Alima Mineral Makeup *with VIDEO*

A few weeks back, I put out a query to receive cosmetics to review here on Chic Critique. I got an incredible response and spread the loot out among my faithful contributors. I want to state for the record that we will ALWAYS give our honest opinions about products we try, whether we purchase them ourselves or receive them from a PR contact. There have been several products we have not reviewed because we could not endorse them. Rather than waste your time and bash a product, we just opted not to post about them. When we choose to write up a product we aren’t thrilled with, we are honest about our impressions. And we NEVER review a product that we haven’t tried out ourselves. We tell it straight, just like your BFF would. You can trust your Chic Critique girlfriends!

So with that disclaimer, I want to tell you about one of the products I received from that query. It’s the new, limited edition Silver Screen makeup collections from Alima Pure — a natural cosmetic company. There are two gift sets, perfect for holiday giving if you have a makeup maven on your gift list. (Or a great to-me, from-me gift if YOU are a makeup maven!)

Here is what Alima says about their collections:

Available in November for gift-giving and holiday events and presented in two acts, these coordinated Silver Screen collections are perfect for holiday festivities. Evocative of vintage Hollywood glamour (think Greta Garbo and Lana Turner) the collections feature starlet-inspired smoky eye shadows and classic contouring shades for red carpet readiness (or just a glitzy office holiday party).

A perfect green gift – the Alima Pure mineral cosmetic line carries the European BDIH “Certified Natural Cosmetics” seal which guarantees that it’s safe for both the body and the environment.

Act I is four coordinated shadows to create sculpted and smoky looks for the eye, and Act II is all you need to create classic contoured cheekbones updated for natural, everyday wear.

I do believe I am the last person to hop on the mineral makeup train. These Alima gift sets were my very first exposure to any mineral makeup product. The first thing that surprised me was that everything was in loose powder form. I’m not used to applying eye shadow and blush with loose powder, but I didn’t find it hard to get used to.

I have enjoyed using the eye shadow set. When I want to glam it up, they have a great combination of colors to do a subtle smokey eye. The set for cheeks contains three shades — a bronzer, a blush, and a highlight shade. When I read Looking Younger recently, Robert Jones explained how to use those three shades to contour the cheeks, so I thought it would be fun to use my new Flip Ultra to do a little video demo for you!

Now, a word of warning. The lighting isn’t great, and there is no professional production going on here. It’s just a quick home video I shot myself in my bathroom. You might even hear a kid squawking in the background. Hey, I’m just keeping it real. And also, I look like a freak the way the camera freezes on my face at the end, so don’t let that alarm you. Okay, I guess I can’t make disclaimers forever. So without further ado, I give you my very first Chic Critique vlog!

Blush Application from Jo-Lynne on Vimeo.

Okay, and next time I promise to smile more. I swear I wasn’t mad. So what do you think? Give me your best tips for applying blush and contouring your cheeks.