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!

Front Cover Cosmetics Blogger Event Part 1

I've decided to do this post in two parts, as it is IMMENSE, and there's just too much information to cram into your eyes at once!

I went to my first Beauty Blogger's Product Launch for Front Cover Cosmetics the other week, and had a great time. I wouldn't usually travel all the way down to London, but I especially like Front Cover Cosmetics since my best friend bought me their Exotic Eyes Palette two Christmas' ago. The event was great, we had champagne, cupcakes provided by Kate Middleton's brother, and an exclusive peek at what Front Cover (exclusive to Boots at the moment) have to offer us this Christmas, in the way of palettes. They didn't disappoint, there's something for everyone in this new collection that has recently hit the Boots shelves. I got to meet and network with the girls behind some fabulous blogs, and learn some information about Front Cover as a brand.

Their ethics are great, and are completely honest with their consumers, promising that every single make-up look a model wears on the front of their kits, is created using ONLY the products that are inside that particular kit. It may surprise some of you, but that is quite rare in the beauty industry, with companies often colour-matching their highstreet products with high end, luxury ones for promo work. Feel like you've been lied to? yeah, me too, but don't worry, Front Cover can be trusted 100%! You can tell that Michelle, the Creator really cares what women think about the products, and listens to customer feedback so that she can deliver the best products possible - and good news, their exclusivity contract with Boots is finished soon, and they're going GLOBAL

These are mismatch nails that I wore to the event, I got lots of compliments and me and Michelle chatted about Nail Art for ages! She's hoping to develop some polishes like Milani FX (see below), which is excellent news. (sorry I only snapped one quick flash picture!):

• Pinky - Models Own Pastel Pink with stamped princess crown from BundleMonster plate, using Technic shade 32
• Ring Finger - 4 coats of Milani FX Gold
• Middle - Nails Inc Haymarket with Konad Special Polish white flower design from BundleMonster plate (new set)
• Index - Natural Collection White with Barry M Pink Fizz Instant Effects (Crackle)
• Thumb - Topshop Peaches & Cream with Topshop Celestial stamped polka dots from Konad image plate.
• Topped off with Seche Vite

We were greeted with the sight of all the new Front Cover palettes set out on the table, along with some treats:

OOO CHAMPERS! I had to be careful here, usually one glass of the bubbly stuff and I'm on the floor!

heheeeee eye and lip cakes! AMAZING!

Here are some close ups of the some of the new sets that stood out, along with the price and a little bit about what I think of each one - I took lots of photos of the Nail Art kits for you guys, as I know love your naily-bits.

Brush Works kit - RRP £20.00

So this is the Nail Art Kit, Brush Works. Although it would seem pretty impressive to a regular consumer, to a Nail Art expert (can I really call myself that haha?!) and fanatic, it's nothing I haven't seen before and just pretty standard stuff. The Nail Wraps are in animal prints and checkers, but I cannot stand nail wraps anyway, I find them over-complicated and time consuming to apply, and always seem to peel off. There are some clear rhinestones and sequins in there as well as a striper and some other miniature tools, but apart from making a great gift for someone getting started in Nail Art, or just wanting the basics, I wasn't overly impressed. Great for those who aren't that familiar with Nail Art, but too run of the mill for me.

Finger Print RRP £14.00

The Finger Print Nail Polish Palette. At £14, this makes each polish a very affordable £2 each - I just wish I liked the colours. The gold glittery one at the top is the only one that really excites me, the rest are duochromes, or super shimmery, and just not for me. I know plenty of people out there love duochrome finishes, but I don't think they're very current, and I think Front Cover could have jumped on some of the popular polish trends like Crackle topcoats or Magnetic Polish, for example. Don't get me wrong, this would make a wonderful gift and is right up a lot of peoples' street, it's just not my favourite. I'd rather a Nails Inc Christmas Gift for example (No, don't worry, that's not a hint!)

Eye Popping - RRP £16

Eye Popping Palette is absolutely GREAT. It would've been my second choice of palette to take home, you get 18 different pressed powders that can be used for both eyes and cheeks. For £16 that is an absolute BARGAIN. The only thing that put me off is that there are a lot of blues, as blue is tipped to be this seasons 'colour', and with my green eyes, I really don't find blue suits me at all. This also comes with a cheek brush so you can sweep across all of those gorgeous gold and bronze shades to use them as a blusher/bronzer - wicked. Give yourself blue cheeks if you like!

The Point Is Pink - RRP £20.00

The Point Is Pink Kit Front Cover's Shadowbase. Shadowbase is a primer for your eyeshadows and pigment powders, and it really enhances their pigmentation and colour:

 On the left is an eyeshadow applied over the top of Shadowbase, on the right is it on its own. As you can see the colour is much richer applied over the primer. A definite success!

Top Drawer - £16.00

The Top Drawer contains some really pigmented, chunky eyeshadow pencils. I didn't get a chance to swatch these, but saw them used and they look great. You get a fab mix of colours too, perfect for Christmas party season. I love the "look" on the inside cover, bottom right with the bold, black line across the lower lashes - very fashion forward! I don't think this is as good a value for money as, say, Eye Popping, but I really like the idea.

Air Kiss - RRP £20.00

Front Cover have released an all-lip palette! I know a lot of girls will be happy about this! You get SIXTEEN mini-lippies which I think is great value - you literally have every shade here you'd ever need, whether it be for nights out or every day wear. I prefer making more of my eyes, and rarely wear striking lip colour, but if I wanted to make a statement I would definitely invest in this kit. If you know a lippie-addict this is the ultimate Christmas present.

Blue Eyed Girl - RRP £12.00

As I mentioned earlier, blue is pegged as this season's 'in colour' and whether you go all out with a navy take on the classic smokey eye, or keep it simple with a slick of blue eyeliner across the lash-line, you can't really go wrong with this kit. Included is the Shadowline, a clear liquid liner that you can mix with any eyeshadow to make a coloured liquid liner of your own creation - more on this tomorrow! All the eyeshadows are velvety soft and very rich in colour. Again, I don't wear blue as it puts me at risk of looking like Pat Butcher in a wig - I don't think I'm quite brave enough yet! If you're a trend conscious beauty buyer who likes to keep ahead of the fashion-world, this is the kit for you. And YES the mascara really is THAT blue, as you can tell from the packaging! Here is the polish from this collection, A Shimmery Royal Blue:

 

A Billion Stars - RRP £35

A Billion Stars is at the top of the range, a Christmas present for someone you REALLY love. Someone who loves bright colours on their eyes! It comes with a pop-out portable palette which is a great idea as none of these kits are particularly portable, save for Eye Popping. This kit is perfect for creating smokey eyes, and even comes with tiny sequin stars for added dramatic effect, as demonstrated here by Front Cover Girl Laura:

I was also lucky enough to have my makeup done by Front Cover Make-up Artist Leanne, and she was the nicest person ever - I told her to go wild and do whatever she wanted, and she said she was looking forward to trying the metallic silver eyeshadow from  the Packing Case kit. She was great, talking me through exactly what she was doing and why, her trade secrets and what it was like working in the beauty industry. She was the one who told me all about Shadowbase and Shadowline, as well as convincing me to let her try eyelash curlers on me (a contraption I've always been afraid of, as it looks like a horrible torture device). This is the Kit that she used:

 

This is another one with a little bit of everything, you've got eyes, lips and cheek in here, as well as brushes and tweezers. Leanne applied the silver in the top left of the palette, added the mascara and swept across the bottom row of shadows to use on my cheeks. She also used the two ended lip product that you can see on there, one end is a creamy tint, unlike any other tint I've used before, it's lovely and moisturising. The other end is an iridescent gloss, and it looks so natural and lovely on the lips. Here is my daft made-over face!

You can see Leanne's hand brushing m hair out of my face! It felt like I had my own entourage! A close up of the eyes:

That Silver shadow is SO pigmented, it really brightens up the eyes. I preferred the lip look on me, however, it is such a gorgeous pink colour, but still really natural. As it is a cream tint, it also lasted for ages:

My lips are usually quite washed out and colourless, so this is great for me. Looks like I will be investing in a whole kit so I can get this lippy! WHAT A SHAME hahaha. That is a con against the company though, it would be nice to be able to buy some of these products separately from the kit, for those of us on a budget.

To conclude:

PROS

• You're buying from an honest company who cares about its consumers
• The products have got the quality/price ratio pretty much perfect, the formulas are great.
• Will make excellent Christmas presents
• The kits are bang on trend (with the exception of the Nail Polishes) so you are guaranteed a lot of wear out of each kit.
• They are very good value for money
• The "book" style of the palette means everything stays together, and in good condition
• The kits contain a good mix of products, with many containing things for eyes, lips and cheeks in one kit.
• You get a tutorial on the inside of every palette, written by Leanne, my make-up artist, on how to re-create each look for yourself. Definitely useful.
• These will be on the 3 for 2 gift offer in Boots over Christmas.

CONS 

• I really hate to say it, as I really wanted to like them, but I just don't like the nail polishes and the Nail Art kit is nothing innovative or exciting.
• The "book" style of the palettes means that these kits are not very portable AT ALL. I cannot take my Style Queen anywhere with me, it's pretty much an installation on my dresser now. It would b better if the eyeshadows slotted out so you could separate them and take them around with you
• Although good value for money, the top of the range (£35.00) may just be too steep for some people.
• I think the Shadowbase is great, however it doesn't come in every kit with eyeshadows in, which is a shame because it makes such a difference.
• It would be nice if you could buy a few best-selling items separately, as I don't want to have to buy a whole kit just so I can get the lip tint that I like so much.

For me, the Pros far outweigh the Cons, I just like to present a balanced argument. These are great kits, and good luck giving them away if you buy them as gifts, I guarantee you will have a hard time parting with them!


 Hed over to Front Cover's website HERE and check out the full range of palettes, they really are fantastic quality and will .make great Christmas presents.

I still have one more kit to show you, Style Queen, and it is the kit that I chose to take away with me from the event, as they kindly let you pick one to keep! I want to show you swatches of the eye products, as well as a make-up look - all coming tomorrow in Part 2!

Thanks for tuning in everyone :)

Don't forget I'm having a little giveaway to win this months GlossyBox! If you live in the UK and you love trying new beauty products, you can enter here!

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