Beautifinous.

*

Hey guys! It’s the time of year for Christmas and New Year parties, so we’re all looking for some new makeup to jazz up the party season. Today I’m here with a nice sparkly makeup palette which is just perfect to add some shimmer to your festive makeup.

theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette

theBalm have recently released two face palettes called theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 and Vol.2. They’re designed to be a rock style colour palette that features six eyeshadows, a bronzer/shadow, blush/shadow and highlighter/shadow. They’re all complimentary shades that can be mixed and matched to create either a daytime or nighttime look using just the one palette. 

I have theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette to talk to you about today which features the pinkier, girlier shades in comparison to Alternative Rock Vol.2 which features more nude shades.

theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette

The palette comes packaged in a square, black palette that is designed to look like a record player. This then comes in a sleeve that is designed to look like an album cover. The palette is made of very sturdy card and has a mirror inside. 

theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette

Application and Results:

To make the review clearer, I’ll talk through each shade one by one. 

theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette

theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette L-R: Iron More Than You, Of Quartz You Did, Basalt and Pepper, Naughty or Gneiss, Lead Astray, Take it for Granite, Copper Attitude, Nice Ash and All Ore Nothing

theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette Naughty or Gneiss, Lead Astray, Copper Attitude, Nice Ash and Basalt and Pepper

theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette Naughty or Gneiss, Lead Astray, Copper Attitude, Nice Ash and Basalt and Pepper

theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette Naughty or Gneiss, Take it for Granite, All Ore Nothing, Basalt and Pepper

theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette Naughty or Gneiss, Take it for Granite, All Ore Nothing, Basalt and Pepper

Naughty or Gneiss

Naughty of Gneiss is a light skintone matte shade. On my skintone, this shade was extremely hard to swatch as it is a perfect match for me shade wise. It does have pigment though and works well as a base/transition shade to build the other colours up on top of.

Lead Astray 

Lead Astray is a light-mid pink shimmer eyeshadow. When on the eyes it is a very light shade, so probably works better for a daytime look, transitioning or highlighting (depending on what other shades you’re working with). It has less pigmentation when applied with a brush, so it turns out very sheer. For better pigmentation, use your finger to apply.

Take it for Granite

Take it for Granite is a lilac-silver shimmer shade. This has better pigmentation than Lead Astray, but also applies better with your finger than a brush. I found it easy to blend and it’s a versatile shade that can be used in a range of looks. 

Copper Attitude

Copper Attitude, even though it is called "copper", is a dusky, shimmering pink shade. It has a bit of a copper vibe, but it’s definitely more dark, rose-gold than copper. In the pan this is one of the prettiest shades and is the one I was most looking forward to trying out. Sadly though, I found that it can apply a little patchy, so it takes some work to get it how you want it. Using a brush, this eyeshadow applies really sheer. You definitely need to use your finger for pigmentation with this one and then to  go in with a brush to blend properly. I used it with Lead Astray, but when applied together they are pretty similar. This shade also has some fallout when using. 

Nice Ash

Nice Ash is a dark, mulberry purple shimmer shade. This has the same issue as the other shimmer shades (which is four out of the six of them) and that is that they’re not very pigmented when applied with a brush. You’re going to need to use your finger for pigmentation, but it does blend in well with the other shades in the palette. As with Copper Attitude, there is some fallout with this one.

All Ore Nothing

All Ore Nothing is a dark grey-brown matte shade. Unlike the shimmer shades, I find that this one packs more pigment with a brush than your finger. This makes it better for detailing as you can use it to create a smokey eye or as an eyeliner, and it blends out well.

Iron More Than You (Bronzer/Shadow), Of Quartz You Did (Blush/Shadow) and Basalt and Pepper (Highlighter/Shadow)

theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette

theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette Iron More Than You Bronzer/Shadow, Of Quartz You Did Blush/Shadow and Basalt and Pepper Highlighter/Shadow

theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette Iron More Than You Bronzer/Shadow, Of Quartz You Did Blush/Shadow and Basalt and Pepper Highlighter/Shadow

The blush, Of Quartz You Did, and bronzer, Iron More Than You, are both highly pigmented, so the fair skinned of us out there please do watch out with the bronzer! Be light-handed and build up the colour, don’t go in with a piled up brush. 

The blush is the same, but it’s going to be noticeable on all skin tones. Just stick to being light-handed and you should be good to go. They blend together really well and compliment one another, so they’re a nice bronzer/blush pairing.

theBalm do great bronzers (my personal favourite is theBalm Balm Desert Bronzer which can be used as either a bronzer or a blush) and Iron More Than You is no exception.

The highlighter, Basalt and Pepper, is quite dry, which is a stark contrast to one of their most popular products; theBalm Lou Manizer highlighters. Those highlighters are quite a creamy powder, very rich and highly pigmented. This one is dry but also highly pigmented. 

Whilst it looks very white in the pan, when applied, it has a lot of lilac-pink reflection in it. It’s definitely iridescent, so it’s probably more of a highlighter for nighttime than an everyday daytime highlighter.

When it is used as a highlighter, I find that it blends out really well. It’s easy to use and a little goes a long way. When used as an eyeshadow though, I find that it has a difficult time blending with the rest of the shades. I just couldn’t get a finish that I was fully happy with as it always felt patchy. Instead, this probably works better being lightly dusted over the top of another shade to add some iridescent shimmer which I did in fact do in the makeup look. The issue is that, because of that, it became harder to photograph as it did a good job of reflecting the light. In person though it does look rather pretty, albeit subtle. 

The bronzer, blush and highlighter all have great longevity with no touch ups needed throughout the day on my oily skin. 

The eyeshadows all fade somewhat after a few hours of wear with an eyeshadow primer, with All Ore Nothing fading the least and Copper Attitude fading the most. 

theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette

Overall, I love the shade selection of theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 palette, but I do wish that Lead Astray and Copper Attitude had more of a difference so they weren’t so similar. In a bigger palette, super similar shades make more sense for a nice transition. In a smaller palette, my personal opinion is that you need some shades that are complimentary but different enough so that you can create a full look with fewer shade options. If you have six shades, you don’t want them all to look the same. The rest of the shades in the palette are different enough though, so I’m happy with that.

Putting that aside, I do find it versatile enough to create some really lovely day and night looks. I love the combination of the bronzer, blush and highlighter and if you wanted, Naughty or Gneiss, Iron More Than You and All Ore Nothing can even work together to create a matte, nude eye look if you’re after something more casual during the daytime. The shimmer shade selection makes this a great palette for all of your upcoming parties throughout Christmas and New Year.

The design of the palette itself is also pretty cool. theBalm have always done well with their product packaging, and this is no different. It fits in well with their style.

I would recommend this palette for people who are a little more playful with their makeup looks but who also like to mix up between something casual and something more vibrant or bold. The iridescent highlighter is really the shade that allows you to add glitter and shimmer to everything, so it’s definitely going to get you party ready.

If you’re looking for the perfect lipstick pairing for this palette, you can check out my review for theBalm Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long-Lasting Liquid Lipstick.

Product Rating: 7/10

If you’d like to grab either theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 or Vol.2 face palettes, you can get them from Beauty Bridge.

What are your thoughts on theBalm Alternative Rock Vol.1 face palette? Which of the two volumes do you prefer?

Let me know in the comments below!