Swatch and Review:Avon Glimmersticks Diamonds Onyx Collection Eye Liner

I recently picked up a couple of these new additions to the Glimmersticks liner line from Avon. While I don't feel like these are the greatest for lining the water line, they are great for the lash lines and come in a really good range of colors. I like this new Onyx collection for the holidays to add a little sparkle to your holiday makeup looks. Since the shimmer in them is very fine they look like your basic black liner from afar. It's only when someone is close to you that they will see the glints of sparkle here and there. These are a good option for anyone who wants their makeup to be a little more festive, but are maybe to shy to do a full on glittery eye look.

The two colors I picked up are Gold Onyx(on top) and Copper Onyx(on bottom). The Gold Onyx seems to be a little bit blacker because the glitter in it is less densely packed, so you just get a hint of gold shimmer here and there. The Copper Onyx has copper/red shimmers that are more densely packed and more evenly dispersed. Even though this one seems like it is a lot more sparkly than the gold it still just looks like your basic black liner from a distance since the shimmers are so fine.

There are two other shades in this collection, one with cobalt shimmers and one with magenta shimmers.

Swatches: Avon Ultra Glazewear Lip Gloss

I thought I would do a quick swatch post today of the new Avon Ultra Glazewear lip glosses that I have tried. I'm a big fan of the Glazewear glosses! They aren't sticky, tacky, or goopy feeling on the lips, and they come in a really good range of colors. I'm sure I will pick up more of these in the future, so you guys can expect to see some more swatches of these glosses!

Pale Peach is a sheer sparkly gloss. It has a very light, creamy peach base with fine light peach glitter in it. this one definitely won't impart much color on the lips, but it gives a really pretty shine and sparkle to the lips and is good for layering over peach, pink, and nude lipsticks.

Nude is a soft peachy nude with a very fine golden shimmer through it. I really love this color for every day wear on it's own, and it also layers well over nude, brown, peach, and pink lipsticks.

Tickled Pink is a light, neutral, shimmering pink with super fine pink and champagne shimmers to it. REALLY pretty pink gloss, absolutely love this one!

Citrus Shine is a SUPER sparkly peachy pink gloss. I took about a million pictures of this color and couldn't capture the sparkle just right. You can get the idea from the pic above, but there is just a ton of fine peach, pink, and golden shimmers throughout this gloss. The color is really similar to the Extra Lasting gloss in Forever Rose, but without the funky texture and weird smell that that gloss has. If you like very sparkly glosses I definitely recommend this one!

Crystal Lilac is a little bit more of a cooler toned pink gloss with a hint of shimmer to it. It is listed in the brochure as having a cream finish, and while the shimmer is very fine and faint, there is definitely a little shimmer there.

Palm Beach Pink is a warm medium pink, with fine golden champagne shimmers in it. Again, this one is listed as having a cream finish but there is clearly some shimmer in it.

Fiery Red is a vibrant red(GORGEOUS!) gloss. This one does have a cream finish with no shimmer to it. It's the most opaque out of the bunch, my natural lip color just barely peeks through. I love this gloss on it's own, and layered over bright red, orange, and hot pink lipsticks.

Have you guys tried any of the new Ultra Glazewear glosses? What are your favorite colors?

FOTD: Taylor Momsen Inspired Glossy Red Lip

Today's look was inspired by a pic I saw of Taylor Momsen back during New York fashion week. She had this bright red glossy lip going that I instantly loved for two reasons: 1. It's a little bit of a throwback to the makeup of the late 70's/early 80's(pretty much my favorite time period as far as makeup goes), and 2. It was a nice departure from the typical super black, super smokey eye/nude lip combo that Taylor is usually seen wearing.

Remember when she used to look like this?

Who else is going to be watching 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' this year?

Anywho, I meant to do this post a long time ago but forgot all about it until I read about Taylor and her band, The Pretty Reckless, releasing a new album recently...so here's the look!

everything I used is from Avon/mark.
on the face:
Ideal Flawless foundation in Light Ivory
Ideal Flawless concealer in Light/Medium on blemishes
Extra Lasting concealer in Fair under the eyes and as a highlighter
Ideal Flawless translucent loose powder

One the eyes:
True Color eyeshadow quad in Mocha Latte
Kohl eye liner in Intense Brown
Super Shock Max mascara in Black

On the cheeks:
mark. Bronze Pro in Bronze to lightly contour
Ideal Luminous blush in Coral Radiance, just a little on the cheek bones

On the lips:
mark. Make It Rich lip color crayon in Hot Sauce
Ultra Glazewear lip gloss in Fiery Red

If you want to hear the new single from The Pretty Reckless, here it is:

FOTD: Hailee Steinfeld Inspired Look

Today's face of the day is inspired by the kind of bronze and plum smokey eye makeup that Hailee Steinfeld wore to the LA premiere for Ender's Game. All of the makeup used for this look is from Avon/mark.

On the face:
Ideal Flawless foundation, concealer, and loose powder

On the eyes:
Extra Lasting eyeshadow pencil in topaz Shimmer on the lid and lower lash line.
Glimmerstick eye liner in Nocturnal and Super Shock eye liner in Plumful smudged together in the upper lash line.
mark. Just Blushing in Cameo blended through the crease.
True Color eyeshadow single in Plum Burgundy blended into the outer corner of the eye.
Kohl liner in Deep Violet on the waterline, with Kohl liner in True Black layered over the violet on the outer half of the waterline.
Super Shock Max mascara in Black on the lashes.

On the cheeks:
I lightly contoured with mark. Bronze Pro in Bronze, and mark. Just Blushing in Cameo blended on the cheek bones.

On the lips:
I patted on Ultra Color lipstick in Crush, and then dabbed a light pink shimmery gloss from the mark. On The Dot lip palette over top of that.

More Avon Extra Lasting Eyeshadow Pencil Swatches!

I tried a couple of these shadow pencils when they first came out and absolutely LOVED them! So I got a couple more...and then a couple more...and then the rest of them, lol:-) So here are the swatches of the last 6 colors I bought. I really cannot say enough good things about these! They are great stand alone shadows, blend really well, and make excellent long wearing shadow bases for your powder shadows.

Aquamarine is a shimmery deep aqua color. Very dense, rich pigmentation for this color! If you follow me on Facebook you can see this color used in my sugar skull makeup for Halloween as the petals around my eyes(sidenote: I also used the Extra Lasting shadow pencil in Black Diamond all over the eye and layered colors from the True Color quad in Purple Pop on top, it turned out so good!).

Sapphire is a shimmery deep blue. I really love this one layered with the Purple Pop quad for a bluish-purple eye look.

Amethyst is less purple than I thought it would be, and more like a pretty shimmering mauve.

Smoky Plum is a nice shimmery plum with really good pigmentation.

Crystal Taupe is a light shimmery taupe. This color is a great neutral to have on hand for any skin tone.

Rich Cocoa surprised me when I opened and saw that it was actually matte! This neutral chocolate brown is the only one of the shadow pencils that doesn't have any shimmer to it.

I hope Avon expands this line and brings out more colors, and more matte shades!

FOTD: Plum Winged Liner + Red Lips

On the face:
~Magix Advanced Cashmere finish foundation in Light Beige
~Extra Lasting concealer in Fair
~Smooth Minerals powder foundation in Transparent Glow

On the eyes:
~Extra Lasting eyeshadow pencil in Shimmering Sand
~True Color eyeshadow quad in Emerald Cut
~Super Shock gel eyeliner pencil in Plumful
~Super Shock Max mascara in Black

On the cheeks:
~Glow bronzer in Warm Glow

On the lips:
~Gkimmersticks lip liner in Red Brick
~Ultra Color lipsticks in Scarlet Siren, Berry Berry Nice, and Lava Love

Review: Avon Gel Finish in Barely There

This polish has been a major fail for me:-( I hate to even post this because I have had such good luck with my other Avon nail polishes, and I have quite a few, but if you are thinking about getting this one I really don't recommend it.

The polish claims to be a 7-in1 product with built in base and top coat. I put it on my bare nails and it went on nice, smooth, very shiny, and I loved the color. I turned a documentary on and sat still for 1 1/2 hours, letting my nails have plenty of time to fully dry by the time the movie was over. I washed my hands afterwards and as soon as my fingertips hit the towel EVERY...SINGLE...NAIL...smudged! Seriously!? I can't speak to how any of the other colors perform, but I probably won't be getting any more of these based off of how poorly this one worked out for me.

FOTD: Muted Green Smokey Eye

On the face
~Graftobian HD Glamour Creme foundation in Ingenue and Vixen ~Ben Nye translucent face powder in fair

On the eyes
~Avon Big Color eye pencil in Smokey Sage on the lid as a shadow base
~Yaby shadow in Antique over the whole lid
~mark. shadow in Moss on the outer 1/3 of the lid and softly blended up into the crease, also along the lower lash line
~Yaby shadow in Firewood blended through the crease
~Pixi shadow in Gilded Olive blended into the outer corner of the eye
~Yaby shadow in Magic Timber on the inner corner of the eye
~Avon kohl liner in True Black used to tight line the eye
~Avon Super Shock Max mascara in Black on the lashes

On the cheeks
~Sephora MicroSmooth baked bronzer duo in Spicy Heat, used the matte side to lightly contour
~Avon Smooth Minerals blush in Blushing Mauve on the cheekbones

On the lips
~Starlooks lip liner in Bare to line and fill in the lips
~OCC Lip Tar in Kava Kava
~mark. Glow Baby Glow lip gloss in Peek-a-boo

FOTD: Bluish-Purple Smokey Eye

I decided to do a look today inspired by the beautiful blue-purple look done for the Jason Wu A/W 2013 runway:-)



On the face: I used Avon Extra Lasting foundation in Light Nude, Extra lasting concealer in Fair, Ideal Flawless concealer in Light/Medium, and Ideal Flawless loose powder in Translucent

On the eyes: I used Avon Extra Lasting eyeshadow pencil in Sapphire, True Color eyeshadow quad in Purple Pop, Kohl eye liner in Deep Violet, Perfect Eyebrow kit in Deep Brown, and Super Shock Max mascara in Black

On the cheeks: I used mark. Bronze Pro in Bronzed, and Just Blushing in Afterglow

On the lips: I used Avon Ultra Glazewear lip gloss in Pale Peach

FOTD: Plum Monochrome

I decided to do a soft plum look today inspired by the changing of the season, all makeup is by Avon:-)



On the face: Ideal Flawless foundation in Light Nude, Extra Lasting concealer in Fair, Ideal Flawless concealer in Light/Medium, Ideal Flawless loose powder in Translucent

On the eyes: Extra Lasting eyeshadow pencil in Shimmering Sand(used as a shadow base), True Color eyeshadow duo in Burgundy Berry, True Color eyeshadow single in Plum Burgundy, kohl eye liner in Intense Brown, Super Shock Max mascara in Black

On the cheeks: mark. Bronze Pro in Bronze, Ideal Luminous blush in Soft Plum

On the lips: Ultra Color lipstick in Rich Plum

Modern & Minimalist Makeup Look

Avon was the cosmetics sponsor for the Elizabeth & James Spring 2014 fashion show at New York Fashion Week last week. Here is how to get the runway look from Avon celebrity makeup artist Lauren Andersen. Even though this look was done for a Spring show it really is a great look that's suitable for every day of the year.

How To Use the New True Color Eyeshadow Quads

Swatches: Avon True Color Eyeshadow Duos

Warm Cashmere is a perfect duo for everyday wear, with a little liner smudged into the upper lash line and a couple coats of mascara it looks great with any lip color! The lighter shade is called Peach and is a sheer shimmery light golden peach shade. It can be built up easily for a more opaque finish and blends easily. The darker color is Iced Coffee, this shade is a shimmery warm beige and is a bit more pigmented than the Peach shade. Blends very well.

Burgundy Berry is a nice shimmery muted plum duo. The lighter shade is Nude, this color is hard to describe- sort of a shimmery pale mauve beige. The pigmentation and blending of this shade is excellent. The darker shade is Silver Plum and is perfectly named because it is a gorgeous shimmering silvery plum color. Again great pigmentation and blends nicely. I love this duo on my hazel eyes, it really brings out the green!

Swatches: New Avon True Color Eyeshadow Quads

In campaign 19 Avon is relaunching their True Color eyeshadow line with new eyeshadow quads, duos, and singles. In general, I am really impressed with the new formula! Most of the colors I've tried have been really well pigmented, and blended well. I am going to post swatches of the eyeshadow quads that I have tried so far below. I'm also going to list the color names for each quad since some of these shades are also available as singles as well.

Purple Pop is the brightest and trendiest of the purple quads that Avon offers. All of the colors in this quad have a shimmery finish. Here are the colors for this quad:
1. Lavender is a pale shimmery lavender. Great pigmentation and blends well.
2. Pink Berry is a medium shimmery pink. This one had the lightest pigmentation, but built up easily.
3. Purple Flip is a lavender with a pinkish sheen to it. Good pigmentation and blending.
4. Vibrant Violet is a shimmery deep violet. This one is a little patchy but blends out well.

Metal Eyes has 4 neutral metallic and glittery shades. Pigmentation and blending are great with all of these shades.
1. Snowglobe is shimmery white.
2. Gold is a shimmery deep yellow gold.
3. Bronze Luster is a shimmery deep brown with fine bronze glitter throughout.
4. Night Star is a shimmery warm charcoal grey with lots of fine silver and gold glitter.

Emerald Cut is a warm/neutral green palette. All four colors have a shimmery to glittery finish.
1. Shimmering Beige is a shimmery warm ivory. Great pigmentation and blendability.
2. Softened Peach is a warm shimmery peach with fine golden glitter. this one goes on a little sheer but builds up easily.
3. Green Metal is a shimmery khaki green with a slight golden sheen. Good pigmentation and blends very well.
4. Blackened Emerald is a deep shimmery green. The pigmentation is a little patchy with this one, but it builds up very easily and blends out very well.

Chocolate Sensation is one of the new neutral quads. This one is great for doing a brown smokey eye.
1. Shimmering Beige is a shimmery warm ivory. Great pigmentation and blendability.
2. Milk Chocolate is a shimmery neutral brown. Great pigmentation and blendability.
3. Truffle is a shimmery warm brown. Great pigmentation and blendability.
4. Black Brown is a matte deep brown. This one had the least pigmentation but it builds up easily and blends well.

Avon Ultra Color Lipstick Swatches- Reds/Corals

Wild Ginger is a shimmery coral-y orange with fine coral and multicolored glitter. This color is really similar to the Ultra Color Rich Brilliance lipstick in Vermillion.

Tangerine Tango is a reddish orange with a creme finish.

Lava Love is a orange-y red with a creme finish.

Poppy Love is the middle ground between Tangerine Tango and Lava Love. More red than Tangerine Tango, but more orange than Lava Love.

Berry Berry Nice is a berry red with a just a hint of shimmer.

Red 2000 is a bright neutral red with a satin finish.

Scarlet Siren is a deep warm red with a creme finish.

Perfect Red is a neutral red with a satin finish.

Rich Ruby is a bright cool toned red with a creme finish.

Cherry Jubilee is a deep berry with a satin finish.

Avon Ultra Color Lipstick Swatches- Plums/Wines

Frostiest Mauve is a cool pinky lilac frosty shade.

Dream Fuchsia is a bright shimmery fuchsia, a little brighter and more shimmery than Fuchsia Fever.

Very Violet is a bright pinky purple with a cream finish.

Crush is a berry red with a satin finish.

Sangria is a pinky wine red with a satin finish.

Golden Berry is a sheer deep shimmering berry with fine golden glitter.

Wine With Everything is a wine red with a satin finish.

Vixen is a plum wine red with a creme finish.

Oxford Wine is a deep wine red with a satin finish.

Vamp is a blackened plum with a satin finish.

Avon Ultra Color Lipstick Swatches- Roses/Mauves/Nudes

Naturally Nude is a pale beige nude with a creme finish.

Sparkling Nude is a shimmery nude with fine silvery glitter in it.

Rosedew is a medium beige pink with a satin finish.

Cozy Mauve is a shimmery pinky mauve.

Sparkling Mauve is a sheer shimmery medium mauve shade with fine silvery glitter.

Wineberry is a muted berry shade with a satin finish.