Don't forget to check the beauty sale pages at Macy's here and
Nordstrom here for new beauty deals plus free shipping!


Saturday, June 26, 2010

EOTD: Aromaleigh Thalia's Return + Silk Stockings

As many of you probably know, I'm no expert when it comes to the rich and vast world of mineral makeup. But there are a few things I DO know, and one of them is that most mineral makeup lovers absolutely adore Aromaleigh.  

A while ago, I was sent a wonderful assortment of samples from Aromaleigh's PR, and even though I'm a total novice at applying mineral shadows (I can't completely control the fallout, I can't use more than 3 shades for one eye look, shall I go on?) I have managed to put together a few looks that I'm really loving at the moment.  So I thought I'd share a look with you today, which might appeal to my fellow bronze-luvahs out there (I'm pretty much obsessed with bronze but you already knew that). 

For this look, I decided to pair Thalia's Return (in the bag, this looks like a rich, red-clay type of shade but is actually quite bronzey on the skin) and Silk Stockings (I would best describe this as a beautiful champagne-beige with pink undertones).  I thought the red in Thalia's Return and the pink in Silk Stockings would complement each other, and I'm very pleased with the outcome:

Here's the complete list of what I used for this look:

Maybelline Define-A-Brow Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Blonde
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden
Aromaleigh Thalia's Return from lashline to crease
Aromaleigh Silk Stockings blended up from crease to brow bone
Styli-Style Twist Eyeliner in Topaz on upper and lower lashline
Maybelline The Falsies Mascara in Blackest Black on lashes (review to come this week!)

I am really liking this look because it's about as reddish-pink as I can go with my complexion. I absolutely cannot pull off full-on red or pink eyeshadows (everyone always asks me if I'm sick or tired when I try to wear them) so this shadow combo pretty much satisfies my yearning to wear pinks and reds!

So tell me, what are some of your favorites from Aromaleigh? Are you a mineral makeup devotee? Have you mastered the art of applying loose mineral shadows? I'd love to hear from you!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.
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Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Huge 50% off sale on...a brand I've never used before!

It probably wouldn't surprise you to know that Lisa from Drugstore Divas and I sometimes email each other about sales we've spotted and new deals we want to let each other know about. This collaboration is *always* with the end goal of sharing the good news with you, our lovely readers. Over the past several weeks we've worked together to bring you reviews (my blog) and corresponding ways to get the product on sale and/or use a coupon (her blog) so that you can get that product for next to nothing if you'd like to own it.

But once in a while, one of us spots something that NEITHER of us knows anything about. This was the case when Lisa spotted this 50% off sale on all 24.7 Minerals products at her local CVS. I have since visited two CVS locations in my area, and both of my stores also had this line on clearance for 50% off. The sad thing is, neither of us has ever used anything from this brand. And I actually can't recall ever reading a review about any of their products.

So of course we both want to share this info with you and give you the heads-up, but we haven't the foggiest idea what to suggest if you want to make a purchase. All I know is that 50% off is fantastic, and it just might go down to 75% off in the days to come (which is exactly what happened when a lot of CVS locations here in San Diego got rid of Boots products. They started at 50% off, then went down to 75% before the products disappeared completely).

So if you're a 24.7 Minerals fan, please leave a comment and let us know what you like from this line. And also, be sure to stock up at your local CVS!
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Monday, March 15, 2010

Review: Aromaleigh Mineral Eyeshadows

A few weeks ago I wrote this post and I asked for your help to design an Aromaleigh eye look for me. I received so many beautiful samples to try from this legendary mineral makeup company that I just could not decide what or how to use them. Thank goodness for you, my lovely readers, because you gave me SO many amazing ideas and tons of inspiration!

Sadly, my eyeshadow skills were just not good enough to pull off some of the wonderful looks that you suggested, but I did finally decide on a look, suggested by Melissa the Dilettante (whose adorable beauty blog can be found here), and I am SO happy with how it turned out. Thank you SO much, Melissa!

In her own words, here is the eye look Melissa suggested:

"use ambre and chantal and do a smoky gold arabic/egyptian look!"

So that's exactly what I did, using both Ambre and Chantal! I used Ambre from lashline to crease, and Chantal for my outer "V" area. I blended both shades up into just above my crease area, and then I used Ambre to line my eyes (with a wet brush). Also, for more impact, I used a black eyeliner pencil just on my waterline. I am loving this look so much--all I need now is a fancy event to go to so I can rock this look for an entire evening!




(Please excuse my mascara in these pics--I had already applied mascara earlier in the day and then tried to apply more later which resulted in clump-city.)

In case you missed my original post, here are the samples I received from Aromaleigh (click to enlarge):


And even though there are TONS of other blogs where you can find much better swatches and exquisite eye looks (do NOT miss Fresco Phyrra if you want to see amazing eye looks using Aromaleigh shadows), I still wanted to show you some swatches of the shades I received because, truly, each shade is lovelier than the next:
From top to bottom: Glow, Bouganvillea, Longing, Chocolate Heart, Persian Kitty, Thalia's Return, Love Note, Moth, Calliope

From top to bottom: Circe, Chantal, Silk Stockings, Ambre, Petit Fours, Pique, Fragile Charms, Coppelia, Jewel

Not pictured: Verdigris (somehow I forgot to photograph this one, but it is a beautiful mint green-gray matte)

Also, please note that you will get a completely different look if you use these shadows wet (applied wet, some colors change completely while others just become intensely vivid), which makes them an even better value because it's like getting two shades in one.

So how do I like my Aromaleigh samples? Honestly, I need to first explain that I am a total mineral makeup novice. I've used a few mineral eyehshadows over the years, and my experience has ranged from good to ridiculously awful. I've used some shadows that were so dry they just would not adhere to my lids, and others that lacked pigment altogether. I've used other shadows that were loaded with sparkle to the point where I could not control the fallout, as well as other shadows that applied OK but didn't have me running back to order more.

So...that's where I stand with mineral eyeshadows. Or at least that's where I used to stand. After playing with these Aromaleigh samples for a few weeks now, I can honestly say that I fully understand why this company has such a large and devoted following. If you have avoided mineral eyeshadows in the past because of any of the reasons I talked about above, you can pretty much throw those fears out the window if you choose to order from Aromaleigh. These shadows are top notch, high quality, pure luxuriousness. Honestly, they apply like BUTTA. They are so smoooooth and easy to work with, and the pigment, well, let my photos speak for themselves. I didn't use a primer for the eye look posted above, and these shadows had amazing pigmentation, blendability and staying power. I just can't say enough good things about Aromaleigh, and I can quickly see myself becoming a junkie who can't wait for her next fix (at least I know I won't be alone!). I mean, just look at the color selection and, most importantly, the prices! Full-size eyeshadows are around $8 each, samples are just $1 each (and will last you a long time, believe me) and you also get free shipping on sample orders. Here are tons of other benefits, taken directly from the Aromaleigh site:


Oh and I almost forgot--Aromaleigh makes other types of comestics as well (not just eyeshadows)! Can you tell I'm seriously feeling the Aromaleigh love right now? If you haven't visited their website, I highly suggest you click on over and be prepared to stay awhile because you'll find tons of goodies and lots of eye-candy for sure.

So tell me, are you already an Aromaleigh devotee? If so, I'd love to know what your favorites are so that I can add them to my shopping list!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.
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