The Balm Highlighter

TheBalm is one of my favourite cosmetic brands and I already had some of their other products before I purchased the Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter. I’ve read many great reviews on this highlighter and I had to get my hands on it for myself. Like all of theBalm products, the highlighter is cruelty free. Mary-Lou Manizer is a powdered highlighter contained in a compact case with a mirror.

I either use a blush or a contour brush to apply it just above my cheek bones and a little along the bridge of my nose. I just dabbed a small amount to sweep it along my desired areas and a little does go a long way as the shade is highly pigmented. I also have oily skin, so small amount was perfect for my skin.

I don’t wear a highlighter on a daily basis, but I like it to use it for parties or special occasions. Although, Mary-Lou Manizer can be expensive in some stores, Onceit and 1-day sometimes have sales where it’s a lot cheaper.

This beauty has been in my makeup bag for yonks and I can’t ever see myself getting rid of it. This is not your subtle sheen- this is the real deal. Finely milled and champagne hued without chunks of glitter. I wear this one at night as it’s not Uber natural but is definitely gorgeous and one I feel like I can still rock in my 30s. And best yet- the price is a steal!

Everyone has always raved about this highlighter so it was exciting when I finally purchased it. The packaging is a super cute compact with a pretty done up girl on the top and it has a mirror inside also. The product is really pretty and shimmery. A find a little goes a long way and you can build up the product to suit how shimmery you want to look. I highly recommend.

Mary-Lou was on my "One Day" list for quite a long time. It's not that it's THAT expensive, but I wasn't a big highlighter wearer and I had a few, so it just hung out on the list. I finally just decided to grab it when a friend was offering a barely used one really cheap. I was excited, as you are when you get your hands on something that so many people have labelled their Holy Grail. But... I just wasn't wowed as much as I expected to be. I don't know if my favourite highlighter, Becca Moonstone, made me a little bit of a highlighter snob, or after wanting this for so long it just couldn't live up to the expectations I had.

Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty highlighter, champagne with a beautiful golden shimmer. No big chunks of glitter. It leaves you with a soft highlight that you can build. The packaging is really cute and its a very generous size, will last a LONG time. But it doesn't look as smooth to me on my skin as some other highlighters do and unless I'm very light handed it gets almost a streak look across my cheekbone instead of a blended glow. I have started to use this more as an eyeshadow, over top of mattes that I wish were a shimmer, or a brow bone highlight, and I like it as this.

Would recommend it for the mid range price highlighters, but if you're willing to splash out, go for moonstone.

Mary-Lou manizer is my all time favourite highlighter. I wear this everyday without a doubt. And I constantly get compliments on my highlight. I have never found a drug store highlighter that has been better than this. I'm not a fan on the packaging as I think it looks quite childish, but definitely glad I bit the bullet and bought it