In Axiology's Balmies, Strawberry is a clay-orange shade. Cherry is a warm, earthy berry. So if you're choosing from the names alone, it's worth pausing to look at the swatches. The color you have in mind may be wearing a different name.
There's another choice before shade, too: Balmies, Color Cream and Tinted Dew have different finishes and packaging. Here's how we'd find a starting point among them.
How much color do you want to see?
In Axiology's own comparison, Tinted Dew gives sheer, glossy color, while Color Cream is the more pigmented option. Balmies feel drier and more matte than the multi-sticks. That is a useful first divide if you already know you like a light wash, a stronger color or a less glossy finish.
The shade and the amount you use still affect the result. Think about a product you reach for now: is it barely there, or do you like seeing the color? You can use that preference to narrow the format before you get caught comparing every pink in the range.
A sheer pink, red or plum
Among the Tinted Dew multi-sticks, Humble is a peony pink, Strength is a bright cherry red, and Ethos takes a plum direction. These give you three different color families within the same sheer format.
Look at the swatches beside a shade you already like wearing. A glossy finish may be what draws you to Tinted Dew, but pink and plum still make different choices within it. If you want to try something new, changing one of those things at a time—finish or color family—can make the decision easier to picture.
More pigment in Color Cream
Brave is a warm plum berry with pink undertones. Elusive goes into burgundy with a rich brown undertone. Grounded is a smoky lavender with an earthy finish, and Devotion is another shade to compare in this format.
We'd open the shade pages side by side and keep the formula in view as well as the color. A plum in a sheer stick won't necessarily give you the same look as a plum in a more pigmented cream.
The little tubeless Balmies
Cherry, Nude Plum and Strawberry come in the Balmie crayon format. Nude Plum is a muted rose with a hint of plum; Strawberry, despite the name, heads toward clay orange. Champagne gives a golden highlighting direction with a subtle glow.
The handling is different from a conventional lipstick. With a Balmie, you tear back the paper as you use the crayon. The multi-sticks use push-up paper tubes. Axiology provides instructions for moving the stick back down, so give those a look before trying to twist or force the package.
Choose around the way you'll use it
Maybe you're looking for an everyday lip color, a cheek color or a highlight. Start with that job, then use the specific product's directions for its intended application areas. If ingredients matter to your choice, read the full label for that item rather than assuming every format is the same formula.
For a gift, the recipient's own makeup gives better clues than a trend: the finish they choose, the shades they repeat, and whether they like using sticks at all. Our gift guide has other ideas if a shade feels too personal to guess.
If you're putting together a small bag, the tote and clutch guide helps you plan the space around what's going in it. If scent is more your interest than color, turn to the Maison Matine perfume guide. Here, we'd begin with the swatches—and remember that strawberry doesn't always mean red.
Leave a comment