Review | Make Up for Acne Prone Skin - The Balm Cosmetics

I have wanted to try out The Balm products for a long time because I have read from other reviewers that it is gentle it is on sensitive / acne prone skin. I'm not a girl who looks perfectly presentable 100% of the time because I don't wear make up often, but when I do, I want a product that wont give me breakouts. I made a purchase from Hautelook while they were having a The Balm sale a few months back where prices were approximately 40-50% off putting them close in range of drugstore prices! The sale is back and ends in 4 days (9/27), so I thought it would be great to post a review. Check out my thoughts on the items below with a notation on current sale prices:

1. Schwing Eyeliner ($10) 
I've just started getting into the art that is winged liner using liquid eyeliner. (Usually use gel-liner.) This is the second liquid liner that I have tried, the first being the Physician's Formula's Eyebooster Eyeliner Serum, which I did not like at all. It was hard to apply, dried out fast (within 3 weeks) and pretty pricey for what it was ($11). The Balm's Schwing Eyeliner, is actually great because it takes a long time for it to dry out. I've had my liner for 2+ months now and it's still going strong. Look how dark the liner comes out with one light swatch! Moreover the point is super sharp, letting you get a precise application. I'm thinking their mascaras might also be pretty great if their liquid liner is so fabulous! Will put that on my "to-try" list.

2. Nude'dude Palette ($18) 
After originally thinking that I would be getting the Nude'tude palette, I decided to go with the Nude'dude palette instead because the Nude'dude palette is more cool-toned. (Nude'tude is more warm toned.)

As you can see, I've already used this palette, hence some of the nicks and bumps in some of the shadows. Since there are a lot browns and base colors, it is a fairly versatile palette. I experimented with a look I don't usually do, a pink-brown eye-shadow combo using, Fabulous, Flirty, Fiesty, Friendly and it turned out great! The shadows blend well. My only complaint is that the shadows are quite crumbly in the pan - aka they can smear and get the palette itself messy quickly.

What a cheeky palette!

Below are a few detailed swatches of my favorite shades from the palette. On the left we have 'Flirty' - a frosty shimmery pink-ish mauve, in the middle we have 'Funny' a shimmery brown-red (which the camera isn't really picking up) with reddish gold sparkles. Then we have one of my ultimate favorite colors in the palette, 'Friendly' a matte dark purple. Can I say - how pretty is the color Friendly? It is a deep brown with reddish tones which gets me one step closer in my quest to find that perfect burgundy eye shadow. Overall this would be a great palette for someone who is just getting into make-up because of its versatile colors and cost effective price (especially when compared to some other palettes)!

These swatches are from one swipe across the hand.

3. Mary Lou-manizer ($12)
I'm totally in love with this and it is totally affordable! It has a great shimmer that isn't too shimmery for gals like myself who don't want a crazy hi-light and it is very blendable. I thought about getting the Cindy Lou-manizer, which is a pink-toned hi-light, but I just don't think my skin is fair enough for it. There is also the Betty Lou-manizer, which is a bronzer / hi-light, but I probably wont get that shade as I do not like shimmers in my bronzer.

4. Bahama Mama ($10)
This bronzer is lighter than anticipated, but that's a good thing for me as I have a bit of a heavy hand. In other-words, it is buildable. The product is also completely matte, which as I mentioned, I really like in a bronzer.

The Hautelook sale also has a bunch of The Balm's newer products included. I'm really curious about the TimeBalm Primer. It is supposed to "Even out skin tone and texture. Herbal extracts and antioxidants soothe and repair while keeping your makeup looking fresh and flawless all day long." I've been looking for a primer...and this really fits the bill...

Overall all the products have worked well for me and haven't caused any skin troubles so far (no pimple emergence after a night of wearing the products...). Fingers crossed they won't going forward!

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you've tried The Balm Products and what your thoughts were!