Monday, July 8, 2013

Review, Swatches, and FOTD: Meet Matt(e) Nude Palette from theBalm

As any Internet-obsessed makeup addict knows, Hautelook can be a pretty great site for scoring beauty deals. A brand that is frequently featured is theBalm. In fact, they are on the flash sale site so often that I can't justify buying the brand at full price. The complaint I have is that the site takes so long to ship, and the shipping is about $6, which may not sound like a lot, but when the whole point of the site is that it's a flash sale that will save you money, it adds up. I ordered this palette at the beginning of May, and it took until the end of the month for it to get to me.

I wanted this palette because I've been allllll about matte shadows recently. I think it's because I've started working in an office, and glittery shadow just feel a bit inappropriate. This summer, I've switched to matte shadows, started going to bed before midnight, and had to spend a ton of money on replacing a flat tire. I'M A FULL FLEDGED ADULTS, GUYS!

Like I said, it took forever for this palette to ship to me, but my oh my, was it worth the wait!


Here he is, the beauty. The cover features a good-lookin' man whose teeth literally sparkle.


These eyeshadow pans are HUGE. I literally don't know if I will ever hit pan on anything.


Swatchy, swatchy. These are so lovely. These are just a single pass of the shadows on my arm without any primer or base. Matt Johnson is a sort of gray-navy, Matt Garcia is a deep warm brown, Matt Malloy is a lovely pure white, Matt Rosen is a warm orangey-brown, Matt Wood is a super dark brown that looks almost black when swatched, Matt Singh is a peachy-beige that I'm OBSESSED with, Matt Abdul is a grayed taupe, Matt Lombardi is a dark yellow that is ideal for blending out crease shades, and Matt Hung is a burgundy brown. Aren't I super good with color descriptions?

This palette is so awesome. The formula of the shadows is the best I've ever seen for mattes. They are creamy, pigmented, and not at all chalky. A variety of looks can also be achieved with this single palette. While overall the palette is cool toned, there are enough warm shades to create that kind of look if it strikes your fancy. If I'm running late for work, a super simple eye look is Matt Singh all over the lid, Matt Abdul in the crease, and a bit of Matt Malloy under the eyebrow. I personally don't use Matt Malloy as an inner corner highlight because I'm not a fan of the super white tearduct look.


Here I am with a quick look I created as soon as this came in the mail. Please ignore the blemish on my forehead that is covered with a concealer that is so obviously not my shade. I was matched to NW20 at the MAC counter months ago, and this concealer is so hilariously wrong for me. But I use it sometimes because it's too late to take it back and I hate wasting it. 


Here's a close up of the eyes. Not the most impressive or creative, but it was nice and simple, yet pulled together.

Overall, I'm so in love with this palette. I think it is worth the full price, but I would just hold out until it's on Hautelook next if you don't mind waiting a few weeks for shipping.

Until next time, kiddos,
xo, Maria.



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