I've moaned before about how hard it is to get a good colour match for my pale olive skin. Most make up counters see yellow and try to match me with something warm, but I'm actually more of a pale beige with greenish undertones, and very yellow foundations make me look like something out of the Simpsons.
Alima is a mineral make up company that makes mineral foundation in a huge range of shades. My shade match is Olive 0, a pale (but not porcelain) olive beige shade. The Olive shades are beige without pink or yellow, the Beige shades are beige-peach with a hint of yellow, and the Neutrals are peachy without pink or yellow. I could wear (and have used and sampled, respectively) Neutral 2 and Beige 2 in the past, but Olive 0 is a better match for me. I have seen olive skin that's paler than mine (the girl in question quite sportingly described herself as having the complexion of the girl from The Ring) and I think if that's the case you'd need to go for a Neutral or Beige shade in 1 or 0 (if you're really extremely pale). Olive 0 is about a MAC 20 depth.
One of the things I really like about the Alima foundation is there is no bismuth oxychloride in it - the ingredient that can give many mineral foundation an almost metallic-looking 'glow' finish. I have tried brands that include this ingredient in the past and found that they made me look a bit like Data from Star Trek.
Picture of the foundation applied, with Lumina Luminous Shimmer Powder applied on the top of my cheekbone.
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I bought quite a few things for a vegan friend from Alima Pure (including the foundation), but have never come back to try anything for myself.
ReplyDeleteHow do you find the foundation wears? Do you buff it in?
Is Alima available in London? I've wanted to try this brand for a while but they have an overwhelming color selection online. Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteHi Dempss - it lasts pretty well all day for me. I don't need to buff it in, I just kind of swirl it on with the Alima #25 brush. My skin is dry, and it doesn't make it feel drier, but I think an oily skin would need to add a finishing powder or blot for oil control.
ReplyDeleteHi Siany - unfortunately not, but they do ship to the UK. I'd recommend trying a few samples in shades that you think might work. Do be careful though - Customs are being complete gits at the moment and charging VAT (plus an £8 post office handling fee) on EVERYTHING from outside the EU that's over £18.
I like the finish very much, not a hint of Data glow. I normally find mineral foundation dries the life out of my skin, so it's good to hear that this doesn't do that. The samples look interesting too.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a perfect match for you.
ReplyDeleteYour skin looks great! I really like Alima products, but I can't get used to loose powder. That said, their eyeshadows and blushes come in such gorgeous colors, and two of their brushes are among my favorites ever. I had no idea Olive was so neutral (no pink or yellow). Hmmm maybe it's time to order some samples.
ReplyDeleteI like this brand, but since they have risen ths shipping cost is too expensive buy there. I really dissapointed with Alima pure.
ReplyDeleteHello Sweet. Are you in the UK? You might try Lily Lolo instead - I haven't used it myself but I've heard good things about it, and it's based in the UK so the shipping costs should be more reasonable.
DeleteI'm with sweet, i heart Alima but since their shipping costs to Europe have nearly tripled (!) I haven't ordered since, despite my long wish list.
DeleteTried Lily Lolo and though I like the dewy finish, it didn't work for me, coverage is gone after two hours plus it broke me out, causing tiny little acne bumps.
My sensitive, dry-from-eczema yet acne-prone 40+ skin really likes Alima and their customer service is great but splurging 42 dollars on foundation (22+20 shipping) ?!
PS: Grace, that olive 0 is a perfect colour match by the way! :)
DeleteHi Spaceface - it is disappointing. I think they use a more secure (and expensive) shipping method because of parcels going missing, but it does make it harder to justify the purchase of one or two things.
DeleteI like the finish of Inika, but the colour range isn't as good as the Alima. Let's cross our fingers that a UK retailer picks them up.
Has this broken you out at all? Sometimes that happens to me!
ReplyDeleteI am currently using the Afterglow mineral foundation, and initially I loved it but my face always had a weird, sickly sheen because of the SPF in it :( This doesn't happen when I wear SPF underneath foundations though. Alas, I shall have to return it!
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Hi Annie - I don't have any problems with the Alima.
DeleteI'm surprised that the Afterglow made you sheeny (I know exactly what you mean - some leading brands make me look like Data from Star Trek!) because the Afterglow doesn't contain Bismuth, the ingredient that generally causes that metallic look. I haven't tried Afterglow myself though. The base of the Afterglow might just be a touch too white, which can look weird - it's like lipsticks that have a white base.
Yeah, I can't really figure out what is causing it... Oh well! I'm going to return it and order some samples of Alima instead :)
ReplyDeleteAt least with the Alima you can sample it first. I wish more brands did this!
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