MAC Blonde's Gold Pigment, Aromaleigh's Eye Lustres, and Rihanna's Hair

I just bought my MAC Overrich pigment in Blonde's Gold yesterday, and I am waiting for my trusty pigment seller to send me the other six (not including Mauvement because I have it) in 1/2 teaspoon samples. Okay, just about every MAC afficionado has read/heard about the hullaballoo concerning the Overrich pigment sizes/weight. The rumor is that these new Overrich pigments are different from the rest in the sense that they are richer and heavier than the others, so the jars are not as full when you receive them, since these are sold by weight and not by volume. I got confused though by the claims (which were confirmed by MAC when they changed the weight on the website) that the pigments were 4.3g instead of 7.5g. Is one of these figures based on weight and the other on volume? Anyways, here is a pic of the brand-new pigment I got. I read from forums that certain ladies were pretty satisfied with their purchase because the jars they got were 3/4 full. I'd tell them though to give their jars a couple of good whacks on their countertop and they would see, after the pigments have settled, that these are just a little over half-full:



A little off-putting, but well, Blonde's Gold Pigment is SO gorgeous that I just had to get a full-size. This is more than enough to last me for years, anyway (although since I would use this as a lid color, I think I would go through this quicker than my other pigments). It reminds me of Warming Trend eyeshadow from the Naughty Nauticals collection. I love Warming Trend as an all-over lid color, and Blonde's Gold is another beauty that I couldn't resist. I'm wearing it right now and it's just so pretty, it has taupe-gold undertones that give an understated shimmer to the skin.


I think this would also look beautiful as a highlighter on cheekbones. Gorgeousness!



Aromaleigh had their Eye Lustres on sale last week. This is the only eyeshadow collection that I haven't tried, apart from their mattes, so I got samples of the entire Eye Lustre collection. I've also seen some remarkable EOTDs using these (check out the Aromaleigh gallery on their site), so I can't wait to try these out. By the way, they also ship internationally now so check it out!

On Sampling Small Cosmetic Companies

I received a message from a lady expressing her wariness and concern about ordering samples from online cosmetic companies, as she is not used to and is quite wary about cosmetics in small baggies. I tried to assure her that I am not getting some crappy makeup products to put on my face. In fact, it is the exact opposite: I have very acne-prone, sensitive skin, and I just cannot slap on every cake and liquid foundation I find on the market because the fillers, parabens, preservatives and what-not more often than not wreak havoc on my skin. The products I get from small online companies are pure, unadulterated natural makeup (except of course some shadows that contain synthetic materials) that are purer than some out there in the mainstream market. I've tried some drugstore (and even department store) products that have more crap in their ingredients compared to the small company-owned products that have only 2 to 5 ingredients, and all of them natural.

I also do my homework when it comes to ordering from small mineral makeup companies. I always go to makeup boards and see which ones have really good reviews, then I do some sampling. This technique made me discover buried treasure when it comes to makeup. Also, I only buy from companies I trust. Aromaleigh is a 5-star Yahoo merchant, Dayna of Dayna's Minerals uses her own minerals and also her daughter uses them, and you really know minerals are of good quality when the owners themselves use them, because you won't put anything on your face that you don't trust in. DreamWorld has earned HUGE raves online and the products speak for themselves. These are just some of the products I enjoy using everyday that never broke my sensitive skin out, that are of good quality and really affordable. I hope many would get over the initial feeling of wariness and plunge into the wonderful world of small mineral makeup companies. It's one of the best beauty-related decisions I've made. ;)

Lastly, I really want to have my hair cut like Rihanna's in her Take a Bow video. I love the song, I love Rihanna, and I love her hair (and makeup)! Obviously, I am a big fan of short hair styles, but I don't know if this would suit me because I have baby-fine hair. Is it a yay or nay?