theBalm Meet Matt(e) Hughes Mini Set

Hi everyone! It's been so long since I blogged but October so far has been a VERY busy and not going to lie very stressful month! I'm definitely feeling the pressure now of being a recent graduate and a '20 something' year old who has no clue what they want to do with their life. Every time someone asks me what I'm doing now I've finished university I feel like it stresses you out more and more each time and you literally feel like you're about to scream at them to shut up even though they are just being nice! Thankfully I'm going on holiday in a couple of weeks so I'm hoping that will cheer me up and also getting back into blogging should hopefully take my mind off things! That being said it makes me so happy seeing all the gift sets being released around this time of year and it inspires me so much to try new products to post on my blog. For ages I've seen the liquid lipsticks by theBalm which are called Meet Matt(e) Hughes but I'd never got round to trying them, however I saw Debenhams had a set of six of the liquid lipsticks in a gift set in mini size so I thought I'd buy it and see how the colours were and how the formulas performed. 

I felt like the shade range in this was perfect for me as they aren't too bold, there is a red shade and a slightly berry toned shade however they aren't too full on which usually puts me off. I have to admit matte finishes really aren't my favourite, however I love theBalm and I felt like this set had such pretty shades and I do love a gift set so I wanted to try them anyway and maybe see if it turned my head more towards a matte finish.

One of my biggest issues with this set is that it is such poor value for money, which I really didn't take into consideration at the time of buying which is my own fault however it really is disappointing how little product you get when you look at the price. From Debenhams this set retails at £25, however you only get 1.2ml of product in each mini, so that totals 7.2ml of product. In comparison a single full size liquid lipstick is 7.2ml for £13.50. So you're paying almost double the price of a standard liquid lipstick for the same amount of product which I think is so ridiculous. I do love trying a range of shades but I feel like this set is such poor value for money you may as well just buy one full size, or two full size products which would be almost the same price as this set anyway. 

Left to right: Charming, Sincere, Committed, Doting, Dedicated, Loyal

Despite the issues with the price of this set and the amount of product you receive I still had high hopes for the formula and the shades because when I swatched them I thought they looked so pretty and basically were some of my ideal shades especially for this time of year. They also swatched very pigmented and didn't seem too drying, however when I actually wore them on the lips they were so disappointing. They felt very 'gloopy' and messy to apply and once applied I pursed my lips together they actually started to crack and flake off. As well as that the smell of the product put me off so much, it was very minty but very sickly as well and I already don't like the smell of mint so it wasn't for me at all unfortunately.

I hate feeling like I'm coming on here and having a whinge but this product really was a disappointment for me especially as I have only had good experiences with theBalm before, it is a shame because the actual shade range is pretty and I usually love gift sets where you can try a range of colours from a product you have never used before but the value for money and the actual performance of these were just too poor so I definitely would not recommend. Let me know if you've seen any good Christmas gift sets out already in the comments!

The Balm Hot Mama Shadow/Blush

Hi everyone! Last week I was browsing online and saw that Feel Unique were having a sale of up to 50% so I bought a few things I've been eyeing up. Recently I did a post on Mary Lou Manizer by theBalm and how I loved it so much that I was looking for more products, I saw theBalm Hot Mama shadow/blush for sale from £15 to £12 and I thought it looked so pretty so I had to get it! I've seen a lot of posts comparing it so Nars Orgasm but I didn't get it based on that, I just don't own a blush similar to this and it seemed like my ideal colour. 

You get 7.08g of product which is such a good amount, it will last ages. It's packaging has that retro feel to it that theBalm products typically do and you get a little mirror in your compact. I actually really like the size of the packaging, when I ordered it I thought it would be a lot more bulky but I was surprised when I got it. I thought it would be more like the Benefit Box'o'Powders which I love but they just take up so much room! 

I am in love with the colour of this product! The website describes it as a pinky-peach hue with a hint of shimmer which is definitely correct. The great thing is that there isn't an over the top amount of shimmer, it is just a nice subtle hint. I think it is a really flattering colour, my blush collection seems to only consist of corals and darker pinks so I am so happy I finally invested in something a lot lighter, and I probably prefer these colours anyway so I definitely need to stock up on more!

This was a light swatch on my arm, you can see how subtle it is but I think you could build up more product if you want an intense look. I really do like this colour and I think the shimmer is just a nice healthy glow. To be honest I don't think I will be using this as an eyeshadow, only because I love it so much as a blush and I think it is a bit more on the sheer side to use as an eyeshadow but that's just my opinion! I would definitely compare the colour to rose gold, it's so girly and such a pretty colour I would definitely recommend this product if those are the colours you like.

I'm really loving theBalm so far, I saw yesterday that they have a liquid lipstick collection called Meet Matt(e) Hughes, and there is a colour in it called Committed that I am desperate for! I couldn't find them online in the UK until I checked Debenhams but the one I want is out of stock (sad face). They are £13,50 so watch this space, if that one comes back in stock I will definitely buying it and reviewing it on my blog! Let me know in the comments if you have this product and what you think!

the Balm Cosmetics Mary Lou Manizer

Hi everyone! I don't know about you but the certain beauty products that are all over the internet and featured on so many blogs make me question whether they live up to their hype. A product which I have heard and read so much about is Mary Lou Manizer by theBalm, this was the first introduction I have had to this company as I basically knew nothing about them other than this product. I've put off buying it for absolutely ages because I was unsure whether it would live up to it's reputation. also when you are first hearing about a company I think you are also a bit more reluctant to spend your money on it as you don't know much about it. Anyway I finally gave in because I'm obsessed with highlighters and I was like this product seriously must be good as people never stop talking about it!

I bought it from Debenhams when I was having a little spree for £17.50 which is a bit more expensive but you get 8.5g of product which for a highlighter will last ages! It is described as a 'honey hued luminizer', this is perfect for me because I prefer gold highlighters as I think they suit my undertones much more and I love the bronzed look!

I'd been reading a lot about theBalm and they do have that quirky sort of style to all their products which I think makes them interesting over your bog standard boring packaging. When it arrived it definitely did look really cute in a silver compact with a vintage style model on the front and it has a big mirror inside the compact which is handy. 

It's funny because when you first look at the product it doesn't look like it would give a really good highlight as it almost looks a bit flat, I think this is down to the lack of shimmer in it. However when you swatch it you can see it's almost like a different product! It's so bold and gorgeous and literally everything I would want from a highlight.

You can see here how pigmented it is, I'm obsessed with the formula when you swatch it you can feel how creamy and buttery it is. Obviously with it being so pigmented a little definitely does go a long way so application is important. My favourite way to apply it is with a small fan brush as it goes on so nice and not too full on. I was so obsessed with I first put it on, I can definitely say it lives up to the hype and more! It gives such a nice glow, by far the best of any highlighter I have used. I'm definitely now converting more to powder highlighters, before I was only into cream or liquid highlighters but I think with powder products such as this you get a much more intense highlight.

I wish I hadn't been so stubborn and just bought it ages ago now because I'm in love! It's definitely my go to highlighter now, and it will last absolutely ages because you get so much product. After being so happy with my first product from theBalm I'm desperate for more, if you've got any product recommendations from this company let me know in the comments!