T.S. Eliot may have considered April the cruelest month but weather-wise, we think February can give April a run for it’s money.  Months of rain and/or snow have most likely taken their toll on your complexion, leaving you at your annual palest, and probably without that just-in-from-the-cold flush.  It’s time for a little wake-up call for the skin.

Enter Alima Pure’s new bronzers, Belize and Seychelles.  Joining their popular cousins, Maracaibo, Mauna Loa and Trinidad, these two new shades add a hint of golden shimmer to their sun-kissed glow.  Are you wondering which shade to try?  If you like Maracaibo or Mauna Loa, you’ll want to try Belize, which is between the two in depth of color.  If you’re more of a Trinidad girl, Seychelles is for you.

Keep your bronzer looking natural by applying it with our #23 Kitten Brush.  Dust the bronzer on the places that the sun touches first; the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, forehead, even the decolletage.  To make it more authentic, add a bit of a matte blush in a brighter shade (for your complexion) on the apples of the cheeks.

This Valentine’s Day, Alima is offering a selection of the sweetest little gifts that you’ve ever given or received.  Unfortunately, we can’t really offer a tropical vacation or a diamond ring, but assuming it’s the thought that counts, these delightful gifts are sure to delight.

Introducing our Valentine’s Day Gift Collection.  These special gifts come packaged in our lovely little brown gift boxes, and inside each one you will find a full-sized blush, shimmer powder or bronzer, and the most delightful little travel brush that you’ve ever felt.  The brush works beautifully with the accompanying product, but also makes a nice travel companion! 

• A Glass of Bubbly – Full sized Luminous Shimmer Blush in Sugar Rose, plus the Perfectly Petite brush.
• A Dozen Roses – Full sized Satin Matte Blush in Pink, plus the Perfectly Petite brush.
• A Diamond Ring – Full sized Luminous Shimmer Powder in Whisper, plus the Perfectly Petite brush.
• A Tropical Vacation – Full sized Bronzer in Seychelles, a brand new shade featuring slight shimmer, plus the Perfectly Petite brush.

These sets are available for a limited time only, for $16. $8 from the sale of each set will be donated to Mercy Corp for Haitian relief efforts.

These new shades could be called “almost matte” or “semi-shimmery.”  They are a unique blend of matte and shimmer.  In direct light, they look shimmery, on the skin they are matte until you turn your head just so and catch the light. Mesmerizing!

• Asana is a light peach with a hint of golden shimmer.
• Namaste is a warm rosy shade touched by bronze shimmer.
• Mantra is a soft blue-green sparked with gold.
• Vinyasa is a medium, neutral brown with sparse shimmer.

Although these four shades were created to be eyeshadows, you shouldn’t hesitate to try Namaste, or even Asana, on the cheeks.

Yoga Class Look:

• Sweep Asana from lashes to brow, blend Vinyasa into the crease.
• Draw a bit of Mantra along the lash-line
• Add a touch of Namaste to the center of your lids and the apples of your cheeks.
• Finish with Acai Lip Balm.

You’ll look polished, but not as if you were too concerned with your appearance!

This delicious oil, which contains lauric acid, a healthy fat, is used around the world as a part of many native diets and as a uniquely potent and diverse medicinal aid.  Like white tea, coconut oil shows evidence of supporting heart health, lowering cholesterol, increasing metabolism, and raising immune function. It’s also said to support healthy pregnancy (as with other health conditions, please discuss with your doctor first).

Coconut oil works beautifully in stir-fries, salad dressings, smoothies, to fry eggs, and even as a tasty and heart healthy toast spread. It smells delicious and tastes creamy and subtly sweet, making it a true pleasure to use.

As if all of these benefits weren’t enough, coconut oil makes a wonderfully multi-faceted beauty aid—at relatively minimal cost. I’ve used it to remove makeup and to erase static from my hair, but its applications appear almost endless.

• Moisturize dry skin: Coconut oil soothes the skin barrier, smoothes away skin flakes, and helps protect skin against the elements. It also makes a superb hand cream and cuticle softener.
• Combat acne: Lauric acid reputedly improves acne, but do use caution, as reports on this particular application are mixed.
• Soothe sunburns: Apply coconut oil to burned skin for calming relief and increased healing properties.
• Heal bruises, scrapes and cuts: Smooth over wounds for a quickened healing process.
• Remove makeup and cleanse skin: Spread the coconut oil over your face and remove with warm water and a washcloth. Makeup easily dissolves and washes away.
• Condition, protect, and strengthen hair: dampen hair, apply a generous amount of coconut oil and then leave in your hair for as long as you wish. Rinse, then wash and condition hair as usual. Coconut oil is easily absorbed by the hair shaft, and leaves hair soft and shiny. To reduce hair static and add a glossy sheen, try a tiny dab in dry hair.
• Soothe dry lips: coconut oil makes a perfect lip balm. No directions necessary.
• Increase eyelash growth: although I’ve never tried this, much anecdotal enthusiasm exists. Apply to lash line with a q-tip and look for softer, thicker, stronger lashes.

Tip: For optimal health benefit, make sure to purchase extra-virgin, organic coconut oil, which can be found in most health food stores.

If you know of any additional uses for coconut oil, we’d love to hear from you!

All the best,
Adriane

In the spirit of fun, here are a few of Alima’s favorite affordable indulgences. (A special thanks to my smart and creative co-worker, Tracy, for her great ideas.)

• Spark your imagination with a trip to Powell’s Bookstore online (www.powells.com). What you will find: eclectic magazines, used copies of Oprah’s current pick, or perhaps an ornately scripted, first copy edition of your favorite book. Powell’s Books is one of the largest, privately owned bookstores in the world, with a huge online presence. This site contains it all.
• Raise your spirits with music over the Internet. Sites like: www.shoutcast.com, www.pandora.com, www.radio-locator.com,  or www.classical.com, offer listeners free access to music of all kinds. Whether you love Susan Boyle, Michael Buble, Mozart, George Winston, or Black Eyed Peas, the Internet will connect you to the source of your passion. Listen to your heart’s content; even better, dance around your living room at the same time.
• Soothe your senses with a bubble bath. Hot, steamy water is soothing to achy muscles and heavy, fretful minds, while bubbles add a feeling of playful luxury. Fresh floral bath scents are perfect for summer while cinnamon, coconut and almond are cozy and comforting in colder months. Turn off the lights, light a candle, and add Epsom Salt for increased muscle relaxation.
• Smell delicious with a new fragrance sample. www.theperfumecourt.com and www.luckyscent.com offer fragrance samples for next to nothing, along with poetic scent descriptions to captivate and entice. Whether you crave a classic scent or something more avant-garde to connect you with the ethos of tobacco, leather, salt, or air, you will find a scent for any mood or occasion.

We’d love to know: what are some of your favorite affordable indulgences?

Adriane

I live in a VERY cold climate, my cheeks are often very rosy…too rosy in fact. I am starting to feel like I am looking like one of the wee men that work for my husband. Any advice? Would pistachio work? Or do I need something stronger? I have my eye on Trinidad… Thank you for your help on this matter, this time of year is tough on a girl’s social life.

All the best,

Mrs. Santa

Dear Mrs. Santa,

Thank you for writing.

I think that a combination of Pistachio Color Balancing Powder, a good foundation that matches your skin, synthetic brushes (as opposed to reindeer hair) and a good moisturizer will solve your problems.  Please refrain from “something stronger,” as I suspect that alcohol may also be a contributing factor to your rosy cheeks.  Seychelles would be an excellent choice for your vacation, as I understand that in a month or so you will be free to travel to tropical locations.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Terresa Clark
Makeup Artist

And then, there’s that little matter about our skin. We’d like it to look as nice and fresh as possible, for as long as possible, if you please…

How best to accomplish this? Whether you are 20 or 70, there are plenty of ways to optimize our skincare and minimize or even prevent many of the most common signs of aging. Here are a few of  them.

Anti-aging Skincare Tips:

• Protect your skin against sun damage and skin cancer: You and I both know this one, but nonetheless, it bears  repeating. No matter how young you are, anti-aging skincare (and skin cancer prevention) starts with wearing a sunscreen of at least SPF 15–rain or shine, indoors or out. Slather on an SPF of 30 or greater if you’ll be outdoors for an extended period of time. For those who engage in outdoor sports or require extra protection, consider purchasing a sunscreen with a high PPD (“persistent pigment darkening”) rating.
• Heighten your skin’s protection with antioxidants: Antioxidants protect the skin against free radical damage, which is pivotal to both skin appearance and to the prevention of skin cancer. Using a treatment containing an assortment of antioxidants (vitamin c, vitamin e, grapeseed extract,  green tea extract, selenium, etc.) can both mitigate the effects of current damage (wrinkles, discoloration, uneven skin tone) and protect the skin against future damage.
• Treat your skin as if it’s sensitive (even if technically it’s not): In other words, less is more. Skin irritation, whether on the surface, or lying invisibly beneath the surface, degrades the skin’s structure, leading to a more aged appearance. Streamline your routine to include only the most efficacious products.  A few, effective products is better, safer, gentler, than an excess of less effective products laden with irritating ingredients such as fragrance.
• Try regular exfoliation: Using an exfoliator in the form of a gentle skin scrub or an AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) or BHA (beta hydroxy acids) solution can help clear away dead skin cells and encourage the renewal of collagen. The result is often clearer, brighter, more glowing skin–with the added boon of allowing for greater absorption and efficiency of other anti-aging products. Go gently if you have unusually sensitive or Rosacea prone skin. Rosacea sufferers sometimes find BHA solutions to be most effective, due to BHA’s  potential anti-inflammatory effects. My own sensitive, Rosacea skin does best with simple washcloth exfoliation or the occasional (monthly) use of a gentle exfoliant.

Finally, Take a nudge from Kate and try skin acupuncture! (see her previous post on the subject).

All the best,

Adriane

This delightful little package is filled with deluxe samples of nine of our favorite shadows from the Limited Edition collections we released this year.  (Okay, we admit it, we snuck in a couple from 2008, but they were too pretty to leave out!)  It’s yours with a $65 purchase, and makes a great stocking stuffer or a nice treat for yourself.  Limit one per customer, please.

The set contains:

Amazon – dusty brown shimmer, from the Rivers Collection.
Athena – peach shimmer, from the 2009 Goddess Collection.
Bette – deep, shimmering blue from the Silver Screen Collection.
Cupcake – light pink sparkle, from the La Dolce Vita Collection.
Eucalyptus – unique silvery-green shimmer from the Zen Garden Collection.
Nebula – slightly-warm silver shimmer from the Stargazing Collection.
Petit Four – shimmering beige with golden sparkle, also from La Dolce Vita.
Rue Cambon – a light, but bright, purple sparkle from the April in Paris Collection.
Teak – dark and sparkly brown from the Zen Garden.

This delightful set contains our best selling Satin Finishing Powder, Satin Matte Blush and Satin Matte Eyeliner, packaged with the deliciously soft #21 Buff Brush in Alima Pure’s newest creation, the Travel Bag!  The set is available in two different shade levels and the bag is designed to make airline travel a breeze!

Roughly the size of a large zip-lock, our new bag is both airline-friendly and environmentally-friendly.  It is made of TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), which is manufactured without creating toxic by-products and will biodegrade in a landfill in four years instead of 400.  Because it is clear, you can stow all of your 1 oz. liquids in this handy bag for airline travel, rather than using yet another zip-lock.  You’ll feel much more enviro-chic presenting it to the baggage screeners!

Because it contains three of our best-selling shades, this set is an excellent way to introduce those you care about to Alima Pure.  The Light set contains Keiko Satin Finishing Powder, Mimosa Satin Matte Blush and Espresso Satin Matte Eyeliner, and is suitable for those with light-to-medium skin.  The Tan set contains Hanae Satin Finishing Powder, Antique Rose Satin Matte Blush and Espresso Satin Matte Eyeliner, and works for those with medium-to-tan skin.  Both sets include the #21 Buff Brush and Travel Bag.

The set is valued at $74, but is yours for only $57.

As is our custom, orders placed in December have a little something extra tucked inside, a thank you from Alima Pure to all of our wonderful customers.  This year, the token of our appreciation is a double-stacked, deluxe sample-sized blush duo that we’ve affectionately named “Sweet Cheeks.”  This darling duo is made up of two Limited Edition shades that will only be available for a month, and are guaranteed to bring a warm glow to your holiday makeup!