The Balm Cabana Boy Shadow/Blush
I’ve never bought anything from the Balm before, but my sister-in-law kindly gave me some vouchers for Debenhams, and when I wandered in, it was like an Aladdin’s cave of makeup brands I’ve never tried. I had a vague idea of trying one of the Balms liquid lipsticks, which I’ve read great reviews on, but decided at the last moment, that I have quite enough lipstick, thank you, and perused the face products instead. Once I saw the kitsch, 50s pulp-fiction inspired packaging of their blushers, I knew I had to get one, and Cabana boy is what I plumped for.
Cabana boy is a duel product, for use on your eyes or cheeks. I’ll admit I haven’t yet tried it on my eyes, but I’ve been loving it on my cheeks. The colour looks almost lurid in the pan, it’s a dark rose-pink with sparkles. However, it blends out beautifully on the face to give a lovely, flushed glow. The formula is soft, but not crumbly, and it’s an absolute dream to blend. You can keep it bold, for an 80s inspired, draped blush look, or blend it out, for a soft bloom. This product doesn’t cake or drag at all on my dry skin, even with several layers. The sparkles are extremely subtle; there are no harsh chunks of glitter, it gives a lovely dimension to the blush, and stops your face looking flat.
This blush lasts for quite a while, I’ve never had to reapply it, and we’ve had some very hot weather recently, and I’ve been sweating a lot. I have sensitive skin, and haven’t suffered any irritation. The packaging, while made of cardboard, is very sturdy, and closes with a satisfying snap. There’s even a little mirror in the lid. I am very impressed with this product. The Balm is known for well performing products, despite their almost novelty, tongue-in-cheek packaging. My only complaint is it’s so hard to get hold of in the UK. The stand in Debenhams was very much neglected, and shoved to the back of the makeup section. Debenhams is also quite out of the way for me, but despite this I will be making another pilgrimage there soon, to worship once more at the altar of The Balm!
Above: Cabana Boy in natural, outdoor lighting.