Aroha, not to be confused by the Hawaiian greeting Aloha is actually Maori for love or compassion.
Ok, I looked that up online. I don’t speak Maori 😀 So if we have visitors from New Zealand, please feel free to tell me if I’m right or wrong 😀
Its quite fitting, that meaning of Aroha, because this is a brand of lipstick from Antipodes, a New Zealand based natural skincare brand that now has a very small range of natural makeup (just lipstick for now) for those who prefer to go the natural route for skincare and makeup. I’m also fittingly featuring this brand in line with The Hobbit movie that’s just opened last week 😀 I’ve booked tickets to watch it soon this week – mixed reviews so far but its ok, I didn’t read the book 😛
Anyway, as far as natural cosmetics go, I’m personally not fussed either way, but what really caught my eye and interested me in the Aroha lipstick range was that they carried a red lipstick. There are only 3 colours in the range for now – Dusky Pink, Remarkably Red and Boom Rock Bronze; and all the colours look quite strong and pigmented.
I’ve checked out some mineral makeup and natural makeup but I rarely get drawn in because I’m a bit of a magpie and whilst I like that its all natural and good for your skin and stuff, lets face it: The packaging is rarely interesting or pretty and the colours tend to be too muted for my tastes. So, this Antipodes Aroha Natural Mineral Lipstick is among the first natural makeup I’ve checked out in a while, and the colours looked promising.
The packaging reminds me a little of Nars lipstick packaging. The exterior of the tube has a rubbery feel to it which is tactile and comfortable to hold. It also comes in the traditional bullet form which I much prefer for lipstick. I used to have a mineral lipstick that came in a tub and I ended up never using it, because its just not as practical.
Anyway, of the 3 shades available, I chose Remarkably Red because well, I’m drawn to red lipstick that way 😀 I wanted to see how this red would fare in the sea of the other red lipsticks I own, from the different ends of the spectrum of reds.