Saturday 15 June 2013

the Balm: Overshadow (the sexpots) & Cheater! mascara

I had never come across the Balm cosmetics before find-me-a-gift.co.uk kindly gifted me a couple of its items - a pot of Overshadow and a Cheater! mascara - earlier this week.

After checking out the Balm's website and learning the range is talc-free, paraben-free and cruelty-free (in addition to seeing the Balm's attractive pinup-meets-vintage-esque packaging), I was more than a little intrigued, and eager to put them to the test.

I was also sent a Mad Lips 'Red Rose' lip tattoo, but I'm going to try that out as part of another post.

the Balm Overshadow (the sexpots): shade 'no money, no honey'

the Balm Overshadow (the sexpots) shade no money, no honey
find-me-a-gift.co.uk: £7.99
the Balm says:


Meet the first finely milled, all-mineral shimmer designed to go over eyeshadow. Apply to the lid to transform the most subtle daytime shadow into nighttime shimmer.

The good:
  • I really like the colour of this overshadow - it's not too gold and it's far more neutral than I expected
  • The fact this product doubles up as a highlighter is convenient
  • The packaging is really cute - I'm a sucker for vintage pinup style!
  • I feel this price of this product - £7.99 - is fair. Before it arrived, I thought the pot wouldn't last very long as I read it contains just 0.57g of powder. Turns out this is much more than I first expected and a little goes a long way, so this should last a while.
The bad:
  • It can sometimes be difficult to get the right amount out of the pot - tap too gently and hardly any powder appears; tap too hard and you can make a right mess!
  • I personally find this shadow a little too glittery to use as a highlighter
7/10

the Balm Cheater! mascara

the Balm Cheater! mascara
£8.90 (I think! I got the last one in stock on find-me-a-gift.co.uk and so the price is not currently up). In the last pic I am wearing the Overshadow too!
the Balm says:


Cheater! is a fabulously volumizing mascara enriched with Panthenol, which strengthens and conditions your lashes. The spiral brush gives you the look of dramatic, faux lashes without the extra work.

The good:
  • The wand's big brush is easy to use, and great at separating and lifting lashes
  • One again, I like the packaging - even the cheesy inclusion of 'Thomas Thick' and 'Lance Long Lash' down one side!
  • The brush slides perfectly in and out of the mascara tube, leaving minimal residue around the top (a serious pet hate of mine)
  • I also like that the lid-brush is metal (not significant at all really, but hey!)
The bad: 
  • This mascara takes quite a while to dry and so building up layers can be time-consuming - no good for those "Ah crap, I'm gonna be late for work!" mornings! 
  • If you do attempt to apply another layer of Cheater! mascara too quickly, you're very likely to end up with a severe case of spider lashes
6/10
.....

Have you ever tried any products by the Balm? 

Kat x

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