TheBalm InStain Long-Wearing Powder Staining Blushes in Toile, Argyle, Lace, and Houndstooth

Many Canadians will know that TheBalm is not as widely available as it once was since it was taken out of Sephora locations. I think there are some Rexall locations that carry the line, but as I never go to Rexall (and there is some ridiculous shipping/duties fees if ordering directly from TheBalm's website), I jumped at the chance of picking these up on Nail Polish Canada (I got three of them in a value set, and then bought one separately), who started carrying TheBalm sometime last year. The InStain blushes are meant to be long-wearing, staining blushes that come in six shades "perfect for all seasons and skintones," though TheBalm doesn't claim much more than that. Each blush comes in a slim cardstock case with a magnetic close and a mirror spanning the entire lid. The packaging design of these blushes is inspired by InStyle magazine, complete with an illustration of a woman, "headlines" ("Spring for this blush," "Color that won't quit," "The fastest way to a flirty flush," "The quickest way to make you blush," "Rosy cheeks all day and night"), and a barcode on the cover of each blush. Each InStain blush comes with 6.5 grams of product, and retails for $24.
Toile (cover)
Toile (inside)
Argyle (cover)
Argyle (inside)
Lace (cover)
Lace (inside)
Houndstooth (cover)
Houndstooth (inside)
Toile, Argyle, Lace, and Houndstooth

Toile is a medium-dark bright coral-pink in a matte-velvet finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is brighter and more coral than MAC Fleur Power, more pink than MAC Modern Mandarin, darker and brighter than Hourglass Diffused Heat, brighter and more orange than Hourglass Radiant Magenta, brighter and less warm than NARS Amour, and more pink than NARS Torrid.
Argyle is a light-medium slightly cool-toned petal pink in a matte-velvet finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is brighter and darker than MAC Dame, slightly darker and more matte than MAC Lovecloud, cooler and more matte than MAC Dainty Mineralize Blush, warmer and more muted than NARS Gaiety, and darker and slightly brighter than Tarte Dollface.
Lace is a medium bright blue-toned bubblegum pink in a matte-velvet finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is brighter and darker than MAC Peony Petal, lighter and more muted than NARS Desire, slightly darker and more matte than NARS Angelika, brighter and more matte than Clinique Plum Pop, and cooler and less sparkly than Tarte Adored.
Houndstooth is a medium-dark pinky plum in a matte-velvet finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is less plum than TheBalm Cabana Boy, less brown and more matte than MAC Plum Foolery, more plum and more matte than MAC Gentle Mineralize Blush, slightly more plum than NARS Outlaw, and brighter and more pink than NARS Oasis.

Straight up, this is one of the most gorgeous matte blush formulas I've ever come across. They're so smooth and silky and buttery that I'm more inclined to call them velvet than truly matte, and they're never powdery or dusty. They're incredibly pigmented so a little goes a long way; like, seriously, a light dab of your brush into the powder is enough to get a full-blown flush. They apply incredibly evenly and blend out really well, too, which can be hard to find in a matte-finish blush. Not quite staining, as it comes off easily with regular make-up remover, but the wear-time, as implied, is impressive: a full ten hours without fading on my combination-oily skin. 

TheBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

Top row: Lusty Lee, Envious Erin, and Racy Kacy

Middle row: Safe Bet Annette, Runaround Rebecca, and Come-Hither Heather

Bottom row: Open to Offers Olwen, All the Way Annie, and Guilty Gwen

So, sometime last summer, I purchased a bunch of products from TheBalm. The whole thing that spawned this mini shopping spree was their promotion that was going on at the time: Buy all three Shady Lady eyeshadow palettes for the price of one! And you know I had to jump on that deal. Of course, a week after I received these palettes, I sort of... forgot about them. But I promised myself to actually use all of my unopened make-up products this year, so I made sure to bust these guys out. Shady Lady Vol. 3 comes in a slim cardstock case and has a magnetic close. It comes with a mirror that spans the length of the lid. The cover design of this palette features a giraffe print background and the silhouette of a girl along with the name of the palette and the brand in light grey. Each palette contains nine eyeshadow shades, a total of 14.4 grams of product, and retails for $39.50 USD.

Lusty Lee, Envious Erin, and Racy Kacy

Lusty Lee is a light-medium cool-toned silver with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is slightly cooler than MAC Electra, and much lighter and cooler than Urban Decay S&M.

Envious Erin is a pale warmed creamy white with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more white than Tempting Tara, and warmer than MAC White Frost.

Racy Kacy is a medium-dark copper-brown with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is much more brown than MAC Coppering, and lighter and more copper than MAC Antiqued.

Safe Bet Annette, Runaround Rebecca, and Come-Hither Heather

Safe Bet Annette is a light-medium warm-toned pink with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter than MAC Da Bling, and more frosted than Urban Decay Heartless.

Runaround Rebecca is a medium khaki-olive with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is cooler than MAC Sumptuous Olive, and lighter and warmer than Urban Decay Snare.

Come-Hither Heather is a medium-dark mauve-taupe with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and more grey than MAC Satin Taupe, and less brown than Urban Decay Bust.

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

Open to Offers Olwen is a medium brightened teal-blue with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is brighter and more blue than MAC Steamy, and more muted than Urban Decay Deep End.

All the Way Annie is a dark red-toned violet with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is redder and more frosted than MAC Fig. 1, and darker than MAC Nocturnelle.

Guilty Gwen is a dark softened black in a satin finish with silver shimmer particles. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more pigmented than MAC Black Tied, and similar to Urban Decay Oil Slick.

The formula of these eyeshadows is phenomenal across the board — soft, smooth, pigmented, easily blendable. What I like about the Shady Lady palettes is that there is enough variety in the shades that keeps it interesting without being unwearable. They're great for those who want to experiment with colour but not overwhelm themselves, and these shades will work well on most skintones and undertones. Vol. 3 differs slightly from both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by having less neutral colours, but it still has a good mix of warm and cool shades. On that note, I do think this palette could benefit from more of a variety in finishes (all of these shades are frosted or shimmery) to make it even more well-rounded. However, the price is incredibly reasonable, even at regular retail price, and works out to be much less expensive than comparable brands like MAC and Urban Decay. I still don't understand why TheBalm isn't more widely available than it currently is; their products certainly perform at the same level or higher than many much more popular brands.

TheBalm Shady Lady Vol. 2 Eyeshadow Palette

Top row: Caught in the Act Courtney, Feisty Felicia, and Insane Jane

Middle row: Bossy Bobbi, Makeout Mary, and Just This Once Jamie

Bottom row: Mischievous Marissa, Tempting Tara, and Devilish Danielle

So, sometime last summer, I purchased a bunch of products from TheBalm. The whole thing that spawned this mini shopping spree was their promotion that was going on at the time: Buy all three Shady Lady eyeshadow palettes for the price of one! And you know I had to jump on that deal. Of course, a week after I received these palettes, I sort of... forgot about them. But I promised myself to actually use all of my unopened make-up products this year, so I made sure to bust these guys out. Shady Lady Vol. 2 comes in a slim cardstock case and has a magnetic close. It comes with a mirror that spans the length of the lid. The cover design of this palette features a zebra print background and the silhouette of a girl along with the name of the palette and the brand in light grey. Each palette contains nine eyeshadow shades, a total of 17 grams of product, and retails for $39.50 USD.

Caught in the Act Courtney, Feisty Felicia, and Insane Jane

Caught in the Act Courtney is a dark warm chocolate brown with red undertones in a satin finish with gold shimmer particles. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is less reddened than MAC Swiss Chocolate, and more golden than MAC Make Your Mark Pro Longwear Eyeshadow. 

Feisty Felicia is a blackened plum-brown in a satin finish with silver shimmer particles. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more brown than MAC Shadowy Lady, and more plum than MAC Handwritten.

Insane Jane is a medium taupe-brown with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and more brown than MAC Satin Taupe, and darker than Urban Decay Verve.

Bossy Bobbi, Makeout Mary, and Just This Once Jamie

Bossy Bobbi is a medium-dark teal-blue with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and more teal than MAC Deep Truth, and lighter and more blue than Urban Decay Hijack.

Makeout Mary is a medium yellowed olive green with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more green than MAC Sumptuous Olive, and lighter than Urban Decay Mildew.

Just This Once Jamie is a medium mauve pink with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is much lighter and more pink than MAC Shale, and slightly lighter than Urban Decay Bordello.

Mischievous Marissa, Tempting Tara, and Devilish Danielle

Mischievous Marissa is a medium muted orange with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and less red than MAC Coppering, and lighter and more muted than MAC Hot Paprika Pro Longwear Eyeshadow.

Tempting Tara is a pale cream with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter than MAC Dazzlelight, and warmer than Urban Decay Zephyr.

Devilish Danielle is a pale peachy champagne with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is slightly darker and more peach than MAC Dazzlelight, and slightly lighter than MAC Jest.

The formula of these eyeshadows is phenomenal across the board — soft, smooth, pigmented, easily blendable. What I like about the Shady Lady palettes is that there is enough variety in the shades that keeps it interesting without being unwearable. They're great for those who want to experiment with colour but not overwhelm themselves, and these shades will work well on most skintones and undertones. On that note, I do think this palette could benefit from more of a variety in finishes (all of these shades are frosted or shimmery) to make it even more well-rounded. I'm also disappointed in the fact that Caught in the Act Courtney is included in both Shady Lady Vol. 1 and Vol. 2; I always think that if a company is going to release a series of eyeshadow palettes, they should always have completely separate shades in each palette. However, the price is incredibly reasonable, even at regular retail price, and works out to be much less expensive than comparable brands like MAC and Urban Decay. I still don't understand why TheBalm isn't more widely available than it currently is; their products certainly perform at the same level or higher than many much more popular brands.

TheBalm Shady Lady Vol. 1 Eyeshadow Palette

Top row: Caught in the Act Courtney, Shameless Shana, and Luscious Lani

Middle row: Jealous Jordana, Risqué Renee, and Curvy Cami

Bottom row: Jet-Setting Jennifer, All About Alex, and Easy Wheezie

So, sometime last summer, I purchased a bunch of products from TheBalm. The whole thing that spawned this mini shopping spree was their promotion that was going on at the time: Buy all three Shady Lady eyeshadow palettes for the price of one! And you know I had to jump on that deal. Of course, a week after I received these palettes, I sort of... forgot about them. But I promised myself to actually use all of my unopened make-up products this year, so I made sure to bust these guys out. Shady Lady Vol. 1 comes in a slim cardstock case and has a magnetic close. It comes with a mirror that spans the length of the lid. The cover design of this palette features a cheetah print background and the silhouette of a girl along with the name of the palette and the brand in light grey. Each palette contains nine eyeshadow shades, a total of 19.4 grams of product, and retails for $39.50 USD.

Caught in the Act Courtney, Shameless Shana, and Luscious Lani

Caught in the Act Courtney is a dark warm chocolate brown with red undertones in a satin finish with gold shimmer particles. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is less reddened than MAC Swiss Chocolate, and more golden than MAC Make Your Mark Pro Longwear Eyeshadow. 

Shameless Shana is a medium golden brown with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more frosted than MAC Texture, and less copper than Urban Decay Chopper. 

Luscious Lani is a light pinked beige with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more pink than MAC Jest, and lighter than MAC Naked Lunch.

Jealous Jordana, Risqué Renee, and Curvy Cami

Jealous Jordana is a dark cool-toned forest green in a frosted finish with gold shimmer particles. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more cool-toned than MAC Humid, and lighter and more green than Urban Decay Loaded. 

Risqué Renee is a dark smoky indigo blue with purple undertones in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and more purple-toned than MAC Contrast, and dirtier than MAC Thru the Night Pro Longwear Eyeshadow. 

Curvy Cami is a medium-dark pinked plum with red undertones in a frosted finish with gold shimmer particles. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more pink than MAC Trax, and less brown than MAC Star Violet.

Jet-Setting Jennifer, All About Alex, and Easy Wheezie

Jet-Setting Jennifer is a light yellowed wheat beige with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is slightly warmer than MAC Retrospeck, and more golden than Urban Decay Midnight Cowgirl. 

All About Alex is a medium-dark sage green with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is cooler than MAC Sumptuous Olive, and warmer than MAC Greensmoke. 

Easy Wheezie is a medium greyed cornflower blue with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and more greyed than MAC Moon's Reflection.

The formula of these eyeshadows is phenomenal across the board — soft, smooth, pigmented, easily blendable. What I like about the Shady Lady palettes is that there is enough variety in the shades that keeps it interesting without being unwearable. They're great for those who want to experiment with colour but not overwhelm themselves, and these shades will work well on most skintones and undertones. On that note, I do think this palette could benefit from more of a variety in finishes (all of these shades are frosted or shimmery) to make it even more well-rounded. However, the price is incredibly reasonable, even at regular retail price, and works out to be much less expensive than comparable brands like MAC and Urban Decay. I still don't understand why TheBalm isn't more widely available than it currently is; their products certainly perform at the same level or higher than many much more popular brands.

TheBalm Cabana Boy Shadow & Blush

So, remember when I bought all that stuff from TheBalm last summer? No? Well, I totally forgot about it, too. I played around with a couple of the eyeshadow palettes and one of the blushes, and then was totally consumed with all the other collections that were coming out... and my stash from TheBalm was soon forgotten. A damn shame, too, because they consistently impress me with the quality of their product, not to mention the cheeky packaging. I saw Cabana Boy just sitting there on my desk and was all, "Oooh, I really need to try this out ASAP." And that's what I did. All of TheBalm's blushes can also be used as eyeshadows, and are marketed as such. Cabana Boy comes in a slim cardstock case and has a magnetic close. It comes with a mirror that spans the length of the lid. The cover design of this palette features a '50s-style illustration of a girl in a leopard-print bikini with a cabana boy (presumably) handing her a drink poolside. Each blush contains 8.5 grams of product, and retails for $21 USD.

Cabana Boy (sheered out)

Cabana Boy is a medium-dark dusty raspberry pink with subtle gold shimmer-sheen. It has a soft, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. In terms of cheek colour, it is lighter and less red than MAC Breezy, lighter and less plum than Tarte Blushing Bride, and more pink than NARS Outlaw. In terms of eyeshadow, it is lighter and more pink than MAC Cranberry, and less bright and more plum than MAC Tease With Ease Pro Longwear Eyeshadow.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! It's so soft and so finely-milled, it's almost buttery. It goes on so smooth and so effortlessly, and is very easily blendable so it looks completely seamless. The pigmentation and colour pay-off are phenomenal. I do recommend using a light hand with this, though, applying it in light layers because it is easy to over-do and have clown cheeks. The colour itself isn't too dark and is fairly neutral, so it should work well on all skintones and undertones. It has a nice soft sheen without being too shimmery, so skin looks perfectly luminous. Stunning for this time of year, when that flushed-cheek-from-the-cold look is so in. And price-wise, it's a great value compared to other brands ($2.47/g vs. $4/g for MAC, $5.54/g for Tarte, and $7.05/g for NARS). For some reason, TheBalm is not widely available in Canada (it was previously being carried at Sephora, but has since been taken out), but I think it's still being carried at various PharmaPlus and Rexall locations in Canada. Either way, it's worth looking for.

TheBalm Hot Mama! Shadow & Blush

Along with several eyeshadow palettes, I also picked up a few blushes from TheBalm (because, as all blush fiends know, you can never have enough), one of which was Hot Mama!. All of TheBalm's blushes can also be used as eyeshadows, and are marketed as such. Hot Mama! comes in a slim cardstock case and has a magnetic close. It comes with a mirror that spans the length of the lid. The cover design of this palette features a '50s-style illustration of a pin-up girl in a red bikini on an island. Each blush contains 7.08 grams of product, and retails for $19 USD.

Hot Mama! is a medium peachy pink with gold micro-shimmer and sheen. It has a soft, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. In terms of cheek colour, it is darker and more pink than MAC Springsheen, more peach than Benefit Bella Bamba, less shimmery than Tarte Glisten, less pink than NARS Orgasm, and slightly less bright than NARS Deep Throat. In terms of eyeshadow, it is more pink and less shimmery than MAC Expensive Pink, less orange than Inglot #407, and darker than Lancôme Kitten Heel.

Okay, in terms of colour, Hot Mama! isn't that unique — surely every make-up brand has done some variation of a peachy pink blush. What sets this one apart? Well, the texture, for one. It's so soft and so finely-milled, it's almost buttery. It goes on so smooth and so effortlessly, and is very easily blendable so it looks completely seamless. The pigmentation and colour pay-off are phenomenal. The colour itself isn't too light or too dark, the balance between pink and peach is perfect, and it has a nice soft sheen without being too shimmery; this will look good on all skintones, both cool-toned and warm-toned. And price-wise, it's a great value compared to other brands at $2.68/g (MAC is $4/g and NARS is $7.05/g). This might be a little too early to say (and it's a little controversial), but I think this might be my new favourite peachy pink blush.

TheBalm Meet Matt(e) Eyeshadow Palette

About a month ago, I made a huge order with TheBalm which included several of their eyeshadow palettes (I reviewed the Nude 'Tude palette here). One of the palettes I bought was Meet Matt(e), which contains nine matte eyeshadow shades inside a slim cardstock case and has a magnetic close. It comes with a full-length mirror spanning the inside of the lid and a mini dual-ended eyeshadow/liner brush. The cover design of this palette features a '50s-style illustration of a man, and the names of the eyeshadows are actually all named Matt with different surnames (a tongue-in-cheek play on the name "Matt" and the texture 'matte'). Each palette contains 9.5 grams of product, and retails for $34.50 USD.

Matt Smith, Matt Gallagher, and Matt Ramirez

Matt Smith is a light warm beige in a matte finish. It has a soft, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and warmer than MAC Blanc Type, and less yellow than MAC Vanilla.

Matt Gallagher is a medium-dark warm brown in a matte finish. It has a soft, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is less reddened than MAC Soft Brown, and less orange than MAC Saddle.

Matt Ramirez is a dark chocolate brown in a matte finish. It has a soft, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is warmer than MAC Brun, and darker and more reddened than MAC Espresso.

Matt McDonald, Matt Horowitz, and Matt Chung

Matt McDonald is a dark blackened charcoal with blue undertones and a subtle pearlized sheen. This isn't a true matte finish; it's somewhere between a satin and a frost. It has a soft, buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and less blue than MAC Knight Divine, and more grey than MAC Nehru.

Matt Horowitz is a dark smoky navy blue in a semi-matte finish. It has a soft, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and more purple than MAC Contrast.

Matt Chung is a pale pinked white in a matte finish. It has a drier but finely-milled texture, and goes on a little chalky and patchy. It has light-medium pigmentation and semi-sheer colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more white than MAC Yogurt, and more pinked than MAC Vapour.

Matt Batali, Matt Schilling, and Matt Patel

Matt Batali is a dark burgundy-plum brown in a matte finish. It has a drier but finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off.It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more reddened than MAC Shadowy Lady, and more plum than MAC Sketch.

Matt Schilling is a medium-dark dirty teal in a matte finish. It has a soft, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off.It can be layered and blended out easily. I couldn't think of a dupe for this; it is much lighter, more green, and more muted than MAC Plumage.

Matt Patel is a medium dusty taupe with hints of mauve in a matte finish. It has a drier but finely-milled texture, and goes on a little patchy. It has medium pigmentation and semi-opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and more mauve than MAC Omega, and lighter and more grey than MAC Quarry.

Overall, this is a really good matte palette the features soft, dense, and pigmented shades. There are a couple of exceptions, Matt Chung and Matt Patel, that were on the drier, sheerer side, but considering how few matte eyeshadow palettes there are on the market (at least compared to non-matte eyeshadow palettes), Meet Matt(e) is definitely one to look at if you're searching for one that you don't have to customize yourself. This features mostly neutral shades with a couple pops of colour; generally, a foolproof, universally flattering palette. I can see this palette working on all skintones with both warm and cool undertones. As a whole, the amount of product is less than in other palettes from TheBalm, but you still get plenty of product in a much smaller, travel-friendly size (this one fits nicely in my hand).

TheBalm Nude 'Tude Eyeshadow Palette

I had long been curious about TheBalm but never bothered to check out their products until recently. Their palettes have been receiving rave reviews for the past year or so (I'm still sad that I couldn't get my hands on their limited edition, ultra-coveted Muppets palette, which had some of the most gorgeous, pigmented shades), and so when I saw that they had a promotion on their Shady Lady palettes (all three palettes for the price of one!) on their site, I decided I had to get in on this. Of course, because they only offer free international shipping for orders of $100 or more (otherwise it's $40 for shipping on their site), I ordered a bunch of other goodies, too. One of which was the Nude 'Tude eyeshadow palette.

This palette contains 12 nude/neutral eyeshadow shades inside a slim cardstock case (similar to a hardcover book) and has a magnetic close. It comes with a full-length mirror spanning the entire inside of the lid and a mini dual-ended eyeshadow/liner brush. There are two versions of this palette, one called "Feeling Naughty" that features nude pin-up girls with eyeshadows censoring various parts (which is the one featured here), and one called "Feeling Nice" that features a black-and-white photo of a bedroom similar to the one on the cover of the palette. Both palettes feature the same 12 shades. The palette contains a total of 11.08 grams of product, and retails for $36 USD.

Sassy, Snobby, Stubborn, Stand-offish, Selfish, and Sultry

Sassy, Snobby, Stubborn, Stand-offish, Selfish, and Sultry

Sassy is a pale white with a frosted finish. It has a soft, buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is similar to MAC Crystal Avalanche.

Snobby is a light yellow gold with a frosted finish. It has a soft, buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter than MAC Goldmine, and darker than MAC Ricepaper.

Stubborn is a light-medium pinked peach with a frosted finish. It has a soft, buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter than MAC All That Glitters.

Stand-offish is a light-medium gilded peach with shimmer in a frosted finish. It has a soft, buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is similar to MAC Naked Lunch.

Selfish is a medium-dark taupe in a frosted finish. It has a soft, buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter than MAC Satin Taupe.

Sultry is a medium-dark warm brown in a satin finish. It has a soft texture and goes on smoothly, but it almost blends out too easily so it can seem a uneven if applied with a heavy hand (like in the swatch, my finger dragged the pigment so that it looks sheered out). It can be layered easily. It is less orange-toned than MAC Saddle.

Sophisticated, Seductive, Sexy, Silly, Serious, and Sleek

Sophisticated, Seductive, Sexy, Silly, Serious, and Sleek

Sophisticated is a dark cool-toned brown with shimmer in a frosted finish. It has a soft, buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It's like a frosted version of MAC Brun.

Seductive is a medium-dark bronze-brown in a frosted finish. It has a soft, buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is less golden than MAC Bronze, and slightly lighter than MAC Tempting.

Sexy is a dark reddened burgundy in a matte finish. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and much more red than MAC Embark, and much darker and much less pink than MAC Cranberry.

Silly is a dark reddened brown with copper sparkle in a satin finish. It has a slightly drier, stiffer texture, so it goes on a bit patchy and powdery with some fall out. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is less red than MAC Embark.

Serious is a dark soft black in a matte finish. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more intense than MAC Carbon.

Sleek is a dark blackened brown in a matte finish. It has a soft texture and goes on smoothly, but it almost blends out too easily so it can seem a uneven if applied with a heavy hand (like in the swatch, my finger dragged the pigment so that it looks sheered out). It can be layered easily. It is more brown than MAC Mystery, and more blackened than MAC Brun.

A very solid palette, overall. It's a really good neutral palette that can be used to create simple, natural looks to much smokier, sultrier looks. With the exception of a couple of shades, the textures are generally soft and buttery, and they have great pigmentation and colour pay-off. Of course, comparisons to Urban Decay's Naked Palette are inevitable. I find that the Naked Palette still has better textures, pigmentation, and colour pay-off across the board. The Naked Palette as a whole is more expensive, but you also get more product; the cost per gram for both is actually quite similar (Urban Decay is $3.21/g, TheBalm is $3.25/g). However, those who wanted more satin/matte shades and more tonal variation from the Naked Palette (which consists of mostly warm shades) may want to check this one out.