The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer, and Hot Mama reviews

Hello friends!

Today we're talking about The Balm's cheek products! I own two of their products,

The Mary Lou-Manizor Highlight and Hot Mama Blush.

As you can see, I REALLY like the Mary Lou!

I'v had the Mary Lou for two years. And Hot Mama for one!

Hot Mama is a beautiful pink/coral base with a TON of gold shimmer! It's a SUPER luminous blush, and not for those who hate shimmer! I love this in the summer, as a very easy cheek shade. It lasts all day for me!

Mary Lou is a golden metallic shade. This is the most intense highlighter I have. I have to go light with this on the apples of my cheeks, or else it shows off the ol' pores!

Price: $26 for Hot Mama, $30 for Mary Lou!
Pros: They are both super easy to blend out, and diffuse, and aren't powdery, but are pigmented!
Cons: The Mary Lou can be a bit too intense!

My most used/favourite highlights!

It's no secret, I'm a highlight hoe! I love to pack it on my cheek bones. And I own way too many highlights.

From top to bottom we have:

The balms Mary lou-manizor (Super intense metallic Champagne)
Sephora Brand Micro smooth luminizor in 02 Light Beam (Peachy/Pink. Very fairy esk!)
Sephora Brand Micro smooth Luminizor in 01 Star Dust (Intense Yellow Gold shimmer)
QUO Prismatic Face Pallet (White shimmer, very intense!!)

My all time favourite, hit pan on highlights are Mary Lou, and Star Dust. I'v fully finished and repurchased Star dust, and I'v hit MAJOR pan on Mary Lou!!

My favourite Fall/Winter blushes!

I love a good berry, plummy, red blush in the fall/winter! But I get that naturally just stepping outside my front door, as we're in freezing cold Canada! So it's a balancing act trying to find blushes that mimic this look without being super over the top!!

I'm also super heavy handed with blush, so I need a blush that isn't so pigmented I shake in my boots looking at it!!

I like medium coverage, luminous and buildable!

These are my favourite fall/winter blushes, and highlights!

We have starting from the top left:

The Balms Mary Lou-Manizor (Champagne Highlight)
Physicians formula Argan wear Blush in Rose (Light berry)
Clinique Cheek Pop blush in Plum Pop (cool slightly plummy, pink)
Makeup Geek Blush in Soul Mate (Plummy pink)
Sephora brand Baked Luminizor in 01. (Yellow gold)

Starting from top left:

Smashbox Halo blush in Warm glow (Mauvey brown)
Physicians formula Argan wear Bronzer in Light bronze. (Golden shade. this is a highlight on me)
Annabelle Blush in 52 (Light Cranberry shade.)
MAC eye shadow in Cranberry (I hated this as a eye shadow, it was too sheer. So I multipurposed it!)
Clinique Cheek Pop in Cola Pop.



I think only two of these are Matte. And that's because I personally don't like matte blushes, I find them hard to spread out and blend and buff. So I tend to reach for Shimmery/highlighting blushes!!