{ Review + Swatches } Mini Haul : theBalm

I've wanted to try the cheek products from theBalm for the longest time and luckily for me, OzSale (a flash-sale site similar to Hautelook etc.) were selling these some time last month at such an affordable price! I think I spent around $50AUD for all of these when usually one of their blushes/bronzers costs $20AUD each! A ridiculously awesome deal : D

I purchased two of their shadow/blush products in 'Frat Boy' and 'Down Boy', their bronzing powder in 'Bahama Mama' and a lipstick in 'Classified'.

So far so good. I've been so impressed by their cheek products which I think that theBalm is most famous for, and righteously so. Although they can be a bit powdery when you take some product from the pan onto your brush, they apply and feel really silky and smooth. They all have superb pigmentation too!

L-R: Down Boy, Bahama Mama, Frat Boy

I was also impressed by how sturdy the packaging was. Their cheek products are enclosed in a cardboard box with a magnetic closure and because of this I thought the blushes/bronzers would be more prone to breakage if you dropped it. I remember receiving my package with less than standard packing (hardly any foam padding or bubblewrap inside!!) and to my surprise, none of the products were damaged!

Another plus is its value for money. A standard MAC blush holds 6g/0.21OZ of product whereas theBalm's cheek products range from 7.08-9.9g/0.25-0.35OZ of product. FYI: MAC blushes in Australia costs around double as much as a blush from theBalm. Need I say more?!

Here are some close-ups of each of the cheek products and their swatches! I have no idea why they have tiny microglitters in there- either it was originally there and I didn't notice them or I accidentally transferred them using different brushes. Either way, they all basically apply matte : )

Shadow/blush in 'Frat Boy' (peachy-apricot pink)

Shadow/blush in 'Down Boy' (cool-toned pink mauve)

Bronzing powder in 'Bahama Mama' (matte medium brown with no orange undertones)

 L-R: Frat Boy, Bahama Mama, Down Boy

Pros:

• Great value for money- a lot of product for a reasonable price!
• Silky and smooth to apply
• Sturdy packaging and not bulky to carry
• Cute packaging design
• Suited to many skintones
• Amazing pigmentation
• Added mirror
• Bronzer in 'Bahama Mama' doesn't have any orange undertones
• Good longevity, stays in place all day

Cons: 

• Quite powdery when you try to pick up product with your brush- be gentle!
• Not accessible in-stores in Australia (that's why I love online shopping <3)

Now onto the not so good part of my review. The lipstick. Usually when I try a new cosmetic brand, I want to choose a shade/colour that I would wear often hence the neutral nudey-brown lipstick I picked up called 'Classified'. Although, I have to give props to the packaging since it's sooo cute and unique!- adore the newspaper design!

 

The lipstick was TOO sheer for my liking. There are some fantastic sheer lipsticks out there which are sheer but buildable but this one did not build up to the opacity I would have liked. I also think it was because it was too close to my natural lip colour therefore the colour wasn't able to show through very well.

Pros:

• Awesome design and packaging
• I really like the minty/cool feel it has on the lips
• Smooth to apply

Cons:

• Not available in-stores in Australia
• Too sheer and heaps of layers required to get some opacity- not sure if their other shades are like this or maybe it's just this colour? 
• The nude shade leaned too much 'brown' for my liking

That's all from me for now AND for a while since I have to start studying hard for my final exams EVERR in uni! It doesn't even feel like I've finished uni yet until I've completed and passed all my exams. T_T *soldier on!*

Wish me luck! and thanks for reading! Leave any questions or suggestions etc. you have in the comments section and I will get back to you when I can!

xo Laura

* Disclaimer: This is a non-sponsored post and I am in no way affiliated with theBalm or OzSale. The products mentioned were purchased with my own funds and as always my reviews are 100% my honest opinion. *