The first thing I indulged in when I saw that TheBalm had hit Australian shores was their Shady Lady palette in its second volume, which contains a mix of different shades without too much direction.
I loved how many possibilities this random grouping presented to me, and because of that I would recommend this as a travel palette if someone was a fan of the shades included. There aren't any matte shades in the palette, so some may feel the need to bring along some blending or highlighting shades if they were taking this away with them. The packaging is light and slim, which is another plus in my opinion.
Of these three darker shades I have worn Insane Jane quite a bit by itself all over the lid. I love the chocolately tones of Caught in the Act Courtney and now that I'm getting into purple eyes, I am planning on wearing Feisty Felicia in the crease with some of my favourite pale purple shades.
Though the first two glittery shades seem quite sheer, they can be built up easily and appear much nicer in person than these swatches would have you believe. Insane Jane is a satin finish and glides on the lid really easily.
The shades begin to lighten as you move down the palette, and I like having a deep blue shade like Bossy Bobbi in the palette as I lean towards blue shadows when creating smokey looks. Makeout Mary is something I wear during the day quite a bit, and Just This Once Jamie is getting me onto the purple shadow bandwagon, it is such a wearable taupey shade.
Looking at these swatches makes me want to pair Jamie and Mary together, for reals.
The lightest shade sit at the bottom of Shady Lady Vol.2, and I find these good to mix in with the brighter shades to create a whole look. I like to use Mischievous Marissa all over the lid or with the khaki Makeout Mary (this FOTD is coming up tomorrow!) I generally use Tempting Tara as an inner corner highlight, and Devilish Danielle either as a brow highlight or all over the lid.
Mischievous Marissa is really beautiful when swatched, I wasnt't expecting to like it as much as I did.
Overall I think this palette is a beauty. If I were to hand pick the shades, I may swap in different finishes for the first two shades and the last two (Courtney, Felicia, Tara and Danielle) as I find them to be less wearable and not as silky as the rest of the bunch. I also love the risque names of the shades, there is nothing more frustrating than not being able to name the shade you are raving about and I think this type of cheek is better than the flat out sexual Nars style.
TheBalm's Shady Lady Volume 2 retails for $49.95 AUD and is available from David Jones nationally. Get ready for more TheBalm posts as I placed an order on Ozsale and am eagerly waiting for it to arrive.
Have you tried anything from TheBalm?
Which shades stand out to you from this palette?
Ozsale recently had TheBlam on sale and i picked up all three shady lady palettes. Thanks for the review cant wait to try them out now:)
ReplyDeleteHave yet to get some. I didn't jump to buy some from Ozsale. Don't know why...just wanting to see what everyone else thought of them first I guess. But those are lovely colours that you've chosen.Plus I'm saving up for IMATS. ;)
ReplyDeleteI love theBalm shadows a lot and this one was a good first choice! I find the shadow liners aren't the same pigmentation, but I still love them. Must pull mine out-this is such a great fall palette! But I guess you guys are hitting spring haha!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME!!!! I want my Ozsale stuff now..... :)
ReplyDeleteoooh, it looks so pretty! I passed this up last time the Balm was on Haute Look, but I kind of regret it now!
ReplyDeleteheard so much about these shady lady palletes :) can't wait to try them ! these color looks great for fall! ^^ Thanks for sharing !
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, those four colour shades are stunning. I love the quality of The Balm's eyeshadows... I have their neutrals palette and I was so pleasantly surprised at how buttery and long-wearing the shadows are. Thanks for your post-- I may get this the next time it pops up on Haute Look!
ReplyDeleteI like the first row the best, they're so "me" colours :p I've not tried theBalm's eyeshadows though I have their Mary-Lou Manizer. If the texture is similar then I'll be pretty happy :)
ReplyDeleteThe neutral colours are gorgeous. ^__^ I haven't tried any The Balm products but I might now that they're available here! xx
ReplyDeleteReally nice. I have the Vol 3 palette. TheBalm make really nice eyeshadows. I'll need to whip that out because it's been ages since I've used it.
ReplyDeleteah these colours are so nice- I'm quite a neutral girl when it comes to my make up and this palette is just gorgeous! Love your blog by the way, you are really pretty and I shall certainly follow :)
ReplyDeletexx
http://ellacatherine1.blogspot.co.uk/