I have owned this highlighter for months, and it really is the best I’ve ever tried! Firstly The Balm is an American cosmetics company, and it sits between highend- drugstore. The prices are a little cheaper than MAC, and the quality is just as brilliant. I first heard about this from the YouTuber EmilyNoel83 who adores The Balm, so I would recommend checking out her channel for more info on the brand ^_^
Moving onto this highlighter, Mary-Lou it has the most adorable packaging ever. Its reminiscent of Soap and Glory and Benefit, with its cutesy retro theme. This one has a blonde woman with pouty red lips on the front named ‘Mary’ and the cardboard packaging was just as cute! Sadly I don’t have it anymore because this highlighter’s been tried and tested for a while!
The offence is ‘highlighter,shimmer, eyeshadow’ and the charge is ‘too pretty, too popular’ which made me giggle. When company's put the effort and detail into their products and packaging, it just makes me rate them that little bit higher! It is a multi-use powder, but primarily a highlighter which is encased in a sturdy silver packaging which is secured by a clip. There is a handy mirror inside (a real mirror not one of those funny ones).
The reason why this has earned a HG status (aside from the cuteness) is because of its colour and texture. Highlighters come in powder, liquids and creams and generally they are in either a golden tone, or a pink tone. Its pretty self-explanatory that if you have yellow undertones you’ll likely suit the golden toned ones more. I don’t like pink toned highlighters on me because they look odd, they just don't blend in with my skintone, so I’m most drawn towards the champagne coloured highlighters like this one.
It is the most beautiful highlighter I have ever set eyes on! You can get other which are more subtle, but if you want to really HIGHLIGHT this is the one for you! It is super pigmented, but easily blendable so when applied to the tops of the cheekbones and other areas it makes the world of difference. I use the Real Techniques Setting Brush (review here) as it helps to put the highlighter precisely where I want some extra glow.
I couldn’t believe the way it lit my face up and made me look healthier with a single sweep. I’ve tried other highlighters (admitably not any other high-end ones) but this by far is the best out there. It looks phenomenal with a gentle contour and a matte blusher, however with a shimmery blusher I’d most likely skip this or just about touch it onto my skin.
For some people this would be over the top for the daytime, however it’s all about how strongly you apply the stuff. A gentle light sweeping (something the setting brush achieves effortlessly, or a thin fan brush) adds a subtle but beautiful glow. It looks amazing in the inner-corner too, a real ‘wide awake look’ and for evenings out, weddings and partys this is the finishing touch for getting your glam on!
It costs around the £17 mark and you get 8.5g of the stuff. I picked it up from Amazon, however it is now cheaper on this website! I’ve used it so often and there’s still loads of the highlighter left because a little really does go a long way! It lasts for hours in the skin and would suit many skin-tones. I cannot get enough of this and really want to pick up their nudetude palette (when I’m off my spending ban which started last week ._.)
Final Verdict:
Product rating: 10
Pros: Its super soft, can be subtle or built up with ease, lights up the whole face, makes the world of difference! looks amazing as a inner-corner highlight, is the perfect colour for a medium skin tone especially, and you get a decent amount of product for a reasonable size. It’s super blendable and It’ll last me for years to come.
Cons: It can be overdone haha
Repurchase? Without a shadow of a doubt!
Have you tried anything from The Balm?
Thanks for reading!
