBalm En Root Detour A-Head Dry Shampoo

This is how I feel when I don’t fuss with my hair in the morning:

The joy stems from the extra 20 minutes of sleep it saves me, I kid you not!

And, truth be told, I think my mane just looks better after a day or two between washes (or um…three or four).

But then there’s the whole greasy roots thing, which is why I’m never too far from a bottle of dry shampoo. Rocking my world these days is En Root Detour A-Head Dry Shampoo ($19) by theBalm. Yes, theBalm, as in the makeup line.

They just launched a line of hair care products that includes shampoos, conditioners and styling products.

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