Alima Pure Runway Collection for Fall 2011

Alima Pure's limited-edition Fall 2011 Runway Collection ($30) will be available exclusively online starting tomorrow, August 2, at alimapure.com. The four gorgeous eye shadow shades for fall offer a variety of ways to take your look from summer into fall - and from natural to dramatic.

Here are the shades that comprise the collection, listed below with their position in the photo at right in parentheses.

• Backstage Satin Matte Eyeshadow - pale pink, a perfect base shade (top left)
  
• Front Row Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow - shimmering pale gold (bottom right)
  
• Press Pass Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow - deep taupe (bottom left)
• Catwalk Luminous Sheer Eyeliner - hybrid charcoal, emerald, chocolate mixture that's hard to categorize (top right)

Alima Pure suggests you apply Backstage Satin Matte Eyeshadow from lashes to brow, like silk lingerie for your lids. I love that analogy! Sweep Front Row Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow on your lids. Smudge a little more under your lower lashes to add drama. Brush Press Pass Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow into the lids, concentrating on the outer corner of the eye. Like your best cashmere sweater, this shade will go with just about everything. Finish your look by lining your eyes with Catwalk Luminous Shimmer Eyeliner and mascara. Select nude-toned blush and lips (how about Holly Berry Organic Nourishing Lipbalm?), and away you go.

I took swatch photos this past weekend. If you have really good eyes, or a great display, you might be able to see Backstage at the top of my arm. I can barely see it because it blends into my skin so well. Below it, I applied Catwalk as a shadow to show you that this liner shouldn't be limited to use as an eyeliner. It would be a gorgeous, shimmering accent shade for most of us. Press Pass is taupe and loveable. I will reach for the shimmering, medium-toned taupe often. Front Row is perfectly named. It should have a front row in your makeup drawer, with its pure gold glory.

My swatch photos were taken in full sun. I applied all four shades with a sponge-tipped applicator, giving them a little more oomph than is necessary for everyday wear. I wanted you to see the colors adequately. With the exception of Backstage, the base shade, these are sparkling shades. You can see the sparkle in the pots, and you'll see it in the finely milled mineral pigments on your skin.

Because Alima Pure's pure colors and mineral pigments are rich and long-lasting, you don’t need much powder to do a beautiful job. That's why it was, for me, simply a matter of learning to pick up just the right amount of powder on my brush. I used to be afraid of mineral pigments, but with Alima Pure's shades, practice has made perfect, and I'm a convert.

Alima Pure makes its mineral makeup using only the purest cosmetic-grade mineral pigments. There are no additives, fillers, or fragrances that can irritate your skin or clog your pores. In fact, the natural mineral pigments Alima Pure uses are actually good for your skin, providing sun protection and helpful anti-inflammatory properties.

Alima Pure has a great Web site, filled with information, and their blog is interesting (a great discussion of natural health and beauty). They also have a Facebook site and a Twitter account (@alimapure). Check them out - you won't be disappointed. This is mineral makeup a makeup snob can love! Because the company takes its global relevance seriously, $2 from each Fall Runway Look will go to the Global Fund for Women. Need another reason to shop online tomorrow?

Photo at top and collection courtesy of Alima Pure; other photos by Best Things in Beauty

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Alima Pure Organic Nourishing Lipbalm

Just in time for summer, a luscious treat for luscious lips! Alima Pure's organic Nourishing Lipbalms ($7) hit the spot. Housed in cute little slim tubes, these are take-everywhere lip treats.

These lovely new lip balms are lip color and treatment in one. Filled with soothing antioxidants, rich pigments, and organic plant oils and butters, Alima Pure's glossy balms are delightful. The company sent me three of them, and I'm coveting more. At $7 each, I won't feel any pain ordering one of each. Each of the three shades I've tried adds what looks like natural color to my lips - like I was born with it. I'm wearing Fig as I write. It's divine. There is a clear one, just in case you want your organic lip balm to be colorless. I can't imagine that, given the pretty colors, but the option is available.

Alima Pure's Nourishing Lipbalm was in development for two years while the company worked to create the perfect combination of incredible organic ingredients from certified producers and premium natural mineral pigments. They wanted the balm feel amazing, smell great, and deliver rich color. They succeeded! Organic white tea and pomegranate antioxidants nourish and protect the lips for hours, and the shades are universally flattering.

Here are swatch photos of Fig, Holly Berry, and Rhubarb, top to bottom. My photos were taken in full afternoon sun. The sun added a lot of shimmer to the shades. They are not particularly shiny or sparkly - just gorgeously glossy. I think the middle shade, Holly Berry, in the photo at left below shows the finish the best. Even with the reflections from the sun, the color renderings in the photos are spot-on. I love all three and wouldn't be able to choose just one. Now I want all the rest of the shades - really! I am a lip balm addict, and why wouldn't a lip balm addict want believable color to go with a moisturizing treat?

While they have a very subtle mint fragrance, it disappears in a heartbeat. I'm fine with the scent. The sticks are soft, and I have messed them up a bit with use. I wouldn't recommend leaving them in a hot car. I'm not sure what they would do, and I am not going to test one of my little treasures by doing that.

Alima Pure is on my "favorite green beauty companies list." If you missed the dazzling Rainforest Collection of gem-toned eye shadows, you can see my swatches at this link.

Alima Pure has a great Web site, filled with information, and their blog is interesting (a great discussion of natural health and beauty). They also have a Facebook site and a Twitter account. Check them out - you won't be disappointed. This is green makeup a makeup snob can love!

Photo at top courtesy of Alima Pure

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Alima Pure: Welcome to the Rainforest

Alima Pure's new Rainforest Collection ($30) has four winning jewel-toned shades that will make your eyes the center of attention. I was introduced to Alima Pure last fall. Ever since, I've grown to love their makeup - even though I don't consider myself handy with loose pigments.

Historically, I've found mineral pigments a little messy. Maybe I'm a klutz. Those of you who are hooked on M·A·C pigments or other loose powder makeup (e.g., Bare Escentuals) won't find these pigments hard to use at all. With a little practice, I've improved my technique so that I can apply the makeup to my face without leaving a trail in my bathroom sink. I'm proud of myself!

Because Alima Pure's pure colors and mineral pigments are so rich and long-lasting, you don’t need much powder to do a beautiful job. That's why it was, for me, simply a matter of learning to pick up just the right amount of powder on my brush.

Alima Pure makes its mineral makeup using only the purest cosmetic-grade mineral pigments. There are no additives, fillers, or fragrances that can irritate your skin or clog your pores. In fact, the natural mineral pigments Alima Pure uses are actually good for your skin, providing sun protection and helpful anti-inflammatory properties.

A couple of weeks ago, Alima Pure sent me samples of the Rainforest Collection, four gorgeous eye shadows in rich, luscious colors. They introduced Rainforest in honor of Earth Day to pay homage to the "jewels of the earth," our wild, delicate, ridiculously beautiful, and endangered rain forests. This luxurious, completely natural set of four eye shadows is packaged in a lovely box made from 37% recycled content (completely recyclable - but you'll want to keep it).

Here are the shades. There are no throwaways in this collection!

• Bromeliad - a sparkling light green to refresh your spring color palette and make your heart flutter
  
• Jaguar - a slinky, golden-brown shimmer that pairs with everything
• Macaw - as vibrant as the tropical bird - a light shimmering teal blue
  
• Kapok - a deep, dark brown sparkle to bring depth to your look

The Rainforest Collection will be available for a limited time. What's really nice, beyond the makeup, is that $2 from each collection sold will be donated to the Rainforest Action Network. I love it when my indulgences benefit a charity near and dear to my heart.

I swatched the shades to show you how magnificent they look on skin. I swatched them very heavily, using a sponge-tipped applicator, so that you could see the richness of each color in the collection. I have been wearing them in a much more sedate manner, applied lightly with a brush. Yes, I'm conservative, but you don't have to be!

My photo was taken outdoors in full sun. Every time I look at these colors - on my bathroom counter, on my eyes, and in my photos - I get excited. They are undeniably pretty. From top to bottom, the colors in the photo are Kapok, Macaw, Jaguar, and Bromeliad. Rich, shimmering (some of that shimmer in my photo is sunlight), and trendy, this collection is a must-have - and so affordable.

Alima Pure has a great Web site, filled with information, and their blog is interesting (a great discussion of natural health and beauty). They also have a Facebook site and a Twitter account. Check them out - you won't be disappointed. This is mineral makeup a makeup snob can love!

Now, here's a really cool offer. I had planned this feature last weekend, but I found out today that Blissmo is starting a promotion featuring Alima Pure this Thursday, Marcy 24, 2011. They will be offering a 50% discount voucher good for the entire Alima Pure product line. For Best Things in Beauty readers, they will offer an additional 5% off if you use the code "trybliss" in the Reference Code box to the left of the checkout page on Blissmo's Web site. With this code, you will receive 55% off the Alima Pure promotion, rather than the 50% off given to everyone else. I plan to take advantage of that offer! I think it's a one-day promotion, so don't waste any time.

What do you think? Isn't the Rainforest Collection gorgeous?

Photo at top courtesy of Alima Pure

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