A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Something else that caught my eye during the recent Avon event were their range of Glimmerstick Diamond Eye Liners.  Being the magpie that I am, my eyes were drawn to these sparkly creations from 20ft away.

Currently available in a range of 6 colours, I was lured in by the cool tones and made off with the blue and plum shades named: Twilight Sparkle and Sugar Plum respectively.

I do love pencil eyeliners, they’re so versatile and I often use smudged coloured liners as an alternative to eyeshadow on lazy days.  I thought that these might bring a bit of sparkle to the festive season… and I was right!

The texture of the Avon Glimmersticks Diamond Eye Liners is a little hard and they definitely benefit from being warmed up on the back of my hand before applying to the delicate eye area.  Although in stick form, they look hugely glittery… once applied, the effect is somehow sophisticated.  It’s not subtle… but it’s not childish glitterbomb either.

The base colour of the liner holds the sparkle successfully without too much fall out, even after smudging.

Of the two shades that I was given, Twilight Sparkle is the knock out… it’s truly luminous and I’m loving adding a small amount of this under my lower lashes to spice up a bronze eye.  I haven’t applied these along the waterline because I’m not OK with the idea of having glitter so close to my eyeballs but they wear most of the day applied along the lashline.

One issue I have found with these is that the lid is quite hard to remove!  I destroyed the nib of Twilight Sparkle (as you can see in the photo) because I really had to yank at the top to remove… which resulted in a clumsy side swipe and a swift guillotine action!

The Avon Glimmersticks Diamonds Eye Liners are currently half price on the Avon website, priced at £3 each.  An absolute steal, I assure you!

While I’ve got your attention… I’ve updated my original Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner post to include a photo and a swatch of the liner in Silver as per your requests.  You can find the link here (scroll to the bottom for the update).

So, the other day/week/month…. whenever it was (they’re blurring)… I told you about the new Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliners that I’d had a look at during the Avon Christmas collex launch.   I also told you about not being able to remove them with plain ol’ soap and water which resulted in me looking a bit grubby while I was on an overnighter in London.

I thought I’d compare it a little more closely to some of the other eyeliners I have in my stash that are generally well-regarded throughout the blogging community… so without further ado…

It’s got that fancy-schmancy luxe lace packaging going on… I’ve noticed that these eyeliners have currently disappeared from the website, so I’m guessing that’s ‘cos they’re about to be relaunched in the new packaging for Xmas.

Not retractable or any of that jazz, just your standard-looking eye pencil!

The black is VERY black.  Pigmented to the max and easily the softest eye pencil I own.  I barely need to touch this to my eyelid to create a defined and solid line.  Can you say impressive?  As with most soft/glidey eyeliners, it does mean that this needs more frequent sharpening than it’s counterparts… but your poor sensitive eyelids will thank you for the drag-free application.

Here’s 4 of some of the most highly regarded pencil eyeliners available.  I think you might be able to clearly pick out which packs the biggest punch in terms of pigmentation no?  The above artistic squiggles show one swipe each.

How about lasting power?  I swiped MULTIPLE times over my entire hand with a wet wipe…

Urban Decay… as much as I love you… you fail.

GOSH?  Close… but no cigar.

MUFE performed slightly better than Avon in the longwear test (conducted whilst I was wearing something that looked nothing like an official lab coat – probably my pyjamas) but the pigmentation just wasn’t there to begin with.

So… finally… how about a price comparison?

MUFE – £11.50
Avon – £6.00
GOSH – £4.99
Urban Decay – £11.50

There are a few other factors to take into consideration.  Of all ranges, Avon has the least shades available… I think there are only around 3 or 4, so great coloured eyeliners will still have to be sought elsewhere…

…But if you’re looking for a fabulously pigmented, long-lasting black eyeliner that won’t break the bank.  Better make friends with your local Avon lady (or yano, do the modern thang and head here).

ETA:

I received a sample of the Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner in Silver as a few of you requested swatches… here are the pictures.  I really do recommend these liners without hesitation.

I was going to do one post that encompassed the entire Christmas Collection, but for the life of me, I couldn’t get a colour-accurate tube shot of the lipstick that I received in my goody bag.  So instead, we’ll have to make do with the eye palette that I was sent home with for now.

Avon’s Luxe Lace True Colour Eyeshadow Quad in Lace Hues is one of two eye palettes that Avon are releasing in special packaging as part of their Luxe Lace collection which is due to hit their online store at the end of the month.

Lace Hues contains four shades.  A shimmering white-gold, a matte neutral pink, a satin grey/green and a shimmering navy.  The packaging is delightful… a glossy black, well-built palette with pink lace embellishments.  It’s sturdy, secure and the large mirror inside is more than adequate for application’s sake.

On first inspection, it was the navy that caught my eye… it has a brighter blue flash to it… a certain interest that the other shades are lacking.

The texture of each shadow is quite hard and colour payoff is sheer but buildable with a bit of work.  I’ve been wearing the matte pink all over the lid with a touch of the grey/green in the socket and lashings of the blue underneath my lower lashline.  It’s a winning combination.  I’m not so fond of the pale gold highlighting shade as the shimmer is a little chunky and apparent for me.

The matte pink in particular has a tendency to kick up a bit of dust when loading up the brush, but the fallout doesn’t seem to transfer to my cheeks.  I know I’m gonna hit pan on that blue before any other colour though.  Isn’t it lovely?

What is the general opinion on Avon’s eyeshadow palettes?  I have to confess… I’ve never tried one before!

My first ever eyeshadow was an Avon Color Trends lilac shade in a green case… I ground that thing down to the pan and then when I went to repurchase, couldn’t find the sucker!  I still have the occasional search on eBay for it for sentimental value, but have long forgotten it’s name 🙁

Anyway, I was invited to have a look at Avon’s new Winter cosmetics collection which goes by the name Luxe Lace… is it just me or is the name just a touch naff?  Fortunately, that’s where any naffness ends because the collection itself is really rather nice.

Let’s have a look at what we can expect…

Avon’s Luxe Lace True Colour Eyeshadow Quads (£8.00)

The Chanel-esque eyeshadow palettes offer 4 complementing shades that are suitable for both day or night depending on how you combine them.  The picture above shows the purple palette (Lace Electric) and the other (which I got in my goody bag) is a slightly more eclectic mix of champagnge/pinky-beige/green and blue (Lace Hues)  I shall swatch it v. soon!

In the photo, Lace Hues is hiding snugly behind Lace Electric.  Fail.

Luxe Lace Ultra Colour Rich Lipstick (£7.00)

Three new shades are due to be introduced from the end of October.  Instant Mocha, Frostiest Mauve and Pout will be priced at £7 each and promise to offer hydrating colour.  I found them to be hugely wearable in terms of pigmentation.  Not particularly long-lasting, but easy to apply and non-drying.

Luxe Lace SuperShock Mascara (£8.00)

I’m not a huge fan of Avon’s SuperShock Mascara though I know it’s very well-received. On me, it transfers and leaves little black spots just under my brows if I even remotely show any sign of getting a little ‘glowy’!  I love the big brush and the slightly dry formula… but there’s nothing worse than looking in the mirror and noticing funny black splotches undermining your appearance!

For the Winter Collection, SuperShock has been given a cute packaging makeover to bring it in line with it’s lacy counterparts.

Luxe Lace SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pens (£6.00)

For me, the most impressive product in the collection.  These SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pens completely blew me away.  Pigmented like you wouldn’t believe… creamier than a tub of Ben and Jerrys and long lasting?  Oh my…

I met up with a journalist the next day who’d attended the same event and we were both still wearing our swatches on the back of our hands despite showering and secondary scrubbing in an attempt to remove them!

Two shades: Black and Silver, perfect for the party season.  If you only get one thing from this collection, make it these!

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The new collection will be available to order online or from your Avon rep from the 28th October.

I’ll be back with swatches of the Black Eyeliner, Lace Hues palette and Pout lipstick as soon as I can get accurate shots!

Get free standard delivery with no minimum spend over at Avon today only.

I love free delivery offers, they probably tempt me more than any other despite not always being the most ‘saving’.  I guess it’s ‘cos you can make a small order, sometimes just to trial a brand… and not get that ‘stung’ feeling when you get to checkout… £6.95 for the product, £3.95 shipping? *closes window*.  We all know that feeling right?

Anyway, go fill yer boots at Avon, voucher code AVONUK Expires midnight tonight!

In honour of International Women’s Day, Avon invited me to write about the most remarkable woman in my life for their “Wonderful Women” competition…

Now, most daughters think their Mum is the best, but mine really is! 😉 She was 40 when I was born with more than a few complications. I was 3 months premature and back then, less babies survived those stacked odds. She spent months in hospital with me until I was strong enough to return home.

Mum retired in 1993 after developing a rare form of breast cancer. She was diagnosed in November, but didn’t tell anyone until January so as not to spoil Christmas. It’s funny, because despite numerous, gruelling operations, I never once believed that I’d lose her… she made cancer seem of such minor importance that it wasn’t until years later that I appreciated how close we’d all come.

One death-defying manoeuvre accomplished, Mum was finally free to enjoy retirement. For a few months at least, until my Nan developed Alzheimer’s and Mum insisted that her mother-in-law come live with us. My lovely Nan passed away three years ago after twelve years in Mum’s complete care. Twelve years is a long time for an Alzheimer’s sufferer to survive and Mum made sure that each of Nan’s remaining days were worth living for. My Mum is one strong and loyal lady, my remarkable woman.

Mum with Nan a few hours before she passed away – 2007

Mum finally enjoying some respite! – 2010

Green, not the best colour choice for me… typically one of my favourites – boo hoo!

I’m still showing the I-Divine Original palette some love…

Face:

Revlon Colorstay in Ivory
Silk Naturals Blush in Climax (Orgasm Dupe)

Eyes:

Sleek I-Divine Original Palette (Green and Gold shades)
Shu Uemura Painting Liner in M Brown
Ruby & Millie Metallic I-Writer in Green
GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Green Grass
Kanebo Kate Enamel Glow Waterproof Mascara in Black

Lips:
Avon Glazewear Lipstick in Pink Kiss (shade now discontinued)

Products Used:

Face:
EGM Foundation – Danielle
EGM Blush – Cool Pink

Eyes:
UDPP
EGM Eyeshadow – Bering Strait (foiled on lids)
EGM Eyeshadow – Finnish Waters (as a liner)
Avon Colour Trend Mascara (still using this up)

Lips:
ELF New Moisture Care Lip Color in Pink Lemonade

As you can see, I’m still well into my mineral makeup and I have to say I flippin’ love Earthen Glow Minerals.  Aside from the quality of their products (which is fab) I’ve simply never received better or friendlier customer service with an e-tailer anywhere.

I’ll have to do a post dedicated to my fab experiences with them and swatch some of my lovely piggies, but in the meantime definitely try them out for some gorgeous shades.

Confession time… this is… hand on heart, the first time I’ve ever worn a blue eyeshadow.  I just don’t usually go this bright.  Even as a teen, the brightest my eyeshadow got was Lilac.

As a result, I spent the day feeling pretty self-conscious and wondering if it looked a little…

Ooh, I’m getting brave!  Go me! Who knows, I might even try green next *insert faux shock face here*

Much love, me xxx

I shouldn’t even call this ‘bronzing’… it’s more about finding a summer look that works and toning down the blueness of my complexion and replacing it with a subtle wash of warmth.  I’m liking this simple and fast look for the summer.

Products Used:

Face: Cory Cosmetics Mineral Foundation in Ivory Beige
Cory Cosmetics Mineral Blush in Whatever

Eyes: Sleek Ink Pot in Black
Avon Color Trend Mascara in Black (trying to use up this nice but dull mascara!)

Lips: NYX Round Lipstick in Darling