Thursday, March 11, 2010

Alima Pure Haul. Have you ever (not)bought a product just because of its name?

One not very sunny day, I was searching for the info about mineral foundations. I've already tried Everyday Minerals, Sassy Minerals and Aromaleigh, but still wanted to try something new. You know that feeling, don't you? :) Then, I came across wonderful Sagu's post about Alima Pure and decided to give it a go. I'm very glad I did! Thank you, girl! :)

Here is what I got this time from Alima:

 Natural light, contrast added
Note: Maya is golden olive, whereas Cedar is dusty green+gold.

 
Natural light, flash
Note: Maya is golden olive, whereas Cedar is dusty green+gold

Natural light
Free samples

Natural light, flash
Free samples

Not pictured: Foundation samples of Beige 2, Cool 2 and Neutral 2; Shimmer Bronze in Belize, Color Balancing Powder in Buttercup.

Shipping was 6 USD for International (check their new policy regarding orders from the EU). Quite reasonable, isn't it?

Ordered on 5.2 (Friday), order was shipped on 9.2, received on 15.2 (Monday). IMO it's quite fast!

My initial thoughts:

All samples come in clear little jars (tiny bit smaller than samples of Fyrinnae, or Sassy Minerals, and exactly the same size with aforementioned for foundation) with a cute birdy on the lid! Great pigmentation! Generous samples! Eye shadow, blush, balancing powder and shimmer bronze samples cost 1 USD,  foundation samples (these are packed FULL) 1,5 USD. 

All the wrapping is made of recycled paper (wanna mention the labels on free samples too). It's a big PLUS in my book. Honestly, I don't like all those bubble wraps, colourful paper, vinyl duct tape (!!! hate!!!), cellophane, etc. Such a waste!

I've already swatched all the products. I love them all! Such a wonderful shades! 12 points (Eurovision, anyone?) for me for making a perfect choice! lol

Here comes a "weird" story and a question from the title. I never pay attention to names of the makeup products, unless it contains "taboo words" for my liking, such as *evil (first letter D), *ell (*=H). One might find it weird, but I do find it completely normal. :) I'm a little bit superstitious with this kind of things (you know?), and I was raised in a pretty religious country. So, bear with me please! :) That's the reason I would never buy *evil Horns lip lustre from Fyrinnae. :/ In any other case, I care about the shade, not the name. 

That being said, I was really surprised I decided to buy an eyeshadow of an unusual colour (for my taste obviously) with a name Twilight (yep, I am a fun, I admit it lol). The weird thing is that I really liked how the colour looked on the "enlarge picture". But it was all about the name at first. I wouldn't notice this eyeshadow otherwise. Then I decided to get a complimenting colour for Twilight, i.e. Milan. And let me tell you - I wasn't disappointed! I LOVE the combo of these two. My picture just doesn't give them a justice. Check the website for colour description and don't forget to press "enlarge picture" there. 

Note: I saw a huge amount of products with Twilight name before, but they just didn't appeal to me.


I wore Twilight on the lead and Milan on the crease and outer V. It wasn't just my first time buying because of the name, but also my first time wearing what I call "true dramatic smokey eyes". That dusty violet undertone of Twilight really complements my eye colour. Too bad, we don't go partying very often. I wouldn't dare to wear this look during the day.

Pigmentation is pretty good. Colours look a little sheerer and lighter than in the jar.

Apricot blush (matte) and Belize Shimmer Bronze coordinate really well together. Especially when I wear my favourite Dior lip gloss in Orange Raffia and Fyrinnae lip lustre in Flavor Of The Day.

I bought Blond eyeshadow (matte) for eyebrows. Alima recommends this shade for blondes. Well, I'm blonde (not blonde-blonde, but wheat blonde), and I'd say this shade is too yellow and pale for me. It works as a blending shade with my Lumene pencil in Gray Brown though. I'll try darker colour next time.

I tried foundations several times. Worked pretty well. I should have ordered darker shade though (3 maybe?). Number 2 is a little bit too light. The coverage is medium, but buildable. I even managed to cover my blemishes. Yay! The only thing I don't like is that it kind of "sits on the surface of the skin". Gotta keep trying further. :/

Have yet to try Color Balancing Powder in Buttercup.

I want to try their lip glosses next time too. Any experience, thoughts?

Have you tried Alima? What are your thoughts? Any favourites?

Have you ever (not)bought a product just because of its name? Was it worth getting?

PS Alima Pure doesn't repackage!

14 comments:

  1. I want to try this brand so badly!

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  2. Ha, that's so cute how you wont buy products because of those certain words :) I refuse to buy a product with any connection to Twilight (whether it's Twilight inspired or actually licensed merch) because I dont like the books and dont want to support the messages in them =/

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  3. Yep, I just believe that a name has a certain power and it's not very safe to play with fire, you know?:)

    I liked those books (especially the last one), movies - pretty average. The only thing I hate is the weirdness of the "fact" that such a cool clever "guy" (100+ years, hello?!) would fall in love with that "undecided" 17 y.o. girl. lol

    Besides, I skip all that Twilight stuff, even though I'm a fan of the story. :) Imagine, I got a free sample of Twilight eye shadow from Silk Naturals. I was like "not again!". lol But, I liked the colour. :)

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  4. Hi! Nice shadows, they're super pretty. Plus your photos are really clear. I've never bought something for its name but yes for its packaging - le sigh! It's OK if you don't buy something because it contains those words, it's your beliefs, and they should be respected =)

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  5. Marce, thank you for your kind words! :) Yep, packaging is another thing I try not to pay attention to, but it just doesn't work sometimes. And I have to have it. And then regret later. lol

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  6. I'm so glad you liked Alima! :) I want to have more of their eyeshadows, the only ones I have right now are free samples. I've been purchasing only primer and finishing powder, foundation, blush and shimmer powder, lol.

    From which country are you from? :)

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  7. Sagu, you have to try their eyeshadows too! :)

    I guess you were wondering what that "pretty religious country" is, weren't you? :) Lithuania. :)

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  8. Yup, that's what I meant :) How long have you been living in Finland?

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  9. For around 4,5 years "only". Oh my, time FLIES! It seems like just yesterday I moved here! :)

    So, do you have a story about buying a product just "because of its name"? :)

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  10. I remember buying Sassy Minerals' "Midnight Train" eyeshadow, because the name was so pretty :D And the color is gorgeous, too, so it was worth buying!

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  11. Seems like it's quite common for us to buy a perfect product with a cool name. :)

    Quite often lately I come across notes "I bought this shade just because of its name" (especially, nail polish). I wonder if girls actually like those shades and use those products. :/

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  12. Nice haul! I've been wanting to try Alima for a while now. Not sure why I haven't already done so... I probably just needed some enabling. Haha! ^_^

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  13. You definitely HAVE to try Alima! :)

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