THE BALM BLUSHES

I'm not often blown away by a blush, but I have been really impressed from these two from The Balm as of late. The Balm is sort of that inbetween drugstore and high end brand in terms of price, as these blushes come in between £15.50 and £17.50.

Frat Boy is a gorgeous universal blush with both peach and pink tones running through. I've found it pairs well with almost any make-up look, so I reach for it often when I don't want to think too much. Down Boy is more of a mix of pink and purple. Both blushes are very pigmented, which I'm not always a fan of, but they blend so easily into the cheeks and take practically no time to add the perfect amount of colour to the apples of the cheeks. That makes them perfect for a busy lifestyle where quick and easy is so crucial.

I have to say the quality does match up to the slighter more expensive price in this case. I'm already looking into more blushes from The Balm, or maybe even a different product. Have you tried any? Will you be trying these?

Tina xx

(Happy to be back!)

LOVE AT FIRST APPLICATION: THE BALM BAHAMA MAMA BRONZER

A recent purchase of The Balm's Bahama Mama bronzer was love at first application. I'm sure you know the ones. I haven't been able to put it down since that first use, as it is completely different to anything else in my collection. I adore the super cute cardboard packaging with the old school pin up style picture on the front. It has a magnetised closure so you don't have to worry about it opening up in your make-up bag. The colour scheme and design are perfect for a bronzer designed to give a "sun-kissed glow".

This gorgeous cool toned bronzer is perfect for contouring and that's exactly what I've been using it for. Because there are no orange tones it creates that natural looking shadow when placed in the contours of my face. For bronzing up the face, I pair it with my NARS Laguna bronzer - another favourite.

In the pan, it looks quite a bit darker than my other bronzers but don't let that scare you as it doesn't apply quite as dark and can therefore be used on a range of different skin tones. It might not work quite as well on the very pale complexions as it might start to come off a little muddy - one to reserve for summer then. I'm going to get as much use of it as possible as summer is already being snatched from us!

Do you have a favourite product to contour with? I've heard great things about the Kevin Aucoin Sculpting Powder. Maybe one to try next...