Saturday, October 11, 2014

Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics "Diavoli" Review PT 2!

     Welcome friends, to part dos of my Aromaleigh review!

Last time we covered Alichino, Barbarccia, Cagnazzo and Calcabrina! Please click HERE for my PT1! I also have an eyeshadow look to post that I did with these shadows! :D Are you all ready? It's swatch time! <3



Ciriatto




Full swatch collage.


Ciriatto taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP in Milk.


Ciriatto taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP in Pots N Pans.


Ciriatto taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP in Black Bean.


Ciriatto taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Neon Blue.


Ciriatto taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Turquoise.


Ciriatto taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Violet.


Ciriatto taken without flash, swatched over previously stated bases.



Swatch video. 

Ciriatto is a super intense duochrome shade- the base is a brown/mauve black plush matte, with a vivid color traveling duochrome that shifts from gold to chartreuse to green.
Aromaleigh's description.
Ciriatto actually made me think of Nightvisions from Aromaleighs Earth Sea Sky collection at first but the base color for Ciriatto is MUCH darker when I compare them side by side. The base of this shade is difficult to describe. In indirect lighting it definitely looks like a deep smoky black-brown. In direct lighting there is much more of a purple tone to it. There is a very STRONG green shift. A favorite!


Draghignazzo




Full swatch collage.


Draghignazzo taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP Milk.


Draghignazzo taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP Pots N Pans.


Draghignazzo taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP Black Bean.


Draghignazzo taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Neon Blue.


Draghignazzo taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Turquoise.


Draghignazzo taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Violet.


 Draghignazzo taken without flash, swatched over previously stated bases.



Swatch video.

Draghignazzo is a fascinating shade when it comes to trying to describe it. In some lighting, it appears to have a deep taupe plush matte base. In other light, this base appears more grey. But what you can’t deny is the very strong blue to green to teal color traveling duochrome effect, which sometimes even appears a bit purplish at certain angles! 
Aromaleigh's description.
Draghignazzo, tricky to describe, tricky to pronounce! In the sample bag it appears as an almost army green color. The base shade for this color is a very soft fawn brown with the faintest hint of that army green. In my opinion Draghignazzo has the lightest toned base color that I can tell. It has a very strong aqua shift that CAN give way to a VERY hidden almost clear purple? I'm not entirely sure how to describe the purple shift, I couldn't quite capture it because of the angles I was having to use. You could barely see the swatch anymore. It's there but it's very faint on my skin. This one is a favorite!


Farfarello




Full swatch collage.  


Farfarello taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP Milk.


Farfarello taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP Pots N Pans. 


Farfarello taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP Black Bean.


Farfarello taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Neon Blue.


Farfarello taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Turquoise.


Farfarello taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Violet.


 taken without flash, swatched over previously stated bases.



Swatch video

Farfarello has a muted brownish/mauve plush matte base with a gorgeous metallic copper lowlight and a very strong red to violet color traveling duochrome effect. 
Aromaleigh's description.

Farfarello is a satin matte brown-mauve reddened base with a strong pinkish-violet to peachy copper shift. 
My description.


Grafficane

Full swatch collage.


Grafficane taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP Milk.


Grafficane taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP Pots N Pans.


Grafficane taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP Black Bean.


Grafficane taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Neon Blue.


Grafficane taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Turquoise.


Grafficane taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Violet.


Grafficane taken without flash, swatched over previously stated bases.


Swatch video.

Graffiacane has a deep warm brown plush matte base with an intense color traveling duochrome effect that ranges from gold to chartreuse green.
Aromaleigh's description.
Grafficane is a mid toned, matte cocoa brown with a strong green shift. On a black base it appeared almost a terra cotta red shade with a gold shift. Grafficane must be the little sister of Ciriatto! Somewhat more toned down then Ciriatto since this shade has a lighter brown base instead of blackened cocoa purple. A favorite, I have a soft spot for brown green colors! ^_^
My description.


My eyeshadow look done with Diavoli.

"We Are The 4 Lords of The Elements! Earth! Water! Wind! Fire! 
Rise Up!"

PRODUCTS:

E.L.F mineral infused eyeshadow primer.
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Pots N Pans.
Italia Eyeliners in Violet.
Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics "Barbarccia"
Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics "Rubicante"
Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics "Cagnazzo"
Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics "Scamiglione"
Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics "Crisp"
U-Notyce Cosmetics "Myth"
Physician's Formula Glimmerstrips in Black.
Cover Girl Lash Blast in Black.

Quick background on the inspiration for this eyeshadow look. So I'm a huge video game nerd and one of my absolute FAVORITE video games of all time happens to be Final Fantasy 4. The first 4 MAJOR antagonists that you face in the game are very powerful demons that rule over a designated element and try to hinder your process in every way possible. I never knew that the 4 Elemental Lords were actually named after demons from Dante's Inferno! Something I do love about Aromaleigh collections, Kristen is a super smart lady so her eyeshadows are beautiful and often educational! *check out Ignis Antiquita, it's their eyeshadow line inspired by history's greatest forgotten women. Super gorgeous, informative and awesome!*

So here's a silly music video about the Four Elemental Lords!

 *ALSO INAPPROPRIATE, WATCH AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND DON'T COMPLAIN IF IT WEIRDS YOU OUT! x-3*






 I hope you had fun with and enjoyed my review and swatches! Part 3 will be out soon so keep your eyes peeled! <3

The Diavoli collection can be purchased here!



DISCLAIMER: All products in this review were sent to me by the company for reviewing purposes. All opinions in this post are 100% mine. DO NOT USE MY VIDEOS OR PHOTOS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION OR WITHOUT GIVING ME (Pandora's Makeup Box) CREDIT. I WILL SEND AN ARMY OF SURLY, ANGRY NERDS TO YOUR HOUSE! You have been warned! <3 

Sunday, October 5, 2014

My Holy Grail Skin care product list!

So I was asked by Barbara (On my FB page) to do a list of my Holy Grail products! I thought I'd start it off with skin care!


I have terribly sensitive skin! Eczema and insanely dry skin are my main skin issues to contend with, mild rosacea is like their annoying sidekick. I've found that I can't wash my face with actual SOAP anymore. Anything that lathers (Sodium lauryl sulfate or a few others similar additives), has too much perfume or dye added will cause my face to break out in a rash and itch. Gross, right? It's a nasty side effect of my eczema. So when I do wash my face, I wash it with natural organic honey from New Mexico (B's Honey) with/without cinnamon. If I don't use cinnamon, I'll leave the honey on my face for a minute or two. It's naturally soothing to the skin and helps to clean your pores. I personally haven't had much of an issue since I started this routine over a year ago. When I need to wash my makeup off, I LOVE Pond's cucumber cold cream. It's really heavily scented but for some reason, it's never bothered my skin. I've used it since I was a teenager to take off all my makeup GENTLY. It's definitely another HG must have for me. I wash with lukewarm water (NOT HOT) and rinse with the coldest water I can get from my tap. Twinlabs Na-PCA (Na is the elemental abbreviation for Sodium, PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylate acid I BELIEVE) spray is next on my list. I spray it on my hands and apply it to my face. The bottle design is idiotic but it ONLY comes in liquid form and cannot be sprayed directly on the face. Sodium PCA is a derivative of a naturally occurring amino acid that is mostly used as a skin humectant depending on where it was extracted from. It can be pulled from various grasses, algaes and coconut oil. Normally, healthy skin should contain around 12% sodium PCA in order to help bind atmospheric moisture to the skin cells. I use it before I put my lotion on since it makes me skin much more receptive to what I put on it afterwards. E45 Cream is my next Holy Grail product. I just recently tried it, ordered a small tube from England (Ugh it's so expensive to ship!! ;_;) and fell instantly in love. Strangely enough, the main active ingredients (Paraffin wax) are petroleum based (Or petrol based as they would say in Great Britain). I usually don't have a ton of luck using petroleum to moisturize but the combination of other things in it help a lot. I haven't done a terrible amount of research into it just yet. It doesn't irritate my skin or make me break out and has finally ENDED that vicious cycle of dry, tight, itchy skin that I was suffering. It DOES clog my pores. I am NOT prone to blackheads, unless I use petroleum products, this definitely made me start to develop a few. My next HG skin care products are 'serum' masks and a 'paper' mask from Freeman Beauty! My favorites are the Blue Agave (Paper), Honeydew and Chamomile (Serum), Goji berry (serum) and the Pineapple Enzyme (serum). I can't use clay masks of ANY kind at all, or peel off masks. But I've found Freeman's serum masks and the one paper mask work just fine if I use them in moderation. The honeydew/chamomile and goji berry moisturize skin. They almost set into your skin as they dry like a skin conditioner. I like them A LOT. The Blue Agave mask comes on this terrifying Jason looking paper mask that you place on your skin. It's covered in another serum type of gel that soaks right into your skin. No need to rinse and it's REALLY great to use before applying foundation. The Pineapple enzyme mask is just that. It contains pineapple extracts and AHA's. AHA's are notorious for causing skin sensitivity or irritation. I never experienced ANY issues using the enzyme mask, even when I was using it 3-4 times a week. I cannot vouch for the sun sensitivity as I hardly EVER go out into the sun and wear sunscreen and use umbrellas anyway. To wrap this up, I finish all of my skin care off with a healthy slathering of Avon's intensive healing and repair extra strength cream and the matching, lighter body lotion. They're not the greatest but they work better than anything I can find in a store. 

I hope you enjoyed my rambling list of my favorite skin care products! Next time I'll post favorite makeup for the face such as foundations, blushes and primers! Happy Sunday everyone!

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Aromaleigh Diavoli Swatches and review! PT 1 PICTURE HEAVY

Hello everyone!

Welcome to my blog! For my very first REAL post I'm going to be reviewing the Diavoli collection from Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics! I was offered the chance to review this lovely set by Aromaleigh and of course said yes! I've been purchasing from them ever since they reopened their shop back in 2011-2012. I had eyeshadows from their previous store front that an old roommate had left behind for me when she moved out. There were several colors from many different collections and I completely fell in love. To say that the shop owner and color creator, Kristen, has a knack for mixing colors is an understatement. I own around 4-500 Aromaleigh shades and each one is completely different then the last one. I do have such a weak spot for Aromaleigh products! The Diavoli (Which is Italian for Devil) collection is their newest one, released just in time for Halloween! It is inspired by the Malebranche demons of Dante's Inferno. Aromaleigh calls them 'multi-chromes', and I can dig it. These colors are definitely very intense shifty shades! I tried my best to capture them in the photos I took but some shades just wouldn't cooperate with me. I'm still learning, but I pick up on things quickly. I can always come back and try again. Onto the actual review!

 Upon first glance, this collection looks very dark. Something even my fiancee commented upon, he's very observant and knows how wonderfully bright Aromaleigh colors can be. Especially the ones I usually purchase. These dusky shades are like smouldering gems in their coloring when viewed in the light. True to Aromaleigh products, they are silky, pigmented and complex. I noticed the majority of the undertones are grey, blue, red or brown (The red and brown ones like Malbranche and Rubicante left my skin somewhat stained through my primer and base). Very deep, dark shades with rainbows of sparkle held within ranging from orange, blue, green, pink, purple and gold! I have been working diligently on photos and video for the last few days! I wanted to be able to post the videos but they take FOREVER to upload. Even the shorter ones I filmed can take up to an hour to upload. My internet sucks right now. The new house that I moved into has issues with internet right now that we have to get fixed eventually. I'll post the Shall we get to it?



Alichino


Here is the full collage of photos I took! I'll be breaking these collages down for you and giving a description of Alichino!

 Alichino taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP in Milk.
 Alichino taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP in Pots & Pans.

Alichino taken with flash. Swatched over Nyx JEP in Black Bean 
Alichino taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Turquoise.
Alichino taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Neon Blue.
Alichino taken with flash. Swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Violet.

 Alichino taken without flash in natural and fluorescent lighting. Swatched over previously listed colored bases.


Alichino is a muted greyed warm green plush matte base that sometimes appears more blue-grey. It has a strong color traveling duochrome effect which ranges from red to orange to gold.
Aromaleigh's description.

Alichino is a mid tone hunter green/grey with intense fushia and gold shifts. It is colored like an oil slick, it showed up very well on my skin. This one is a favorite! 
My description.
My Youtube swatch video.


Barbarccia



Collage of all swatches.

 Barbarccia taken with flash, swatched over Nyx JEP in Milk.


Barbarccia taken with flash, swatched over Nyx JEP in Pots & Pans.

Barbarccia taken with flash, swatched over Nyx Black Bean. 

Barbarccia taken with flash, swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Neon Blue.

Barbarccia taken with flash, swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Violet.


Barbarccia taken with flash, swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Turquoise.
  
 Barbarccia taken without flash in various lighting, swatched over previously stated bases.


Barbariccia has a muted/greyed dark brown/green “breen” plush matte base that appears more greenish in sunlight and more brownish under indoor lighting.
Aromeleigh's color description.
Barbarccia is a very interesting color. In the sample baggie it appears a deep blue. When applied to different bases and viewed in different lighting the color shifts drastically from a rosey pink and brown to gold and bright green! This is a really lovely and strange color! I've never seen anything quite like it! This one is a favorite!
My description.
My Youtube video of swatches.


Cagnazzo

 Full photo collage.

Cainazzo taken with flash, swatched over Nyx JEP in Milk.
Cainazzo taken with flash, swatched over Nyx JEP in Pot& Pans.

 Cainazzo taken with flash, swatched over Nyx JEP in Black Bean. 

 Cainazzo taken with flash, swatched over Italia eyeliners in Neon Blue.

Cainazzo taken with flash, swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Turquoise. 

Cainazzo taken with flash, swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Violet. 


 Cainazzo taken without flash in various lighting, swatched over previously listed bases.

Cagnazzo has a deep purplish black plush matte base that flashes magenta in certain lighting conditions. This is accented by a strong violet to aqua color traveling multichromatic effect. In other words, this color is super shifty! 
Aromaleigh's description.
A deep, blackened wine base with a raspberry pink-red shift and a slight cerulean color shift. I had a hard time photographing this! It's such a mysterious shade! Definitely something you need to see in person. This color is gorgeous and kind of reminds me of Fyrinnae's Mephisto but has the added gorgeous blue shift. 
My description.
My Youtube video of swatches.



Calcabrina


Collage of all the swatches.

Calcabrina taken with flash, swatched over Nyx JEP in Milk.

Calcabrina taken with flash, swatched over Nyx JEP in Pots & Pans.

Calcabrina taken with flash, swatched over Nyx JEP in Black Bean.

 Calcabrina taken with flash, swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Neon Blue.

 Calcabrina taken with flash, swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Turquoise.

 Calcabrina taken with flash, swatched over Italia Eyeliners in Violet.

Calcabrina taken without flash in various lighitng, swatched over previously stated bases.

Calcabrina is an intense duochrome shade- the base is a very deep brown/violet plush matte, with a vivid color traveling teal/blue multichromatic pigment.
Aromaleigh's description.
Aromaleigh's description is very accurate. The base of this eyeshadow is a smokey violet color with very little sparkle or shimmer in and of itself. Then when the light hits it, the bright blue/green shimmer shines through. I managed to capture some of the violet in a few of my swatch photos but it is a very hidden color shift.
My description. 

My Youtube video of swatches.


The wraps up part 1 of my Diavoli swatches and reviews! All in all, I really like this collection. It's definitely unique and the colors are very versatile. I would say if you've never tried Aromaleigh before, this should be the first thing to try out! I hope you all enjoyed my very first blog post/review! I worked very hard on all of the content held within! Part 2 should be up within a few days! Don't touch that dial, we're just getting started. ;-)


DISCLAIMER: All products in this review were sent to me by the company for reviewing purposes. All opinions in this post are 100% mine. DO NOT USE MY VIDEOS OR PHOTOS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION OR WITHOUT GIVING ME (Pandora's Makeup Box) CREDIT. I WILL SEND AN ARMY OF SURLY, ANGRY NERDS TO YOUR HOUSE! You have been warned! <3