The Balm Meet Matt(e) Trimony

The Balm’s Meet Matte… line is one of the best eyeshadow palette collections if you are looking for a matte eyeshadow palette. There is a collection of three and today I am reviewing the second one for you. If this palette looks familiar to you, then that might be possible: I talked about it in my matte eyeshadow palette video a few months ago.

The Balm Meet Matt(e) Trimony eyeshadow palette

One thing that you should know is that the Meet Matte palettes by The Balm aren’t cheap: they cost a whooping €42.95. For a 9-pan palette that seems like a lot of money, but you do get a lot of product in return. Just over 21 grams to be exact. That is a lot for an eyeshadow palette: most palettes come in at around 15 grams in total so if you calculate cost per gram, then this really isn’t bad at all.

The Packaging

The Balm does it again. Will they ever stop doing duper adorable packaging? This palette is marriage themed (Matt(e) Trimony = matrimony, get it?) and so our wholesome hunk on the cover is dressed in his best for the occasion. He even brushed his teeth. As with all The Balm packaging it is slim and sleek. There is a large mirror in the lid and the pan sizes are humongous.

The Palette

The palette is much more warm toned than its sister palette Meet Matte Nude. That has a blend of both warm and cool tones and this has only warm tones, save for that pink shade at the top. This palette boasts some great neutrals. That Matt Kumar is a very unique shade, but the three darkest shadows in this palette are a bit too dark for me. I of course have very skin, so these shades all pull quite deep on me. The brown and purple look pretty much black on my skin, which is a shame. That black is a great shadow though too.

The Swatches

The Balm’s matte shadow formula is a great one. They are not at all powdery, but still pack a punch. The color scheme of this palette just isn’t my favorite. When I use this palette, I only reach for the four lightest shades on the left hand side of this row of swatches. A shame really, because those dark shades are what make this palette. While the shade selection may not be perfect for me though, thequality of these shadows is great. The texture is workable, these blend well and I had no issue with fading when I used my usual primer concoction.

The Application

Look 1
Lid | Matt Evans
Crease | Matt Lopez
Outer V | Matt Reed
Inner corner & brow bone | Matt Lin
Lower lash line | Matt Kumar

This first look is also my favorite with this palette. It is quick it is easy and it uses that stunning burgundy shade on my lower lash line. Swatched with a finger these shadows appeared to be quite thin, but when applied with a brush these truly pack a punch. Not all shadows have to swatch well in order to perform well on the eyes.

Look 2
Crease | Matt Reed
Lid | Matt Rossi
Inner corner | Matt Thomas
Brow bone | Matt Lin
Lower lash line | Matt Moskowitz
Liner | Matt Ahmed

This is another great look, but it is not my favorite. It is a bit too dark for my tastes for every day. Those darker shades just look too samey samey on me to really create many distinct looks with this palette. When I use mattes I like going for a soft, defined look, not something dark and smokey. I already have quite deepset eyes and I feel that just makes them look even more deepset then they already do. So I would prefer going in with a shimmer with these shades.

The Conclusion

The Balm’s Meet Matt(e) Trimony eyeshadow palette is definitely a good palette. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the quality of these shadows. But the palette is a bit too dark for me, which limits what I can do with this palette. I like the very neutral look I pull out of this, but that is one look and I do prefer a palette that is a bit more versatile. If you have a darker skin tone than mine, this may be a great one, but on fair skin this is a bit too deep.

What is your favorite matte palette?