Bright Spring Colors Using Aromaleigh Shadows

Here is a step-by-step illustration using Aromaleigh Pure Hue and Rocks! Sonic eyeshadows. Be warned that this is a super bright look celebrating spring colors. Aromaleigh's pigments are truly saturated with color with a capital C. Just a little of these products would yield an amazingly vibrant look. I also used my new MAC Grand Duo mineralize blush in Moon River for this look, and I really like how dewy the finish is. All products Aromaleigh unless otherwise stated.


Apply MAC Beige-ing shadestick all over lid, brows, and lower lashline. Smooth product on the lid with finger. Apply Sunshine dry on the lid using a stiff shader brush (Loew Cornell Maxine's Mop 3/8"). Use quick, patting motions when applying the shadow.


Using the other side of the same brush, apply Googoomuck on the mid to outer lid.


Using the same brush, apply Grass on outer lid.


Using the MAC 224 brush, blend the three colors together to soften harsh lines.


Apply Estranged sparingly on the edges of each shadow and softly blend with the 224.


Apply MAC shadow in Grand Entrance on outer V and crease using Sonia Kashuk blender brush, blending into Grass. Blend with the 224.


Using Stila No. 5 brush, apply MAC Ricepaper shadow to highlight. Using Sonia Kashuk mini-contour/detail brush, apply Sunshine on inner to mid-lower lashline, and Grass on outer lower lashline.


Line eyes using MAC Blacktrack fluidline. Apply Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero on waterline and tightline. Apply Revlon Fantasy Lengths falsies in Intensifying #91002. Apply mascara.













Face:
Monistat gel as primer
Cory mineral foundation in Beyond Cream and Carmel Cream (70-30 mix)
MAC Studio Sculpt concealer in NC20
Dayna's Rested mineral undereye concealer
Aromaleigh Ultra Resolution finishing powder in Translucent
MAC beauty powder blush in Stark Naked
MAC Grand Duo mineralize blush in Moon River over blush

Lips:
Rimmel lipliner in Tiramisu
MAC lipstick in Noveau Frou
MAC lipglass in Peroxide

Aromaleigh Valentine 2009 and Pure Hue Shadows: Review and Haul

Aromaleigh had its 25% off sale of the new Valentine 2009 Limited Edition shadows, so I snagged a few to take advantage of the discount. In a previous entry, I made a Soft Pink Look using Aromaleigh shadows, and some of them were from the Valentine 2009 collection. In THIS entry, I also posted pictures of the samples, swatches and my initial thoughts. Here is my review of these new shadows from Aromaleigh.

All in all, I loved the depth, the texture, and the pigmentation of the Valentine shadows. The colors are romantic but not bordering on tacky, and the texture is amazing. I was actually surprised that in my Soft Pink Look, I was able to apply all the shadows dry, especially Soulmate, when in fact, I would usually need MAC's mixing medium to make the loose pigment adhere to the lids. By merely using a sticky base like MAC paint pots, you can use these shadows dry without much fall-out. Pigmentation is likewise very good. Sometimes, mineral shadows have less pigment and more shimmer to them, and would need to be foiled to achieve better pigmentation. Not so with the Valentine shadows. They stayed vibrant and saturated with color even when dry. Also, with a good base, they last a long time on the lids. I loved the colors so much that I bought full size shadows (see pic above). Aromaleigh was spot-on in the description: Valentine colors with a twist!


These swatches were applied dry with no base.

I got full sizes of the following:

Soulmate: According to the site, a soft, velvety frosted pink that is extremely wearable due to its buff undertone. I love this as a lid color! It truly brightens the eyes and makes them look amazingly fresh and well-rested.

Bliss: A warm frosted coppery brown with tiny glints of silver throughout. I love this for a gold or neutral eye. I just love the specks of silver when light hits it.

Be Mine: Soft and buttery smooth frost with unexpected bright twinklings of gold. This would be great as a highlighter color, to brighten the tearducts, or to create a wash on the lids. Beautiful!

Pillow Talk: Pale buff pink with violet sparkles. Another great lid color to pair with pinks and purples. As mentioned in the Aromaleigh site, this is similar to Champagne Toast from the Holiday Blast collection, and since I loved Champagne Toast, this had to be mine.

Intrigued: Smooth, pearl frosted warm chocolate brown with a deep undertone. Mmmm, the description is making me crave for chocolate. It is an amazing combination of sheen-y brownish beige and chocolate brown. Great as a crease and outer lid color.

Sea of Love: Deep, richest pearlized teal with deep pewter tones and glints of silver. I got this because it is totally different from the rest of the Valentine shadows. I love the metallic teal.

Lovelorn: Deepest rose brown with a myriad of smooth iridescence. Probably my most favorite from the Valentine collection. An amazing dark chocolate rose that would make a great liner or crease color.

The only downside is that these are limited edition shadows so I need to get full sizes of these while they still have stock. I am thinking of getting Heart & Soul and Chocolate Heart as well. I fell in love with H&S when I wore it in the Soft Pink Look. Chocolate Heart is a pretty, neutral color that will have a myriad of uses.




These swatches were applied dry with no base.

During the Pure Hue 50% off sale last week (I almost didn't make it because I didn't know about it until the 11th hour!), I got full sizes of the colors above. I love the Pure Hues because the colors are so vibrant and the texture is great. For those who are afraid of color, you can always tone down these shades by using a light hand, and Pure Hues also come in classic neutral shades. I love the vibrancy; these shadows make loose mineral shadow application a breeze.

Aromaleigh's Ultra Resolution Finishing Powder: Haul Part II

Okay, first of all, I got my second Aromaleigh order containing my full size Ultra Resolution Finishing Powder (URFP) in Translucent. It also included a couple of Color Infusion Botanical lipsticks (which I use as a lip balm/primer), my Coquille illuminating corrective finishing powders, glam glitter and my Elemental Lustre shadow in Entangle which I got for half-off:


I got the glam glitter for free after using the coupon code FREEGLITTER.



In my previous post, I talked about the uncanny similarity the URFP has with the other HD finishing powders out there in the market, for less than half the price of the latter. I also featured my first two URFPs in Clear and Peaches & Cream. Here are my three URFPs side-by-side:



I love all of them! I can't get over the difference it does to all my looks. Here is my mug wearing Peaches & Cream. I believe I was wearing my Buff'd mineral foundation in a 50-50 mix of Chamois and Almond underneath:



You be the judge of the pic, but in real life, my pores look drastically reduced, and it really does blur imperfections, giving the illusion of almost perfect skin. I've got to admit, though, a good foundation must also be used, but the thing that seals the look is the URFP. Of all my URFPs, I love Peaches & Cream the most because it gives my skin a healthy, ethereal glow without looking shiny, and the color of the product complements my skintone perfectly.

In the look above, I was wearing my Aromaleigh Pure Hue shadows in Fox (foiled on lid) and Cocoa Bean (outer V and crease), with Aromaleigh Gothic Lolita eyeshadow in Teddy Wisp on mid lid to blend into Cocoa Bean.




In this look, I used URFP in a 50-50 mix of Clear and Translucent. I used the MAC Cult of Cherry quad for my eye look which I shall be posting a tutorial of tomorrow.

Aromaleigh Sales Haul Part I: Pure Hue Shadows and Ultra Resolution Finishing Powders

I received my Aromaleigh order I made during the Pure Hue shadows' 50% off sale (it boiled down to only $2.88 per full sized 5g jar!). I was waiting for a sale as big as this (Aromaleigh usually holds sales of only 25% off the retail price), so I went crazy and ordered pigments I'd been eyeing for quite some time. I finally have a full size jar of Grass! Love this color. I also got several of the discontinued shades, and I am glad I got them, especially Army which is a very pretty color. I truly love Aromaleigh's shadows because they really rival MAC pigments in terms of pigmentation and staying power. These are some of the really pigmented mineral shadows I've tried. Their eyeshadow collections in Gothic Lolita and Elemental Lustre are also very pigmented. The name of this collection truly speaks for itself - "Pure Hue Intense Multi-Purpose Powders", because these are just saturated with vivid color, even when applied dry.




close-up of the colors


The swatches were applied dry without a base.


I also got my full size jars of Aromaleigh's Ultra Resolution Finishing Powder. This stuff is AWESOME! The ingredients and effect are similar to those of the high definition (HD) powders you see on the mainstream market today, like the highly-coveted Make Up Forever HD Microfinish Loose Powder. Aromaleigh has the edge, I think, because it offers four variants of these. The Clear variant is for those who have light to medium skintones, the Translucent for those who are darker-complected, and they added two new shades that emit a subtle glow: "Peaches & Cream" (a perfectly proper pinky peach) and "English Rose" (a tender cool pink, like blushing cheeks) that give a radiant look with just the lightest touch of color on the face. A light dusting of this leaves my skin with a radiant luminosity, reducing the appearance of large pores and imperfections, giving a beautiful soft-focus effect. I also ordered a full size jar of the Translucent shade, and I can't wait to try it. I am now convinced the raves about this product are true. The only downside is that it gets a little messy because the extra small particles easily escape the confines of the container, but that is a small price to pay for the result it gives.

Another MAC Cool Heat (Neutral) Look and Haulage

First of all, I am so sorry for the lack of posts lately; I was out-of-town last weekend and when I came back, I got slammed with work that I didn't know what to do first. But I am back!

Here is a neutral look I used using the Cool Heat neutral shadows. I used Warming Trend packed on the lid using the MAC 252 brush (how did I live without this brush? The color pay-off when using this is fantastic!), then I used Mulch on the crease, Tempting above the crease, and Solar White to highlight and on inner corners. I just LOVE Solar White, I think I like this better than Femme-Fi. I applied Almay liquid liner on the upper lashline and Brownborder technakohl liner on waterline. I also used one of my favorite MAC blushes, Petalpoint, and Syrup lipstick.





Here is another look using the same lipstick, but I don't know what I used for the rest. Haha.



Then I got my Aromaleigh loot! Woohoo! I was so excited to finally see my full-size Elemental Lustres and Pure Hues. I am also very happy to see the samples I ordered- the colors are just breathtaking and I can't wait to try them. Best of all, for those in the U.S., Aromaleigh is having a 15% off sale of the entire store until June 19th. Coupon code is MOVE15. So move, move, move, before your favorite colors are gone!




To show how amazing the pigmentation of these shadows is, here are some swatches of the colors I got full sizes of (Elemental Lustres and Pure Hues). Take note, these were swatched dry with no base underneath, and yet the fantastic pigment still shone through. I also included my favorite DreamWorld shadow in Lancelot's Sword.

Another shot:



Here's another loot from one of my favorite mineral makeup companies, DreamWorld. I got full sizes of Amenti foundation in the Luna formula, and Butter and Butterscotch creme toppings. I got Butter in the silk formula and Butterscotch in the clay and silica formula. I am loving both!! Ellie was so nice to include pixie sizes (but they actually hold a lot of product) of her new lippies in the Nectar formula for free. I got Tinker's Treasure and Pixie Sunshine (pardon the dirty labels; they got banged around pretty bad in my makeup kit).






I also got samples of all the colors in DreamWorld's Camelot world. I'm loving Lancelot's Sword, as well as the other gorgeous colors.