Friday, June 14, 2013

REVIEW! | theBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer, Balms Away Eye Makeup Remover





When I found out theBalm was going to be on HauteLook, I was excited to try a few items from a brand I've never used before at a 50% discount.  Who wouldn't be?  50% off?  Who isn't all about that?!

I picked up their infamous Bahama Mama Bronzer (a contouring must-have) and their Balms Away Eye Makeup Remover.  I'd never read anything about Balms Away, but I was intrigued enough to pick it up.

theBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer, Balms Away Eye Makeup Remover

Bahama Mama is revered by beauty lovers for it's matte finish and cooler-tone, making it the perfect partner in crime for gals who love to contour.  I found it very pigmented (so a little dab will do ya!) and finely milled so there was good bit of excess powder kicked up when I swirled a brush across it.  It performed well for contouring and bronzing purposes, giving a nicely believable color to my skin and being completely free of sparkle.  Bahama Mama lasted all day without any fading or oxidizing.  It's packaged in cardboard so it's lightweight and slightly less likely to shatter if dropped.  It's small, so it's a great travel buddy that will fit into your bag without hogging a lot of real estate.

theBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer

theBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer

Wearing theBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer

My Rating: B+
Cost: $20.00 for .25 oz
Where to Buy: theBalm

Balms Away Eye Makeup Remover

Balms Away is a balm-like eye makeup remover fortified with vitamins and plant-derived lipids.  You apply a dab to your closed eye, rub it around a little bit, and wipe it off with a kleenex, wash cloth, or my personal fave, a baby wipe.  This is not a new idea (it's actually similar to one of the oldest methods in the book for removing makeup: cold cream) but sometimes older methods stick around because they work!  It removed every trace of shadow, liner, and mascara with ease and didn't leave me with that "Do I have oil in my eye?" feeling.  It didn't completely remove waterproof mascara, so if that's something you wear often, this might not be powerful enough for you.  It had no problem removing long-wear formula eyeliner (UD 24/7, to be exact).  

Balms Away Eye Makeup Remover

Balms Away Eye Makeup Remover

Can we talk about the tin?!  Oh my lord, I love the tin.  It's palm-sized and though it may take a year, I look forward to the day when I've used up the product so I can repurpose the tin!  Hairpin container?  Large pill case (giant Advils, come on down!)?  Push pin holder?  There's a world of options!  For now, the tin's job is to keep the Balms Away nice and secure and it does that with aplomb.

My Rating: B+
Cost: $20.00 for 2.2 oz
Where to Buy: theBalm

PS: If you're not signed up for HauteLook, do it!  They have great sales on everything from clothing, shoes, jewelry, beauty, house goods, and men's clothing.  When I say great sales, I mean 50% off sales.  I scored the above products for $10 apiece! 

10 comments :

  1. Kayla | Peace Love and GlitterJune 14, 2013 at 1:27 AM

    I'm kind of glad that I didn't know theBalm was on HauteLook, because I am one broke B right now. I LOVE their palettes (I think I have 6 or 7 of them). Your blog has been looking amazing lately! Loving your reviews and pics, nice work!

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  2. I like that the bronzer is matte. Definitely makes it perfect for contouring. Not that I contour, but whatevah, lol :-)

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  3. That tin! It's adorable! So retro and I'm glad to hear it works so well!

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  4. TracyBeautyReflectionsJune 14, 2013 at 1:24 PM

    I missed this Hautelook sale! Shucks. Oh well, not like I don't have ENOUGH makeup already LOL.
    Always wondered about Balms Away! Sounds really great! Bahama Mama looks great on you too!

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  5. I am really intrigued by the eye makeup remover! Do you have to apply it more than once to get it to remove everything or is it just one application and BAM all eye makeup gone?

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  6. Kayla, thank you so much!! Your comment made my day! You are a love! Hopefully the next time theBalm is on HauteLook you will have extra jingle in your pockets from all of your hard work! I bet you have some amazingly fun stories to tell about brides and prom queens!

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  7. Ha ha! Well, if you did contour...you know what to use! It's the perfect contouring buddy! :)

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  8. Right?!?! That tin! I see we are both excited by pretty reusable tins, lol! :D

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  9. LOL I know! Recently I got a notice that Laura Mercier was going to be on sale at HL and I had to just delete the email! The Balms Away definitely takes care of business!

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  10. No! Just one "dab", swirl it around with a finger and you see your eyemakeup becoming a giant smeared mess that wipes away clean with a baby wipe (or wash cloth - whatever "cloth" type of gadget you prefer)! I didn't even have to get out a second wipe to clean up and I had on dark brown liner (and shadow and mascara) and lots of it! Very impressive! Bam indeed! :)

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