So I told you I’d try to get my hands on some of Aromaleigh’s new Hi-Fi Mattes and take some pictures for you. And then Kristen, THE Kristen, sent a package of pretty little things straight to my ugly little mailbox! To say I was overjoyed would be quite the understatement. Even though it wasn’t yet noon, I washed my face and started all over again with my makeup for the day. I had to play immediately!
It has been a long long time since I found myself purposefully wearing a matte eyeshadow. They tend to be browns and plums and occasionally blues or grays, but they just don’t have that extra something I look for in my eye color. I have a reputation to uphold at work ya know, I need some oomph! Not only that, but matte colors have never seemed to give me the heavy pigmentation I like, they fall a little flat in the color saturation department.  Somehow, knowing all of this, Kristen set to work to create a matte collection just for me! Oh, what’s that? She didn’t create it just for me? I was the furthest thing from her mind when inspiration hit? Hey, it’s MY story and I’ll tell it how I want okay!
Seriously though, this is mattes like you’ve never seen mattes. The colors are deliciously bold and there is no clumping or chalky texture to be found. No streaking at all, the colors are well blended and apply beautifully. Boy do they POP, there is some serious color action going on there. Applied over a primer(I use Too Faced Shadow Insurance religiously) the staying power is quite commendable. I go to work at 4 am, and after work, a nap, and a full day of running after kiddos I still have decent eye makeup at bedtime, 16 hours later!

And now, the thing you’ve been waiting for….pictures!
Colors featured:
1)Cool It, Radioactive
2)Kookie, Got Dibs, What’s Shakin’?
3)Real Gone, Spaz
4)Cool It, Daddy-O. Yes, I chose those just so I could say “Cool it Daddy-O”
5&6) Fake Out, In Orbit
7&8) Real Gone, Blue Orchid. Blue Orchid is from the Rocks! Collection. It’s actually more purple than it shows in these pictures. These are perfect University of Washington colors and I wore them to work on the day of the Apple Cup, a Washington college football tradition. The Huskies won 30-0 so obviously I have to do this every year now!
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One of the things that gets us going here at MBB is honesty. I mean, finding the truth behind claims about products is pretty much what we’re all about. It’s right there in the name, “Mythbuster”.  We do our very best to research ingredients and try everything out for ourselves rather than just regurgitating PR blurbs and reciting the company line that we’re handed. I think it’s readily apparent that if we don’t think something is effective or worth the price tag we’ll say so, and integrity is a core principle around here.

Another thing we feel is important is finding and supporting independent businesses, those companies who also believe honesty and integrity are priceless commodities. I have been very lucky to meet(virtually at least) bloggers and business owners who work their tails off everyday to do the right thing and present a product worthy of putting their name on. A lot of time, sweat, and tears have been poured into mixing, formulating, and fine tuning products until they’re just right for consumers. Nowhere I have I seen this in such force as in the mineral makeup(mmu) community. Custom blends, new products, and limited edition collections are a lot more work for an independent business owner than it is for a huge company with hundreds or thousands of employees at its disposal. The time and information I have received from some of these business owners is truly amazing and much appreciated. So when I started hearing more and more rumblings online amongst mmu lovers, I sat up and began to take notice. (more…)

I know I need to wear a daily SPF on my face and neck to avoid the damaging effects of the sun. Further more, I know that you need to be hyper-vigilant about using sunscreen while using retinoids, or after using facial skincare products with BHA or AHA’s. Even so, sometimes I still hesitate using a facial sunscreen.

Here is a list of some of the “excuses” I use to justify not using a facial sunscreen:

• the smell, many sunscreens have a chemical smell that really bothers me
• the feel, greasy and difficult to use with my existing makeup
• breakout factor, sensitivity to some sunscreen creams can cause breakouts
• the shine, even a little bit of moisture can add to my already summer oily-shiny skin
• sting my eyes,  don’t get a sunscreen close to your eyes or you’ll be teary all day long! (more…)

In addition to being a total cosmetics junkie, I am also a closet geek, and I love technology. Things with wires and buttons and screens get me all atingle, I just can’t help myself. One of my favorite sites for all that glorious geekiness is Woot.com, and all of its subdivivsions (shirt.woot? genius). Anyhow, the basic premise of woot is that they sell one item every day, for 24 hours or until it sells out. But sometimes, sometimes, you get lucky and there’s a woot-off. During a woot-off they run item after item until they sell out. This goes on for an unknown amount of time, and you kind of have to be at your computer for the whole thing unless you want to risk missing out on a screamin deal.

Lucky for us, Robyn, the lady in charge of everything over at Purely Cosmetics, is also a wooter, (more…)

I’ve been playing around with some of my newer stuff lately and tried something on a whim that I ended up really loving.
My friend Tracy is a recent convert/addict to Aromaleigh and their vast selection of colors, and she always snags a sample or two for me when she orders(I know, everyone should be so lucky). My lastest goodies were some of the glam glitters from the rocks!Sonic collection. These are super fine sparkly glitters that you must see to appreciate. I highly reccomend buying a sample or two at least. I wanted to wear some of my ultra glam glitters but I wanted to make sure they stayed all day no matter what I did. So I whipped out my Urban Decay cream shadows.

First I applied my usual primer (TooFaced Shadow Insurance, best stuff ever) and let it set a little, then I smoothed a little of my UD cream shadow in “Rehab”, a creamy taupe, over my lower lid. I let it dry for just a moment, then, while it was still a little tacky, I dipped a fluffy brush into my “rebelrebel” bronze glitter and patted it over the shadow. The glitter helps to set the cream shadow and the cream shadow really holds the glitter right where you want it all day long. I followed with a light highlighter color under my brow and in my crease to calm it down for daytime, and I love how it gives just a flash of sparkle peeking from my lids. It’s a fun way to play with glitter without looking like a club kid. Here’s a tip, the Beauty Blender sponge is amazing at grabbing and wiping away glitter or mineral shadow fallout under your eyes after application.

As an added incentive to try something fantastic and new, Aromaleigh’s rocks! mineral shadows and glam glitters are 25% off right now! This offer runs through 10 am EST on May 20th and you should definitely take advantage of this deal and the other goodies available in their coupons+deals section.

If you’ve tried one mineral foundation you’ve tried them all, right? Wrong. For a product that is supposed to be “simple”, there are a lot of options out there. The major differences are in ingredients and coverage. As far as coverage, well, that’s pretty much a personal preference issue. But ingredients effect the health of your skin and, depending on what studies you read, possibly even your body as a whole.

Many women choose mineral foundations because they want a more natural product and hope that mineral products will have less risk of irritating their skin. Though these products are usually marketed as the “natural” choice, the amount of added junk in many of the major brands would make your head spin. Parabens of all kinds, dimethicone, and bismuth oxychloride. Now, there are tons of women out there who have reactions to bismuth oxychloride, a by product of lead mining,  but companies still use this because it’s an inexpensive filler and adds a dewy, shimmery look. But the first time your face starts to itch like crazy I doubt you’ll think the shine is worth it. If you are currently using a mineral makeup that sometimes irritates your skin, especially when you sweat, or if you tried mineral foundation but your skin reacted badly, check your ingredient list. Bismuth oxychloride might just be to blame. The basic story behind these added fillers and parabens is that they’re an easy way out, cheaper and easier for companies to mass produce, more “bang for their buck” as it were.

There are few mineral companies out there that don’t use these products. One that has been gaining recognition lately is Purely Cosmetics. Purely Cosmetics not only avoids bismuth oxychloride, but goes the extra step in avoiding hotly debated ingredients like talc and micronized particles. The jury is still out, but Purely Cosmetics decided  “better safe than sorry”, and showed that you can create an effective product without including those contraversial items. (more…)

That’s what the card said that I received from my friend today. Tucked inside were some samples from Aromaleigh’s Rocks! Sonic Eyes collection (and a full size “helterskelter”, which is red, a color that can be hard to find in quality eye shadow). I was over the moon. So I did what any cosmetics obsessed color freak would do and removed my eye makeup as soon as I got home so I could play.  I just had to try “estranged” first, since the color is amazing and the name is hilarious, especially if you’ve ever met my family…

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Here is a mention of DecoDiva’s experience with two cosmetic brands:  Purely Cosmetics and Vis-a-Vis.

The sweet Jen from MythBuster Beauty sent me some mineral makeup to check out. She sent me the Pearlescent Coral blush that I’m wearing from Purely Cosmetics.  I really like this color!  I feel like it adds warmth and depth to my cheeks without being overpowering.  I don’t think I own any coral blushes, either, so this is a really nice addition to my collection.

The lipstick I’m wearing is from Vis-a-vis Cosmetics and it’s a neutral pink color. I didn’t care for the exact shade, but it did feel very nice and moisturizing on my lips.

To read DecoDiva’s complete review visit her article at:   Green Eyed Jealousy Valentine’s Day FOTD.

So much makeup, so little time. 

Here is a list of my favorite cosmetic products for 2008, no small endeavor!  This past year I have  sampled more makeup than I have tried cumulatively in my entire life.  All of these beauty products passed my A+++ big cosmetic love status!

HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($40) - leaves my skin feeling natural, flawless and works well with my sensitive, break-out prone skin

One of the biggest reasons that I think people hesitate to order online is that they can’t try it first to see if they’ll like it or not.  With many mineral makeup ‘Indie companies,’ that’s not the case.

Meow Cosmetics sells all of their samples for $1.00 and they are quite generous with the product amount. This lets you try a vast array of colors and products without worrying that you’ll buy a product and you won’t like it. For the price of a $1.00 if you don’t like it, you won’t regret it. They also offer sales that range from 10% to 25% off, so if you wait for a sale you can even buy your samples for a less expensive price. Meow samples come in baggies.

Aromaleigh samples vary by collection, but usually range from $.85 to $2.20 depending on product. Aromaleigh is also very generous with their product samples. I was able to get almost a month’s worth of use out of one blush sample, which really impressed me. Aromaleigh has weekly sales, so you can wait for one of their weekly sales and get the samples or full size item 25% off. Aromaleigh samples come in baggies. (more…)