‘PRODUCT REVIEW’ The Balm’s Manizer Duo Kit

I was lucky enough to be asked by Obsessed Canada to review two makeup products from The Balm-which is a complete makeup, skincare, hair care and nail polish line.   The Balm has a “beauty in five minutes” philosophy which marries well with the busy modern day woman.  The two products I got to sample are the Mary-Lou Manizer aka ‘The Luminizer’ and the Betty-Lou Manizer aka ‘The Bronzing Bandit’.

The packaging for both products is super cute, complete with retro-looking cartoon characters.  Each compact has 8.5g of product and has a handy mirror inside.

Lets first discuss the Mary-Lou.  If I had to pick a favorite between the two it would be this one!

What is it?: The Mary-Lou is a powder highlighter/eye shadow that can be used anywhere on the face to brighten and add a complimentary glow.

Pigmentation:  Great colour pay off.  I also enjoyed that it is a nice champagne colour that will compliment any fair-medium/dark complexions.  I often find some highlighters too peachy or gold for anyone with a fair skintone like myself but the Mary-Lou is a perfect shimmery shade.

Texture:  LOVE the texture!  It almost feels like a cream and applies like butter on the skin.  The actual shimmer particles are super fine so it gives your skin a nice even glow.

Longevity:  Wears really well throughout the day, no fading for at least 8 hours.  Did not crease on my eyelids on top of a primer.

Application:  I like to use any flat sided brushes to apply the Mary-Lou.  I used MACs #192 brush for the cheeks/face and MAC’s #252 brush for the eyes.

And now lets talk about the Betty-Lou…Love me some bronzer especially in the dead of winter!  The only thing I found with this bronzer is it was a little too rich in colour for my pale skin.  I think come the Spring/Summer when I get a little bit of a tan it will be a better match for me.

What is it?: The Betty-Lou is a powder Bronzer/eyeshadow that is silky smooth and will give you a sun-kissed glow anywhere on the face.

Pigmentation: A little goes a long way.  I had to be careful to not overdo it because my face would easily grab the pigment which I would then have to tone down with my face powder.  I would recommend to definitely bring the colour down onto your neck to prevent the tan face/white neck look 😉  It’s a nice warm golden shade that would work best on someone with a medium skin tone.

Texture: Same as the Mary-Lou, its very creamy and glides onto the skin.  The particles are super fine and gives a subtle glow to the skin

Longevity:  Its stays put and remained on my face.  There was little to no fading throughout the day.

Application:  I used more fluffy natural bristle brushes to apply the Betty-Lou Bronzer.  I used MACs #217 for the eyes and MACs #129 for the face.

Overall I think these two products are great individually and they also work great together to create a beautifully sculpted and highlighted face.  These are two keepers that I will definitely be adding to my professional kit.  I would give them both a final score of 4 kiss marks out of 5.

All The Balm products are available online from Obsessed Canada and a nice added bonus is they ship free within Canada!   Both the Betty-Lou and Mary-Lou are sold separately or in the Manizer Duo Kit.

Go and check ‘em out: http://www.obsessedcanada.com/manizer-duo-kit-by-the-balm/

XO J9