First off, has anyone heard of Alima Cosmetics?
It's a brand that I'm not at all familiar with. I've seen it on Makeupalley.com as a highly rated powder foundation for the past couple of years, but I never took the time to research the product and see where I can get it. I decided to finally check it out since I've been really wanting to try something different from liquid foundation (which is what I love the most and I'm the most comfortable with). I went to http://www.alimapure.com & looked at all of their products. Alima is basically a company that only uses minerals for their products. They don't contain any additives, fillers or fragrances that will irritate your skin or clog your pores. (info taken directly from the website)
Rated a 4.2 out of 5 based on 306 reviews.
So you might ask, Is it really a big deal that it doesn't contain any of the ingredients mentioned??
Well, for some, maybe not. For many, yes. For me, yes. Ingredients such as: Bismuth Oxychloride, Talc, Dyes, Fragrance, preservatives, etc can all irritate the skin.
Now, you might ask, If it irritates the skin, why do companies use it??
Talc, a mineral powder made from talc rocks for instance, is popular in powder products because of its silky texture, matte finish and absorbent "anti-caking" capabilities. It's completely moisture resistant so it acts as a barrier (by filling your pores) & puts up a battle against the natural oils in your skin & sweat that may cause shine or your makeup to wear off. (This is why you use Baby Powder, which is Talcum powder to prevent diaper rash on infants or to prevent chaffing). Its linked with breakouts and irritations in cosmetics because it may clog your pores. Pores help the skin to allow oils to flow efficiently. When you apply something like talc on your face, the oils are getting trapped in your pores, thus causing bacteria & the end is result is breakouts. The controversy over if talc is safe, is always being argued. Because when talc is milled, by the end result is fibers that are strikingly similar to asbestos. Talc is linked to many different diseases such as lung cancer and ovarian cancer (linked to feminine products containing talc). Some may argue that it's not safe in cosmetics because you can inhale it.. But, how does one know how much you have to actually inhale daily to be at risk? Cosmetic grade talc (that doesn't contain asbestos-like fibers) is claimed to be by the FDA "Generally Recognized as Safe". In the end, not many companies making money will care if their products are safe or not, and not many every day consumers will know the risks. Sorry guys, didn't mean to talk so much about talc, but it was something I found interesting to know because I never knew myself!
Onto the next ingredient, Bismuth Oxychloride. Bismuth is a metallic, chemical element. It is listed on the periodic table as Bi & classified as a metal. It has a low toxicity, so it the recent years it has replaced lead in many products. It is extremely rare to ever find Bismuth in its natural form. In it's natural state, bismuth is a brittle, crystal-like metal that is a lustrous, silvery white with a slight pink hue. The chemical is usually obtained as a by-product from refining metals such as tin, lead, silver & copper. Bismuth compounds are used in cosmetics because of the sheen or "glow" it provides. It has been linked to many irritations in makeup such as itching (especially when you sweat) and breakouts.
I feel like I'm giving a lesson in Science. haha!
Anyway, with my past experiences in Mineral Makeup, I knew never to buy a mineral foundation that contains either of these ingredients. I've tried Bare Minerals and I remember wearing it to work one day (I was working retail at the time) and I walked past a mirror and noticed the color had oxidized and I looked RED. Soon after, I felt like fire ants were crawling all over my face and I wanted to literally rip my face off. I had to quickly leave the sales floor and wash my face.. and ended up putting on my good ol' MAC Studio Fix Fluid and returning the Bare Minerals to ULTA the following day. You may or may not have a similar story to mine. I've heard lots of instances where Bare Minerals irritated their skin as to where they couldn't wear it. Then, there's one of my best friends who wears Bare Minerals every day with no problems. By the way, the cause of that happening is from the Bismuth. I've known that talc would break me out from a powder I use to love. It was Maybelliene Superstay Powder Foundation. It was great, but the first ingredient listed is Talc. I was getting a pimple a day from wearing it. Never again!
So, I decided to give Alima a try. You have the option of purchasing a sample jar of their mineral products for only $1.50. So, I figured its not a huge loss if it doesn't work out. A full size of their mineral foundation is $20 for .24 oz or 7.5 grams. They have an excellent color section. I believe there is a color that should suit about anyone. They make it easy for you by breaking up the colors in different skin tones. There is Cool, Neutral, Beige, Warm, Golden & Olive. And if you aren't one specific shade, you can have a custom blend of up to 3 shades.
Picking my color-
I researched what several MAC NC40 skin tone wearers wore. The majority wore W-4. (Warm 4). I read that a few wore one shade up W-5, but I believe W-5 is better suited for those who are a darker NC40.. that can get away with wearing NC42. A true NC42 can wear W-5 and W-6. If you're more of a neutral NC40, B-4 or even B-5 (Beige-4,5) may work for you. I think its very well work getting a few samples before you purchase the full size. Having your exact color match can make or break your decision of loving or hating a foundation.
View the shades here.
I ordered Warm 4, Warm 3 and Golden 3 and Golden 4. From the website swatches, I was unsure if the warm shades were going to be golden enough. I really liked the yellow tones in the golden shades, so I got both.
I also ordered a couple blushes and shadows.
My order arrived very quickly with a few extra samples. Nice!
CLICK TO VIEW THE FULL SIZE
CLICK TO VIEW THE FULL SIZE
Testing the shades:
Right away, I tested all four shades on my face side by side above my jawline. I had no makeup on my face. Just a little moisturizer. I let it sit on my face for a few minutes and looked at my face in a few different lighting conditions. The best lighting to view if your foundation is the right shade is in natural sunlight on an overcast day. When its sunny out, you can make the mistake of thinking your foundation is lighter than it really is. I've made the mistake of doing my makeup in front of a sunny window and applying way too much blush because in the light, it didn't look so heavy. If its not cloudy out, wait till later in day when the sun is starting to go down.. or shut your window shades and still standing by the window, look at your face in the mirror. You can also look at your face in your visor mirror in the car in the middle of the day. When I'm shopping for a foundation at the store, I ALWAYS leave the store before I pick a shade. If the store has fluorescent lighting, it will alter the way your skin really looks, and give your skin a bluish green tint.
Furthermore, When looking at my face in the mirror, the shade that seemed to disappear into my skin was Warm 4. The 2nd runners up was Golden 4. The golden shade was almost identical except for a slight hint of yellow. I can wear either one. W-4 matches my face better and G-4 matches my neck better because of the strong yellow tone that comes from my self tanner. Golden 3 and Golden 4 were almost exactly the same as well. Warm 3 was too light, perfect to add dimension to areas of my face or to put under my eyes to brighten. A good match for NC30. I put a swipe of MAC Select Sheer Powder in NC40 on my hand next to all of the shades and it was almost identical to W-4. The Golden shades were far more yellow.
Review: I've only used this twice (alone) on my face. I applied it over moisturized skin with a goat hair kabuki and did lots of buffing. It did a pretty good job at covering blemishes. For extra coverage on blemishes, I used dampened a small brush and dipped the brush in the powder and applied it to the blemish. It provided full coverage to those small spots.. and dried to a powder that blended in with the rest of my face. Lastly, I spritzed my face with MAC Fix+ to set everything in place. It didn't irritate my face and it lasted through the day.
Will I be tossing my current foundations and use this? No. Only because in the end, I still prefer liquid over powder. BUT, I am confident in saying I can toss my other powders and use this as a setting powder (Okay, so I won't be tossing anything.. but you get what I mean). I've been using W-3 every day to set my concealer and apply above my cheekbones to highlight the area. It provides amazing coverage and adds extra coverage to my under eyes. It never cakes.. never budges.. never have to reapply. This product definitely screams HG (Holy Grail). I've also used it to set some of my lighter coverage foundations to provide extra coverage and it works wonderfully!! I'll be ordering a full size powder this week of W-3. My sample is running low and I'm getting nervous! haha!
Update: I did purchase the full size of W-3 and I use if often to set my under eye makeup or brush over my foundation for added coverage.
Visit http://www.alimapure.com/ for more info.
Disclaimer: I paid for all of the products mentioned in this post. I was not paid for this review and I am not affiliated with Alima Pure. All of the opinions expressed in this post are from my personal experience in using these products.
It's a brand that I'm not at all familiar with. I've seen it on Makeupalley.com as a highly rated powder foundation for the past couple of years, but I never took the time to research the product and see where I can get it. I decided to finally check it out since I've been really wanting to try something different from liquid foundation (which is what I love the most and I'm the most comfortable with). I went to http://www.alimapure.com & looked at all of their products. Alima is basically a company that only uses minerals for their products. They don't contain any additives, fillers or fragrances that will irritate your skin or clog your pores. (info taken directly from the website)
Rated a 4.2 out of 5 based on 306 reviews.
So you might ask, Is it really a big deal that it doesn't contain any of the ingredients mentioned??
Well, for some, maybe not. For many, yes. For me, yes. Ingredients such as: Bismuth Oxychloride, Talc, Dyes, Fragrance, preservatives, etc can all irritate the skin.
Now, you might ask, If it irritates the skin, why do companies use it??
Talc, a mineral powder made from talc rocks for instance, is popular in powder products because of its silky texture, matte finish and absorbent "anti-caking" capabilities. It's completely moisture resistant so it acts as a barrier (by filling your pores) & puts up a battle against the natural oils in your skin & sweat that may cause shine or your makeup to wear off. (This is why you use Baby Powder, which is Talcum powder to prevent diaper rash on infants or to prevent chaffing). Its linked with breakouts and irritations in cosmetics because it may clog your pores. Pores help the skin to allow oils to flow efficiently. When you apply something like talc on your face, the oils are getting trapped in your pores, thus causing bacteria & the end is result is breakouts. The controversy over if talc is safe, is always being argued. Because when talc is milled, by the end result is fibers that are strikingly similar to asbestos. Talc is linked to many different diseases such as lung cancer and ovarian cancer (linked to feminine products containing talc). Some may argue that it's not safe in cosmetics because you can inhale it.. But, how does one know how much you have to actually inhale daily to be at risk? Cosmetic grade talc (that doesn't contain asbestos-like fibers) is claimed to be by the FDA "Generally Recognized as Safe". In the end, not many companies making money will care if their products are safe or not, and not many every day consumers will know the risks. Sorry guys, didn't mean to talk so much about talc, but it was something I found interesting to know because I never knew myself!
Onto the next ingredient, Bismuth Oxychloride. Bismuth is a metallic, chemical element. It is listed on the periodic table as Bi & classified as a metal. It has a low toxicity, so it the recent years it has replaced lead in many products. It is extremely rare to ever find Bismuth in its natural form. In it's natural state, bismuth is a brittle, crystal-like metal that is a lustrous, silvery white with a slight pink hue. The chemical is usually obtained as a by-product from refining metals such as tin, lead, silver & copper. Bismuth compounds are used in cosmetics because of the sheen or "glow" it provides. It has been linked to many irritations in makeup such as itching (especially when you sweat) and breakouts.
I feel like I'm giving a lesson in Science. haha!
Anyway, with my past experiences in Mineral Makeup, I knew never to buy a mineral foundation that contains either of these ingredients. I've tried Bare Minerals and I remember wearing it to work one day (I was working retail at the time) and I walked past a mirror and noticed the color had oxidized and I looked RED. Soon after, I felt like fire ants were crawling all over my face and I wanted to literally rip my face off. I had to quickly leave the sales floor and wash my face.. and ended up putting on my good ol' MAC Studio Fix Fluid and returning the Bare Minerals to ULTA the following day. You may or may not have a similar story to mine. I've heard lots of instances where Bare Minerals irritated their skin as to where they couldn't wear it. Then, there's one of my best friends who wears Bare Minerals every day with no problems. By the way, the cause of that happening is from the Bismuth. I've known that talc would break me out from a powder I use to love. It was Maybelliene Superstay Powder Foundation. It was great, but the first ingredient listed is Talc. I was getting a pimple a day from wearing it. Never again!
So, I decided to give Alima a try. You have the option of purchasing a sample jar of their mineral products for only $1.50. So, I figured its not a huge loss if it doesn't work out. A full size of their mineral foundation is $20 for .24 oz or 7.5 grams. They have an excellent color section. I believe there is a color that should suit about anyone. They make it easy for you by breaking up the colors in different skin tones. There is Cool, Neutral, Beige, Warm, Golden & Olive. And if you aren't one specific shade, you can have a custom blend of up to 3 shades.
Picking my color-
I researched what several MAC NC40 skin tone wearers wore. The majority wore W-4. (Warm 4). I read that a few wore one shade up W-5, but I believe W-5 is better suited for those who are a darker NC40.. that can get away with wearing NC42. A true NC42 can wear W-5 and W-6. If you're more of a neutral NC40, B-4 or even B-5 (Beige-4,5) may work for you. I think its very well work getting a few samples before you purchase the full size. Having your exact color match can make or break your decision of loving or hating a foundation.
View the shades here.
I ordered Warm 4, Warm 3 and Golden 3 and Golden 4. From the website swatches, I was unsure if the warm shades were going to be golden enough. I really liked the yellow tones in the golden shades, so I got both.
I also ordered a couple blushes and shadows.
My order arrived very quickly with a few extra samples. Nice!
CLICK TO VIEW THE FULL SIZE
CLICK TO VIEW THE FULL SIZE
Testing the shades:
Right away, I tested all four shades on my face side by side above my jawline. I had no makeup on my face. Just a little moisturizer. I let it sit on my face for a few minutes and looked at my face in a few different lighting conditions. The best lighting to view if your foundation is the right shade is in natural sunlight on an overcast day. When its sunny out, you can make the mistake of thinking your foundation is lighter than it really is. I've made the mistake of doing my makeup in front of a sunny window and applying way too much blush because in the light, it didn't look so heavy. If its not cloudy out, wait till later in day when the sun is starting to go down.. or shut your window shades and still standing by the window, look at your face in the mirror. You can also look at your face in your visor mirror in the car in the middle of the day. When I'm shopping for a foundation at the store, I ALWAYS leave the store before I pick a shade. If the store has fluorescent lighting, it will alter the way your skin really looks, and give your skin a bluish green tint.
Furthermore, When looking at my face in the mirror, the shade that seemed to disappear into my skin was Warm 4. The 2nd runners up was Golden 4. The golden shade was almost identical except for a slight hint of yellow. I can wear either one. W-4 matches my face better and G-4 matches my neck better because of the strong yellow tone that comes from my self tanner. Golden 3 and Golden 4 were almost exactly the same as well. Warm 3 was too light, perfect to add dimension to areas of my face or to put under my eyes to brighten. A good match for NC30. I put a swipe of MAC Select Sheer Powder in NC40 on my hand next to all of the shades and it was almost identical to W-4. The Golden shades were far more yellow.
Review: I've only used this twice (alone) on my face. I applied it over moisturized skin with a goat hair kabuki and did lots of buffing. It did a pretty good job at covering blemishes. For extra coverage on blemishes, I used dampened a small brush and dipped the brush in the powder and applied it to the blemish. It provided full coverage to those small spots.. and dried to a powder that blended in with the rest of my face. Lastly, I spritzed my face with MAC Fix+ to set everything in place. It didn't irritate my face and it lasted through the day.
Will I be tossing my current foundations and use this? No. Only because in the end, I still prefer liquid over powder. BUT, I am confident in saying I can toss my other powders and use this as a setting powder (Okay, so I won't be tossing anything.. but you get what I mean). I've been using W-3 every day to set my concealer and apply above my cheekbones to highlight the area. It provides amazing coverage and adds extra coverage to my under eyes. It never cakes.. never budges.. never have to reapply. This product definitely screams HG (Holy Grail). I've also used it to set some of my lighter coverage foundations to provide extra coverage and it works wonderfully!! I'll be ordering a full size powder this week of W-3. My sample is running low and I'm getting nervous! haha!
Update: I did purchase the full size of W-3 and I use if often to set my under eye makeup or brush over my foundation for added coverage.
Visit http://www.alimapure.com/ for more info.
Disclaimer: I paid for all of the products mentioned in this post. I was not paid for this review and I am not affiliated with Alima Pure. All of the opinions expressed in this post are from my personal experience in using these products.
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