TheBalm - Shady Lady palette

I love makeup (obviously). I adore vintage. I respect and admire women who create their business from the ground up. Is it any wonder I'm a huge fan of The Balm?

The style is frothy retro, with just enough animal-print to balance out the pink, and a sleeker look than the kitsch evinced by a brand like Benefit.

The product that sucked me into the brand was the Shady Lady palette. Priced at just about 40$ at the time, it's a collection of nine absolutely gorgeous eyeshadows that represent a very practical range of shades. Nothing too flashy or bright, but a great selection of mid to deep colors that can create both a daytime-appropriate and more intense looks.

There is not a failed color among them. These are swatched on bare, primer-free skin - the pigmentation is just THAT good. In fact, with the dark green and dark blue, it was almost too much pigmentation - they are fantastic for a smoky eye or as eyeliner, and otherwise require a judicious hand.

The texture of all of them is both dense and silky, though not too creamy, and they wear beautifully.

If I were to voice any criticism, it would be that I wish there were more light colors for highlight purposes, and that this palette is unfortunately no longer available.

However! The Balm did recently come out with Shady Lady 2.0, which does indeed feature more light colors, as well as a few more vivid shades. Each of the eyeshadows in the original palette are also still available in individual form, so all is not lost. (In fact, that's a great way of offering customers a chance to try the range - smaller pans, very reasonable price - and then still have them available for purchase in single form.)

Stila Precious Pearl Palette

Two things I am a sucker for - palettes and pretty packaging. (Alliteration unintentional, I promise.) So when Stila came out with their Precious Pearl Palette, I was a sucker born and bred. I think I lasted all of a day contemplating whether it was something I needed. The colors are certainly different than a lot of spring-type collections I've seen (and no Kitten!) and the textures varied enough from the usual Stila fare to intrigue me. The inclusion of real crushed pearl seemed interesting as well. But what really hooked me was the absolutely stunning Art Deco packaging.

These swatches were done on bare skin. It gives you an idea of the deep pigmentation and vibrancy of the colors, and, of course, the beautiful shimmer finish provided by the crushed pearl. The texture is a little different from other Stila shadows I've tried in that these don't have that 'dusty' quality that some people have noted. They are very dense in the pan, yet are buttery soft to the touch and pick up very well. They can be sheered out or packed on with equal ease. They apply evenly and richly on the lids, and last.

Although all the colors are beautiful, my favorites are the cream (which looks white in the pan but applies with the loveliest opalescent golden sheen) and the blue, which paired with the pinks in this palette would make for a stunning smoky eye. The green is great as well, a very fresh seafoam shade to liven things up.

I am 100% in love with this palette and can't find a bad thing to say about it.