Review -- The Balm How 'Bout Them Apples? Cheek & Lip Cream Palette

I'm a pretty big fan of cream blush.

In the fall and winter, I'll wear it all by itself for a fresh, dewy look.

In the spring and summer, I'll use it as a base for powdered blush so my cheek color stays in place all day.

And it can be pretty versatile too, because when I'm in a rush and just want a simple look, I'll rub a little on my lips and call it day.

But finding a cream blush with the right formula can be tricky.

If it's too dry, it's impossible to blend into the skin and goes on all streaky.

If it's too creamy, it blends in a little too easily, isn't very pigmented, and doesn't last all that long.

You need something that falls right in between the two extremes to find a really good cream blush.

The Balm pretty much nails it with their How 'Bout Them Apples? Cheek & Lip Cream Palette.


As you probably know if you've been reading this blog for a while, I'm a huge fan of The Balm but I'll be honest -- I don't ever really use the cheek and lip cream products that are in their palettes like The Balm Voyage Palette.

Now, that's mainly because I tend to think of those palettes solely as eye shadow palettes and never really remember that the cream products are there in their separate little compartment.

How 'Bout Them Apples? definitely has me remembering now, though, because The Balm definitely knows how to do a cream cheek product.

The palette contains six creams: Cider, a light pinky-peach; Cobbler, a vibrant true red; Pie, a pinky red; Crisp, a coral with gold shimmer; Candy, a bright peachy pink; and Caramel, a terra cotta shade.

The Balm How 'Bout Them Apples? Palette Back

The Balm How 'Bout Them Apples? Palette

The Balm How 'Bout Them Apples? Palette swatches

All of the creams are nicely pigmented. (In fact, if you have fair skin like me, be warned that a little goes a long, long way. The first time I applied one of the creams from the palette, I applied way too much to the brush and wound up looking like a clown. It took quite a bit of blending and powder to tone it down.) They're also pretty emollient, so they blend into the skin very easily and have a nice dewy finish on the cheeks.

(If you've got oily skin, though, I recommend setting the blushes with a powder blush or a sheer translucent powder if you want to preserve the original color.)

However, I find that they're not too creamy to last -- I can get four to five hours of wear out of them, which is a pretty long time for me with cream blushes.

A quick application tip -- I find that if I tap my brush directly in the pans, I get way too much product (I did this the first time I used the palette and it took some serious blending and powdering to look remotely normal) so I dab a finger in the creams and tap them onto my cheeks. Then I use my brush -- my favorite for this is the e.l.f. Studio Small Stipple Brush (a very useful, versatile brush in general!) -- to blend it out.

Now, as much as I like this palette for cream blushes, I'm not too fond of it for the lips. Despite feeling super creamy on the cheeks, the creams have a slightly drying feeling on the lips that I don't particularly like. I do still use them on my lips occasionally, but only when I want a light stain for the lips that coordinates with my cheek color.

Like all of The Balm's palettes, this one comes in cardboard packaging with adorable retro-inspired artwork. Oh, and if you like that kind of thing, the inside art features a a hot, sweaty, shirtless guy beside each pan of product (I can't say that I mind that artwork choice too much).

The palette retails for $32 on The Balm's website. I haven't seen it on HauteLook during any of The Balm's events yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turns up there at discount at some point.

If you're a fan of cream blushes, I definitely recommend giving this palette a try.

Have you tried The Balm's How 'Bout Them Apples? Cheek & Lip Cream Palette? Are you a fan? Do you use cream blush often?