Doing a little Mother’s Day cooking? This looks delicious. Thank you Katie.

Speaking of obsessions – we can’t seem to get enough rhubarb these days.

We’ll be celebrating the day with brunch at Accanto. A charming little local trattoria with fantastic food, it’s worth making a reservation if you find yourself in Portland. When the weather is lovely (yes! it happens!) you can even sit outside.

Ready to write that novel? Here’s a way to get started. Spark Yourself has a lovely interface and blog for inspiration. Maybe you’ll be ready for this in the Fall.

Get ready for lunar energy - you knew it was only a matter of time. This gismo is beautiful, too.

Lillie Magazine just launched and we think it’s gorgeous. Not to mention they featured a mineral makeup brand rather dear to our hearts. Why yes, we are blushing.

Natasha Khan (of Bat for Lashes) is just so cool and beautiful.

Daughter’s soulful cover has been on repeat all week at our design desk.

Yeah, we think so too.

Happy Weekend!!

Join Kristen Arnett Monday April 22nd on the EcoSalon Facebook page from 6-7 PST / 9-10 EST. You’ll learn everything you ever wanted to know about green beauty. Kristen will be answering questions, offering tips and advice, and giving away prizes!

We are in awe of Bea Johnson and the beautiful way in which she has evolved her home to be essentially waste free. She offers gracious tips and advice for those who wish to follow in her footsteps in her new book and on her blog.

There are indeed lots of wonderful reasons to enjoy Portland. Let’s add Olo to the list – trip to Portland not required.

Speaking of ways to save trees, PaperKarma makes it easy to eliminate unwanted junk mail. Download the free app, take pictures of the offending mail, and request to be unsubscribed. Done.

We hope we can work out as gracefully as Maia when we are 96. And also before.

This blog is just plain beautiful. Truly.

Okay, we admit it. We are kinda proud of being carbon free for 5 years! We couldn’t have done it without Carbonfund.org, who have planted 50 trees to mark the occasion.

Happy weekend everyone!

Looking for fun in Portland this Saturday night? The Pixie Project is holding their annual Furbowl. Not only does it benefit a wonderful cause but there are awesome prizes. The lovely Honey Kennedy has a terrific list for the rest of the week.

Garance Dore’s no makeup look using Alima, courtesy of Lifestyle Mirror.

Even if you can’t make it to Coachella this weekend, you can tune in and share the love.

Our current lunch obsession. Favorite combo: red cabbage, cucumber, pepper, tomato, feta, green olive and balsamic vinaigrette. Dark chocolate for dessert, of course.

We’re blushing over No More Dirty Looks fabulous Alima Pure review. Alexandra also has a great article up about hair color.

Our beloved Palace has the cutest tumblr ever!

Happy weekend everyone!

If you are unhappy with the shape of your brows, pay to have them professionally shaped. For maintenance, you can either visit a professional regularly, or tweeze strays on your own, keeping the shape created by the professional, and only returning for a reshape occasionally.

To shape your own, use a pencil or brush handle to determine the ideal shape. Hold the pencil straight up from the side of your nose. Brows should begin where the pencil intersects your brow line. For the outer edge, angle the pencil so that it touches the outer edge of your lower nose, and the outer corner of your eye. Brows should extend to the pencil, but not beyond. To determine the best placement for your arch, look straight into the mirror. The highest place of your brow should be just above the outer edge of your iris. As you do this, you may notice that one brow needs a little more help than the other. Don’t get caught up in removing more hair, trying to make them perfectly even. As has often been said, your brows should be sisters, but not identical twins.

Now that that you are shaped, you may wonder, should I still fill in with color? Absolutely! Find a Satin Matte Eyeshadow or Eyeliner shade that comes close to the color of your natural brows. Many people like to go slightly lighter to avoid creating a harsh brow look. Here is a handy guide to the Alima Pure shades that work best for brows:

Ash Satin Matte Eyeshadow– platinum or pale grey brows

Auburn Satin Matte Eyeshadow – strawberry blond or pale red brows

Black Satin Matte Eyeliner – blackest brows

Blond Satin Matte Eyeshadow – most shades of blond brows

Cocoa Satin Matte Eyeshadow – red or reddish brown brows

Espresso Satin Matte Eyeliner – dark brown, nearly black brows

Java Satin Matte Eyeshadow – deep brown brows

Mahogany Satin Matte Eyeshadow – medium to deep brown brows with caramel tones

Raven Satin Matte Eyeshadow – medium to deep brown brows with a hint of red

To fill in your brows, use the shade of your choice, and our #33 Angle Liner Brush. Dip your brush into the powder, and tap it up and down in the lid to work the color into the bristles. Because there is more hair towards the inner part of the brow, begin at the arch, and start filling in the outer part first. Use short, feathery strokes to create a natural look, and pick up more color as needed. You can go slightly above the hair at the arch area, but be very subtle here. By focusing the color at the arch, which is the highest point, you create the optical illusion of larger eyes. Once you have completed this area, fill in the inner part of the brows, but just enough so that they match the outer corner–you don’t want to make this area appear heavier than the outer part.

To keep unruly brows tamed throughout the day, dip a brow comb or brush in a little hairspray or gel and lightly brush it over the entire brow area. Then add a touch of a highlighting shadow (we especially love Pearluster Eyeshadows in Prosecco or Champagne for this) just under the arch and blended down towards the rest of your shadow.

If you aren’t used to seeing your brows filled in, take a step back before you make a judgment on how you did. Just like looking at a bold lip color up close can be a bit startling, a filled in brow can seem like a bit much if you are examining it at close range. Step back from the mirror to a distance from which most people will see you.  This is how you will appear to others, and we are willing to bet they will think you look fabulous!

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!

Hannah, (who normally swears by Pink Satin Matte Blush) switches to Sahara Luminous Shimmer Blush for springtime. “I love the soft, peachy glow it gives,” she told us. Terresa goes brighter, with Leigh Luminous Shimmer Blush, because “the pink shade reminds me of flowers, and I love the subtle shimmer.” Our newest employee, Kat, fell in love with Sospiro Luminous Shimmer Blush at first sight, “The color is so beautiful for spring!”

Candice prefers to keep her favorite blush, but wear a little Dolce Luminous Shimmer Powder with it. “I love that Dolce gives the illusion that I’ve gotten a little sun, when I clearly haven’t,” she quipped.  Alyson goes the opposite direction with Luminous Shimmer Powders for Spring, choosing Whisper. “It has a soft pink subtleness which is perfect to give a little glow!  It’s an instant pick-me-up, and you can use it on eyes as well.”

Of course, brighter and lighter don’t just apply to cheeks! Portia switches from her usual Black or Espresso Satin Matte Eyeliner to the more subtle Black Violet, because “it is a softer look.” Karin favors Chai Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow because “it is a nice, springy color with some shimmer to perk me up!” And Katarina loves the more intense shimmer of Brown Sugar Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow, “because it really brings out my blue eyes.” Kara is attracted to the brighter shades for spring, like Atlantis Pearluster Eyeshadow, which she wants to try as an on-trend colorful eyeliner!

Urmila couldn’t commit to just one shadow, picking the Hanami collection. “These shadows completely brighten up my spring looks,” she told us. “I can wear Kanzan and Shogetsu for everyday, and then add drama with Ukon and Yozakura.”

Amanda is a fan of the limited edition Sakura Organic Nourishing Lipbalm. “It’s fun and new! It enhances my natural lip color without being too bold.” Hannah, listening in, added, “and we don’t really have any other color like it.”

Of course, there’s one in every crowd. Eavesdropping on the conversation, Brian revealed himself as a true Portlander with his “choice.”  ”The Stormy Weather collection,” he volunteered–naming a limited edition group from last fall. You see, if you’ve lived in Portland for long, you know that even when the skies are blue, downpour and hail could be just around the corner.

Recently, we were contacted by Portland-area photographer Diana Sell with an interesting question.  She wanted to do a photo shoot for her son’s Kindergarten class as an auction project, and needed a little help with the makeup.  Now, normally we aren’t fans of kindergarteners wearing makeup, but Diana had found an on-line tutorial on how to do deer makeup.  Since her son attends Deer Creek school, it seemed like a natural!  But the tutorial showed all sorts of makeup that didn’t seem like the best things to put on the sensitive skin of young children, so Diana reached out for a little advice.

We invited her in to have a trial and error session, and the results were fantastic!  Diana left with step-by-step instructions and the products to create perfect little fawns.  Then came the fun part, for Diana and her helpers…they had just a couple of hours to make up and photograph 25 deer–but as you can see, the results are worth the effort.

Interested in doing your own deer makeup?  Here’s what Diana used:

Apply Satin Matte Foundation that is darker than the skin with a #15 Flat Top Foundation Brush.  Diana used Neutral 7 on her subjects.  Apply only to the top of the face, from the forehead down to the cheeks, and avoid the eye area.

Using Satin Matte Eyeshadow in White and a #3 Concealer Brush, load up the brush with White, and then spritz the bristles so your shadow is dampened.  Apply this over the entire eye area, from brows to about 1/2″ below the eyes.  Round out the shape so that it is oval-like, and then add a small “v” towards the tip of your nose.  (The shape will resemble a cartoon speech bubble.)

Use a dark brown like Satin Matte Eyeshadow in Java with either the #31 or #33 Brush to fill in your brows, but carry the color past your brows and around the white and down the sides of the nose.  On the outer part of the face, extend past your brows, following the edge of the white.  Adults may want to apply some outrageous false eyelashes at this point!

Using a damp brush, apply Black Satin Matte Eyeliner to the tip and underside of the nose.  With a damp #36 Crease Brush, trace a line of White shadow just above the black, and then put a few random dots of white across the tops of cheeks (and maybe a few on the forehead).  Add some dark gloves and antlers, and voila, you’re a deer!

Fair warning: we thought this was so cute that we are promising step-by-step photos before Halloween.

Shogetsu is a white blossom, our version is a sheer, sparkly off-white.

Ukon is a yellow blossom, our version is a yellow-golden pearl.

Kanzan have many pink petals, our version is a vibrant pink shimmer.

Yozakura means night viewing, our version is a steely grey sparked with silver shimmer.

To complete your Hanami look, we’re also introducing a Limited Edition Organic Nourishing Lipbalm in Sakura (a vibrant, cool-toned pink with shimmer), and are suggesting a Satin Matte Blush and a Satin Finishing Powder.

How to apply the Hanami Collection and Color Story:

Sweep Shogetsu under the browbone and down to the crease of the eye.  Apply Ukon or Kanzan to the lid, taking care to blend it well into the Shogetsu.  Add a touch of Yozakura to the outer corner of the eye and blend it lightly into the crease.  With a damp #33 Brush, line the upper lash-line with Yozakura.

Apply either Apple Blossom or Pink to the apples of the cheeks and blend up and back towards the temple.  With a #23 Brush, apply a sheer layer of Keiko or Ami, to match your skintone.  Apply Sakura to the lips.

The Hanami Collection and Sakura Organic Nourishing Lip Balm are available for a limited time only.

Here’s how:

Start with your shade of Satin Matte Foundation, applied for medium coverage.  For a smoother finish, apply a bit of Satin Finishing Powder over the top.

Sweep Bisque Satin Matte Blush onto the apples of the cheeks and blend down just below the cheekbones, following the line of the cheekbone back towards the hairline.  Then highlight the tops of cheekbones with Lumina Luminous Shimmer Powder.  From the tops of the cheekbones, curve the Lumina up and around the edge of the brow, finishing on the temples.

Apply Fleur Satin Matte Eyeshadow over the entire eye area, blend Mohair Satin Matte Eyeshadow into the crease and upwards, stopping at about halfway to the brow.  Use Raven Satin Matte Eyeshadow on the lid, extending slightly beyond the outer corner.  Using a #31 Fine Lining Brush, line the upper lashes with Eden Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow in a thick, smudgy line.  Line the outer 2/3 of the lower lashes with the same shade, close to the base of the lashes.  Using a damp #33 Angle Liner Brush, line the entire line with Black Satin Matte Eyeliner, working the color directly into the base of the lashes, and making the line as thin as possible.  Add false lashes if desired, and multiple coats of mascara.

Finish the look with our Organic Nourishing Lipbalm in Rhubarb, and you’re ready for the red carpet!

Photos: Getty Images

We had been thrilled to win several Organic Beauty Talk awards in 2011, and for 2012 they changed the format of the awards and gave the awards to brands, rather than for specific product categories.  We were honored to be selected as the Best Natural Mineral Makeup Line, and even more so because the 2012 awards took into account reader’s opinions of the products!

In December, we found out that we made the Healthy Holistic Living‘s Top 100 Green Products for 2012 list.  According to Healthy Holistic Living, Alima Pure is “hands down one of the best all natural, chemical free cosmetics on the market today.”

Also in December, Well Beauty Blog named our Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadows as one of their 2012 Top Picks.  Writer Cori Lorts did say that although the Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadows are probably her favorite Alima Pure product, she also loves our blush and foundation.

In January, we have been singled out three times.  The Detox Diva picked Alima Pure for the Top 10 Beauty category of her Detox Diva Awards 2012.  She mentioned our Bronzer, Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadows and Organic Nourishing Lipbalm as favorites from the line.  Storybook Apothecary chose our Satin Matte Foundation as best Powder Foundation, and our holiday collection Black Tie Gala – Eyes as best Eyeshadow for her “The Best Makeup of 2012″ round-up.  And Luckymag.com named us one of The Best Natural Beauty Products, calling out our Satin Matte Foundation and saying, “Many mineral-based products claim to be all-natural, but this one is truly safe on your skin.”

What awards show would be complete without a speech?  We would like to thank all of the bloggers, magazines and websites that have taken the time to get to know our products and to introduce them to a larger audience.  But mostly, we want to thank you, the Alima Pure customer, for the inspiration you give us and for making us a part of your life.  We are honored that you chose us.