Avon Shine Attract Lipstick Review

Goood evening everyone, we've had some cracking snow in the UK over the weekend, it is sadly melting away now just in time for the working week to start. DAMN.
I have three lippies to show you today that are probably rather different to any other lipsticks you may have seen before - I was so surprised when I took the packaging off! Avon Shine Attract Lipsticks have a coloured core, with a high-shine, gel outer 'layer' - which looks really cool!

See what I mean?! This has the benefit of adding a high gloss to your lips, as well as pigmented colour - a 2 in 1 product, if you like. These apply almost like a tinted lipbalm, the colour is subtle but buildable, if you want a really pigmented effect. The gel is lovely and moisturising, too, so won't dry your lips out - a hazard with some lipsticks.

Top - Guava
Middle - Copper Connection
Bottom - Happy Pink

You can really see the shine on the outside of the swatches on my hand. This does outline the only issue I have with these lipsticks - they are rather imprecise when it comes to application. In order to get the coloured core up to the edge of your lip, for definition, you end up with the clear gel outside the lip line - not ideal. I found it best to apply buy moving in small circles and smacking the lips together regularly. If you like a strong, crisp line in your lippy application, you will probably struggle with these. I don't really mind as I think they are designed as a natural looking product, with soft application.

Avon Shine Attract Lipstick - Happy Pink

Happy Pink was the most pigmented of the three and really is a light, uplifting shade of fuchsia. I don't tend to wear a pink lip, gravitating more towards a coral or nude tone, but this is lovely and makes me think I should wear it more often! It did sink slightly into the creases of the lip, however.



Avon Shine Attract Lipstick - Copper Connection

Copper Connection was my least favourite, but only because it simply didn't suit me. It is rather dark and doesn't really compliment my skin tone. It has a lovely shimmer though and applied very well - on the perfect skin tone it could look incredible.

Avon Shine Attract Lipstick - Guava

Saving the best until last, Guava was the most wearable shade and looked lovely. It is a really warm toned, orangey nude and looks really natural and fresh - I am wearing it most days at the moment! I wish it would last longer on the lips, however, as an hour later I have to apply more. A slick of Lipcote should remedy this, however :)

For a girl who doesn't really wear lipsticks, I am definitely becoming a convert. These Shine Attract lippies, with the coloured core and gel outer layer, are perfect if you don't want to over do it, or are new to wearing a lipstick - they look natural, the colour is really buildable, the gel layer being moisturising with an SPF 15. You can apply a quick slick for a hint of colour, or really build up the colour for more of a statement.They also smell LUSH, a really fruity, fresh smell!

I would definitely buy another shade of Avon Shine Attract Lipsticks, and Guava especially is a hit! 

Have a great week, I'll post again very soon :D

*Products were supplied for Avon for review, but all opinions are 100% honest, my own and uninfluenced in any way. I was not compensated in any way for this post, besides the supply of the product. For more info visit my disclosure page! :)

Front Cover Cosmetics Blogger Event Part 2

 Welcome to the 2nd part of my Front Cover Blogger Launch post!

I always save the best until last - I'd eat my pudding before my main course if it didn't blow people's minds, and always leave my Yorkshire Puddings until last when I'm having a Sunday roast. The kit I'm showing you next is the one I chose to take away with me. I honestly think I was invited to the event because of the launch of the Nail Kits, and I feel exceptionally guilty that I didn't choose to take one of the Nail orientated palettes home with  me (we were allowed to choose only one to take home) as I'm pretty sure that it was expected of me. I have, however, discussed with you that although I think the Nail Art kits would make great gifts, they're nothing special to me, and so I chose the next kit, Style Queen, for a few reasons.

The first reason is that it had a great set of brushes in it. When doing my make-up Leanne used only Front Cover brushes, and they are fantastically soft on the eyelids, really great quality. The second is that it contains the most "every day" type eyeshadow shades, including some more satin finish shadows, as opposed to the really shimmery baked shadows. I wanted to pick something that I would use often, and be able to give a good review, so I chose Style Queen because I would get the most out of it. The third reason is that it is JUST TOO AWESOME. Here it is:

Style Queen - RRP £35.00 (remember, you can click to enlarge!)

OK! Look at all that. the top row are the baked eyeshadow domes, the second row are the satin/matte eyeshadows, and the third row is the lip glosses. Here are the swatches for the baked eyeshadows, in the order they appear in the kit from left to right:

 

I love every single shade here. I will wear them constantly, the darker ones are fabulous for an alternative smokey eye, where as the lighter shades are subtle for every day wear. To get the strongly pigmented you do have to apply them wet or over Shadowbase, which is the only downside. Once you've built that colour, though, they stay put and look brilliantly shimmery. Here are the Satin/Matte swatches (the second row):

More really wearable shades, and slightly less shimmery.

I don't necessarily rate the lipglosses a great deal, they're OK formula-wise, and there is a wide range, but I think I just love my Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in Heartbeat too much. The advantage of these is, however, you can mix them, with the lipbrush provided, to create your own shade. This is probably my favourite from the glosses though, one called Red Moon, and it's 5th from the left:

It;s still a natural colour, just slightly warmer and more red-toned. These are not sticky at all, and I reckon this kit will be so popular, it was half price in Boots last week.

You also get two iridescent pigment powders in this kit, a black and a red-brown, loose eyeshadows that are rich in colour. The black is called Coal Hoal, and the brown is called Saddle Brown. I really like these, the colour goes on so strong, and I hardly got any fall out with the Front Cover brushes:

 

I mentioned the Shadowline product earlier, and I used it to create a brown liquid liner from Saddle Brown iridescent pigment powder. Leanne the Make-up artist showed me the best way to mix them is on the back of your hand, creating the right consistency as you go. It really is easy to use:

I don't rate the mascara much, the brush is tiny and very curved and not a match for the almighty Max Factor False Lash Effect. Sorry, Front Cover. I will however be using the mascara sealer which is on the other end of the wand. It stops your mascara from slipping, which is always useful.

This kit also comes with two other baked domes, one is a bronzer split into three parts, and one is a highlighter, also split into three different shades. The idea is that you sweep over every shade, but you can mix and match depending on the season, or your skin tone, so that's a great idea. These can also be used as eyeshadows. Here is the Bronzer swatched in its different  sections:

 Here is the Highlighter CHeek Dome swatched in it's different sections, designed for sweeping over the cheekbones and brow bone for added shimmer and dimension:

Here is an eye look I created using this kit, I wish the lighting was better for the photographs, but it was dark ALL DAY, that's British winter for you:

Here is the eye again, but with annotations of which products I used from the Style Queen kit, and where they are applied:

 

As you can see, I started with Sandstone on the centre of the lid, and blended the gold area of the Cheekdome into the corners. The two golds really compliment each other and are so easy to blend. I did apply them wet so I could get the richest colour possible. I applied a slight brushing of Brown Cork into the crease of the eye to add depth, and brushed some of the entire Cheekdome across the brow bone to highlight the shape. I added Amber Green under the eye and into the outer corner, making it quite a subtle smokey eye. I hthen used the Shadowline to create a liquid liner out of Saddle Brown Pigment Powder, and ran it along the top lash line, ending in a flick. I added a couple of coats of Front Cover's mascara and it was done! Voila!

Here you can see the Saddle Brown Shadowline detail better, as well as the shading in the crease of the eyelid. The great thing about all of these being to gether in a kit, is that they all compliment eachother perfectly, the hard wok of searching for blendable products, that work together, is done for you. I just wish it was more portable, I cannot take it ANYWHERE. It's even too large for my draws, so it sits permanantly on my dresser. The only drawback.

I hope this has given you a good idea of what Front Cover products are out there, what's new and what's good. Hopefully you can make your own mind up about which one you like the best, and I've shown you the blending capabilities and how easy it is to create a look with them!

Don't forget about my GlossyBox giveaway, enter HERE if you're in the UK and love trying out new Beauty Products!

Vivo Cosmetics at Tesco Review

Hello Everyone!

If you're in the UK, you may have heard that Tesco have launched a new (incredibly affordable) cosmetic range called Vivo, that is designed to celebrate colour and vibrancy. Although the brand is exclusive to Tesco, it is a separate company, and benchmarked as "the MAC of supermarket make-up brands". For a budget-conscious recent Graduate, this brand is right up my street - its affordable, high quality, and I can pick it up with the weekly shop!

I was kindly sent 3 items by Vivo, an eyeshadow, a bronzer and a lipgloss. First up is the Vivo Shimmer and Shine Lip Gloss in Just Peachy:

Retails for £1.99 in Tesco

The wand has a flat applicator, and is very easy to apply. The gloss itself is a bit sticky for my taste, but it lasts absolutely ages. I'm talking hours. It's such a high-gloss, glassy finish with gorgeous gold micro-flecks that really warm the lip and compliment a sunkissed complexion.

The price is utterly unbeatable, and is the best £1.99 lipgloss I've ever tried. You find a better one if you're willing to pay 5 times as much, but for the financially challenged among is, it's high quality with a low price all the way!

although it's called Just Peachy, it's less of a peach colour, and more a light translucent pink. It smells just like peaches though! Yum!

Now for the eyeshadow in Aquamarine - a vibrant, bright turquoise. I used to wear colours like this all the time when I was still at school, but nowadays I wouldn't wear a bright turquoise eye during the day!

you can see where I accidently schmooshed it with my finger! oops!

 Quality-wise, it's not bad at all. I would definitely use it wet, as it goes on more pigmented, and can look a little sheer and flat when applied dry:

Left: applied Dry, RIght: Applied Wet.

It blends rather well, and I did a little comparison with Collection 2000 Tinkerbell, and Boots 17 Viva Diva for a little colour comparison:

left: Vivo Aquamarine, Middle: Collection 2000 Tinkerbell, Right: 17 Viva Diva

 Here's a look I created showing you how easy it is to blend the Vivo shadows:

So, although I wouldn't wear this often, as it is definitely not an everyday colour, the formula is great, and the pigmentation is really strong when applied wet.

Next up is the Bronzer, my favourite. I've never been a fan of bronzer, even before me and my two best friends got too drunk before we applied our going out make-up one night (rookie mistake), and whacked on liberal amounts of bronzer in bad lighting. The photos came back and we looked like we'd fallen face first into the sun. NOT a good look.

Vivo's baked bronzer, however, has taught me that the key to a good bronzer is a good formula and skillful application - less is more. I love this product, and use it often instead of a blusher. I applied it very sparingly, as it is very pigmented and has a gold shimmer that can look a bit TOO metallic if you really pile it on (think C3PO). This is a plus in my books though, as it means this huge bronzer will last you FOREVER. I swept it lightly onto the cheekbones, down the nose, and onto my chin and the top of my forehead.

 

Sunkissed!

My final word - I absolutely recommend Vivo cosmetics, the quality is fantastic for the price, and I can't wait to try their baked eyeshadows next. I approve!

xxx

EOTD - 17 Funfair: Pretty In Pink!

As I said, I'm hoping to introduce a few more general beauty-based posts into the mix, one a week or so, as that was my intention when I first started this blog in February! Here is what I've been playing with recently, a sweet, everyday look using 17 Funfair (available at Boots), a pastel pink shadow flecked with gold microglitter. It's really pretty, and I paired it with 17 Gold Digger in the corners:

sunlight - eyelids are weird when you're that close to them! I look like an old woman! Damn you Macro setting!

 

Foundation: Collection 2000 Lasting Finish

Blusher: Benefit Coralista

Under-eye concealer: Benefit Erase Paste

Lid eyeshadow: 17 Funfair

Corner of eye eyeshadow: 17 Gold digger, lightly tapped on with finger

Liquid Liner: Topshop Felt Pen Liner in Jet

Lips: Rose Tinted Vaseline

I really like this eyeshadow - 17's eyeshadows in general are great, they're really pigmented, affordable and all your favourites come in Trios, with two other complimentary shades that would create dramatic looks. As I wear this look during the day, and it is a softer look, I didn't add a third (darker) shade to the crease of the lid, or any eyeliner to the water line as it would have made it too harsh, in my opinion. The slick of Liquid Liner is enough drama for this 'pretty in pink' look! :D

So there it is, the shadow I'm wearing practically every day at the moment! Let me know what you think everyone, have any of you UK ladies a favourite 17 eyeshadow? Any questions, let me know! :D

All products were purchased by myself!

FOTD Green Eyed Monster

...Well, not "monster" hopefully. I used to rock this look a lot in my final years of school, I was a lot bolder with my style back then - I had pink hair for a start! I met my good childhood friend Emma for a free lunch today. I am a 'mystery diner' which means we get £40 to spend on food if we do a review afterwards! SWEET DEAL! We stuffed our faces, naturally. I was wearing a forest green dress from forever 21, and I decided to co-ordinate my make-up -

I absolutely HATE taking pictures of myself haha! here we have:-

• FACE - Benefit Erase Paste in Medium, Rimmel Stay Matte foundation in 100 Ivory, MeMeMe Blusher in Rouge (these are meant to be a dupe for the benefit blushers, and although very pigmented, this is muuuuch redder than Coralista despite looking almost identical in the box. I'll have to do a comparison one day)
• EYES - I used a very, very old 17 green eye palette. Dark forest green, light green and a yellowy gold - none of them have names. I don't think they do the exact combination anymore, but their green Eye Shadow Trio will do a treat, with a yellow gold shadow, in creating this look. Eyeliner is H&M Brown, Mascara is Max Factor False Lash Effect.
• LIPS - Topshop Lip Polish in Iced Coffee. 

Here's a couple of shots so you can see the blending on the eyes -

This look is dead easy and you can use the same technique with literally any 3 shades of you choice. I started with the medium green on the eyelid, then used the gold in the corner, blending it outwards and slightly under the eye. I then took my darker shade of green, with a smaller shadow brush, and blended this from the outside edge inwards, creating a slight taper as I went, taking it under the eye and across to about halfway. Added some eyeliner to the water line and just along the top lash line, some mascara, and voila!

This is what my hair looks like from the back today, a messy rosette with the hair from the crown:

Close you eyes to the mountain of crap on my bed...cheers!

Another easy one - take two medium sized pieces of hair from each side of the crown, bring to the back of the head and pin in a cross shape, with 2 bobby pins, so one overlaps the other (this will hold it in place better). Take the little pony bit and wrap it around your finger so it makes a twist. Form the twist into a circle and pin in place at the end and the top, weaving the bobby pin inside the rosette so it cannot be seen. Spritz with hairspray. Five minute up-do!

I hope you enjoyed that my dears, any questions just let me know on the comments, or drop me an email :) A bit of exciting news, I will be doing a guest post for Leanne over at DoNotRefreeze in the next couple of weeks - it's a nail art tutorial, and a good one at that! :D

I'm trying to do tomorrow's Mani tonight and I'm SO uninspired. Need to have a think and a peruse of the BundleMonsters  I reckon. Only thing I know, it will be blue haha.

Take care everyone! xxxxxxx

Coral Crush - and 50 followers!! XD

I can’t believe with the amount of time I spend on this blog, and the amount of hours I fritter away reading other people’s wonderful blogs, and I missed the rollover!

50 followers! This is amazing, thank you to each and every one of you!  I never started with the intention of racking up followers, this blog is about my discovery of the wide versatility of Nail Polish and creating something pretty. It means a lot that ONE person would want to read it, never mind over 50 J

STAY TUNED FOR A CELEBRATORY GIVEAWAAAAAY! What better excuse to go shopping?! I'm so excited to pick out my favourites and give them away to you! Giving is definitely better than receiving! :D

I bought one of my first PROPER Lipsticks the other day. I usually stick to balms or glosses (even though I cannot stand the sticky feeling on my lips of some glosses) and make the most of my eyes – seen as eye makeup was my first love! I thought I’d broaden my horizons, however, and I didn’t start small...I went for a bright Coral.

I love the coral colour, and I cant wait until summer so I can rock this baby literally everyday!

This lipstick is from the Accessorize range and there's not a thing about it that I don’t LOVE. From the packaging to the formula to the price (£4.00). In fact, i love the whole Accessorize range so far, the nail polish range looks so great - can't wait to pick a few (or all of them) up.

First things first – this lippy smells LUSH! It’s a lovely sweet vanillary scent and its gorge. It's a really smooth application with a reasonable shine – I wouldn’t apply a gloss over the top. It also looks beautiful if you mix a touch of it with a Balm to give the lips a flush of colour while you moisturise. My favourite to use with this is Vaseline Cocoa butter (the smells compliment each other too! Yummers!)

Here are some pics of the lippy itself:

The lid has a big sparkly (faux) diamond top! LOVE IT.

And these are my luscious corally lips:

It's a wee bit oranger IRL and definitely brighter - at least it feels it to me! I'm definitely not used to bright attention grabbing lips.

And here is my whole FOTD. I tried (and possibly failed) not to make these too "myspace-y" ahah, but theres only so much you can do when you're taking a picture of your own face! The foundation base is Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection. The bottle says it lasts 16 hours which I think is both a bold and ridiculous claim, but it does stay put rather well, even if I do get a bad case of the shinies after a while. This isn't my everyday foundation as it's a bit heavier and not massively natural looking - i wear it for nights out :) Blusher is Benefit Coralista (coral overload? NEVAAAAR!), and my eyes I left simple, lining the top, water line and a bit underneath with an H&M pencil liner in Brown. I only used a couple of strokes of Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara in Brown/Black.

After spending hours taking over 100 photos...this is the first one I took. c'est la vie.



So you can see the pencil liner detail.



And because I love you all SO much, a big, wet, corally kiss from me to say thank you!!! Here is my most ridiculous face :D

also, astounded that the combination of the pout and my recent weight loss has given me cheekbones...GET IN!

Until tomorrow my lovely readers, let me know what you think on the comments! xxx

FOTD cinema night!

Tonight, me and my lover-ly housemates went to the cinema. In Birmingham, where we all live during term-time, there is the kitschest little cinema at the back of New Street Station called The Electric Cinema, which was the first screen in Britain! It still has alot of the original fixtures, and you can opt to sit on huuuge comfy sofas at the back (for an extra fee....some day on a special occasion maybe haha!). You can also take drinks in from the full bar, which, being students, we naturally took advantage of (red wine daaahlings, I'm not that much of a hooligan).
We had some 2-4-1 vouchers, so it only cost us a couple of quid each to see True Grit, which, I have GOT to say was absolutely fantastic - what a stunning motion picture, and such dry humour! I really cannot praise it enough, and it may end up one of my favie films of all time alongside Monsters Inc, Back to the Future and Uncle Buck hahaaa! No wonder its nominated for so many oscars!
SO! On to my FOTD. I'd just been shuffling round the flat all day doing bits of work here and there, so i started my makeup from scratch. Obviously we were only going to the cinema, so I wanted a casual look, but suitable for the night-time as we planned to visit a couple of bars after the (FANTASTIC) movie. I left my hair naturally dried an unstraightened.

In case you were curious as to the products i used, and a bit of techy talk, I started with a base of Rimmel "Stay Matte" Foundation in Ivory (100), sweeping over it lightly with Rimmel Clear Complexion Translucent powder. I then highlighted my cheekbones with Benefit's Blusher in Coralista (actually one of my prize possessions!)
For my eyes I used Benefit's Erase Paste in Medium to hide those nasty black circles, then used a No.7 eye palette on my lids. I got this for Christmas and the outer packaging has the colour info on it - i dont know the shades as of yet, but I will get my Sherlock Holmes Google Skillz out and find out for you should you like to know! :D I used the light, shimmery cream colour on my inner lid, graduating to the chocolatey shimmer, sweeping it outwards, and under the eye to create a soft smokey effect. I then used Rimmels Liquid Eyeliner in Black to line the upper lid from halfway along,  and made a small flick. I added some of Max Factor's False Lash Effect in Brown/Black and some of Topshop's Lip Polish in Iced Coffee and then I was ready to go and sit in the dark for 2 hours....lol.
Here is that troublesome No.7 palette and the eyes on their own:-

Here's a close, side-view of the smokey eye, you can see the liquid liner detail more clearly:-

 ...and here's the finished product! I look really stroppy and unimpressed - there were better photos of me, but none that quite showed the colours as accurately, especially of the lovely, corally blusher. Oh the sacrifices I will make for accurate swatches!

Just...want...to.....poke...through...laptop screen and move that strand! flkhjlhjtlkt!!!!

I know my hair is in the way of my right eye...you know when you really wish you were Mary Poppins so you could reach into the photo and just sweep that annoying bit of hair out of the way?!?!?! oOoO so frustrating!

well, Goodnight happy Bloggers, I realise this is a long'un and I appreciate you reading, I really do. I would love to hear some comments from you lovely lot, hit me up yo!

<3