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…)

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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DecoDiva created a stunning Green and Silver Eye that you could create this New Years Eve, or any evening where to really want to “knock their socks off!”  This is her step-by-step tutorial to walk you through this look.  And if you are on a budget – no worries, Aromaleigh and Meow Cosmetics offer generous sample baggies of many of their products for just $1.  Now we can all afford to get a wonderful selection of cosmetics and get a chance to try this look  for ourselves!

Start with a clean, moisturized face.

1. Put on Eye Shadow Primer.  (Eyeshadow Primer and Base from Aromaleigh in Light)

2. Put some black shadow on the outer vee area and a little in the crease. I used MAC Paint Pot in Blackground.

3. Apply some silver eye shadow all over the eye area, from lash line to eyebrows. I used Aromaleigh Fume (25% off, now $6). (more…)

When asked to create a list of favorite beauty products for 2008, both DecoDiva and Mo mentioned their love of Indelible Gel Eyeliners.  When such extraordinary makeup mavens heart such a find, one needs to pay attention!

If you are a fan of liquid eyeliners, and particularly MAC’s Fluidline, the Indelible “Gel” Eyeliner will most likely appeal to you.  Mo reviewed this eyeliner in Black Cherry from LooseLipsNY , and DecoDiva found the indelible gel eyeliner at Aromaleigh’s website.  DD noticed that Aromaleigh carried this product by customer request and that it was made by a third party (private label) company that supplies it to any company that wants to carry it, in the same colors and same formula. (more…)

From a sultry smoky blue eye to festive green and gold, DecoDiva will inspire you to create something amazing with your eye makeup this Holiday season.  The difficult part is deciding which one to attempt!   You can follow the links to see DecoDiva wearing these eye-makeup color combinations.

Here are some nice colors for that holiday purple look using Meow Cosmetics colors (full size $10.25, sample 1/8 teas. baggie, $1)

Cheers!- platinum with bright flash of red sparkle and metallic gold sheen
Sherry – pure plum with cerulean undertones
Shiraz – intense aubergine with grape overtones
Sparkling- sheer smoky cinder grey with a lavender undertone aglow with gold and silver sparkle and shine

The perfect colors to create a beautiful sapphire smoky blue eye:
Meow Cosmetics, Port – mysteriously smoky steel blue
Meow Cosmetics, Fancy Feline – ultra rich pure platinum with silver sparkle

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Well, Christmas is almost here and that means that New Years is quickly approaching. New Years parties are a great excuse to get outside your comfort zone and try something a little daring with your makeup. There is plenty of time to try out a few new looks in your bathroom before the big night arrives, and it can be really fun to sit at your mirror with all your goodies strewn before you.

If you’re looking for a few ideas on what to do for your holiday look, there are plenty of tutorials out there to help you out. Total Beauty has an entire section of videos on skincare, hairstyling, and makeup. They even include looks mimicking some of your favorite celebrities’ face and hair. The “Blogs We Love” tab at the top will lead you to scads of information from their extensive list of beauty blogs, including many of our favorites. I’m a huge fan of Marlena over there at Makeup Geek. She has an amazing tutorial section that has individual color combinations and more general instructions on things like “How to apply false eyelashes” and “How to apply eye makeup”. She’s easy to understand and gives simple instructions and helpful hints. (more…)

Here are my suggestions on gifts for the holidays. It’s a mix of several different brands, but all things that I think a lot of people would like, and of course, things I like!   The prices range from $6.65 to $48, and all can be found online for purchase at UrbanDecay.com, Amazon.com, Aromaleigh.com (25% off coupon code FRIDAY25 until Friday Dec. 5th), Sephora.com, Ulta.com, and SallyBSkinYummies.com (10% off until the rest of ‘08 using the “mythsallyb” coupon code).

1.  Urban Decay 24/7 Travel Size Set of Eyeliners – $29
Available in two sets.
VIP
- Zero (zealous black)
- Lucky (brilliant deep copper)
- Covet (peacock green
- Electric (bright aquamarine)
- Lust (plush purple)

Velvet Rope
- Yeyo (metallic white)
- 1999 (plum with micro gold glitter)
- Zero (zealous black) the #1 best-selling black Eye Pencil
- Bourbon (brown with micro gold glitter)
- Stash (dark green/gold)

2.  Urban Decay Sustainable Shadow Box - $36
- YDK (bronzed mocha with golden microglitter)
- Midnight Cowboy Rides Again (golden beige with bronze, gold, & silver glitter)
- Flipside (electric teal with blue sheen)
- Flash (bright iridescent purple)
- Grifter (sheer lavender with lots of silver microglitter)
- Oil Slick (black with silver glitter)
- Uzi (metallic silver with big iridescent sparkles)
- Kiddie Pool (ocean blue with iridescent glitter)
- Twice Baked (brownie brown with gold glitter)
- Half Baked (subtle, lustrous bronze).

3.  Urban Decay Urban Essentials – $39
- .55 oz Overside bottle of Primer Potion
- Goddess Eyeshadow (midnight blue with lots of electric-blue microglitter)
- Midnight Cowboy Eyeshadow (subtle golden-beige with gold glitter).

4.  Urban Decay Best of Urban Set – $32
- Baked Heavy Metal Glitter Liner (bronze)
- Half Baked Eyeshadow (subtle, lustrous bronze)
- Bourbon 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil (brown with teeny gold glitter)
- Eyeshadow Primer Potion (ultra-sheer nude eye base)

5.  Too Faced Mini The Quickie Chronicles – The Life of the Party - $15
- blush in berry mauve shimmer
- black glitter eye shadow
- silver foil eye shadow
- berry sparkle lip gloss
- golden pink lip gloss

6.  Aromaleigh Must Have Holiday 2008 Gift Set – $34.75 (on sale for $26.25)
- butterscotch eye shadow (yellow gold with red iridescence)
- allspide eye shadow (tarnished copper brown with shimmer)
- wintergreen eye shadow (neutral green with smoky undertone and red shimmer)
- mulberry eye shadow (vivid warm holiday purple with rich highlight sparkles)
- amaretto lip creme (mid-toned caramel nude with glints of mauve)

7.  Aromaleigh Create Your Own Custom Gift Set – $37.35 (on sale for $28.00)
- choose a lipstick or lipgloss shade
- choose a blush or rouge shade
- choose 3 eye shadow shades

8.  Aromaleigh Little Gems Gift Set – $28.20 (on sale for $22.56)
Choose from 8 different sets which include 2 eye shadow shades, 1 blush and 1 lip color.

9.  Aromaleigh Make Eye Colors Pop Gift Set – $27.00 (on sale for $24.30)
Choose from Blue, Brown, Green and Hazel eye sets.
Each set includes 3 eye shadows and a liner. (more…)

Because DecoDiva loves to experiment with various colors and has a gift for creating beautiful dramatic eyes with her makeup, I asked her to share some ways to “dress up” your eyes for the holidays.  Choose your favorite shades and have some fun with your eye color this holiday season!

Nude Eyes
If you want a nude eye look, here are the shades I recommend.

Aromaleigh Nude Frost – Pale champagne pearl frost
MAC Bare Study – champagne with gold and white pearl
Urban Decay Sellout – pink champagne shimmer
Meow Witty Kitty – vanilla with a subtle metallic cinnamon-copper sheen and undertone
Aromaleigh Pink Negligee – pink with delicate taupe and violet undertones
Aromaleigh Angel Wing – a very pale white/pink with iridescent pink highlight
Aromaleigh Alchemy – an iridescent, very fine shimmer that has a copper glow
Aromaleigh Champagne Toast (above picture) – a nude pinkish fawn/champagne tone with bright aqua shimmer
L’Oreal Hip Pigment Restless ($7) – a french vanilla yellow with a pink reflect
Too Faced Totally Toasted Park Avenue Beige ($17)

Then I would use a gel liner, such as Aromaleigh’s Indelible gel eyeliner in Black Out, or MAC’s Fluidline in Blacktrack.  Finish with your favorite volumizing mascara.

Smoky Eyes
Smoky eyes are always great for the holidays, and there are several ways to pull off this look. I would pair up Black and Gold, Black and Copper, Black and Silver, Green and Gold, or Green and Silver for a festive holiday eye.

Use a gel liner, such as Aromaleigh’s Indelible gel eyeliner in Black Out, or MAC’s Fluidline in Blacktrack. Finish with your favorite volumizing mascara.

For extra shimmer, apply gold or silver eye shadow to your eye lash tips.You can use Too Faced’s Starry Eyed Liner in Gold Digger, Silver Lining or Ooh and Ahh. (more…)

Since I got into mineral makeup, I’ve discovered it pays to shop around for certain items that you like, to see if other companies carry a similar or the same product at a lower price.

I discovered mineral makeup in April, and found my two favorite brands in May. One of the sites, Aromaleigh, carries more traditional style makeup in addition to mineral makeup. I noticed that they carried a great ‘indelible gel eyeliner‘ product that looked very similar to MAC Cosmetic’s Fluidline. Of course I bought some to try! I loved it, and then I went back to Aromaleigh’s website to learn a bit more about the product.

I noticed that Aromaleigh carried this product by customer request and that it was made by a third party company that supplies it to any company that wants to carry it, in the same colors and same formula.

So I did some digging online, and saw that it is indeed carried on many different sites, for wildly different prices! The prices range from $7.70 to $25.00

Companies I found that carry the Indelible Gel Eyeliners (this is by no means a comprehensive list):
Spa Private Label – $7.70
Mad Minerals – $8.99
JW Cosmetics – $8.99
Headcovers unlimited – $9.99
Catwalk Cosmetics – $12.50
Aromaleigh – $14.75 (these go on sale rather often for $11.06)
Studio Direct – $14.99
Urban Apothecary – $15.00
MAC Cosmetics – $15.00 (added as a price guideline)
Loose Lips NY – $20.00
Indelible Gel – $25.00 (more…)