Category Archives: Staff Favorites

Staff Picks for Spring

Alima Pure Staff Makeup trends picks for spring

Top row, left to right: Dolce Luminous Shimmer Powder, Sospiro Luminous Shimmer Blush, Leigh Luminous Shimmer Blush. Middle row, left to right: Atlantis Pearluster Eyeshadow, Whisper Luminous Shimmer Powder, Chai Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow. Bottom row, left to right: Sahara Luminous Shimmer Blush, Brown Sugar Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow.

When there are more than two partly sunny days in a row, spring is coming to Portland! That doesn’t mean we won’t have more rain and hail showers between now and the real arrival of spring, we’re used to the intermitent quality of spring here in Oregon. But with those first glimpses of blue sky comes the urge to change up the beauty routine. We asked some Alima Pure staff what are their favorite products for springtime? A couple of trends emerged–it seems we are gravitating towards a bronzed eye and a bit more shimmer. But the biggest trend of all, a POP of brighter color somewhere on the face leaves no question, spring is definitely in the air!
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What we’re loving: Skincare treatments, body and more

The final installment in our skincare series is the “everything else” category.  From serums and eye creams to body lotion and assorted products you may have laying around that can be used for skincare, this post will give you a few more of the Alima Pure staff favorites.

Eye Creams

Hannah (normal to sensitive skin; prefers vegan, cruelty free and organic products) uses different eye creams for day and night.  ”For day, I like John Masters Organics Firming Eye Gel.  It works well under makeup.  I also like Suki Eye Repair Balm, but this is a heavier formula that I only use at night or in the winter when I have lots of dryness.  I’ve found it is too heavy to wear under makeup.”
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What we’re loving: moisturizers

A little while ago, we let you in on what cleansers were working well for the Alima Pure staff.  Now we’re ready to share our favorite moisturizing products with you.  Again, please keep in mind that what works for us may or may not work for you, and we haven’t tried everything on the market, by any means!  We just  have a few things we really like, and if your skin type is similar, you might like them as well.

Amanda says, “I have a hard time finding skin care products that are compatible with my skin, I have VERY sensitive skin, especially on my face and hands (contact dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis), but I panic (literally, I have anxiety about it) if I do not have moisturizer because I can’t stand the feeling of dry skin.”

First on Amanda’s list is Avalon Organics Vitamin C Renewal Moisture Plus Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 15.  She says, “This moisturizer has a fresh energizing scent, nice and light feel (for an SPF lotion).  It does burn a little bit if I have a rash on my face, though.”
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Alima Pure Staff Favorite: Cranberry Organic Nourishing Lipbalm

Alima Pure Staff Favorite: Portia loves Cranberry Lipbalm

When we asked Alima Pure staffer Portia why she selected Cranberry Organic Nourishing Lipbalm as her Staff Favorite, she was ready for us!  ”I have a couple of reasons,”  she said, with a smile playing across her Cranberry-hued lips.

“First, I really like bold lip color, but conventional lipsticks often dry out my lips.  What I like about our Cranberry lipbalm is that I can get a nice, rich color, but it is still moisturizing and conditioning.  With this, I don’t have that problem with my lips being dried out.”  Portia is right, of course.  Because it is made with organically sourced natural ingredients like Sweet Almond Oil, Shea Butter, Coconut Oil and Cocoa Seed Butter,  you know that it is filled with hydration, but is also incredibly nurturing to the sensitive skin of your lips.  White Tea and Pomegranate extracts provide antioxidant protection to keep your lips looking and feeling their best.

“The other thing that I love is that you can control how opaque or sheer it is when you wear it, by whether you apply it straight from the tube or with a lip brush,” Portia continued.  ”During the day, when I’m at work, I usually apply with a lip brush so that it is more sheer and subdued.  But when I go out in the evening, I want it darker, so I apply it straight from the tube!”

Alima Pure Staff Favorite: Pearluster Eyeshadow

This week, Alima Pure staffer Amanda selected Pearluster Eyeshadow in Mocha as her Staff Favorite. “I like the Pearlusters best because I like shimmer, but I also like intense color that really shows up,” Amanda said. That statement made us wonder, do people who don’t work with our eyeshadows every day know what she means by that? Let us explain!

Mocha Pearluster Eyeshadow

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Alima Pure Staff Favorite: Keiko Satin Finishing Powder

Keiko Satin Finishing PowderDea is one of our amazing Customer Service experts.  She answers emails and phones, solving shipping and credit card issues with calmness and kindness.  In fact, we can’t think of a time when we have ever seen Dea lose her temper!

Dea’s current favorite product is Keiko Satin Finishing Powder. Keiko is the perfect complement to her Neutral 3 Satin Matte Foundation, and she loves the way it smooths over everything, giving her skin a more refined look, and keeps her matte all day long. But we should let Dea tell you! Continue reading

Alima Pure Staff Favorite: Garnet Luminous Shimmer Blush

Welcome to our new “Alima Pure Staff Favorite” series, where staffers pick their one, current favorite product.  It is your chance to see what everyone “behind the scenes” chooses to wear, when they have the full line available to them. We started out with Robin, whose current favorite product is our Luminous Shimmer Blush in Garnet.

Staff Favorite Robin 1

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Earth-friendly Baggu gift for Earth Day

Baggu BagIn observance of Earth Day, Alima Pure is offering one of our favorite products as a gift with purchase this week!  At our office, we try to be as environmentally thoughtful as possible.  We recycle; we have office flatware, cups and plates; we tote reusable water bottles; and we try to eliminate as much waste as possible.

One of the easiest changes for some of us has been switching to reusable shopping bags.  For the “big” grocery trip, this is usually a no-brainer; you just have to remember to take your bags into the store from the car.  Once you are in the habit, having reusable bags on hand is pretty easy. The impromptu trips, however, were finding us in need of a bag!  You know the situations: you need a head of lettuce and a dozen eggs on the way home from work, or you slip into the drugstore to stock up on a few essentials.  We usually don’t even think about needing a bag until the store associate begins bagging our products into a wasteful plastic bag.  (Or a paper bag if you are inside the city limits of Portland or a growing number of other cities!)

Our solution to this little issue is having a handy tote that fits inside a small pouch right inside our handbags.  This way, as soon as the clerk begins to put our items into plastic, we can say, “Oh wait!  I have my own bag!”  Having a bag as bright and adorable as the one pictured here is an added bonus, and it just so happens to be our Earth Day gift with purchase, offered this week only.

Baggu makes some of our favorite bags; we love them because they are roomy and strong, and come in a wide variety of fun colors and prints.  We enjoy them so much, we had some made just for our customers!  With any order totaling $75 or more (placed now until Monday, April 23 at 2 pm PST) you will receive a bright green Alima Pure Baggu bag, while supplies last.  And, if you’re curious about just how much a Baggu bag can hold, follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter this week!

Alima Pure Staff Favorites

Kara has worked for Alima Pure for three years and is a photography student at a local school. She has been doing the photography of our products, as well as employees for the blog. Of course, for this particular post, Sara had to step in to photograph Kara and she did an amazing job!

Kara has beautiful olive skin that tans if she even looks at the sun. At the point in the summer that we took this photo, Kara was wearing Satin Matte Foundation in Olive 1.5. On her cheeks, we added Satin Matte Blush in Bisque.

On Kara’s eyes, we used Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadows in Venus from crease to brows and Truffle from lashes to crease. Tigereye went into the crease and concentrated at the outer corner of the eye. Paparazzi Luminous Shimmer Eyeliner was applied wet to the lash-line with our #33 Angle Liner Brush.

To finish, we applied our Holly Berry Organic Nourishing Lip Balm. We think Kara looks stunning!

Alima Pure Staff Favorites

Tracey is the Alima Pure Lab Manager, so she knows our colors as well as anyone!  She likes to wear colors that enhance her features without looking like she’s wearing much, so her favorites include mostly matte colors.

Tracey wears Satin Matte Foundation in Beige 3 and then we added a light dusting of Satin Finishing Powder in Keiko.  We brushed Satin Matte Blush in Honey Rose to the apples of her cheeks.

For eyes, we used Satin Matte Eyeshadow in Vanilla as a base, from lashes to brows.  Then we used Satin Matte Mohair on the lid.  The lone bit of shimmer, Pearluster Eyeshadow in Mocha, went into the crease. Before lining, we used the #33 brush with Satin Matte Eyeshadow in Raven to fill in Tracey’s brows, then we wiped the brush off, dampened it and used it to line her upper lash line with Satin Matte Eyeliner in Espresso.

The finishing touch is our Organic Nourishing Lip Balm in Mango.  As you can see, these shades give Tracey a polished, professional look without looking overdone!