November 18, 2011

the Balm Balm Girl Lipstick Review, Swatches, Photos

What’s the story on the Balm Girls Lipstick?

Anyone try yet?

Loves?

Leaves?

I just wrapped up my review of them this week, here’s my thoughts.

Jump!

We’ve all established how much importance I put on great packaging and the Balm always gets a grade A for going above and beyond with their vintage style packaging. In the case of their new Balm Girl Lipsticks they have decked out the boxes of each lipstick with a “Balm girl” as in Balm, James Balm. Each box features a foxy little lady and her dashing companion, James Balm.

Each lipstick comes in a slick, silver bullet packaging and is available in six shades with a highly pigmented formula with a minty taste.

For the most part the collection is dominated by creamy, mod colors. I can’t do cream finishes sadly as they make my face look an ickle too full however if you embrace creams you’re sure to love ’em!

Colors Include:

  • Amanda KissMyLips (sheer maroon brown)
  • Ima Goodkisser (soft creamy coral)
  • Mia Moore (rich creamy red)
  • Mai BillsBePaid (velvety nude)
  • Anita BoyToy (cool pink frost)
  • Foxxy Pout (bold metallic bronze)

Shades that stick out for me here are Foxxy Pout which is a rather gorgeous shimmering metallic bronze, Amanda KissMyLips which is a lovely brown maroon, very dramatic color, Ima Goodkisser which is a golden coral (this pairs up so lovely with NARS Orgasm), and Mai BillsBePaid which is a flattering nude pink on my lips that has a slight MLBB (my lips but better) finish to it!

The perk of this lipstick is the incredible pigmentation. These have a super color pay off and offer full coverage. Rich color in lipstick is kinda rare and even, dare I say, MAC doesn’t offer SUPER pigment the way these do. These have a nice glide but I noticed the texture was a bit on the drier side. They wear quite long and leave behind a nice stain once they fade away. You’re looking at least six hours wear without food or drink and some minor wear into the seventh hour so once they are in place, they will be sticking around for a good, long wear. However, the longer wear time and the drier formula creates a little havoc with my lips…they need more moisture behind them to have a more comfortable wear. Mind you, my lips aren’t dry now but as the colder weather sets in I tend to get chapped, flaky lips and these won’t wear well on that type of surface so be sure to exfoliate well prior to application and make sure you have a nice, smooth canvas for your lipstick as these will accentuate drier areas without proper prepping and priming.

Overall, the Balm Girls are a rich color experience without a doubt so if you love your lippes pigmented you’ll adore this formula. However, they do have a drier formula so be prepared to work around this issue by topping them with gloss and having a smooth surface on your lips prior to application for the best results.

If you want ’em, they are available for purchase now at thebalm.com (I’m so easily amused I quickly think the BOMB dot COM haha).

Anyone try ’em?

Thoughts?

Share ’em!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Larie

    I was going to order one to try during the VIB sale, but chickened out. Now I wish I had! Gorgeous colors!

  • Leila

    Hi would you mind listing the names to the swatches in order of the swatch? Thank you do much (=

  • Silke

    Lol, those boxes are great 😀
    I’m not sure that I’d buy them though, I like my lipsticks creamy and moisturizing. But those boxes and the whole James Balm story do make them extra tempting!

  • Sara

    Aww, I was hoping with a name like “theBALM BALMGirls” (yeah, capped for effect) would mean “velvety soft moisturizing lipstick.” I’m now less enthusiastic. As my lips are generally pretty dry year round. :\

  • yampuddinglove

    Love the names 😀

    Ima Goodkisser looks amaaaaaazing!

    Thanks for the swatches and reviews!

  • M

    Ooooh Ima Goodkiseer looks very pretty!! And the names are so cheeky yet fun. Unlike some brands, who, you know, want you to wear G-Spot on your face, or sport Deep Throat on your cheeks. o_o

  • Jessica

    God, I love their packaging. It’s so retro & kitsch! <3 This is totally unrelated, but did you get the Demeter Badtz Maru fragrance spray? I had gotten the Sanrio, My Melody, and Chococat a while back, but finally got around to picking up Badtz Maru today. It smelled familiar – sweet and fruity – but I couldn't place it. I just gave it another sniff, and I realized it smells EXACTLY like the philosophy raspberries & cream body mist! Dead on dupe. I was wondering if you noticed that, since I know you love Philosophy like I do, too! 😀

  • Majick

    With a name like “the balm” you would think they would be more moisturizing. THe colors are ALL really pretty. (ALthough you know I’m partial to the same colors you are.) Since I picked up 3 hourglass colors this F&F I’ll have to check these out at a later date.

  • The Blossom Shed

    I really like the look of the Ima Goodkisser one. Even as it embarrasses me to actually type that name:) Nice, pinky coral, not too Palm Beach. I’ll have to try this one out, thanks for the review!

  • Reena

    ooohhh… I like looking at the red one. The packaging is really nice. I think a good swipe of lip balm underneath would help take care of the dryness issue…

  • Shortylegsbeauty

    I own Ima Goodkisser and I love it 🙂
    Its one of my absolute favorite lipsticks and I just got it 😀
    hugs
    xx

  • Elizabeth

    This review is very helpful. Once they’re on Haute I’m surely gonna pick some of these gorgeous lippies! Do you think Mia Moore is a neutral red, or leans towards blue/orange based red?

  • Willow

    I own Ima GoodKisser and it’s amazing. I am not the type of person who wears lipstick, but when I do this is my go to. Such a beautiful coral color.

  • Cynthia

    Love Ima Goodkisser! my fav of all time. It really lights up your face.