This summer, I saw Cabana Boy at TJ Maxx for $10, but it was before I'd started working (=had limited funds), and I knew I wouldn't want it until fall/winter, so I decided not to get it. I have regretted that decision many times the past few weeks, but fortunately, theBalm had a 40% off sale for Black Friday, and I opted to get it then (for $12.60, but hey, much better than $21!).
It's very pigmented and wonderfully blendable; just a light tap of my Real Techniques blush brush swept over my cheeks gives me a healthy flush, very just-in-from-the-cold. It's so pigmented that it would work very well for darker-complected pretties, but it's smooth and blendable enough for me (of the "I was this pale before the whole vampire craze started, stop looking at me like I'm a poser" clan) to wear too. It lasts all day, even on my oily skin, though there is some fading by the end of the day. In short? Completely worth it. Total love. I see myself wearing this a lot this winter! And as a bonus? It's friggin' huge, with 0.30 oz, nearly twice the size of NARS blushes (0.16 oz), and with how pigmented it is, it'll probably last me until I die. And while I'm not super crazy about the picture on the front (I do like it better than Frat Boy, though that's not saying a whole lot), I like that it's sturdy carboard, and therefore durable and won't break if dropped, and that it has a good-sized mirror in the lid.
And, because this blush completes my theBalm blush collection (still don't have their bronzers or highlighters, but since I rarely wear either, I probably won't be picking them up anytime soon), here's side-by-side swatches of all of them:
Overview
$21 for 0.30 oz, available from Sephora and theBalm
Quality: 9.5
Effectiveness: 5
Ease of Use: 4.5
Senses: 5
Pigmentation: 5
Duration: 5
Consistency: 5
Price: 2
Value: 5
Grade: A-
What do you think of Cabana Boy? Which of theBalm's blushes do you like best? Do you have any yourself?
Cabana Boy
Cabana Boy is in the same vein as NARS Sin and CARGO Mendocino: a berry-plum with shimmer. Cabana Boy's shimmer is subtler than that of Sin and Mendocino, and the blush color has less brown, and that plus the fact that it's both much cheaper and a much better value (especially on sale!) convinced me to get it and complete my theBalm blush collection.
Cabana Boy unblended (left) and blended (right)
It's very pigmented and wonderfully blendable; just a light tap of my Real Techniques blush brush swept over my cheeks gives me a healthy flush, very just-in-from-the-cold. It's so pigmented that it would work very well for darker-complected pretties, but it's smooth and blendable enough for me (of the "I was this pale before the whole vampire craze started, stop looking at me like I'm a poser" clan) to wear too. It lasts all day, even on my oily skin, though there is some fading by the end of the day. In short? Completely worth it. Total love. I see myself wearing this a lot this winter! And as a bonus? It's friggin' huge, with 0.30 oz, nearly twice the size of NARS blushes (0.16 oz), and with how pigmented it is, it'll probably last me until I die. And while I'm not super crazy about the picture on the front (I do like it better than Frat Boy, though that's not saying a whole lot), I like that it's sturdy carboard, and therefore durable and won't break if dropped, and that it has a good-sized mirror in the lid.
And, because this blush completes my theBalm blush collection (still don't have their bronzers or highlighters, but since I rarely wear either, I probably won't be picking them up anytime soon), here's side-by-side swatches of all of them:
Left to right: Cabana Boy, Down Boy, Frat Boy, Hot Mama, all swatched heavily
Overview
$21 for 0.30 oz, available from Sephora and theBalm
Quality: 9.5
Effectiveness: 5
Ease of Use: 4.5
Senses: 5
Pigmentation: 5
Duration: 5
Consistency: 5
Price: 2
Value: 5
Grade: A-
What do you think of Cabana Boy? Which of theBalm's blushes do you like best? Do you have any yourself?
