TheBalm • Shady Lady Eyeshadow Palette • Eye Shadow

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mararum on 5/3/2013 2:43:00 PM more reviews by mararum

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This one was more coordinated than Shady Lady 3. Some of the colors from this palette didn't last very long without primer. Others were not true to pan. I had two, which barely showed up on my eyes.

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keyelement on 12/28/2012 2:27:00 AM more reviews by keyelement

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Personally, I like the cute packaging - even though it's cardboard, it's sturdy as heck and not as cheap feeling as it looks. I've had my Shady Lady 1 for 4 years, taken with me on countless weekend trips, and used it more than I've used any other palette I own (because it was one of the first palettes I've ever owned, a gift from my ex) and it doesn't even show much wear on the packaging! This palette I find easier to create two-color looks with than the other two Shady Lady palettes, because there are very obvious pairs of complementary shades (i.e. pink and purple, slate blue with the navy, the goldish cream shade with the olive-ish green) and the dark brown and navy liner shades are fantastic. The only shade I never know what to do with is the forest green, but I don't normally wear such pure, saturated green shades.

I can't disagree with other reviewers - you really do need to supplement this palette with other shadows for blending or crease or highlight. It's possible to use this particular palette for a complete look, but just don't bring it up to your browbone because it would be a satin-shimmerfest. The shimmer, though, is not obnoxious in these shades, with the exception of the dark brown, but even then it's sparkle that just kind of falls away. Considering the cost of a single shadow, this palette is a steal. Most of the colors are just gorgeous. All of the Shady Lady palettes are a great supplement to a stash, especially a small stash with not much color diversity.

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paslarissa on 12/6/2012 2:21:00 AM more reviews by paslarissa

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brown, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I'm a horrible impulse buyer but this product didn't dissapointed me, it was on a sale (rare that in Mexico you find beauty sales) and I've read so much about theBalm that I ran for this. All the colors are super pigmented and complement my almost all neutral eyeshadow collection, that it's pretty small, but the purples are perfect for a smoky eye. It's thin and has a decent sized mirror, perfect for traveling and creating subtle and more dramatic looks.

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Ebelida on 9/6/2012 5:02:00 PM more reviews by Ebelida

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is the best eye shadow palette I have seen so far! Granted, I am a makeup novice (yes, quite sad as I'm in my mid-thirties), but I'm trying to catch up quickly. I bought random shadows from Jane Iredale, Urban decay, Lancome, and Physician's Formula, and the Balm. This is by far the greatest. I would have done well with only this palette. The pigmentation is lovely and rich, the powder is soft, and there is minimal fallout. Heh, heh... learning the lingo! :) I love this one.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

AnaKim1 on 9/3/2012 2:07:00 AM more reviews by AnaKim1

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this for sale at Marshall's for $5, and to this day it's the best purchase I've ever made. The colors are beautiful, pigmented, and there's plenty of them. I love the mirror included. Large enough to use for my entire face, yet compact and light enough to fit into my purse. Perfectly sized. I only have to warn about the susceptibility of it to be broken and dirtied. It got broken very easily when one of my friends accidentally put the palm of her hand on it when it was behind her and pushed too hard; also, as you use the shadows, the powder gets loose and gets all over the mirror, and your clothes. Not good :( but other than that I loved it! I used it all up, and I miss it so much I'm considering paying the hefty full price for it, just so I can have the blessed thing back in my collection again. It's so useful, and high quality, it's one of the best palettes out there.

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shordeecat on 8/5/2012 12:32:00 AM more reviews by shordeecat

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this when there was the 3 for $40 sale. When it came in the mail I was excited because there has been so much hype lately. I found it pigmented but incredible powdery. Major fall out. I also found all the colors way too neutral and all of them were shimmery. Anyone that purchase cosmetics as much as I do know shimmery colors are cheaper because shimmer is a filler. For $40 for 3 I found the price to be alright, not cheap (for the quality). I did like the packaging because there was a mirror.

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weezee111 on 7/31/2012 11:03:00 PM more reviews by weezee111

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

AMAZING payoff on the colors, very soft velvety texture, doesn't fade throughout the day. This palette is a fabulous deal and you can honestly use it every single day. The variety of colors is great.

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amanymuhsen on 6/29/2012 5:11:00 PM more reviews by amanymuhsen

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Tan   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

The eyeshades are great! Amazing pigmentation! You can't go wrong with this pallet

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*TOP REVIEWER* sara942 on 6/8/2012 2:38:00 PM more reviews by sara942

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Another vote in favor of these eyeshadow palettes!! I own all 3 volumes and they're the best eyeshadows I've ever used. All of these shadows are super pigmented and have a buttery texture that applies evenly and blends easily. None are matte; most have a satiny shimmer to them, to varying degrees. The darker shades also transition well into eyeliners if you wet them.

Volume 1 - neutrals and darker shades.
Volume 2 -taupes, highlighters, base shades.
Volume 3 -lots of playful springtime colors.


In terms of shimmer: Vol 1 < Vol 2 < Vol 3.
Only 3 shady lady shadows are actually glittery:
Caught in the Act Courtney (Vol 1 & 2), Feisty Felicia (Vol 2), and Guilty Gwen (Vol 3).


The pan sizes are very generous; each one is easily as big as a full-size UD or MAC shadow, so it's a great deal! I also love that each one comes with an over-sized mirror and protective sleeve; great for travel. Love!

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

aredore on 3/31/2012 8:13:00 PM more reviews by aredore

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I was lucky enough to find Volume 2 at TJ's and I have to admit, its one of the best eyeshadow pallets I've ever used - blows Too Faced right out of the water.

The colors are very creamy and soft, with decent to good pigmentation and generally stay where they're put. I especially love applying them wet for a bold and bright look. Dry, most of the lighter colors are more than appropriate for daytime; I love using the pink/light silver and green/butter yellow for more drama during my work day.

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tightkitty on 3/4/2012 2:37:00 PM more reviews by tightkitty

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Tan   Hair: Brunette, Coarse   Eyes: Grey    

It's kind of annoying that these reviews are supposed to be for TheBalm Shady Lady Vol 1 and people are leaving reviews for Vol 2 and 3 here. They are all reviewed separately on here and would be less confusing for people reading reviews if the reviews were placed were they belong.

But anyway..Vol 1 of the Shady Lady eyeshadow palette is THE BOMB! This is an excellent palette. I find most of the colors are pigmented, blendable and versatile. All the colors, although not neutrals, are very useable. They are not very bright so even though they are not neutrals they are very easy to wear for everyday looks which says alot coming from me since I mainly wear neutrals or a dark smokey eye. I was very excited when I got this and used all of the shades. But over time I went back to my neutral ways and I mainly use the shades in the top row all together more then anything and I really like them. The palette contains 9 colors--6 eye shadows and 3 shadow/liners. All shadows in the palette can be used wet or dry I also absolutely love the packaging. The fact that they've wasted no space on awkward, useless applicators that would just go into the trash is also a plus. I like the cardboard magnetic compact with a large mirror. The packaging is very thin but to wide and awkward to take with you. But I like that on my dresser it doesn't take up alot of space. And because good ingredients are always a plus in my book, I've got to mention the fact that it earned Sephora's "Natural Seal" which is great for people with sensitive eyes and contact wearers. Shameless Shana (tahitian bronze)- is a nice wearable bronze that I reach for most often in this palette and Easy Wheezie (gunmetal gray shimmer) -on me it's a shimmery light blue,is my least favorite. I would love to see a dark neutral palette and a smokey palette from them. I look forward to trying more from TheBalm!!
I purchased this at T.J Max for $12.99. If you see these at Marshalls or T.J. Maxx buy them all! Keep some for yourself and sell the rest on ebay since this palette Shady Ladyvol 1 is no longer available on Sephora and vol.1 is harder to find,so it is more in demand on eBay. Actually they are all in demand on ebay btw.

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

perdeyeyez310 on 2/27/2012 1:36:00 AM more reviews by perdeyeyez310

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

This is my first The Balm palette and I have only used 2 different shadows so far but I am in love with this palette. Plus I got it for TEN bucks at Marshalls!!!! Man what a deal! Beautiful colors and the overall quality IMO is fantastic for the price. Packaging is not too bad. Now I will be keeping my eye out for the other palettes in the collection since I was only able to get #2. I would definitely recommend this. Go to Marshalls or TJMaxx girls and look for these!!! You wont be dissapointed :)

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*TOP REVIEWER* SparkleBunny37 on 2/20/2012 11:13:00 PM more reviews by SparkleBunny37

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

theBalm's Shady Lady Vol. 2 is a nine pan eyeshadow palette from this San Francisco based, vintage themed brand. theBalm used to be available at Sephora, but is currently only available from their website, and occasionally at TJ Maxx or Marshall's. I won this palette as a giveaway prize. This palette retails for $39.50. Its unclear whether or not theBalm does animal testing. I've seen conflicting information about it, so do your own research on the brand before deciding to use their products. I can tell you that these shadows are not vegan though. This palette was made in the USA and contains 17 grams of eyeshadow
Shady Lady Volume 2 comes packaged in a zebra print palette that flips open to reveal the nine shadows, and a rather large mirror. The palette is made of sturdy cardboard. Aside from the zebra print, the cover of the palette features the name "Shady Lady" written in cursive, and a silhouette of a pin up model. This palette comes in a matching cardboard sleeve that I'll probably toss out, now that I've reviewed it. Though there's no mention of it, because of Shady Lady being made of cardboard, it's safe to assume that this palette is recyclable.
I'll be reviewing each of the ~Shady Ladies~ individually. Each of the shadows has been named after a different naughty girl. Swatches can be seen here.

Mischievous Marissa is a frosty gold that's beautifully pigmented and applies very smooth. It's fairly warm and I think would be very complimentary to blue eyes. I've also used this shade very lightly on my cheeks, it gives a nice glow.

Tempting Tara is a shimmery, bright white that's surprisingly pigmented. I have a hard time finding use for this shade because it's just so stark white. Much too pigmented to use as a highlight.

Devilish Danielle is a shadow I use a lot, mostly for highlighting, but also as an all over wash of peachy-beige color. You could probably use this as a facial highlighter if you apply it lightly.

Just this once, Jamie is a is a grey-mauve with a frosty finish. I get bunches of use from this shadow, as I think it compliments my dark brown eyes really well.

Make Out Mary is a bright, frosty olive green. My boyfriend really likes the name of this shadow, for obvious reasons. It's definitely the brightest and most unique color in the palette. It's smack in the middle of the palette, so it really looks like the stand out shade.

Bossy Bobbi is a medium blue with a grey tint. It also has a slight indigo quality to it in some lights. I think I use this shadow the least out of all the shades. It just doesn't fit in with the rest of them. It is pretty though.

Caught in the Act Courtney is a medium coffee brown with lots of gold sparkle. This is the palette's first disappointment. At first swatch it seems quite pigmented, but once applied, its very sheer. However, the gold glitter is pressed in the shadow well, so it doesn't product fall out. This shadow performs ok when used wet as a liner.

Feisty Felicia is a plummy, blackened purple with pink glitter. It has all the same issues as Courtney, with a drier, harder texture. I guess theBalm just doesn't do glitter shadows well

Insane Jane, is in my opinion, the best shade in the palette. It's extremely richly pigmented, so much so that it's almost metallic in finish. This shadow is a grey-leaning taupe. I get so much use from this shadow. It's beautiful.

Aside from the two glittery shadows, which definitely aren't theBalm's strong suit, these shadows have a uniform texture that's soft, and smooth with super pigmentation. All of the shadows are very frosty. I think theBalm should've included a matte shade, for variety's sake.
The shadows in Shady Lady 2 are all neutral-ish with a twist, which is the kind of neutral I like. I feel like the color selection in this palette is spot on, with the exception of Bobbi, which I think could've been replaced with a brighter shade, once again for variety's sake.

Unfortunately I have some wear issues with these shadows. On your average day, these shadows have average wear, no creasing, and a bit of fading towards the end of the day. However, these shadows can't take the heat. They're pretty much gone after a 6-8 hour work shift. These shadows are great, unless you plan to spend 8 hours standing over a deep fryer or oven.
Overall, Shady Lady 2 is a really good, basic palette that I often reach. The majority of these shadows are excellent and wear well under normal conditions. They're pretty expensive though, coming in at $40 for the palette, or $16 individually, which for me is entirely ridiculous. However, if you find this palette at TJ Maxx or Marshall's, it'll probably run you about $13, and for that price, you definitely need to pick this palette up. I'd repurchase it for that price, but not at full price.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

DaniRN16 on 2/17/2012 1:23:00 AM more reviews by DaniRN16

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I have all three Shady Lady palettes and I LOVE them. The e/s are really pigmented, blendable, and pretty. Most of the colors are shimmery but not too over the top. I would repurchase.

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*TOP REVIEWER* amanda23 on 2/15/2012 7:39:00 PM more reviews by amanda23

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

What a beautiful palette. Nicely pigmented and colours that everyone can use. Like another reviewer mentioned, I won't be needing to purchase eyeshadow for a long time. Definitely worth your money.

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*TOP REVIEWER* gypcc on 2/11/2012 8:57:00 PM more reviews by gypcc

Age: 36-43   Skin: Very Dry   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

When you see ANY of TheBalm Palettes at Marshall's... GET THEM! It's as simple as that. I picked up a few of these for Christmas gifts and also got one for myself (okay two). They are fantastically pigmented, last amazingly and are great combined. They're really a broad range of neutrals that can go bold as you need them to. I've fallen in lust with Just Once Jamie... it's such a versatile color that it's become my go to. I love a cardboard magnetic compact like these... I think it's less wasteful than plastic and TheBalm's packaging is great.. I'm extremely pleased w/the palette and pretty much anything I've purchased from TheBalm has been bang on.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

sugaryandspicy on 1/30/2012 2:54:00 PM more reviews by sugaryandspicy

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

I won't be needing eyeshadow again for a while... I love this palette! The quality and smoothness of eyeshadows is second to none. Really, I'm not that much into colors, but somehow the ones in this palette did not seem to offensive to my otherwise nude obsession. Bottom line, yes I would recommend it and I will probably continue to buy theBalm makeup products as they are so amazing!

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*TOP REVIEWER* mladkins on 1/2/2012 7:55:00 AM more reviews by mladkins

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

WHERE WAS I WHEN THIS FIRST CAME OUT???? I picked it up recently at Marshall's for $12.99 and I am in love. I already knew that TheBalm's eyeshadows were very high quality but wow this is a beautifully coordinated palette that leans toward warm. Some of my favorite shades are Shameless Shana (love it for crease work), Jet Setting Jennifer (unique golden beige), All About Alex (golden olive), and Jealous Jordana (great for lining). Honestly though there's not a bad color in the bunch. If you can find this unmolested at your local TJMaxx or Marshall's BUY IT!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* makeupMichelle10 on 12/21/2011 2:09:00 PM more reviews by makeupMichelle10

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I was able to get this at Marshalls for $12.99, I feel like I robbed the store! Cheapest, yet AMAZING palette ever! I have already used all the colors and there is not one let down. The colors can all be paired together and are buttery soft. The packaging is sleek and fits well in my makeup bag and drawer! LOVE theBalm!

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*TOP REVIEWER* angelixia07 on 12/20/2011 12:39:00 AM more reviews by angelixia07

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

This is an excellent palette. All the colors are pigmented, blendable and versatile. The fallout and fading throughout the day is also minimal. All the colors, although not neutrals, are very useable. They are not very bright and out there so its very easy to wear for everyday looks. Also, all the colors work together very well, which is hard to find in many palettes. I've created many looks just out of the colors in this palette the entire week and I feel fine not having to use colors outside the palette to supplement. And I normally use my shadows that are organized into 7 fifteen pan Mac palettes and I usually have to use shadows from 2 different palettes to complete the look, so its pretty impressive that I am fine with just using shadows from this one small palette of 9 shadows.


Caught in the Act Courtney-medium warm brown with fine gold glitters, brown base not super pigmented

Shameless Shana-warm tan satin finish, very pigmented

Luscious Lani-light pink champagne satin finish, subtle but pigmented

Jealous Jordana-deep, muted emerald green, pigmented but when blended into creases looses its green color

Risque Renne-deep muted cool blue, fairly pigmented

Jet-setter jennifer-light, frosty champagne gold, very pigmented.

All About Alex-medium olive green satin, very pigmented

Sexy Wheezie-light muted cool blue satin finish, fairly pigmented and name reminds me of Lil Wayne



Overall, I wish some of the colors were more pigmented. I wish Jealous Jordana had a more intense emerald base, because when used and blended into the crease it turns very muted and gray. Also, Risque Renne could have a stronger blue base. Basically, the darker colors could have more pigmentation and this palette would be perfect. However, for those who love muted, subtle and more wearable colors, this could be a blessing.


Packaging-wise, this is PERFECT. It fits all the shadows and doesn't add any unnecessarily bulk. I love the shadows in the UD palettes but the add SOO much BULK in addition to the shadows which I don't care for. The size of this, compact and slip, includes a very nice size mirror, is soooo perfect for travel. However, I do wish it was maybe plastic instead of cardboard, it just doesn't seem as sturdy as plastic.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No