Aromaleigh Introduces "Bete Noire" Collection

In French, "bete noire"means "black beast" (or "dark beast"). Used in English, the phrase can refer to ideas, people, or things that cause fear or are particularly disliked.

For Aromaleigh's new Bete Noire eyeshadow collection, the "dark" part of that translation might be appropriate, as these shadows are deeply pigmented and many have smoky bases. However, the similarity stops there. In fact, these shadows will attract you quickly, you will fall in love with them, and you will purchase them without fear of anything (unless of course you are afraid of loving them too much and blowing your entire budget on full sizes of the entire collection!).

Aromaleigh's site includes the photograph up there to the right and describes these gorgeous new shadows as:

"Bête Noire is a collection of 13 multi-dimensional, dramatic, and truly unique, enigmatic shades that evoke every woman's hidden femme fatale... "

These shades are ultra-smooth, rich and highly pigmented. Photographs don't even start to capture the intensity and inter-play of the pigments, lowlights and highlights within these shades. These are incredibly complex, unique colors!

I am often impressed with new shadows, but it is rare that they stop me in my tracks and cause me to gasp audibly, but that is exactly what happened when I received my sample set of this collection today. I was immediately caught up in the spell they cast. The colors look amazingly rich in the baggies, but when I swatched them, I was speechless. These are a study in the unexpected.... rich colors that, when applied, reveal deep mysterious bases with a million contrasting sparks of color. Pinks and blues with browns, bronze in charcoal gray... unusual pairings that are strange yet absolutely perfect. While AL's last collection, the Eye Plushes, whisper, the Bete Noires sing complex melodies out loud.... but they never scream or sing off key.

The depth of these colors definitely makes them "big girl" colors - you will get attention when you wear them, and that makes them right up my alley. Even my makeup skeptic husband had to stare and coo over these colors!

To check out some swatches of these colors, check out this entry in Miss K's Aromaleigh blog. To look at the colors some more, read descriptions, and buy these beauties, go here. You can get a set of super generous samples of all of the colors for just $15.21 (and shipping is free if you only order sample sizes). AL's sample sizes last a long, long time, so this is an amazing deal! Of course, you can buy single samples, full size jars, and, if you want to dive right in, a complete set of full sizes. However you do it, just go for it - you will love them for the holidays.

PRODUCT REVIEW: Aromaleigh Nocturne Overnight Mineral Treatment

(photograph from Aromaleigh.com)

A few years ago, Bare Escentuals came out with their breakthrough RareMinerals nighttime mineral treatment to much fanfare. For those who don't know, this is a mineral "treatment" to be applied before bed - a powder that looks suspiciously like mineral foundation that is meant to clear up skin, smooth it out, balance it, and even reduce fine lines. I wondered about it - after all, wasn't it kind of like taking all of your makeup off and then putting some makeup BACK ON, then sleeping in it? While I know mineral makeup is "sleepable" I still found the concept pretty weird, yet I also found it very intriguing. However, I was not so intrigued that I was ready to pay over $60 for the stuff.

Then, with another purchase at Sephora.com, I was given the opportunity to try a "deluxe sample" of RareMinerals - it was a cute, self-contained little puff with about a week's worth of product in it. It was almost too cute to use, but I kept using that thing until it was dry despite the fact that it kind of made my skin itch and I even got a few hives (that's not that unusual for me though, as I have a condition called dermatographism that causes random bouts of those). The thing was, it really did sort of balance out my combination skin, and it seemed to smooth out the skin's surface as well. I was impressed, but still not impressed enough to plop down the cash.

Fast forward a few years, when I made the fortuitous discovery called Aromaleigh. In the midst of my fantastical color-buying frenzy, I noted that AL made their own version of BE's RareMinerals called Nocturne that doesn't contain many of the ingredients BE products do. According to Aromaleigh.com, Nocturne contains the following:

• Mineral concentrate powder contains 72 micro and macro minerals. It is extracted from untouched mineral deposits from the earth estimated to have been formed during the Triassic-Jurassic periods, approximately 150 to 200 million years ago. It is the most complete source of naturally occurring micronutrients known to exist. Mineral concentrate increases cell turnover, is anti-inflammatory and nourishing to the skin. It brings "Mineral Makeup" to a new level... a level in which your minerals are in truly rare form.
• Silk powder benefits your skin with 18 amino acids and is a natural moisture balancing product. Silk can absorb or release moisture as temperature or humidity changes.
• Zinc oxide is a natural anti-inflammatory.
• Ascorbic Acid, or Vitamin C naturally stimulates your skin's collagen growth, brightens your skintone, increases cellular turnover, and aids in the reduction of fine lines.
• Ectoin(TM) is a highly advanced anti-aging ingredient that functions on multiple levels as a natural stress defense and moisture barrier for your skin. It protects the skin's immune defenses.
• Emblica fruit extract has intense natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and is a natural skin brightener.
• Green tea extract is a natural antioxidant.
• Spherical silica is added to this formula to assist in smooth application. Titanium dioxide and iron oxides are in minute amounts as part of the coloration of the formula. This product has a translucent, neutral tone that when applied, will meld into most skintones. It is a close match for the shade called "Clear" in an alternate brand's night time treatment.

I also noted that Nocturne was about 1/3 the price of RareMinerals, so I decided to give it a shot.

That was four months ago, and I haven't gone a night without my Nocturne since then. This stuff is, in a word, unbelieveable. It has balanced out my complexion better than the RareMinerals did. And until Nocturne, I had not been able to find anything to prevent the breakouts I got like clockwork across my chin each month... now, I have had just one small zit on my chin in four months, and it healed up in two days, unlike the previous nasties that would last four or even more. And I do see improvement in skin texture as well - most definitely more youthful!

This is definitely an option to try if you suffer from any of these troubles. I highly recommend putting on a thin layer with a flocked sponge after allowing your normal night moisturizer absorb each evening to wake up to calmer, prettier skin.

Nocturne is available at Aromaleigh.com for $28.00 per 14 gram (0.5 oz) jar, or for $31.00 if you would like to get a flocked sponge with it for application (I recommend that too - the sponge is amazing). Samples are available for $2.60 so you can try before you buy - the sample contains enough product to use for a week or two, so you'll definitely have time to decide if Nocturne is right for you!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Aromaleigh Ultra Resolution Finishing Powder

(Image from Aromaleigh.com)

Every now and then I come across a product that impresses me so much I feel like I have to shout that fact off the rooftops - a product that is not only a really cool concept, but actually works exactly the way it says it will.

Aromaleigh's Ultra Resolution Finishing Powder is one of those amazing products - and so I have selected it as the product that gets the inaugural review in my blog.

As someone who is always searching for that perfect, poreless, matte magazine-ad face, I have tried many foundations and many face powders - especially powders, since when I was younger I could get away with wearing just powder, no foundation. Nowadays, I want my powders to give that matte but not cakey finish, a poreless and airbrushed look, AND I want them to sop up the oil that occurs in my T-zone as a result of living in a hot, humid Southern state. In other words, I expect a LOT from my powder!

Apparently, so does everyone else - more and more companies are releasing makeup that is designed especially for high-definition photography, television and movies. This new media reveals every single flaw, so covering these little things becomes a major undertaking. CARGO, for instance, has a high-definition line out (available at Sephora). In addition, the cult fave company Make Up For Ever, known for its lasting performance makeup, released HD Microfinish Powder - a colorless, for-all-skin-tones 100% mineral silica powder promising to completely perfect the skin for high definition applications. People raved about it, and I desired it - but couldn't quite bring myself to pay $30 for just 0.35 oz of powder.

While I was trying to decide, I stumbled across Aromaleigh's website and saw their Ultra Resolution Finishing Powder. This powder is offered in the same 100% silica clear formula as MUFE's, but it is also available it a "translucent" beige-y shade that may work better for those with ethnic skin tones. If that isn't enough, it is available in "Peaches and Cream" (a peachy pink shade) and "English Rose" (a sheer dusty rose color) - these promise to add just the faintest hint of color to your complexion.

Because Aromaleigh offers sample baggies of all of these for $2.20 each, I jumped on the opportunity to try three of these luscious little powders - Clear, Peaches and Cream, and English Rose (I skipped the "translucent" since I'm pretty light-skinned). When my samples arrived, I discovered each baggie had enough product in it to do my face at least five times, maybe more. I immediately tried the clear... using a large powder dome brush, I took some powder up, wondered if I actually got any since the powder is really, truly clear and doesn't show up on the brush too much, and dusted my T-zone.....

POOF! Pores disappeared, shine disappeared, other imperfections disappeared! I stared incredulously at a smooth, almost-magazine ad face in the mirror. I couldn't stop looking at how smooth and lovely my skin looked. And guess what! Around lunchtime, my skin still looked that way! I touched up a little bit on my forehead and the bridge of my nose, but I'm a perfectionist - I probably didn't even need to do that. This powder is, in one word, incredible - and I don't say that about just anything.

What about the colored ones? Well - they work just the same. They also produce that absolutely flawless finish. They also add a little color - not a lot, but just a teensy hint. Enough to brighten up your skin if you're feeling a little bit tired or "off," and I have found that both colors will work on just about any skin tone. I have skin that is on the warm side, and both the rose and peach look lovely.

These powders are incredible. Did I say that already?? I bought the full size in Clear already, and I use it almost every day. Complete, utter product love!

And what is most incredible is the price - this contains the exact same ingredient as the MUFE version, but it is only $13.75 for the full size, which is in a 20 gram jar. That holds about 0.5 oz (volume) and 0.2 oz (weight). If you compare that to $30 for 0.35 oz from MUFE -- well, you can see why I, the lover and blogger of all good beauty deals, love this product even more. Plus, Aromaleigh has weekly sales, and this often comes up for 25% off in one of those sales... so you can often get it for even less.

So, the moral of this review is -- Aromaleigh's Ultra Resolution Finishing Powder is TRULY AWESOME. GO GET IT!!!

Let's Start - Where to Get Your Makeup

So, before we start doing makeup, let's talk about where to GET it.

Of course, there are the standard type places - the websites for MAC, Stila, NARS, LORAC, and other brands, and the ever-popular Sephora. Even I love browsing at Sephora (http://www.sephora.com/ for those who don't have a physical store near them - like me). However, I am always just a little bit (okay, a lot) appalled by the prices these fancy brands are charging. I mean, yes, I love Dior Diorshow mascara, but $24 per tube?? Come on... we all have to admit that is absolutely insane. It's a mascara, for Christ's sake - something you use for, if you're a good girl and follow the mascara rules, 3 months and then toss. And MAC - example prices are $14.50 per eyeshadow pot and $20 for one of their new Lustre Twins lipstick/gloss duos. Yeah, the colors are lovely, but being out $34.50 after purchasing only two tiny (yes, tiny - MAC's eyeshadows are some of the smallest on the market) products is also insane.

Ladies (and possibly some guys) - think about what you are doing!! You're spending crazy amounts and getting very little for it. And you know what? That's what these cosmetic companies are banking on - that you WILL pay that $24 for the mascara because it's got the Dior name on it, and they WILL make a huge profit from that brand name. My opinion these days is - screw that. Just stop buying that stuff. They are essentially tricking you out of you cash, and if we all just quit buying it maybe they'd have to rethink their strategy a little.

"So what am I supposed to do?" you are asking.

What if I told you I could find you a dupe of just about any MAC shadow/pigment, and that I could do it for just about $1.00 each? What if I could find you a cream shadow that is as good, if not better, than MAC's super-cool Paint Pots for HALF the price? And what about the fact that many drugstore brand mascaras are now as good as those pricey ones, because they are made in the exact same factories - just packaged under a different name and priced differently?

This blog is going to show you how to do all of that. Of course, occasionally we'll splurge on something - for example, my one splurge these days is Urban Decay's Primer Potion (UDPP). It's $16, but the stuff works wonders. No reapplying shadow, no creases, nothing - and I have not found anything that comes close to working as well as UDPP. So I buy it, because it does what it says and there is no equal. However, when there IS an equal - why not buy that?

So, to start, I'm going to give you some info on some of my absolute favorite places to buy makeup on the cheap so you can browse and see what I'm talking about and see what I'm going to be using in the looks I'll do in future posts. These places not only provide high-quality, high-pigment makeup that you will love, but many create their makeup from pure minerals that are of even higher quality that that super expensive mineral company (um, Bare Escentuals anyone?). That means this stuff is free of chemicals and is good for your skin - perfect if you get a lot of breakouts. And, many give back to the community - by donating to cool charities, or just by being environmentally friendly. Great stuff, right?

With that, here goes:

1. Aromaleigh (http://www.aromaleigh.com/). With over 400 eyeshadow shades to choose from (that is a photo of their Rocks! Sonic Eye collection, taken from their site), Aromaleigh is probably my favorite place to shop - I'm an eye makeup addict, and Aromaleigh feeds that addiction like nowhere else. Why? Because they sell samples of all of those colors, and the samples range from about 80 cents to $1.20 each! These samples come in baggies, and inside each baggie is a generous amount of makeup - so generous that I have yet to run out of one and I started buying them three months ago. Aromaleigh's shadows range from soft, light, neutrals to bold, hot, look-at-me neons that glow under blacklight - and all of them, even the screaming neons, are infinitely wearable. And yes, they are extremely pigmented - and many are dupes for MAC pigments and shadows.

Of course, Aromaleigh is not just shadows - they have a huge line of blushes to try (these are incredible as well), and their lippies are just super moisturizing (you've gotta try the Nourishing Color Cremes... looks like a lip balm, acts like a lip balm, but provides a perfect hit of color for your daily life). And, another favorite of mine is the Ultra Resolution Finishing Powder... this is the EXACT SAME as Make Up For Ever's High Definition finishing powder ($30), but the container is a bit bigger and the price is about a third of MUFE's at $13.75. You'll find many other fantastic things as you browse the site... I dare you to leave the site without putting something in your cart! (Also of note - Aromaleigh donates part of its profits to Heifer International, a charity that hopes to feed the world.)

2. MEOW Cosmetics (http://www.meowcosmetics.com/). Meow is also a small independent company run by women. In my opinion, this is the absolute best place to buy foundation, bar none. With three formulations and 84 (yes, that's right) foundation shades to choose from, you are bound to find something that is perfect for you. For the first time in my life, I found a foundation that is an exact match for my hard-to-match skin - I'm kind of warm, but have some pink in there, and even makeup artists have had difficulty with it. The foundation not only matches, but it just melts into my skin for absolutely perfect, natural looks. In addition, they make concealers that match each of their foundations exactly, so there is none of that "Should I get the light? Or medium?" stuff. Each of their foundations can be sampled for $1 - so you can get a bunch of samples (each of which contains enough to do your whole face a good three or four times) and find your exact match. When that happens, you can buy a jar for about $23, depending on the formula... while the price is the same as Bare Escentuals, the jar you get is about three times the size of a BE jar! I will demonstrate this in later posts, but in the meantime you can see an example on Meow's foundation page. You will literally have enough to last years.

Meow also provides a fabulous foundation primer and finishing powder as well as a large selection of eye shadows, blushes, and bronzers. The bronzers are designed to go with the foundations (same base shades, and "top" shades that highlight the natural colors in the skin), and they look more natural than any I've ever seen - I hated bronzer and refused to use it until I met Meow. Their eyeshadows are also lovely and they have some very unusual, but oddly wearable shades, including a yellow-green called, of course, "Cat Psss." And that reminds me - most of their products have names relating to cats, and some are very, very clever. You'll have fun just reading those product names on the site!

3. M*A*D Minerals (http://www.madminerals.org/) - I haven't tried any foundations, but I have tried the Multipurpose Minerals. You can use these as eyeshadows, and many can be used to create your own lip colors (dip a lip balm into the minerals and apply). They can be used as blushes, body shimmers, whatever you like. The color selection is nice; not like Aromaleigh, but they do have some original colors and the colors wear very well. Samples of each are available for $2.oo.

What I really like, though, are the Indelible Cream Liners and the Indelible Cream Shadows - these pots are really dupes for MAC Fluidline and MAC Paint Pots, respectively. Not only are the colors dupes for MAC colors, but the formulation is just about the same too (take a look at the photo, taken from MAD's website as a demo, to see exactly how close the creme shadows are to Paint Pots). They really are indelible - I took a shower with a sample of one of the cream shadows on my hand, and it was STILL THERE when I got out! (They remove well with any old makeup remover though - including Pampers Baby Wipes, which I use to remove my makeup.) However, at $8.99, these are about half the price of MAC. As a side note, Aromaleigh also sells these, but they are a bit more expensive there, so I thought I'd mention them here since we're talking about El Cheapo makeup.

4. Raesin Images/Colour ID Minerals (http://www.mineral-make-up.net/) - This Tennessee based small company has a giant selection of eye colors, many designed using color theory so they make the most of your eye color. Unfortunately, they don't really offer samples of their eye colors, but their "3 gram" jar sizes are just $4.99 - and they last forever (the company says 6-9 months, but it'll be longer for me because I don't use the colors every day). The colors I got are interesting and creatively mixed, and they last for hours and hours.

This company also has a foundation primer called Resurface X-treme that is rumored to be incredible - I haven't tried it yet, but got a free sample with my eyeshadow order. Will review it in a future post!

5. Amphigory (http://www.amphigory.com/) - Amphigory is geared towards the Goth, emo, and clubbing scene, but don't let that scare you off - even if you're in the over 30 set, like me, you will be pleased when you delve into the "Cosmetics" section of Amphigory's web site. You will also be pleased by the very, very personal service you get from Zev and Paz, the husband and wife team who own this company.

Amphigory's loose mineral eyeshadows are extremely original - I have "Road to Nowhere" and "Simple" and both are exquisite. Simple, in particular, looks greyish, but when you apply it a pinky bronze shimmer appears with the grey - Paz describes it as "a sunset on a cloudy day" and that is exactly it! Gorgeous, gorgeous. Their regular eyeshadows (pressed) are impressive as well, and they also sell those fab Indelible Gel liners and Indelible Cream shadows.

And, as a cat lover, this is an important one for me. One dollar from pretty much every product you buy at Amphigory goes to support Great Cats of Indiana - this is a sanctuary for big cats that have nowhere to go. Please go to http://www.amphigory.com/cougar_valley_farms_intro.html to learn more about this wonderful place.

There! Those are my Top Five right now. I will be reviewing specific products (with pictures) as time goes on. And I will be exploring new companies as well - if you would like me to review something, please do leave that in the comments.

Now, stay tuned for more reviews, and tutorials using these and other cool products!!!