Avon Haul

Normally I am not keen on Avon products. I think they're overpriced (lipstick for 10 EUR, foundation for 16 EUR? Body Wash for 5 EUR? No, thanx!) and not of the best quality. You can get a better product for a better price.

The only thing that "made" me order again was Avon Pro-To-Go lipstick in shade Nude Peach. I stocked up with a bunch of bullet-like testers last spring, but was running out already. Why didn't I buy the full size of my all time favourite shade before (I hear you asking)? The answer is simple: I hate the packaging! And you get much less product for your 12 EUR compared to their Avon Ultra Color Rich lipstick for instance. I'd rather have a bunch of testers than this ugly bulky tube! lol

Thankfully I decided to check Avon website in December. Imagine my "joy" when I discovered it would be my last chance to buy this lipstick as they decided to discontinue it! Man, I'm lucky with this "phenomenon". lol There was also a campaign "Buy Avon Ultra Color Rich lipstick in LE silver packaging for only 3,9 EUR (normal price 8 EUR) with any other item". I chose Pout shade from 5 shades available. Pout is among my favourites (had several testers as well). And I also got Marimekko (Finnish textile and clothing design house) for Avon All-over face palette for 5,9 EUR (it cost around 15 EUR when it was on sale, it's LE). I actually wouldn't buy it (because I have too many blushes already!), but I couldn't resist the discount and a pretty-looking poppy design! :) The pigmentation is really poor (you have to literally pack the colour on!). All you get is glittery/shimmery face, or glittery/shimmery rosy cheeks if you worked hard. lol

Last but not least, I got more bullet-like testers (got only 7 this time, because I already have my faves in full size! :) ).

Natural "light"

Ultra Color Rich in Pout (nude pink)

Pro-To-Go in Nude Peach (nude peach indeed!). Ironically, shades seem opposite in this picture. lol

Natural "light", flash

Face powder/blush consists of 4 shades (the main poppy is pink with golden shimmer, other colours look close to what you see from this picture) divided by black plastic dividers. Pretty design, but crappy quality!

Natural "light"

Overall, I'm quite pleased with my order, but very frustrated that my favourite shade is discontinued! I really hope that Avon heard my rants about ugly packaging and will repromote this gorgeous shade someday! :)

Have you tried Avon? What are your thoughts?

My little but lovely lipsticks/lip glosses collection :)

Finally I managed to make a couple of decent pictures. I usually take pictures of nature, people and architecture monuments but makeup… this is my first experience.:) You've got to see my hubby's facial expression when he was copying these pictures from our camera. LOL

Note: I didn't take a picture of my 20 bullet-like AVON lipstick testers cause they're sooo small.:)

I've never been a fan of collecting makeup items as I'm very aware of those "expiration dates". I like the feeling of satisfaction when I see that some of my few lippies "take a last breath with their last dip". LOL There were days I repurchased the same shade several times! Can you imagine this?:) Now I'm more into experimenting but I still prefer to have several versatile shades and be able to mix those to get even more shades. This is when my 20 bullet-like AVON testers come into force.:)

So here are my heroes that don't and will never feel "still full but spoiled" LOL:

From L-R from Bottom to Top: Dior, Bourjois, GOSH, Max Factor, Avon palette; Rimmel Nude Pink, Deborah, Rimel Dare


Lipsticks:
1,2. Rimmel Lasting Finish in shades 001 Nude Pink and 061 Dare. My little tricks: Usually I put Nude Pink on my bottom lip and Dare on my upper lip (hence they are of different shapes!:) ) and then mix them together – this shade goes perfectly for my everyday a la "no makeup" look.:) I use Dare with Blistex gloss on top for my evening look. Nude pink is a perfect neutraliser for any dark shade! Though I never use Nude pink alone as it seems too pale on me.

3. Deborah Hydrocolor Shine in shade Grape. It's a tinted lip balm actually. Extremely sheer burgundy colour, looks very natural. The grapey smell is a bit strong but surprise-surprise I like it!:)

Swatches from L-R: Deborah, Rimmel Nude Pink, Rimmel Dare


Avon samples (from nudes to bright reds, purples and browns – the one I wouldn't normally buy full-size as I don't like this kind of colours):
Avon Youth-awakening 5 bullet-like lipstick testers/samples

Avon Pro-To-Go 4 bullet-like samples. Frozen Rose and Nude Peach are gorgeous! I'm thinking of ordering those in full size but I'm not a fan of Avon so I'm hoping to find some dupes somewhere. Nude Peach looks like something in between MAC HK Cute Ster and Creamsheen Shy girl. Let's see…

Avon Ultra Color Rich 11 samples. I like Frozen Rose which is quite similar to the one from Pro-To-Go but I think the latest is prettier and has more shimmer.:)

Lip glosses:
1. Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect in shade 347 Orange Raffia. This is my all-time favourite lip gloss ever! I love the shade and the consistency. Extremely long-lasting and non-sticky!

2. Max Factor Silk Gloss Sheer Frost in shade 370 Cinnamon Glow. My favourite nude shade so far. It's also perfect for neutralising bright shades. The smell is delicious! Vanilla chocolate!

3. Bourjois Eau de Gloss Cosmic in shade 21 Cappuccino Ice. I don't like this shade and the smell is too fruity and strong which I hate! But the consistency is very nice and it feels very refreshing on my lips. I mix it with my Rimmel lipstick or with a bunch of Avon testers in order to make this shade work for me.

4. GOSH Star Shine lip glaze in shade Boogie Star. Extremely sheer! Good for neutralising and mixing with other lipsticks.

5. Avon 8 in 1 lip gloss palette in Pinks. I was very skeptical when I first saw it and… guess what? Yep, smelled it! The smell is kind of plastic! BUT! They appeared to be amazing and what's most important for me they're absolutely fragrance-free when applied! I like this palette a lot! All shades are versatile and buildable (from very sheer to the "full coverage"). I especially love the 1st and 4th (counting from the left), peachy and peachy pink shades. AND they're surprisingly long-lasting and non-sticky!

Swatches from L-R: Dior, Max Factor, GOSH, Bourjois


The END :)

Internet purchases. Pros & Cons

I am quite picky when it comes to face care, colours and most importantly the SMELL. I'm used to the "old manner" of choosing stuff. I mean testing them "face-to-face".:) However recently, when I got completely sucked in by all that makeup lovers community, I discovered a completely new era for me - "ordering makeup from Internet". "Face-to-face" turned into "hear&see the reviews/swatches".:) Sometimes it worked really well, sometimes - not. Here is my short list of only great surprises and disappointments:

Surprises:
1. Carmex moisturising lip balm. It is my "good night" lip balm.:)
Pros: great moisturiser, long-lasting (it is still on when I wake up), non-sticky.
Cons: packaging is only suitable for "really clean hands" and for "short nails", the SMELL (!) is kind of plastic&mint, but it quickly disappears, it tingles for a couple of minutes.

In case you wonder what I mean with "really clean hands" jar, see the picture below. :) Btw, it's my first try to make a picture. More coming soon.:)


2. Coastal Scents stuff (88 eye shadow palette, blushes, brushes, micas, etc.)
Pros: relatively cheap, seem to be of a decent quality, great pigmentation, smooth application, etc.
Cons: some of their products (palettes) are available on Ebay at a lower price! I was in shock when I found out that they are not the manufacturers or creators of these wonderful palettes but just the retailers. Now I'm questioning the quality of these stuff as you never know what are the working conditions of those factories in Hong Kong...:( Additionally, 2 of their brushes "unglued" and they look horrible inside (the glue almost touches the bristles!!!), be aware! It should be referred as "88 palette from Hong Kong" not "from Coastal Scents".

3. Urban Decay Primer Potion
Pros: cute packaging, eye shadows last longer, etc etc
Cons: bad packaging - such a waste of product! There are days UDPP creases! I guess my eyelids can be TOO oily even for UDPP..:/

Disappointments:
1. Victoria's secret stuff, including Sweet sugar refreshing body mist in "Sweet sugar", "Love spell" set and "Super model" Edp.
Pros: quite cute packaging, great reviews, nice descriptions of smells...
Cons: SMELL!!!!!!! I absolutely don't like all these smells. They're horrible and nothing like they're described. "Sweet sugar" is TOO sweet&artificial nothing to do with coconut smell! "Love spell" smells like cheapest sweets and baby shampoo from my childhood. Nothing to do with cherry blossom, peach and white jasmine! "Super model" smells like some cheap'n'sweet granny's perfume! I'm glad "SM" is just 7,5 ml! My GREATEST disappointment! I feel so bad my friend had to buy&carry all these stuff from USA.:( Am I too picky or is my sense of smell is so different and weird?!:)

2. CoverGirl Lashblast mascara.
Pros: separates my lashes, smooth application in terms of "messiness" i.e. touching my skin.
Cons: dries too quickly so that I'm struggling a lot when applying the second coat. In case I'm not fast enough it clumps terribly! Doesn't thicken or lengthen comparing to some other mascaras. The package is HUGE! 13,1 ml (0,44 oz)! I can't make it in 3 months! Such a waste!

3. AVON Lash-pro mascara "Jillian Dempsey for Avon"
Pros: VERY cool idea! One big-brush side for upper lashes, another small-brush side with waterproof formula for lower lashes. How smart is that?:) SUPER lengthens! I was in shock, honestly! I've never thought my lashes can be THIS long! I normally don't apply mascara on my lower lashes as my eyes are quite "watery", the small-brush side solved the problem.:)
Cons: It dries out very quickly! It worked perfectly for one week only and now it's horrible - clumps&flakes terribly. Dunno maybe I damaged it somehow...:/

4. Weleda Iris series for normal and combination skin including face cream, facial toner and cleansing lotion.
Pros: the fact that it's natural cosmetics always attracted me although I'm now quite skeptical to all those "ecological", "organic" and "natural" stuffies. I don't trust them anymore. Safe packaging though - glass jars and metal tubes.
Cons: SMELL!!!! I told you I hate all those weird smells. Iris series smell like some medicine (weird, huh?:) ) Too "liquidy"! Didn't do what the company claimed these products should do.

PS Can't stop wondering how we all differ from each other! Miracle!:)