Avon & Balance Me Haul

I've done maybe a little too much shopping recently, but I feel like I'm playing catch-up with the Avon products. It's also A/W offers season, and I have very little self control. Don't forget, if you're interested in any of the Avon products I mention, you can by them by clicking on the brochure link above. Without further ado...

Besides the highlighter I bought these to try out as demos, but they're all available for you to purchase in the current campaign 16. The whole bottom row of items are a giftset and I got the Antler bag on a discount with purchase. The palettes are also one set.

• Mega Mix 'N' Go Palette (pp. 22-23) - This is awesome, but I keep forgetting to use it because I keep in in the Antler bag for showing off to clients.
• Antler Cabin Bag (pp. 12-13) - Very simply and elegant bag and I love the mix of patent and matte finishes. Lots of room for stuff! I would actually consider using this as my Carry-on bag instead of my eons old backpack.
• Ideal Luminous Highlighter (not currently available) - The glitter is minimal, but sadly any glitter is too much for me :(
• Prepare to Party giftset (pp. 140-141) - love the clutch, I keep all my brushes in it these days. The lipstick comes in the colour Red 2000, which is on the scarlet side, but not too much so.

This is the Balance Me discovery box everyone has been all excited about. I'm reserving judgment until I can try these for a bit longer, but I'll admit I have high hopes for the hand cream and the face balm.

• Radiance Facial OIl
• Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm
• Super Moisterising Hand Cream
• Wonder Eye Cream
• Moisture-Rich Face Cream
• Rose Otto Body Wash
• Facial Expression Filler

One of the nice things about being an Avon rep is that I can buy from clearance every campaign; the bag and two of the lipsticks are such items. The eye makeup remover, eye brush, concealer and eye primer are gifts with purchase of the mascara in campaign 15, so the offer isn't available now.

• Conditioning Eye Makeup Remover (p. 34) - fairly good remover, but I don't think I'll get to it in ages, so I will probably give it away.
• Eyeshadow Primer (p. 34) - This is really good, it makes my MUA eyeshadow sticks really pop!
• Eyeshadow Brush with Smudger (not available in 16, ask me to order)
• Ideal Flawless Concealer Stick in Medium (p. 49) - has a really natural finish that I like, and decent coverage.
• Shine Attract Lipstick in Guava (not available in 16, ask me to order) - love love love this! Has a balmy finish, and the colour is divine. Think Bourjois Color Blast.
• Plump Pout Lipstick in Chilli (no longer available) - Now this is my kind of red! It's deep shade and has no blue in it! Yay! Can't comment on the formula yet.
• Ultra Colour Rich Matte Lipstick in Pink Cuddle (no longer available) - This is a middling to cooler nude pink shade. Sadly, I prefer a warmer one, though it's nice and I can see wearing it again.
• Cosmetic Bag with Pendant (no longer available) - ooh, isn't that an exciting description?!  It has a lovely teal interior and basketweave satin-type outside
• Mega Effects Mascara in Blackest Black (pp. 20-21)  - This reminds me exactly of Benefit's Bad Gal, only cheaper. Definitely dupe potential, and the brush is awesome. It's similar to a wand where the brush is bent 90 degrees.

Have you tried any of these products? What do you think?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Face of the Day #1

 

I picked up brochures and orders for Avon the other day, so I thought a full Avon face was in order, well, nearly. Sorry about the baggy eyes and red flush in the photo at the bottom; I had to rush out the door after getting my face on, so this is after a few hours of walking around North Bristol. That and a particularly horrible (and by horrible I mean really lovely) friend of mine came for a visit last week and left behind her cold.

Here are the products I used:

FACE

Algenist Deep Wrinkle Minimizer - Okay, I'm the "Embrace your wrinkles!" type, but I've had this pesky smile line since forever that likes to catch all my makeup and become the centre of attention on my face. That's a no-no. So I picked this up from Space.NK to teach it a lesson, and boy does it! It doesn't make it go completely, but I'm cool with that.

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - Part of my GWP (Goodie Bag) from the recent Space.NK event, I was really excited to try this out, as I think I've just started a close relationship with Laura Mercier as a brand. I mean, since when does a whole brand just look that good on one face? This is not a silicone primer, so it felt different going on and seemed to soak straight in. The Invisible coverage foundation didn't go on as smoothly as with my Garnier primer, but it's still even and stayed put for the rest of the day.

Avon Ideal Flawless Invisible Coverage (Page 60, in Golden) - I really like this foundation. You can really see the skin through it and it feels great on. I just wish I could wear it confidently when I'm not trying to demo the brand. Soon! My skin is improving on a daily basis!

Collection Illuminating Touch Concealer (naked) - As good as they say!

Seventeen Miracle Matte Concealer Crayon (light) - Annoyingly, I could only get this in light at the time, but if I put it on under foundation, it blends well and then I only have to put the tiniest touch on after. This blends and has great coverage, but doesn't stick to the dry patches. The fact that it's matte means that it downplays the bumps, helping to create the illusion of smoother skin.

CHEEKS

Sleek Face Contour Kit (light) - Yeah, okay, this is probably my area of least confidence. I've become increasingly embarrased about the fleshiness around my chin and cheeks, and I like to think that a little subtle contouring helps. I leave my forehead alone, but add shadow to the hollows of my cheeks, under the jawline and under the chin. I left the highlighting to another product:

Avon Ideal Luminous Highlighter - This isn't available this campaign, but why not try the Illuminating Face Pearls or Luminous Finish Face Illuminator on pages 60/61. It's a lovely highlighter, which I placed at the top of the cheek  and jaw bones, but it does have a slight glitter under strong light.

Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Copper - When I bought this it went to the back of my stash, but I've recently heard it's a beauty favourite, so I dug it up for this look. Sadly, it's hard to tell the blusher from my natural flush in the pic below, but I do like the way it applies with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush and the colour is very natural, which is how I like it.

EYES

MUA Colour Blast Eyeshadow Tints in Stay and A Girl Like Me -  I use these as an inner corner highlighter and base, respectively. They go on really smoothly after warming up, and I've only seen my shadow crease once, after a very long day, when I use this as a base. Also, I think Stay is the best highlighter ever: not glittery or powdery, which irritates my eyes!

Avon True Colour Eyeshadow Duo in Healthy Glow - This colorway is only available in the Christmas Flyer (pages 18 & 19) in a giftset along with the clutch, lipstick, eyeliner and mascara in the photo above. The True Colour shadows are velvety and highly pigmented. There was no fallout and they blend like a dream. I really wanted this colourway because I tend to go with more natural eyeshadow and the colours really suit my skintone.

Avon Glimmerstick Eyeliner in Blackest Black, pg 17 - Not as black as I would like, but nice and creamy without smudging all over the place during application.

Avon SuperShock Mascara, pg 75 - This was my first go with a plastic brush and I've got no complaints, but I think I need to find some sort of mascara masterclass, because I can never seem to get on more than one coat without pulling out lashes and making it look worse. (Update: On second application, I discovered that it's best to refrain from wiggling the brush, and to roll the brush rather than blinking or pushing the brush through the lashes)  I have to admit, though, I haven't tried a lot of mascaras. Do you recommend any?

Laura Mercier Eyebrow Pencil in Brunette - I love the way this doesn't really draw on your browbone, but coats the little invisible hairs that really help make your eyebrows look elegant. I actually don't do much with my brows because otherwise they'll look a bit crazy. Just a little on the top edge and to elongate them to frame my face better.

LIPS

Laura Mercier Anti-feathering Lip Pencil in Plumberry - Best lip pencil I ever tried, honest. I gave them up ages ago because they all sucked. All of them. They smudged or were too hard, did nothing for feathering, were the wrong colour: they were evil. And then I met Laura Mercier, and Nina the makeup artist (heart!) at last week's SpaceNK event. These pencils are waxy, preventing feathering, but go on really smoothly. And Nina gave me the best tip ever: choose a pencil in your natural lip colour! I have issues with my lips going flesh-toned at the edges which makes it hard to convincingly draw an attractive lip line, but the pencil evened out the colour of my lips which make it a cinch for the lip line. I actually think this is one of my best and quickest lip jobs ever.

Avon Ultracolor Lipstick in Red 2000, pg 11 - Despite turning out to be a scarlet (I don't do pinky tones very well), I actually like this colour. Normally I prefer darker or more crimson and vermillion reds. Though i have to admit, it does rather match my lovely shade of flushed. Also this is a crazy nice formula. It's super creamy and comfortable even after a long day, not sticky, and lasts really long. I'll have to do a comparison wear test soon to show you what I mean. What creamy lipstick do you recommend that comes in a similar colour?

This is actually Lava Love on my lips here, which again looks like a great orangey-red on the stick, but more like a watermelon red on my lips.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Weekend Pamper #1

This is how I've always wanted the Internet to remember me:

 

My Space.NK goodie bag came with some fun cloth masks and a lovely Diptyque candle, so I did the obvious thing and had me a spa day. Everyone loves a spa day! Do the spa day dance! *Boogie*

Spa days, for me, require a bubble bath. I went straight for my Avon bubble bath in the new fragrance, Warm Vanilla & Fig. I didn't think I would like this scent, as I'm not a fan of food fragrances, and to be honest, when you open the bottle it's a little overwhelming. However, diluted in the bath, it's a very warm, inviting aroma that I find really comforting; perfect for a chilly autumn Sunday! It's available now, in the current campaign 16 brochure.

This lovely Diptyque votive goes well with the bubble bath with it's warm, clean scent. Apparently the Tuberose is a Mexican night flower, and according to Space.NK, the most expensive perfume ingredient in the world. Lush! They and Diptyque describe the scent as heady, sensual and floral, but luckily from me, I don't really get that from this votive. My nose is too sensitive for powerful florals, but instead I find the scent a delicate, indeed sensual, version of the companies' claims.

I was sure to lock the bathroom door this time, because my husband has a tendency to laugh when I wander around the house in my mud masks. Goodness forbid he walk into the bathroom and see me wearing these:

He'd have a heart attack, I'm sure. But I'm confident in the knowledge that the funnier it looks, the more it'll do, right? Right?? Both the Wei Ginko decolletage and Sarah Chapman Chin and Jaw masks are serums loaded into cloth masks. I'll admit, I'm not sure I understand the purpose of this method, but I do know the Wei mask evaporated rather fast after I removed the cloth, and the Jaw and Chin cloth felt a bit like Spanx for my face. And just like when putting on my Spanx, I was worried I might tear it while trying to sling it on. My tip is to stretch it out in the middle before attempting the ears.

Both of these are the sort of things that require repeat use to know if they work well. I can say that my decolletage certainly felt hydrated and soft afterwards, and I could feel the chin and jaw mask working (I get this worrying sensation like my throat is tightening, is that normal?), perhaps even more strongly than the Algenist Firming & Lifting cream which is showing fabulous results after two weeks of once daily use.

I would consider buying the Wei mask down the road for infrequent treatments when my cleavage is feeling dry and haggard. I just don't think I'd get much use out of it now, and hope regular moisturising can prevent me ever needing to. Maybe it would be a good post-sun/holiday treatment? Actually, what I could use is a boob lift. Is it wrong that I suddenly want to lather my breasts in Algenist cream? There are lots of firming lotions out there for it, and I mean, if it works on my chin...

The chin and jaw mask, though, just seems cost-prohibitive. £38 for 6 treatments is a definite no at regular use, yet it doesn't seem to have the visible results of a one-off treatment either. I did feel awfully posh, though, wearing both masks. I just needed some darling creature with soft hands to apply them for me and follow with a deep tissue massage, and I would've achieved spoilt nirvana. Otherwise a longer bathtub would be brills. Kthx.

What are your favourite pamper treatments?

Follow me on Bloglovin'