the Balm NUDE'tude Eye Shadow Palette

Hello Everyone,

I know this isn’t a new palette but it is new to me.  I never purchased the Urban Decay nude eye shadow pallets because I thought they were very expensive and looked a little too shimmery for me.  I like a little shimmer but not a lot.  I’ve wanted to purchase the Balm Nute’tude pallet for quite a while because I thought it was similar to the Urban Decay Naked pallets without as much shimmer... and was more affordable.  When I saw it on Hautelook for half the price of retail, I went for it! 

I am so impressed with this palette and am really enjoying it. It has great shades from soft to dark which can be used to create many looks. They are very pigmented shadows with a soft texture that apply and blend beautifully. 

Top row from left to right:

Sassy is a frosty white; Stubborn is peachy-pink; Selfish is a beautiful, shimmery taupe; Sophisticated is a shimmery bronze-brown; Sexy is a matte burgundy; Serious is a matte black.

Bottom row from left to right:

Snobby is a shimmery yellow. I love this color.  I dab a light layer of this on my eyelid and inner corner; Stand-offish is frosty pinkish color; Sultry is a matte medium tan-brown; Seductive is a gorgeous frosty brown – one of my favorites in the palette; Silly is a glittery red-brown and is my least favorite shadow in the palette; Sleek is a highly pigmented matte dark brown.

I like Stubborn and Stand-offish but they are almost the identical color so I find it odd that both are included in the palette.

My favorite look is Snobby on the lid and inner corner, Stand-offish or Stubborn in the crease and Seductive on the outer V.

Included with the palette is a double ended brush that’s not very good quality and I probably won’t ever use it.

I highly recommend this palette.  It’s retails for $36.00 but I bought it on Hautelook for $18.00.  If you want the palette and don’t want to pay full price, keep an eye on Hautelook (http://www.hautelook.com/) because they have a sale on The Balm products about every six months.

I hope you are having a beautiful day.

Take care,
Kat

My First Glam Bag by MyGlam

Glam Bag is a monthly subscription service similar to Birchbox. It costs $10 a month and you receive a custom Glam Bag (actual makeup bag) filled with 4 or 5 full-sized or deluxe-sized samples of beauty products (cosmetics, skin care, hair care). Glam Bag started in December of 2011 and was created by several YouTube "beauty guru's".  It was so popular they sold out of their December Glam Bag and had to stop accepting subscriptions.  They opened subscriptions again in late December, so I was able to sign up then. When you first join the site, you take a beauty quiz to create your personalized beauty profile. Then every month you are sent a bag of goodies for $10 (includes shipping and handling)!  You can join by the month, or a year at a time.

My January Glam Bag contained:

• Wen Sweet Almond Mint Conditioner (2 fl oz)
• Freeman Cucumber Peel-Off Mask (6 fl oz - full size product)
• SheerCover Duo Concealer in Light/Medium
• The Balm Shady Lady Eyeshadow in Luscious Lani (full size product)　

Freeman’s Peel-Off Mask in Cucumber: This is fairly sticky when applying it to the face. The directions say it takes 5 minutes to dry but I find it takes much longer then that. Maybe I put too much on. It feels cool and tingly on my skin and once it dries it peels off easily. It leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth and looks a little brighter and firmer. I love facial masks and use several brands from high end to drug store and I really liked this Cucumber mask. I will most likely purchase it when this tube is gone.

Wen Sweet Almond Mind Conditioner: Please see my blog review below.  Didn't care for it....won't purchase it.

Sheercover’s concealer in light/medium: This has good coverage and a very creamy consistency. I did feel like I needed to set the concealer with a bit of powder.  I like that it comes with a light and a medium shade. 

The Balm Shady Lady Eyeshadow: I love this eyeshadow!!!  I love the color and the pigmentation is amazing. I would say this color is very similar to Urban Decay Sin - just not quite as shimmery as Sin. The container is very large and will last me a long while. I had never heard of The Balm cosmetics but I like this eyeshadow so much that I am anxious to buy more.

This Glam Bag was a great value.  Just the eyeshadow alone cost $16.00.  I like it better than Birchbox because the samples are from popular brands and the sizes are much larger than the "deluxe" samples you receive from Birchbox.  You can subscribe to the MyGlam My Bag at www.myglam.com.

Do any of you subscribe to the Glam Bag or Birchbox?  Which one do you prefer?

Take care and I hope you're having a great day!

Kat