theBalm Balm Springs Blush ($21.00 for 0.197 oz.) is a muted, medium coral with soft, warm undertones and a semi-matte finish. It had opaque color coverage with a soft, silky texture that was a little thin and a touch powdery in the pan, but it was easy to apply to the skin and blend out. It’s supposed to be “long-wearing” with a “fade-resistant formula.” The blush lasted for nine hours on me before fading slightly, which made it better than the typical blush.
theBalm Hot Mama Shadow/Blush ($20.00 for 0.25 oz.) is a medium, pink-coral with warm undertones and a golden shimmer. It had good pigmentation–just shy of opaque–that was buildable to full coverage in two layers. The finish was spectacular as it was luminous and smooth–glowing but never emphasizing.
The formula is supposed to be a “beautiful blush and subtle highlighter” in one. It’s been an old favorite for many readers, and I’m not certain I ever formally reviewed it, so I wanted to get that rectified once I noticed I had one in my to-review bin! The consistency was soft, smooth, and just a smidgen dusty, but it blended almost effortlessly. It was the type of blush that applied and looked blended before you even finished applying it, so the formula was forgiving and esay to use. The color lasted for nearly nine hours on me before fading slightly.
theBalm Balm Beach Blush ($21.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a muted, medium pink with strong, warm undertones and a matte finish. It’s the type of color that pairs well with a lot of looks so long as your skin tone is light-medium or fairer (it shows up as a subtle color on my skin tone, and I’m light-medium to medium). I did find that the color darkened just a tad on the skin, but if you are drier, you might get truer-to-pan color.
The consistency was soft, smooth, and slightly firmer in the pan, though it wasn’t too stiff to use. It had good pigmentation, somewhat buildable though never quite opaque, that went on evenly and blended out without issue. On me, the color started to fade after eight hours of wear.
theBalm The Manizer Sisters Luminizing Palette ($28.00 for 0.33 oz.) is a slim, travel-friendly palette featuring three of theBalm’s famous highlighters. I’ve loved all three over the years, and to have them in a palette like this is awesome! The quality is exactly the same as the full-sized versions I have: rich, smooth, and buttery textured combined with great color payoff and luminous finishes. The full-sized versions retail for $24.00 and contain 0.30 oz. of product (or $80.00/oz.), so this palette contains $26.40 worth of product. You pay a tiny bit more to try three, but you get three for about the cost of one single shade, and the sizes provided will last quite awhile and are still large enough to get most blush brushes into them.
Cindy-Lou Manizer is described as a “peachy pink.” It’s a subdued, light-medium peach with a hint of pink in its undertone and pink shimmer. Of the three, this has the least shimmery finish, though it still produces a soft glow on the skin. It’s one of those products where the sheen becomes more pronounced as the product is blended and worked into the skin. It had good color payoff with a soft, blendable consistency. The texture is less dense (a little thinner) compared to the other two shades. This shade lasted for eight hours on me. bareMinerals The Magic Moment (LE, $26.00) is darker (95% similar). MAC Adored (LE, $34.00) is warmer (95% similar). MAC Lust (LE, $34.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar). MAC Rose Gold FX (LE, $31.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar). MAC Nuanced (LE, $34.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar). MAC Talk of the Town (LE, $29.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (95% similar). Guerlain Perles d'Etoiles (LE, $60.00) is warmer (85% similar). Laura Mercier Rosé (LE, $42.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar). MAC Sunny Surprise (LE, $22.00) is lighter (85% similar). MAC Coupe d'Chic (LE, $26.00) is more shimmery, lighter (85% similar). Benefit Rockateur (P, $29.00) is less shimmery, darker (80% similar). MAC Luna Luster (LE, $34.00) is lighter, cooler (80% similar). bareMinerals The Many Splendors #2 (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter (80% similar). The Estee Edit Gleam (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.
Autumn doesn’t have to mean only warm-toned eyeshadows–there are cooler hues found during the season. Try this these types of colors for a smokier vibe instead:
Plum is one of my favorite cheek colors to wear (right after coral!), because they can run cool or warm in tone, so they work with a lot of looks. It’s also a great shade to pair with the deeper lip colors that we often see in fall and winter. What are your favorites?
