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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Review: The Balm Nude 'tude Palette

Nudes... everybody loves them, and with good reason; they flatter everyone. Granted, different tones work better on different skin tones and what not, but you get what I mean. Having brown eyes, I learned early that nudey hues worked well and could make me look just as fabulous as any flashy colour. Although, I do have that other famous palette, I couldn't help but pick this up the last time The Balm was featured on Haute Look ( I hauled major, but saved a bundle too... $82 for over $200 of The Balm goodies!)

This palette is pretty standard, it's made of coated cardboard, but is sturdy and quite durable ( I have dropped mine and it had no ouchies, the lid even stayed shut). Inside it houses a very generously sized mirror, twelve shadows, and a dual ended brush. The brush isn't completely crap, but you still aren't likely to use it. Interestingly, this palette comes in two different designs: 'Feeling Naughty' (shown) and 'Feeling Nice'. The contents are the same, but the ladies in the naughty palette are... well nude, while the nice ladies aren't quite such exhibitionists.

The Balm Nude 'tude Sassy, Stubborn, Selfish, Sophisticated, Sexy and Serious

Sassy is a white frost. It's perfect for highlighting the inner corner and brow. It is a soft frost, and blends out to be glowy not harsh.

Stubborn is a pale shimmering nude pink. It makes a great all over lid colour as it brightens the eye instantly, and isn't too pink.

Selfish is a metallic true taupe. I love this shade. Quite often I got use the first three shades (Sassy, Stubborn, and Selfish) for a fast neutral look that makes me look fresh and bright eyed.

Sophisticated is a shimmering bronze taupe. It is a little less buttery smooth as some of the more satin shadows, but it is a great colour and it applies easily. I've found myself reaching for this shade in particular when I create really light neutral looks with other shadows, as it adds a bit of depth. It blends well and works great as a fast liner.

Sexy is a rich matte mahogany. While it looks and acts like a matte, it does have a very fine scattering of gold shimmer in it. It doesn't show when applied though.

Serious is a true matte black. It's quite pigmented, but it's not as dark when used as it looks in the pan.

The Balm Nude 'tude Snobby, Stand-Offish, Sultry, Seductive, Silly, and Sleek

Snobby is a shimmering light gold.

Stand-Offish is a metallic champagne. It's another great all over lid shade.

Sultry is a matte neutral brown. This a a very nice matte; smooth and blends like a dream. It's also a neutral toned brown that can easily be worn by all.

Seductive is a soft shimmering bronze. Not super unique, but so pretty.

Silly is a rich matte brown with gold shimmer. The shimmer shows up when swatched, but not so much once you apply it.

Sleek is a deep matte brown. This is a great shade to smoke out a neutral look and give it a bit of an edge.

Overall, the formula of The Balm's shadows is pretty fantastic. They tend to be super pigmented and creamy. Most of the shades in this palette are just that, but a few of the mattes are a bit more powdery. They still blend well, but just aren't as full on amazing as the others.

I've gotten a ton of use out of this palette and will continue to do so I'm sure. Do you need it on top of that 'other' one? Probably not, but this palette does offer a little more in the actual neutral family with less focus on browns. Have you tired this palette? What did you think?


  1. I love my TheBalm Shady Lady #2 shadows, I'm going to have to keep and eye out for this as well! Great review!

    1. Thanks!
      I don't have any of the Shady Lady palettes yet, but they look amazing.

  2. First of all, how fun is the packaging?!:D Thanks for sharing, I'm looking for a new neutral palette.:D

    - Marie

    1. Right? The little nakey ladies are pretty cute.

  3. Oh my Julia Guglia, I have to buy this! I'm a total sucker for the shimmery eyeshadows.


    1. Lol! Now I totally want to watch The Wedding Singer (for about the 234954th time...) and yes, you'd totally love the shimmer!

  4. Thank you for the review :) I also love shimmery neutral eye shadows

  5. Just adore the colors and the package , been thinking about picking one of these up! After this post I just might ;)



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