Aromaleigh Midsummer Look

Here's a fairly subdued look, mostly using colors from Aromaleigh's Midsummer Night's Dream collection. I believe most of the collection is sold out, but there may be some still available in the Aromaleigh Vault sales ( http://blog.aromaleigh.com/blog/a---vault-sales/ )

I used:
Virtue- Aromaleigh
Fairy- Aromaleigh
Flora- Aromaleigh
Drama Queen Green- Aromaleigh
Too Faced Shadow Insurance

All photos in natural light.







Also, Aromaleigh will be releasing THREE more collections. There are swatches of one of them, Mythos, on the Aromaleigh blog ( http://blog.aromaleigh.com/blog/2010/10/skin-swatches-of-the-mythos-collection.html ). The collection looks gorgeous! The other two collections are Wonderstruck and Spells!, inspired by Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter, respectively. I'm going to go drool over the photos of Mythos now.

Two Aromaleigh looks

I seem to be getting into the habit of doing looks, photographing them, and then not getting around to uploading them. So here are two looks that I've been meaning to upload for a while. The first one is one of my favorite glitter liner looks so far, the second has one of my current favorites in terms of liners- Aromaleigh's Drama Blue. I really love Aromaleigh's Drama and Drama Queen liners. On to the looks: all photos in natural light.


Look number one!
I used:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Mascara
Indelible Eyeliner Sealant- Aromaleigh
Bellflower- Aromaleigh
Heartleaf- Aromaleigh
Valentine- Aromaleigh






Look number two!
I used:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Mascara
Wish- Aromaleigh
Viviane- Aromaleigh
Cascade- Aromaleigh
Mariposa- Aromaleigh







Now, time to crop and choose photos from my first attempt at what can best be described as an art look. A look that I wouldn't wear out (at least not to anything but perhaps a costume party), but is simply an experiment of color. Do you ever create looks not to wear out, but to just play with the colors?

Physicians Formula Eyeliner Review

Do you ever come across a great product, but then never end up using it?
That seems to be my experience with the Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Gel CreamLiner from Physicians Formula (what a name, right?)
After seeing so many great reviews of the eyeliners, I was excited to get a chance to try them out when I could finally get my hands on them a few months ago. I immediately swatched, tested their wear, and decided they were wonderful. How many times have I actually used this product since I bought it nearly 4 months ago? Once. It's a great product, but I just never reach for it.
I picked up the set intended for brown eyes. Right now you can order it online on Ulta for $8.00 instead of the usual $10.99. I bought mine at CVS for about $10.



I really like the packaging, especially how it snaps together or apart.



It reminds me a little bit of legos.



Usually, brushes that come with cosmetics are pretty sub-par. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the brush that came with this set.



Natural light. I was impressed by the pigmentation and smoothness of the liners. Soo creamy! After I let it set for a minute or two, I tried vigorously rubbing my finger across the liners. They didn't budge.



With flash to show the sparkles better.

I was definitely impressed by this product, yet haven't been using it as much as I thought I would. I've used the black once, and the others have only been swatched. I tend to use my mineral eyeshadows as liners, and never think to grab one of these. I've been using a lot of dark blue liner lately- my go-to look these days is a neutral look with the Drama Blue liner from Aromaleigh. If you're looking for some nice gel/cream liners for a good price, I definitely recommend these. I definitely don't regret buying them, I just need to make myself use them more!

Rainbow eyes

I really like the way this look turned out, and think I'll try variations of it in the future. I rarely use the sealant from Aromaleigh, but did for the liner in this look. It ended up a little flaky, but I think I just need to practice getting the consistency right. I love how vibrant the sealant made the colors.

Photos in natural light.



I used:
Tigrilla- Aromaleigh
Mariposa- Aromaleigh
Cricket- Aromaleigh
Forget me Not- Aromaleigh
Sylph- Aromaleigh
Indelible Eyeliner Sealant- Aromaleigh
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips mascara

On the road again...

I've been working on moving across the country (again), and am now in a hotel working on a few posts. I finally found a good way to organize/store/pack my makeup for moving/traveling as often as I do. It all began with a trip to Office Depot, but I'll fill you in with pictures and such in the next few days.

Dear Aromaleigh,

I'll let you in on a little secret: a year ago, my idea of makeup was putting on some mascara, but only for special occasions. Then, at the beginning of December, I decided to order from Aromaleigh after seeing so many gorgeous looks created by the lovely ladies on a forum I was a part of. I instantly fell in love. With the arrival of my first order came the beginnings of my new relationship with makeup. Before using Aromaleigh, I saw makeup as something that people used to cover up their flaws- something to hide behind. Then, I fell down a rabbit-hole of glorious color and sparkle and realized that makeup could be so much more than that. I discovered that makeup can be used as a celebration of self. That you don't have to think that makeup makes you more beautiful to enjoy using it. That women that know that they hold great beauty without makeup can still brighten up their days with a little (or a lot of) sparkle.
As sad as I am to see Aromaleigh close, I am grateful for all it has introduced me to. If you told me a year ago that I would own and love binders and boxes full of makeup, I wouldn't have believed you in the slightest. Although Aromaleigh gave me the golden ticket to enter the wonderful world of mineral makeup, my journey has since expanded. Aromaleigh started this journey for me, and the journey is not over even though Aromaleigh is closing. I have more Aromaleigh than I could possibly use up in 10 years anyways, so I have plenty of Aromaleigh sparkle left to enjoy.

Ciao Italia swatches

Miss K sent me samples of the Ciao Italia collection to review, and once again she has created a lovely collection. I have spent a significant amount of time in Italy, and this collection made me reminisce about the beauty that can be found there. Right now, it's also making me crave some tiramisu.

Swatches done dry over Too Faced Shadow Insurance, photo in natural light.



My favorites are Bacio, Fico, Biscotti, and Rosmarino. I also really like Melograni, Fragola, Lampone, and Malaga.

The sample set can be purchased at http://blog.aromaleigh.com/blog/a---vault-sales/

Toucan update

It's been a busy and exciting time in the life of the toucan. I've been keeping busy with many adventures, including attending a fantastic project runway inspired event, going hummingbird watching with a friend who is doing research on the adorable birds, dancing the night away (on several occasions) and generally soaking up life and enjoying every minute.

Things that will be posted soon:
Review and swatches of a Physicians Formula product
Mini review of a mineral makeup company that hasn't been mentioned here before
Swatches of a new collection

Also, I recently learned that Meow Cosmetics has an eyeshadow named Toucan. I think it's about time for me to order from them, I need that Toucan shadow.

Wishing on Orchids with Caelia

I'm alive! And I can finally breathe again, after a nice round of antibiotics!

I absolutely adore the look I did today. I tend to have a hard time doing soft looks, but this one was quite successful.



All photos in natural light.

I used:
Wish- Aromaleigh
Orchid- Aromaleigh
Caelia- Aromaleigh (Lost in Faerie)
Sylph- Aromaleigh (lower lash line)
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips mascara






I'm glad I was finally able to come up with a look that works for days when I need to keep it a bit more subtle. I usually hate the more neutral/soft looks I try. This is still pretty colorful, so I should probably come up with an even more neutral look. When I need to wear a neutral look, I usually wear practically no makeup (as in, only eyeliner and mascara). It's about time I learn how to do neutrals.

What are your favorite colors for neutral looks?

Lost in Faerie now available

The collection that I raved about from Aromaleigh is now available for purchase. I adore this collection and had a hard time narrowing it down to a reasonable number to purchase in full size.
Everything is available at http://blog.aromaleigh.com/dormantdream/
Samples are not available individually, only as a full set.

On another note, my asthma has kicked it into high gear the past week, hence the very short posts. I'm planning on going to urgent care today, so hopefully things will be better soon.