theBalm Spring 2011: Shady Lady Vol. 3

TheBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 ($39.50 for 0.51 oz.) is an eyeshadow palette that includes nine shades:  Lusty Lee (silver shimmer), Envious Erin (shimmery pearl), Racy Kacy (copper shimmer), Safe Bet Annette (pale-pink shimmer), Runaround Rebecca (sage), Come-Hither Heather (soft taupe), Open To Offers Olwen (teal), All The Way Annie (shimmering amethyst), and Guilty Gwen (sparkly black shimmer).

• Lusty Lee is a bright silver-gray with a frosted finish.
• Envious Erin is a pale, creamy white with soft golden warmth.
• Racy Kacy is a coppered brown with a frost-metallic sheen.
• Safe Bet Annette is a pastel pink with a white frosted finish.
• Runaround Rebecca is an olive green with a khaki brown base and frost-metallic sheen.
• Come-Hither Heather is a mauve-y taupe witha frost finish.
• Open to Offers Olwen is a rich, vibrant blue with a touch of teal and frost finish.
• All the Way Annie is a red-based purple with soft silver flecks of micro-glitter
• Guilty Gwen is a softened charcoal black with silver flecks of glitter. This was the only shade I had issues with–I had to scrape out the product to get it to show. It was so poor, I thought it was actually defective. (It is really packed on in the swatch to get it to show.)

my thoughts on the formula: With the exception of Guilty Gwen, these eyeshadows are soft, silky smooth, and packed with pigment. They apply evenly, blend out beautifully, and aren’t powdery at all (sometimes a side effect of really soft eyeshadows). The formula is the same as the individual eyeshadows–no skimping or cutting corners.

This palette has a good mix of colors, and I can see some combinations coming from the palette, though I see these more easily mixed with other products you already own. They are all rather shimmery/frosty finishes, which makes them easy to blend. The quality is really phenomenal, excluding Guilty Gwen, and well worth the price tag.

value: theBalm’s single eyeshadows retail for $16.00 and contain 0.12 oz. worth of product, while this palette retails for $39.50 and comes with 0.51 oz. worth of product. Single eyeshadows work out to be $133/oz. and the palette works out to be $77/oz. The palette is also an excellent deal, because each shade is approximately 0.057 oz. each (the average full-sized eyeshadow is 0.05 oz.), so you get more variety.

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• Product: 28/30
• Value: 10/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

final thoughts: I had to take off two points because of Guilty Gwen, but I would have loved to give this palette full marks–it really is a beautiful palette with so many well-pigmented, easy-to-use shades.

where to buy: Sephora

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theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

Lusty Lee, Envious Erin, Racy Kacy

Safe Bet Annette, Runaround Rebecca, Come-Hither Heather

Open to Offers Olwen, All the Way Annie, Guilty Gwen

theBalm Lusty Lee Eyeshadow

theBalm Envious Erin Eyeshadow

theBalm Racy Kacy Eyeshadow

theBalm Safe Bet Annette Eyeshadow

theBalm Runaround Rebecca Eyeshadow

theBalm Come-Hither Heather Eyeshadow

theBalm Open to Offers Olwen Eyeshadow

theBalm All the Way Annie Eyeshadow

theBalm Guilty Gwen Eyeshadow