The Balm "Mary-Lou Manizer" - REVIEW

Today i will be reviewing a highlighter from "The Balm", called "Mary-Lou Manizer". I was in search of a good highlighter for ages would give me that much coveted *cough* JLo glow *cough* :p without making me look like an oily mess since i have super oily skin! I did a lot of research and shortlisted Benefit High Beam, M.A.C. Mineralize Skinfinish, NARS Albatross and The Balm. And the winner was... drumroll please...... The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer... tadaaaaaaa!!
I got it online from this wonderful website i stumbled upon called bathandunwind which ships worldwide free.

Packaging

The Balm is known for their quirky packaging and Mary-Lou Manizer (hence referred to as MLM) is no different. I love the cocky mug-shot of Mary (im guessing she is Mary) on the cover... makes me feel like an outlaw in a cool way...lol.

There is a large mirror when you flip open the pan... useful while travelling or for touch-ups, however there is no brush provided, not much of a problem for me though.

Product

Once you open the highlighter you are at once greeted by this luxurious champagne coloured powder that you fall in love with instantly. On close inspection i observed that there were no "glitter-particles" (I hate anything with too much glitter) and the entire pan was this finely milled luxury at its best. It is a multi-purpose product and can be used as a highlighter, in the inner-corner of your eyes, as an eyeshadow. 

Pigmentation

Pigmentation wise, i think The Balm MLM is one of the most pigmented highlighters in the market at the moment. But Pigmentation is a double-edged sword, especially for highlighters because if you are not careful and are naturally heavy-handed like me then you will end up looking like a oil slicked frying-pan with this baby. Less is more with MLM and i repeat.. use the lightest of hand and do not forget to dust off excess before the brush meets the cheek.

Texture

As i mentioned before, MLM is very finely milled and is extremely soft. There are no gritty particles or chunky glitter present. It is not powdery and hence a dream to work it. 

left-swatch, right-blended

Longevity

MLM stayed for around 6-7 hours on me and that is pretty darn good considering my oily face where products start to slide off after 3-4 hours. Even when i took off my make-up before going to bed, i could notice the very-subtle-but-definitely-there-glow. A point to be noted here ...after a few hours i noticed that my pores were a tad more visible... or it could be just me. But then all highlighters have the tendency to highlight the pores so i forgive MLM for this one. :(

Application

Applying MLM is fairly easy owing to its wonderful texture which is towards the NON-powdery side and thank god for it. A stippling brush is recommended for its application owing to its intense nature. It blends like a dream, seamlessly and has almost negligible to nil fall out.... yayyy!! No streaking and no harsh lines.

Quick Score Card

Packaging- 9/10

Product- 9/10

Texture- 9/10

Longevity- 8/10

Application-9/10

There you have it.... i think Mary-Lou Manizer fared pretty well in my examination....! Until i find a better product this one's gonna be my "Holy Grail highlighter".

Please leave your thoughts on The Balm-Mary Lou Manizer in the comment box below. Also i would love to know which is your HG Highlighter...

Until next time..

xoxo