Alima Mineral Makeup

[Winthrop44]

If you feel you're very yellow I would check out the W and G ranges, in probably 4 (and maybe 5? ). Not sure as I'm an NC15 in MAC and N1 in Alima. You may want to read thru this whole thread and check Makeup Alley to see if anyone around NC40 has posted their Alima shade, but the best thing to do might be to e-mail them a picture and ask for recs. Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[suijuris]

To anyone who's thinking of trying their blushes, do it! I have full sizes of Apricot and Cerise (similar to Lovejoy). I have tried almost all the others. I also like Honey Rose (warm medium rose) and Garnet (shimmery bright raspberry red).

The Matte Bronzers are awesome as well. I actually prefer them (I wear Trinidad) to my NARS bronzers.

I still love their eyeshadows and have ordered some more samples, but I'm lazy and use my MAC eyeshadows more just because I don't have to think about how I use them.

I'm still on the fence about their foundation. I'm NW25 and wear N3-N4 blended. If you are NC40-43 I would go the warm shades to a depth of about 5 or 6 as I think the colours run very light on the screen. I gave up on the concealer cos I could never get the exact match. The finishing powders are ok, but I prefer NARS loose powder. The lip balms are a bit of a miss due to virtually non-existent pigment save for Cranberry, which is a nice deep red. I'm keen to try the brushes but I have so many brushes already, I don't know whether I can justify buying more.

 

[mustardgirl]

So I've just hopped on this train it looks like and I just ordered some samples along with their #25 foundation brush! I really hope it works out - I've been looking for an easy "every day" foundation (I have a cream foundation compact that I use when I'm feeling self-conscious about my face but I don't like using it every day). I've tried Bare Minerals but it makes me look really powdery and chalky

*crossing fingers*

I've been trying to figure out - do you just wear this foundation on it's own with no setting powder or anything? Has anyone tried out the other powders or the concealer? Any opinions on them would be fantastic~

 

[mustardgirl]

I guess I'm replying to myself here but I wanted to update since I got my package of Alima foundation samples and the #25 brush.

When I got the #25 brush it smelled a little strange when I took it out of the package. I don't know if anyone else experienced this but I decided to wash it once before using it and it seems fine now. Anyway, I really like the way it feels! It's soft but dense and very easy to buff the foundation into your skin.

As far as the samples though - there is so much in one little sample jar! They really filled it to the top (or super close to the top). I only got a handful of samples of N-0 to N-1 and also W-0 to W-2 but now I'm thinking I should have ordered more samples. (I normally use Bobbi Brown cream compact foundation in Sand - sorry I have no ref. to a MAC foundation shade because I don't use their foundation) The 0 and 1 shades were way too light for me and W-2 so far seems to be the best match but I am not sure because it seems a tad too light still. I'm going to order more samples and see if I get an exact match

It feels so light on my skin and not at all chalky matte like BE was on my face so I hope this works out!! (need to give it a few more days to test)

*edit* forgot to add - they now limit samples to 2 per color. You don't really need more than that though frankly if you're just sampling for yourself - in fact one jar should be enough for at least a week if not longer.

 

[Winthrop44]

You might consider giving the beiges a try as well....they're in between the N's and W's.

 

[Winthrop44]

Alima's fab new synthetic skunk brush is up on their web site. I posted pics on MUA:

http://www.makeupalley.com/m~73178951

 

[alien21xx]

I bought the synthetic skunk brush, and I think it's pretty soft, however, mine was shedding quite badly, so I guess I'm going to stick to my MAC 187. It was a disappointment as I have ordered all their other face brushes and not a single one shed.

 

[Winthrop44]

Mine bled and shed at first too. It will stop after the first few washings. I love mine. I have rosacea with super sensitive skin and had to sell my 187 because it irritated my skin. With rare exceptions I can only use synthetic brushes.

 

[lil_kismet]

Is there anyone here who owns both the MAC 187 and Alima Kitten? I would love to hear more of your comparisons/contrasts between the 2.

 

[mustardgirl]

I just wanted to update - I finally found a match with their beige-2 colored foundation

I'm trying out their primer powder to see if it will help with controlling my t-zone area though because I notice that my nose esp. will tend to get really oily in the afternoon/evening

I'm not sure what to do with all these leftover samples though~

 

[elektra513]

Alima is expanding their color range for WoCs

Not sure if this has been mentioned elsewhere, but I emailed the MUA for a color rec and this was our convo:

Me:
Hi,
I ordered samples of the satin matte foundation in W-5 and Beige-5 and they are too light. I think I should try the W-6 but that may not work either. Is there a sharp difference between W-6 and the Bronze shades? I am wondering if Bronze would be better for my complexion. Which shade do you think would work for me? I've attached a photo. I think if I wore MAC foundation I would be NC45, but I wear Antelope and Ginger in Prescriptives foundation.

Thanks in advance.

Response:
Thank you for writing.

We are in the process of changing our deeper foundations. Rather than have the "Bronze" and "Ebony" categories, we are going to discontinue some of those, and work others into the other color families. Then we will fill in the gaps with new shades, extending the Cool, Beige, Neutral, Warm, Golden and Olive families out to 9 or 10 in depth. I hate to do it, but I think I'd suggest you wait until these are ready before you try more samples. It would be sad if you decided that you loved a shade and then it turned out to be one that gets discontinued, rather than just renamed.

If you are willing to wait several weeks, you can send me your address and I will be happy to send you samples of some of the new shades when they are available.

Please let me know if you are interested.


Just wanted to let y'all know...

 

[Violent Pink]

So, I wear NC25 in studio fix, and I've always felt it's a little too golden on certain parts of my face (if it's not blended really well around my jawline/neck, it looks like I have an old bruise or something, haha!)

I became interested in mineral makeup and alima seemed like the best place to find a perfect match. I ordered a bunch of samples and I'm really thrilled with the finish and coverage.

I got samples of Neutral 1-3, Beige 1-3, Warm 1-2, and Olive 1. I decided I would try one on each side of my face each morning before my shower and whichever worked better I would wear for the day. Today I did the half and half with Neutral 1 and Warm 1, and I really can't tell the difference! They both certainly match better than my NC25. Even at my jawline it mixes in with my real skin color.

It's especially frustrating for me because I'm a painter and I'm usually really good at distinguishing colors. Any tips to figure out which shade I should buy a full size of?

 

[talks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Violent Pink So, I wear NC25 in studio fix, and I've always felt it's a little too golden on certain parts of my face (if it's not blended really well around my jawline/neck, it looks like I have an old bruise or something, haha!) I became interested in mineral makeup and alima seemed like the best place to find a perfect match. I ordered a bunch of samples and I'm really thrilled with the finish and coverage. I got samples of Neutral 1-3, Beige 1-3, Warm 1-2, and Olive 1. I decided I would try one on each side of my face each morning before my shower and whichever worked better I would wear for the day. Today I did the half and half with Neutral 1 and Warm 1, and I really can't tell the difference! They both certainly match better than my NC25. Even at my jawline it mixes in with my real skin color. It's especially frustrating for me because I'm a painter and I'm usually really good at distinguishing colors. Any tips to figure out which shade I should buy a full size of?

I think if you email them they can make you a custom blend mix with both and then you won't have to pick just one!

 

[cindylicious]

I wanna order foundation sample from alima, but the shipping cost to my country is USD 11 which is like more expensive than the samples, so its not really worth it. im thinking bout ordering 1 or 2 full size jar but afraid that i might be choosing the wrong shade and ended up putting it aside wasting $. Im NC30 Asian with oily skin, could anyone recommend alima foundation shade for me?

 

[DirtyHarriet]

i just placed my first ALIMA order!!! woo hoo!!

i didn't get samples...i just went right for it and got a full jar!

i guess i like to live on the wild side...

i have been using EDM for over a year (since i discovered my face does NOT like bismuth)...i'm between light medium and medium beige neutral...

based on MUA reviews and discussions, i got N4...

i'll let you all know what i think!

 

[DirtyHarriet]

^ well, here are the first impressions...

N4 works color wise...it's a little dark, so i'll probably have to get N3 for winter...

have only worn it a couple of times but it does seem less powdery and more 'glowy' than EDM...(in EDM i mix o-glow and intensive)...and it also has a little more coverage.

so far, i like it. i will probably buy again. but it's not enough for me to pitch my EDM foundation. i think the key for both is color match. i think that EDM is looking chalky/powdery on people because the color they are using is too light (this is according to both my own experience and the EDM color guide).

 

[Winthrop44]

I definitely agree with you that wearing too light a shade in MMU will look chalky, but also I feel that Alima is more finely milled than EM. My shade match in EM is actually a tad better than my Alima match, but EM still looks a bit chalky/less creamy than Alima on my face and feels that way if I put some of each in my fingers and rub them together too. I've noticed with some mineral make-ups that the texture seems to vary a bit from shade to shade, so that may be why different people get different impressions as well. I hope you enjoy your Alima. You were very brave to order a full size without ordering samples first!

 

[DirtyHarriet]

^ ha ha...brave or crazy...it's a toss-up!

i do agree with you that Alima is creamier than EM. it gives me that 'dewy' look i was lusting after. and it has great staying power in 110oF dry desert heat in Phoenix. i wonder though if i'll revert back to EM when i move to a more humid climate...

 

[pratbc]

I am an NC30-35 in my MAC MSF foundation. Can anyone give me a recommendation on which shade or shades to sample? I am overwhelmed with all the different choices. I tried BE and hated it and then switched back to MAC. But, the fdtn. has been oxidizing on me lately and I think it may be causing my breakouts. So, I read reviews and want to sample some Alima.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Winthrop44]

I am NC15 and wear N1 so can't help too much, but if you read this thread back a few pages there are some suggestions:

http://specktra.net/f265/alima-miner...91/index5.html