theBalm's theBalm and the Beautiful (AKA The Muppets Cast Your Shadow) Palette - Photos, Swatches, Review

Are you one of the lucky few gifted with an ungodly supply of patience, straight-faced and calm even in the most tiresome and annoying situations?

That is me, when it comes to anything involving work, personal relationships, school, studies, research, problem-solving, and teaching; patience is kind of required in the field of medicine, where there are so many questions and the path to answers is peppered with roadblocks, potholes, detours, and those mustachioed 18th-century wild-west crazies looking to rob you blind and steal your money. Also, you're traveling in a rickety stagecoach missing a wheel and a stubborn mule who'd much rather be smelling daisies (like Ferdinand the Bull). Yeah, science is exactly like that 8D

What I don't have patience for? Waiting in long lines, bad or slow customer service, shopping with someone who I think I dilly-dallying too much, shopping when I don't know what I want to buy, and sifting through the mess that is TJ Maxx to find a deal. Usually I end up paying full-price elsewhere to keep a shred of my sanity.

However, the other day I decided to do a quick run to the handbag aisle and though I didn't find what I was looking for, I did stumble upon the pretty stellar beauty section! Who knew? TJ has a GREAT selection of Estee Lauder, theBalm, ELF, and Color Club - all at less than half regular price!

I ended up grabbing too too many things, one of which was theBalm's theBalm and the Beautiful set!

You may have heard the buzz about theBalm's limited edition Muppet Cast Your Shadow palette. As far as I can tell, theBalm and the Beautiful's contents are exactly the same but with different names and a packaging design to fit the corny soap opera motif. Personally I prefer this theme over the Muppets - I recognize them of course, but I never watched the show and the puppets were not a part of my childhood. I also prefer tBatB's price - $19.99 at TJ versus $44.50 for CYS :D

The box is held closed magnetically with trifold flaps -

Here are the sixteen eye shadows, two lip/cheek stains (The Drama Queen and The Perfect Man), and one lipgloss (The Evil Twin) -

Can I mention again how much I adore this theme?! The Guy Who Died But Didn't Really Die, The Coma Patient, The Basket Case? Pure cheese, yes, but I think it's fabulous - who doesn't love a good dose of drama every now and again? :D

The shadows up close -

Swatches, first row -

L to R - The Oil Tycoon (lightly reddened brown with shimmer), The Estranged Mom (taupe olive-brown with shimmer), The Supermodel (dirty gold), The Bad Boy (dark, rusty brown with microglitter)

Second Row -

L to R - The Southern Belle (medium, metallic cornflower blue), The Mother-in-Law (frosted browned gray), The Guy Who Died But Didn't Really Die (cool ash brown), The Mistress (cool, silvery gray)

Third Row -

L to R - The Step Brother (deep golden olive), The Coma Patient (soft mauve pink shimmer), The Police Officer (shimmery aqua blue), The Brain Surgeon (browned medium purple shimmer)

Fourth Row -

L to R - The Neighbor (yellowed beige shimmer), The Stock Broker (soft white shimmer), The Basket Case (peachy beige frost), The Older Woman (light pink-peach shimmer)

Lip/cheek stains and lipgloss -

L to R - The Drama Queen, The Perfect Man, The Evil Twin

The Drama Queen

The Perfect Man

The Evil Twin

First, a quick word on the lip pans -- usually the afterthought lipsticks in a larger palette are throwaways for me, but I actually really like all three of these! The texture is light and opaque (though Drama Queen is a little gritty..) and The Evil Twin is a very nice complementary nude for my skin tone. I'm always on the look-out for nude colors that don't look sickly and that don't wash me out, and ET's muddy-putty hue is a perfect match!

As for the shadows.. also perfect! Or, very nearly. All very beautiful, pigmented, and easily blended. I wore a few of these without primer and they lasted all day with zero creasing! Pretty impressive, no? theBalm's color selection here is fantastic, too - tasteful, classic, but with a few great and bold pops of color. I completely love <3 This is my first experience with theBalm's eyeshadow, and I'm a believer!