The Balm Betty-Lou Manizer AKA The Bronzing Bandit

The Balm Betty-Lou Manizer - seriously, how cute is this packaging?!

When I purchased Mary-Lou Manizer from the Balm's last sale on Haute Look, I didn't want her to be lonely.

I had to buy a friend for her.

At least, that's how I justified buying the Balm's Betty-Lou Manizer AKA the Bronzing Bandit even though I'm a super pale girl who doesn't really do bronzer and has already found the holy grail of bronzers for fair skin for those rare occasions when I do wear it.

But I'm actually glad that I did because the effect with Betty-Lou is so pretty and glowy that I've found a way to use it more often than most of the other bronzes I've tried.

In the pan, Betty-Lou looks like a mid-tone golden brown bronzer.

The Balm Betty-Lou Manizer in pan

It is super shimmery, though like the Mary-Lou Manizer, we're not dealing with chunky glitter or anything like that.  However, it's still not usable for contouring, which is primarily how I tend to use bronzer.

And on my skin, Betty-Lou definitely has an orange or reddish tint, so I'm not inclined to use it all over the high points on my face like a traditional bronzer. I'm just not a fan of the Snooki look.

The Balm Betty-Lou Manizer swatch

The Balm Betty-Lou Manizer swatch (you can see the shimmer better in this photo)

Betty-Lou is also extremely pigmented, so if I don't use an extremely light hand (and a duo-fiber brush), I wind up with thick stripes of it on my face so I look like I rolled around in dirt.

Now, after all of that, you're probably thinking that I can't possibly like this product.

Wrong.

I like it a lot.

Instead of using it for contouring or bronzing, I only sweep Betty-Lou over my cheekbones almost like a blush - except I then add a traditional blush right on the apples of my cheeks and blend it into the Betty-Lou.  The effect is a really pretty, glowy, sun-kissed look that I'm loving for summer.

As I mentioned, I have to use a light hand and really buff it in to make sure that it looks natural, but otherwise, it's lovely.  I especially love pairing it with Benefit's Coralista - that combo is just gorgeous.

If you have darker skin and tend to shy away from highlighters like Mary-Lou or Nars' Albatross because they look ashy, I think Betty-Lou could work well as a highlighter for you. It's got pretty warm undertones and such a gorgeous sheen that I think it could definitely illuminate darker skin tones.

(Today, I'm going to refrain from carrying on about how adorable the Balm's packaging is. In fact, from now on, you can just assume that anytime I'm talking about one of the Balm's products, I am deeply and desperately in love with the packaging. We'll save time that way, I think.)

What is your favorite summer cheek combo?