Aromaleigh Valentine 2009 and Pure Hue Shadows: Review and Haul

Aromaleigh had its 25% off sale of the new Valentine 2009 Limited Edition shadows, so I snagged a few to take advantage of the discount. In a previous entry, I made a Soft Pink Look using Aromaleigh shadows, and some of them were from the Valentine 2009 collection. In THIS entry, I also posted pictures of the samples, swatches and my initial thoughts. Here is my review of these new shadows from Aromaleigh.

All in all, I loved the depth, the texture, and the pigmentation of the Valentine shadows. The colors are romantic but not bordering on tacky, and the texture is amazing. I was actually surprised that in my Soft Pink Look, I was able to apply all the shadows dry, especially Soulmate, when in fact, I would usually need MAC's mixing medium to make the loose pigment adhere to the lids. By merely using a sticky base like MAC paint pots, you can use these shadows dry without much fall-out. Pigmentation is likewise very good. Sometimes, mineral shadows have less pigment and more shimmer to them, and would need to be foiled to achieve better pigmentation. Not so with the Valentine shadows. They stayed vibrant and saturated with color even when dry. Also, with a good base, they last a long time on the lids. I loved the colors so much that I bought full size shadows (see pic above). Aromaleigh was spot-on in the description: Valentine colors with a twist!


These swatches were applied dry with no base.

I got full sizes of the following:

Soulmate: According to the site, a soft, velvety frosted pink that is extremely wearable due to its buff undertone. I love this as a lid color! It truly brightens the eyes and makes them look amazingly fresh and well-rested.

Bliss: A warm frosted coppery brown with tiny glints of silver throughout. I love this for a gold or neutral eye. I just love the specks of silver when light hits it.

Be Mine: Soft and buttery smooth frost with unexpected bright twinklings of gold. This would be great as a highlighter color, to brighten the tearducts, or to create a wash on the lids. Beautiful!

Pillow Talk: Pale buff pink with violet sparkles. Another great lid color to pair with pinks and purples. As mentioned in the Aromaleigh site, this is similar to Champagne Toast from the Holiday Blast collection, and since I loved Champagne Toast, this had to be mine.

Intrigued: Smooth, pearl frosted warm chocolate brown with a deep undertone. Mmmm, the description is making me crave for chocolate. It is an amazing combination of sheen-y brownish beige and chocolate brown. Great as a crease and outer lid color.

Sea of Love: Deep, richest pearlized teal with deep pewter tones and glints of silver. I got this because it is totally different from the rest of the Valentine shadows. I love the metallic teal.

Lovelorn: Deepest rose brown with a myriad of smooth iridescence. Probably my most favorite from the Valentine collection. An amazing dark chocolate rose that would make a great liner or crease color.

The only downside is that these are limited edition shadows so I need to get full sizes of these while they still have stock. I am thinking of getting Heart & Soul and Chocolate Heart as well. I fell in love with H&S when I wore it in the Soft Pink Look. Chocolate Heart is a pretty, neutral color that will have a myriad of uses.




These swatches were applied dry with no base.

During the Pure Hue 50% off sale last week (I almost didn't make it because I didn't know about it until the 11th hour!), I got full sizes of the colors above. I love the Pure Hues because the colors are so vibrant and the texture is great. For those who are afraid of color, you can always tone down these shades by using a light hand, and Pure Hues also come in classic neutral shades. I love the vibrancy; these shadows make loose mineral shadow application a breeze.