theBalm Nude'tude Eyeshadow Palette

Can a girl have too many neutrals? Certainly - and with this being the third palette I'm reviewing for my "alternatives to Urban Decay's Naked palettes" series,  I think I may be reaching that saturation point. I'm a little desperate for something hot pink. Or teal. (Bare Minerals Remix collection, I'm eyeballing you.)

But if you are in the market for a neutral palette, the Nude'tude from theBalm is a lovely one to consider.

Much like Lorac, theBalm is one of those brands that seems to squeak by a little under the radar, through absolutely no fault of its own. The formulations are generally excellent, the packaging is super-cute, and the price point is very reasonable for a mid-range brand. (Extra points for being frequently featured on discount sites like Hautelook.)

I have several items from the line, and have been impressed with each one. If there's a stinker lurking about, I have yet to encounter it. While the Nude'tude is not quite as amazing as the three Shady Lady palettes I have, it is more excellent than not.

The packaging is right in line with the brand's tongue-in-cheek, vintage vibe. (If you're not particularly keen on staring at barely covered derrières, it is also available in a "clean" version.) Like the Lorac Pro palette, the packaging is slim and sleek, making this incredibly easy to toss into a purse or weekend bag, and the large mirror is a nice bonus.

With flash.

Left side.

Right side.

The shade range is not quite as varied as that in the Laura Mercier and Lorac palettes (and tends towards the warmer end) but it's more than adequate - four highlighters, four mid-tones, four crease/liner shades. 

The pigmentation and texture is not the same across the board. Sassy, Stubborn, Selfish, Snobby, Sultry, Sophisticated and Seductive have the signature pigmentation and smooth, rich texture that I associate with theBalm eyeshadows. They are soft to the touch, apply with great pay-off, and blend perfectly, without thinning out. They are an absolute dream to work with. (Stubborn on the lid and Sultry in the crease is a perfect no-fuss day look, by the way. Exactly the right balance of shimmer to brighten the eye and depth to add definition.)

Stand-offish is a teeny bit harder to work with. It comes on sheerer, and the shimmer verges on glitter, with some fall-down. 

As for Sexy, Serious, and Sleek - the pigmentation is less intense with these, so if you want to do a strong smoky eye, you will need to build these up. Their texture is drier than that of the other shades, which makes for less intense swatches.

In terms of application, however, the softer payoff and drier texture means that they are in some ways easier to work with, if what you want to do is to add depth to your eye look. They pick up easily on a brush, without excess powder, and they blend well. Smoking out the corner of your eye is as simple as a little wiggle and a couple of small sweeps. (A super intense black is amazing for creating a rich, smoky eye. It can be more bang than you need when all you want to do is take your eye makeup from workday to dinner out.) On their own, however, they tend to look faded and a little dull.

Silly is the one shade that I found actually problematic. Like a lot of matte-with-microglitter type shades, the glitter ended up migrating everywhere. If you're keen on the finish, a sticky base is essential.

Wear time was 8 hours, easy, over primer. Closer to 5-6 on bare eyes, with the lighter shades being the most vulnerable to fading.

Left side: Sassy, Stubborn, Selfish, Snobby, Stand-offish and Sultry.
Natural light.

Left side: Sassy, Stubborn, Selfish, Snobby, Stand-offish and Sultry.
Sunlight.

Right side: Sophisticated, Sexy, Serious, Seductive, Silly and Sleek.
Natural light.

Right side: Sophisticated, Sexy, Serious, Seductive, Silly and Sleek.
Sunlight.

Availability: At Nordstrom, currently sold out on theBalm website. Occasionally available from Hautelook. At some select Jean Coutu locations in Quebec. Price is 36$ USD.

Pros: Good range of light to dark shades, preponderance of superb textures, very easy to use, comparably inexpensive and a great value.

Cons: Skews to the warm end of the spectrum, the darker shades require building up for intensity, can look faded and dull when used on their own. A couple of the shades have glitter fall out.

(I purchased this item from Hautelook.)

theBalm Frat Boy Blush

Too Faced, Benefit and theBalm are the trifecta of brands that do the cute, vintage thing for their aesthetic. Out of all three, I think theBalm most consistently succeeds in putting out product that matches quality to styling.

I got into theBalm with their Hot Mama blush (which is a variant on the Orgasm-type golden-peach-pink) and have been collecting their blushes ever since.

Frat Boy was one of my recent acquisitions, which I didn't break out until last month - it called to me as a harbinger of spring, with its cheery pink shade and fun graphics. I thought now might be a good time to post this review, as theBalm is currently on sale at www.hautelook.com.

Frat Boy is packaged in sturdy cardboard with a mirror on the top flap, and a protective paper slipcover. It may not be as durable as plastic or metal, but so far I have't had any problems with any of theBalm packaging ripping or otherwise getting mangy.

Frat Boy is described as "peachy-apricot" on the site, and while it certainly has a strong peachy tone to it, I think it has equal amounts of warm pink as well. It actually ends up reading quite pink on my skin, but it may pull differently on warmer or cooler skin tones.

Indirect light.

Sunlight.

I would consider this a matte finish, though it does have the faintest sheen in the sun, barely perceptible. The texture is very, very fine, smooth and a little dry to the touch, without being powdery or chalky. It actually reminds me a bit of how the Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes feel, though not quite as silky-fine as those. It also wears well, 8 hours minimum over foundation.

          

Indirect light.

Sunlight.

It applies seamlessly to the skin, blending out and building up with ease due to its texture. The pigmentation is excellent. The first set above are swatches applied with an eyeshadow brush, two layers, and then the second set are light, blended swatches applied with a small blush brush.

And yes, it's all on my skin. Bizarre how much the light change alters the way the camera (*cough* iphone *cough) reads skintone.

Availability: From theBalm website, which does ship to Canada, as well as Hautelook occasionally. Also at Sephora and the odd Jean Coutu. (Looks like Sephora might be downsizing theBalm. They're gone from my local store, and only some of the products remain on the site.) Price is 21$ USD, about 28$ CAD.

Pros: Adorably packaged, light-textured and pigmented, it blends like a dream and lasts well.

Cons: None, really, aside from maybe the color description not matching up to the way it actually looks, but YMMV.

(I purchased this from theBalm website.)