Its TheBalm!

I am a bit of a shadow snob. There is nothing worse than chalky shadow that streaks on rather than blending beautifully. I’ve found that even expensive brands tend to disappoint in this arena which makes me loyal to my favorite companies that provide finely-milled, long wearing shadows. Recently, I decided to take a leap of faith and test out the Balm Shady Lady Eyeshadow Palette.

With their kitschy vintage pin-up packaging, I never took the brand very seriously until I tried it myself. TheBalm really impressed me with their highly-pigmented, quality Shady Lady shadows. Since the shades are so rich and intense, they easily convert to powder liners; just use a wet brush to apply. Check out this Sephora exclusive the Balm Shady Lady Eyeshadow Palette. It includes 9 fabulous Shady Lady shadows in a leopard palette. Colors range from rock-star intense to pretty plain vanilla (in a good way) – at $38 this is such a great value!

Since I have blue eyes, I was weary to break the cardinal “no blue shadow” makeup rule but I decided to try Risque Renee, a glistening navy blue.  I figured it would work as an alternative color to black for a smoky look. I applied the rich, soft shadow to my lids and followed with the usual routine (you know, highlighter on the brow, black liner on inner and outer eyelids, heavy mascara). The result was a surprisingly wearable grey denim color. Quite possibly my quickest and easiest, sexiest smoky eye in history.

Another beautiful shade is called Racy Kacy, a shimmering copper, with the perfect balance of metallic (not too sparkly), gold (not too yellow) and pink. I like to wear this shadow in an “understated” way – simply apply to lids and add 1 coat of mascara. Anything more would be too fancy, almost too special, if there is such a thing.