Aromaleigh v.2 "Muse" Eyeshadow Review and FOTD

Until recently, I hadn't ordered any of the new Aromaleigh v.2 eyeshadows because I have so many eyeshadows in my collection already.  However, I received 3 free samples in my last product order and was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't expecting to fall in love (or deep like) with more eyeshadows but. . .

Thalia, which is from the Muse collection (based on Aromaleigh v.1's Eye Plush collection) has a beautiful texture and finish.  If a powdered eyeshadow can be considered "creamy," this one IS.  It feels smooth, rich and expensive.  Dare I say I like its finish better than the original Eye Plush?. . .yes!  Now I'm looking forward to trying more shades in the Muse collection.  The one I'm most curious about is Mneme.  It is described as a subtle and muted warm creamy yellow.  On the swatch it looks a little on the peachy side (hence the "warm" in the description?) but I'm willing to give it a try because I love me some soft yellow eyeshadow.  I use soft yellows of varying sheens regularly as blender and highlight colors because they are less stark than white or ivory.

My monchromatic daytime look using Thalia from Aromaleigh v.2's Muse collection:

♥  Aromaleigh Gossamer mineral powder foundation in 2y

♥  Aromaleigh Illuminata Luxe mineral finishing powder

♥  Aromaleigh Glamoured mineral finishing powder in Gypsophila - chin

♥  Aromaleigh Illuminata Eye mineral perfecting powder - under eyes

♥  Aromaleigh Sylph mineral cheek color in Calla - cheeks

♥  Meow i-prime - all over eyelids

♥  Thalia Muse mineral eyeshadow - lid/crease

♥  Revlon matte eyeshadow in Rich Sable - outer corner/just into crease and mixed with water and used as liner on upper lash line

♥  Aromaleigh v.1 pure eyes lustre eyeshadow in Fiona - highlight

♥  Maybelline mineral power lipstick in Pink Pearl (#100) - lips

I also received Pavot from the Bloom collection.  Pavot is described as a lovely soft coral peach accented by sparks of iridescence.  To me, the "sparks of iridescence" is actually a pink iridescent highlight.  It's one of those colors that when you swatch it on your hand, it appears nearly nude (on my skin tone) held one way and like iridescent bright pink when held so it catches the light.  If you love subtlety with a special finish, you'll want to try Pavot.

And last but certainly not least, I received a sample of Nymphea from the Bloom collection.  It is described as a pale greenish yellow frost with sparks of blue and violet.  I agree!  It is way more beautiful than the swatch on the website and is going to be one of my favorite go-to eyeshadows.  Paired with other more vibrant colors, Nymphea will pick up that color and coordinate beautifully.  The other day, I wore it on my lid with Celeste (a beautiful sea green/turquoise from the Aromaleigh v1 Eye Lustre collection) patted over the top just in the center of my lid and a medium/dark matte brown in the outer corner/crease.

I've enjoyed playing with my new samples so much that last night (using a fabulous 25% one-day coupon from Aromaleigh), I ordered samples of Flare, Branch Out, Loverly, Heliotrope, Robin's Nest, Mneme, Clio, Marguerite, Lunaire, Narcisse, Primvere, Fraxinelle, Hellebore, Stella, Elisabetta, Nadalina, and Lucia eyeshadows.  When they arrive, I'll be sure to post my thoughts and photos here.

 
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Etsy News

The weather's been so nice lately, I've been inspired to get back in the workshop and make some new things to put in my Etsy shop, Beau Marché.

Shabby Chic Vintage Scrolly Ornate Frame with French Chocolate Label (Free Shipping)

Wine Lover's Art - Keep Calm and Drink Wine - Framed authentic Vintage Dictionary Page

Shabby Rustic Slatted Wood Crate with Vintage Style Label

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Vintage Ads (how times have changed)

Here are some of my favorites. . .

 

Yes, Mom. . .I'd prefer secondhand smoke to a time out any day.

". . .baby participates in its benefits. . ."  Let's see, would the baby be drinking the beer straight out of the bottle or just receive a little pick-me-up through his mother's breast milk? 

"Instantaneous Cure"  You think?

Back in the day when society thought it was a good thing to have curves.

"Oh darling, say that again and I'll shove this feather duster right up your. . ."

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Aromaleigh v.2 Samples and Sylph Blush Review

I received my Aromaleigh v.2 sample order yesterday.  I got 9 of the Sylph blush colors (bouvardia, calla, celosia, gladiolus, paeonia, primrose, protea, sakura, and thistle), samples of all 3 Illuminata products (original, luxe, and eye), 1 Prelude treatment primer, 1 Gypsophila finishing powder (I tried this sample when the product was first introduced but couldn't remember if I loved it or not so I'm trying it again), 1 Gossamer foundation in 2y and 1 Gossamer foundation in 3w (for my teen).

First up are the blushes. . .

I haven't tried them all yet but I did attempt to swatch a few on my arm.  Blush color swatches aren't easy to photograph.  But the ones I included here are pretty close to real life.  You can rely on the color descriptions on the website because in my opinion, they are true to the samples I have tried.

Yesterday, I wore Protea.  I find that richer more vibrant colors look better on me that lighter ones.  I can apply them with a light hand and get a natural flush of color; whereas, lighter blushes tend to disappear on me or I have to layer them quite a bit to get any color payoff.  Today, I wore Celosia and loved it (sorry no pics - but soon).  It is a mid tone color that's not too peach and not too pink.  It also has a little more sheen to it than just matte.  I would call it a plush finish because its texture/finish reminds me of the Muse line of eyeshadows.

bouvardia: A medium neutral bronzed berry.
calla: A delightful coral peach.
celosia: A soft peachy pink buff.
gladiolus: A luscious pink mauve.
paeonia: An exquisite deep peony pink.
primrose: A gorgeous mauved pink with soft beige tones. 
protea: A perfect blend of pink, peach and scarlet.
sakura: A true candy pink.
thistle: A soft pinkish mauve with buff tones.

Me wearing Protea blush.  When applied sheerly, the depth and brightness is not intimidating.  I love this color!

Coming up:  Reviews of Aromaleigh v2 finishing powders and eyeshadows.

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Nice weather for a project

We were expecting rain this weekend but when Saturday turned out to be sunny and warm-ish with just a slight breeze, I got the itch to undertake a project I've been contemplating for quite some time.  So outside I went with my hand-me-down vintage looking dresser turned microwave cart.

One day last year, my mom and I visited her storage unit for something completely unrelated to this little dresser (isn't that how things always happen?).  The dresser, which I believe used to belong to my sister-in-law is something you would find in an unfinished furniture store.  It's solid wood with dovetail construction and no metal/plastic workings.  However, it's not a vintage piece.  It has two small holes in the top (possibly it used to have an attached mirror).  I immediately saw the potential in it and asked my mom if I could take it home.  Looking to eventually be free of her rental storage unit, she said yes.
 
Our kitchen counter space is limited so years ago (we purchased our home 14 years ago) I constructed this shelf to hold our microwave.  The open shelf cart was being used for storage and was practical but an eyesore in my opinion.  I have issues with visual clutter.

To give you an idea of where this cart was situated in our kitchen/dining area, here are a few pictures of those spaces.

This photo below is taken while standing in the dining area.

The door to the garage is just to the right of the stainless trash can you see in the bottom right corner of this photo.  The cart was located to the right of the door.

This photo was taken standing at the far end of the kitchen (duh).  You can see the microwave and cart over there on the left side of the dining area.  Lucky for us, its location didn't impede the pulling out of the chairs in any way.  The table is a 50" round and there is room to pull the chairs out comfortably and still walk by (if you suck it in while doing so--ha ha).

Okay, so now that you have a feel for the layout of the rooms, onto the project. . .

We tried using the dresser as an entry table for a little while but it was a bit too big for the space.  I decided it would be more useful in our dining area as a replacement for the cart.

This dresser sat in our dining area for several months being used in the same fashion as it is now, but just in its found state.  I purchased oil rubbed bronze (ORB) bin pulls on eBay for less than $2 a pull with the idea that when I made the time and the weather cooperated, I would paint the dresser and attach the new pulls.

The dresser didn't have a coat of varnish on it so I just painted directly onto the wood using two coats of white semi-gloss paint I had on hand.  I left the top unpainted because that's where the microwave would sit and it would just scratch the paint up.  Plus, I've seen on more than a few blogs people who have painted dressers and left the top natural and I looove the look.

I used fine sandpaper to scuff up all of the edges to bring out the detail.  This dresser is going to get lots of use and pre-aging it will make the marks we put into it not as noticeable.

ORB pulls are attached.

I love how rich the top looks in contrast with the white.

I think the dresser takes up less visual space and looks more "finished" now that it's painted.  I store small Tupperware/Rubbermaid containers, reuseable water bottles and such in the drawers (things that easily get lost in the back of a deep kitchen cupboard).
 

I'm thinking about adding a towel bar on the left side and maybe a hook or two on the right for potholders.

There is plenty of  space for Rosie's food dishes and room to walk around the table.

I love how this turned out so I am purchasing all new ORB for the kitchen cabinets.  Everything will then have a cohesive look.  I'm very excited about that project.


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I joined this linky party:

Mondays at Between Naps on the Porch

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

DIY Project Parade

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Hail

The weather here in Fresno, CA is very unpredictable.  We jokingly refer to our city as having only two seasons, summer and winter.  Summers regularly reach into the 100's and our winters consist mostly of cold temps and rain... but no snow.  Spring and fall last about two seconds.

So after enjoying a day of doors and windows open (mid 70's) today, who would have guessed that just three days ago we had this. . .

Both boy and dog were excited to see the big white chunks falling from the sky!

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