Whenever I am going on holiday, weekend away, off to visit the family or on an overnight stop somewhere, I love to make sure I have my essentials but the last thing I want to be doing is lugging around a case full of full-sized skincare and makeup products, especially if it means I can fit in another pair of shoes. So, I am a huge fan of mini products and am always chuffed when I find mini versions of some of my favourite products because it makes life much less stressful and as much as I try to remember to decant products, I rarely do. I also love trying new products from brands as a mini option too, this way I can decide whether or not I like something before splashing out.
One brand that does some incredible miniature versions of their bestsellers is theBalm Cosmetics and when these little pouches arrived, I did do a little squeal because there are some of my favourite products. Meet theBalm Travel Size Classics.
As you can see, there are five of theBalm classic products included within this pouch and you might have come and across just some of them, or you might have come across and used all of them. For me, I had used just two of the five, so it has been amazing to try something new and because I am going to France twice in the next few months for 5 days each time, I definitely need to be thinking about what products I need to be taking with me.
First out of the bag is a product called the timeBalm Face Primer. Enriched with Vitamins A, C and E, timeBalm is a product which can be worn alone for visibly softer skin, or under makeup so your look stays put. It also helps even out skin tone and minimizes the appearance of fine lines and pores.
On the skin, this balm is not at all like one of those primers that is full of silicone and sits on the skin and really feels quite grim, it is instead lightweight, it applies incredibly well and for just a few seconds it is quite tacky but that feeling soon subsides. When applying makeup, it glides on over the top of this primer, doesn't cling to it, no creasing occurs and my skin looks and feels soft and smooth to the touch. I have enjoyed using this primer so much that I have already ordered a full sized tube.
The second product within the bag is the Bahama Mama Bronzer, Shadow and Contour Powder. I have a full size one of these and I just adore everything about it. With no orange undertones, this is quite a dark bronzer, it applies matte and I tend to use it very lightly on my oh so pale skin.
What I love about Bahama Mama is that it is one of those multitasking products and definitely one that every makeup bag needs because as well as being a bronzer, it also doubles up to perform the role of a contour powder, a neutral brow-filler and a really pretty neutral eyeshadow shade, the latter being one of my favourite things to use it as, for that natural everyday look.
Hot Mama! comes next and this is a product I have had my eye on for a while now. Another multitasking product which acts as your all-in-one highlighter, blush and eyeshadow.
I am not a big user of blushes admittedly, I have my own inbuilt redness, so any blush tends to not even show up on my skin without making the redness really stand out, but there is something about this shade that I just adore. Rather than being a bright Barbie pink, Hot Mama! is infact has a really pretty pinky-peach hue that gives your cheeks and lids a hint of colour and because it has a shimmering gold tone, it works wonderfully well at as a highlighter too.
The one product I am sure everyone has come across or might even have within their stash is the iconic Mary-Lou Manizer. This product was one of the very first I tried from theBalm a good few years ago and it is also the first highlighter I ever hit pan on too!
Mary-Lou Manizer is a beautiful Champagne Gold colour with warm undertones and a soft, pearl-like sheen which gives the skin a luminous glow. Mary-Lou Manizer is pigmented, you only needed the smallest amount to get that incredible pop of colour. As you might expect, this product has been included within the Travel Size Classics pouch for a reason and that is because it too is a multitasking product - Mary-Lou Manizer can also be used as a shadow to really make that eye makeup look pop. For me, this product is a must for everyone's stash.
The final product within this pouch is the Mad Lash Mascara and I am an absolute mascara fiend and a huge fan of this product, which you can featured on my blog right here.
I am drawn to most mascaras based on their wand and formula. From theBalm we have a masacara which is not only a richly pigmented black formula but the wand, as you can see, features a slight curve to it and I have found it to be perfectly curved with bristles long enough to reach the smallest of lashes. The formula is very much a liquid like formula but it is not overly wet, one of my pet peeves with mascara is a formula which is too wet and clumps the lashes! This is a mascara you can layer numerous times without getting spider lashes and it is one which you can remove with just warm water.
I already have my pouch in my travel case ready for when I go to France in a few weeks time and it is a fabulous way to travel with your favourites or to become acquainted with a brand and the products you have had your eye on for some time. It retails for $46.50 from theBalm here and each one of these products can be purchased separately online from the likes of Feelunique, Lookfantastic* and of course Superdrug.
Do you have a favourite product from theBalm?
*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.