The Balm Meet Matte Eyeshadow Palette Review + Swatches

I would say that most of my eyeshadow collection contains matte eyeshadows. I just find them so easy to work with, and so simple compared to shimmers and satins. The Balm Meet Matte was one eyeshadow palette I needed in my collection. I purchased this palette a while ago when theBalm was on Hautelook, so I got it around 50% off the regular price. Quite the steal considering theBalm is already pretty decently priced. 

theBalm Meet Matte Nude Eyeshadow palette contains 9 gorgeous matte eyeshadows, named after 9 different "Matt's".

The eyeshadow pans are pretty big and the colour variety is quite nice. 

If you saw my theBalm Nude Tude Eyeshadow review, you're probably thinking "hey, this palette must not be good either!". Well, that's where you're wrong. This palette is the bomb. The colours and pigmentation has hit it out of the ball park. Look how matte and how beautifully dark the shades are! My favourite has got to be Matt Wood and Matt Johnson. 

Do you own any products from theBalm Cosmetics? 

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The Balm Nude Tude Eyeshadow Palette Review + Swatches

I don't know if I'm the only one who saw it, but did anyone see the Buzzfeed article about this palette? I made this review WAY before the article was created (it was prescheduled earlier, but I had other reviews with priority, so it was pushed) and was pretty baffled to see what they wrote about it. It's a funny read in my opinion, for them to think the names of the eyeshadows are name calling women. Please, it's an eyeshadow palette called nude TUDE. Like, attitude. That's not why we're here today. So anyways.

Today I will be doing an in depth review and swatches for theBalm Nude Tude Eyeshadow Palette. Now I bought this palette a while ago when it was available on Hautelook. The regular price for this palette is $36.00USD, and from what I remember I only paid maybe half the price? Still, $36 isn't too bad for a mid end eyeshadow palette.

I'm actually a huge fan of cardboard eyeshadow palettes. It's less bulky, and I love that they're nice and flat. 

theBalm packaging design reminds me of a better version of Benefit products. I love the cute, vintage looking packaging, and the cute characters plastered all over. They also have cute names for all their products! 

Now they recently came out with Nude Dude, which is a volume 2 of nude eyeshadows. The colours in that palette are more warm toned, while this one is a nice mixture of both. 

Inside, you get 12 eyeshadows (11.08g or 0.92g each), and six beautiful half naked women. It also comes with a shadow/liner brush, but I've never been a fan of brushes that come with eyeshadow palettes. 

Now, the thing with being a make-up collector/hoarder is, you get to try a lot of make-up. You learn what products are really good and what isn't. When I first purchased this palette, maybe a year or so ago, I thought it was a great palette. I didn't have much to compare to. Now that my collection has grown vastly, I've learned the difference between a good eyeshadow and a subpar one. 

This palette is only 58% good. Why do I say that? Because only 7 of the 12 eyeshadows were amazing, and the other 5 really sucked. I'll go over each eyeshadow to explain how I felt about them.

Sassy/Snobby

Sassy - I found with the light colours, they were extremely silky to the touch, which was deceiving, because they swatched very chalky. Sassy is just a stark matte white, which could work as a base, and with lots of eyeshadow primer. 

Snobby - I'm not the biggest fan of this shade, and it was also extremely chalky as well. The product kind of crumbled a bit when you swatched it on your arm. I know, some people are thinking maybe it's acting like that because it's old, but no, I have eyeshadow palettes over 2+ years old that are still extremely creamy/silky and don't flake. Snobby could be described as a golden/yellow shade when swatched, but it looks peachy/orange in the pan.

Swatches:

Stubborn/Stand-offish

Stubborn - These two shades also had the same issue with feeling silky to the touch, but being really chalky when swatched. The colour payoff for these were an improvement compared to the first two, but nothing amazing. Stubborn can be described as a shimmery baby pink.

Stand-offish - Similar to Stubborn, this shade felt really silky, but was a bit chalky as well. Stand-offish comes off as a peachy/pink champagne colour.

Swatches:

Selfish/Sultry

Selfish - This is where the eyeshadows start to get way better. Selfish has a smooth texture, and swatches very nicely. I want to say that it's similar to the texture of Urban Decay's Naked 3 in looks and feel. It comes off as a gunmetal/silver/grey.

Sultry - Sultry is a nice transition brown shade. Very smooth, but a wee bit powdery, this eyeshadow is still a lot better than the first two columns. 

Swatches:

Sophisticated/Seductive

Sophisticated - This is where the palette definitely shines. These two colours alone make this palette oh so much better. 

Seductive - Seductive is a gorgeous golden bronze shade with a bit of shimmer to it. These two shades are absolutely stunning.

Swatches:

Sexy/Silly

Sexy - I love this shade the most out of the whole palette. I have a thing for deep plums/purples. That's why I instantly fell in love with the The Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Palette which I also reviewed. It has many purples/pinks in it which are my favourite to work with besides browns. 

Silly - Probably one of the worst shades in the palette. Took me many swipes and rubbing to get a nice swatch, and even so, the pigmentation is terrible. It comes off as a light faded brown with a bit of sparkle to it.

Swatches:

Serious/Sleek

Serious - Now these two shades I believe are suppose to be used as liners, but of course they can be used as eyeshadows as well. These two are definitely very pigmented, and a tad bit on the powdery side. It's still wearable, just don't dig too deep when you dip your brush. Serious is such a nice matte black.

Sleek - I feel sleek would have been a better name for the black, but I guess it still works. Sleek is a nice, dark coffee bean brown, perfect for a subtle smoky eye if you don't want to go all out with a black outer corner. 

Swatches:

Swatches of the whole palette:

My favourite thing to do is to swatch make-up products on my arm. I love photographing stuff like this.

What's your favourite nude eyeshadow palette?

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The Top 6 Bronzers

Summer is around the corner, and everyone wants to have a sunkissed tan. Why not get a head start this year and find the best bronzer for you? Today's post is about my top favourite bronzers! I'm super stoked to write this post because I LOVE bronzers. Besides lipsticks, I love trying new bronzers and having a huge collection of all types of bronzers I don't need. When I don't contour my face on any given day, I feel so bland and incomplete. Bronzer is my best friend, and it also keeps my face from looking too round or too flat; because thats what best friends do right? 

My Top 6 Bronzers

To start the post off, man I had a hard time finding a way to photograph all the bronzers in the same picture. The packaging for all these are so oblong they look so weird next to each other. Anyways, if you're interested in purchasing any of these bronzers, the bronzer names below are clickable links. Enjoy!

These top 6 bronzers are my favourite all time bronzers I have ever used. 

I will be listing them from least favourite to most favourite.

6. WET N WILD Color Icon Bronzer SPF 15 - Ticket to Brazil

Before I became obsessed with make-up, this was my first bronzer I ever owned (besides the discontinued healthy glow bronzer by elf). I never understood the concept of contouring your face, or adding dimension to your face, until I was introduced into the world of make-up. This was my favourite drug store bronzer, and actually the only drugstore bronzer I've ever used haha. 

5. The Balm Cosmetics Bahama Mama Bronzer

I was introduced to theBalm first when I watched a make-up video and the girl was using theBalm Nude Tude Palette. I instantly fell in love with the quirky packaging. I was able to purchase this bronzer from Hautelook, my favourite website to get discounted make-up. The slender and sleek packaging for the bronzer makes it so convenient to carry around. The bronzer itself is an amazing matte brown and is perfect for contouring your nose.

4. Too Faced Custom Blend Beach Bunny Bronzer

This is probably going to be the bronzer I grab the most this summer. The Too Faced Beach Bunny bronzer is the perfect glowy summer tan you are looking for. It was featured in my Too Faced Cosmetics Brand Spotlight post, which I think I put up one or two weeks ago. The bronzer is four separate gold/brown colours that you swirl together to make a beautiful golden tan. If you're not a fan of shimmer, this may not work for you, but it definitely gives you a summer glow. 

3. Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder in Ebony (08)

Probably the most expensive and luxurious bronzer I own, the Guerlain bronzer is super pigmented and awesome. I got the darkest shade (ebony) because I feel if you contour your face, its best to get a shade a lot darker than your skin tone of course so it could be used to hollow out your cheeks, or create that shadow on your temples. Would I say this is worth the money? Absolutely! Its pricey because it works.

2. Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit

Probably the most sought out contour kit currently, the Anastasia Contour Kit lives up to its expectations. All the shades in this palette are pigmented and the bronzers are PERFECT. I would call this palette number one in contouring kits but then again I haven't used any other one. 

In the kit I use the two bronzers on the left. I don't use the bottom right one because as you can see, it is very orange. The bottom left one is great for contouring your temples and your cheeks, and the middle one is great for contouring your nose. If you're interested in seeing swatches of all the shades or a review, just let me know in the comments! (Unfortunately due to high demand, the palette is currently sold out on Sephora.com which I linked above, and it is sold out on the Anastasia website as well. Best way to get it is to sign up for email notifications on Sephora for when it comes in stock!)

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

When you look at the picture on the Sephora website that I linked, the bronzer looks super light, but it is not even close to that colour. The Hoola bronzer is a matte, muddy (in a good way) brown that is the all around best bronzer I have ever used in my life. I also featured it in my Favourite Products of All Time (Face) post. Everyone raves about this product and there is a reason why. It is one of the most perfect matte bronzers out there. 

Swatches (in natural light): 

The Guerlain one is definitely one of the darker bronzers, and the lightest appears to be the Benefit Hoola bronzer. 

Swatches (with the room light on):

Hope you enjoyed my top 6 bronzers list. These are my best friends all year round!

What are your favourite bronzers? I love bronzers, and I am willing to try new ones so let me know!

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