Beauty Review // The Balm Brand Overview

Since resolving to go Cruelty Free this year with my make up (and eventually my household products), I've had the chance to really examine what I love about the make up I buy.  There are a few obvious things - great shade collection, ease of application, long wear, pigmentation, etc.  But there are a few other things like packaging and affordability that impress me.  The best quality for the price is what really motivates me when it comes to cosmetics - I am known to purchase holiday kits from brands because they give you the most bang!

The Balm Cosmetics sort of got pushed to the back of my makeup collection but now, because I'm evaluating what is cruelty free, I discovered this brand doesn't test on animals!  I have a few products I love from this brand but now I'm open to trying more and keeping my eye out for new products.  Here is a quick brand overview if you're interested in trying their products!

Products Offered

The Balm offers a ton of different products.  They are, I guess you'd say, a full service cosmetic brand since the carry makeup, hair care, skin care, & nail polish.  Started in 2004, the brand boasts multipurpose products for a 'beauty in 5 minutes' mind set. Their signature, retro inspired packaging makes for a fun & funky make up collection.  You may be most familiar with these products by one of two things - the pinup girl illustrations or the tongue in cheek product names.  In recent years, The Balm has moved away from it's strictly 50's retro aesthetic to include more products that use a play on words as the product name.  There are now some packages that boast a comic book style and even something I relate to the 80's.

One of the best parts of the brand is there selection of palettes.  This is my favorite part of a brand because I like to get more bang for my buck!  Currently I am eyeing the Highlite 'N Con Tour palette as well as the In the Balm of Your Hand greatest hits palette.  These both offer a variety of product for a good price.

Their products are aren't tested on animals & are paraben free.  Their eye shadows & blushes are also talc free.  As far as I know they still use beeswax in some of their products, so they aren't a vegan brand.

Availability

This brand has become more widely available in recent years.  Of course you can purchase from their website but I often shop for the brand locally at my Khols.  It seems that the may either create exclusive palettes/products for retail shops other than their online storefront because some of the palettes I have aren't found on their website.  I haven't seen The Balm in stores like Ulta & Sephora but the makeup selection in Khols makes a trip to their beauty department worth it.

I was first introduced to The Balm on HauteLook ages ago and I still have some of those products!  This is another reason why I like palettes - less product for me to hoard!  Honestly, I completely forgot about HauteLook until writing this post so I can't tell you if they've been on there recently!  HauteLook is a great place to save on high end makeup.  I've also shopped for The Balm products on Amazon.  A quick search reveals a huge selection on Overstock.com (plus you can use Ebates for cash back from Overstock!).  Both Amazon and Overstock seem to be the best place to purchase this brand.

My Favorites

I typically purchase cheek products & palettes from this brand as I feel those are the most unique.  I have tried a sample size of their matte liquid lipstick, and while it's great I don't think it is too unique from collections I already have.  The palettes and cheek products also offer the biggest space for their fun illustrations, so they are functional and nice to look at!

My two all time favorite palettes from this brand are the Manizer Sisters Lumnizing Collection & the Girls' Getaway Trio of long-wearing bronzer & blush.  These two palettes appealed to me because of their slim & compact size and because of how travel friendly they are.  I don't travel often but multipurpose products/palettes make my morning routines faster.  Pulling out one palette is easier than deciding what bronzer, blush, & highlight to use each morning!  I like variety but I also like ease.  And when I do travel, I'm more likely to reach for something like this because it has all I need.  These two palettes go great together!

I don't have an extensive collection of their bronzers or blushes, more like a mix of the different lines they offer.  I am eyeing their new line of bronzers - Take Home the Bronze - in three shades.  Currently I have the Bahama Mama bronzer and I used to use it all the time!  But I've moved to more subtle bronzers now.  I would say that the Instain Blushes are the blushes I'd reach the most for & I really love the Cabana Boy blush for the fall/winter time.  I'd like to get their greatest hits palettes to have a more compact way of taking some of these colors with me.

Eye shadow is not my favorite from this brand.  The colors are OK and the formula is alright, but I much prefer the formula of something like Wet n Wild or Lorac.  I have the Nude'tude palette and two of the Smoke Balm trios but I don't reach for those at all.  It just seems that while this brand has amazing color choices...there's not a good mix of matte & shimmer for me.  There's not enough in each palette to make me feel like I can get a couple of looks.  I'd only use a few colors.  They do offer completely matte palettes and even an option to build your own palette.  I'm just not as impressed with their eye shadows as I am with other products in their brand.

I've seen a grouping of their Meet Matt(e) Hughes matte liquid lipsticks on Amazon so that would entice me to try more of those colors if it was for the right price!  Like I mentioned above, I am all about the groups of products for a good price!

I hope this gave you a little bit of information on the brand if you're interested in trying it.  I'm sure you've heard of it before but you might have been a little curious as to the value of the brand.  Their cheek products are my favorite!

Have you tried The Balm?  What brands are your favorite?
xoxo, Moe

ps. read how I plan to transition to cruelty free this year here.