Case study: theBalm cosmetics

TheBalm are an up and coming makeup brand based in the US. They have a full range of beauty products, from highlighters to foundation; mascaras, eyeliners, and even a collection of lip products. But it is their eye shadow pallets which have proved to be most popular.

Currently, their eye shadow pallets come in two ranges: Nude Tude/ Dude collection and Meet Matt(e). The play on words the brand has adds to their unique quality. The great thing about Meet Matt(e) is that it’s exactly what it says on the tin: they are all matte shades, meaning that you get a good range of one style. Matte eyeshadows, along with the liquid matte lipstick craze, are currently a huge trend. It is also particularly good for everyday wear as it can be subtler than a more shimmery eye look. However, although matte is on trend for the moment and trends are temporary, don’t let this put you off. Matte eye shadows are timeless. Plus, the range of brown shades in each of theBalm’s eye pallets can also double up for your brows.

Meet Matt(e): Nude pallet has some lovely muted purple, pink, and brown tones: perfect for smoking into the crease of your lid. Their darker colours like ‘Matt Johnson’ and ‘Matt Wood’ have a subtle, more muted undertone, so they don’t appear too striking. If you want some colour tones which are a bit more distinct, Meet Matt(e) Trimony has some richer shades, giving the tone of their colour more depth. The shades ‘Matt Lin’ and ‘Matt Lopez’ break up the pallet, giving you a few good possible options for the base colour. They also work well as transition shades with the stronger shades. ‘Matt Kumar’, ‘Matt Moskowitz’, and, ‘Matt Reed’ are all nice warm tones that can be dulled down for day wear, or used more heavily for the evening. These colours all work nicely when smoked along your lower lash line.

If glitter is more your look, theBalm has Nude Tude and Nude Dude pallets. These come at a lower price; RRP at only £32.00 for the 12 shades. The good thing with this collection is that the pallet comes with a brush; very similar in style and usage as the brush in Urban Decay’s Naked range. Nude Tude offers more ‘feminine’ shades you could say, with some shimmery coppers, silvers, and golds; as well as a few lighter tones, which serve well for highlighting the brow bone and inner corner of the eye. They also have ‘Sexy’, ‘Serious’, and ‘Sleek’, three shades which have more depth to them. Nude Dude, however, offers a range of pink, red, and purple tones.

One major plus about this brand is that they claim to not test on animals, stating on their website: ‘Our line of cosmetics is not considered a vegan line as some of our ingredients may have animal by-products (such as bees wax or carmine) but do not contain any ruminant extracts or derivatives. Distributors of theBalm Cosmetics from all over the world do not test our products on animals.’ Recently they have released a new vegan matte pallet to add to their range Meet Matt(e) Ador.

You can purchase theBalm products at Superdrug, Look fantastic, and ASOS.