Swatches: Avon Ultra Color Absolute Lipsticks

I only have a couple of these, but I did a get a few samples too. Another Avon rep did a really good swatch video on YouTube, so I will post that at the end of this post so you can see all of the colors:-)

Here are the swatches:

This one is Caramel Comfort. It is a light beige nude, with medium coverage. This one went on pretty evenly and has a nice balm-like texture to it.

Creamy Melon is a pretty, bright peach shade. I love the color of this lipstick, although, I did feel like it clung to dry patches on my lips and went on a tiny bit streaky.

Pink Renewal is a very pale creamy pink. This was honestly the least favorite for me because it just didn't look good with my skin tone and washed me out a little. This one also seemed to cling to dry patches.

The next two colors are so similar in person that I honestly had a hard time telling them apart until I put the pictures side by side. The one on the left is Tender Mauve, and on the right is Ripe Rose.

Tender Mauve is a nice, light, neutral beige-y pink. This will be a good nude pink for anyone with fair to light/medium skin tones.

Ripe Rose is really similar to Tender Mauve, just a couple shades darker. This one is my favorite. It's a great nude pink for me, and probably will be for anyone with light to medium skin tones.

Radiant Raisin is a really pretty dark berry shade. This is a great color for this time of the year!

Here is Lorena's video of all of the swatches if you want to check out the rest of the shades:

#ManiMonday: Daisies and Stripes

To get this look you'll need:(all from Avon)
Dual-ended nail brush & dotting tool
Speed Dry+ nail enamel in Reddy To Go
Nailwear Pro+ nail enamels in Sunshine, Licorice, and French Tip White

For the striped nails:
~Use two coats of French Tip white as your base
~Then paint half of the nail with Sunshine
~Using the brush end of the dual-ended tool, paint black stripes using Licorice starting in the middle

For the daisy nails:
~Use two coats of Reddy To Go as your base
~Using the dotter end of the dual-ended tool use French Tip White to place five dots in a start shaped pattern(leaving a small space in the middle of each pattern), these will be your petals. Repeat as many times on each nail as you like.
~Using the brush end take the Licorice polish and make small black lines on each petal, starting from the base of the petal moving outward.
~Using the dotter end again, take the Sunshine polish and put a dot in the center of each flower

Review & Swatches: Kardashian Beauty Touch Tones in Echo and Whip Lash Mascara

After the holidays I used a little of my Christmas cash to get some new stuff from Ulta. While I was perusing the website I noticed that the Kardashian Beauty collection was BOGO 50% off and I had never tried anything from their line, so I picked out this Touch Tones eyeshadow palette in Echo and the Whip Lash mascara. When my order finally came in the mail I was a little disappointed with the shadow palette because the colors didn't look the same(at all, actually) as they do on Ulta's website. They are still really pretty colors nonetheless.

Here are some more close up pics and swatches of the palette:

Now, you can see in the swatch picture above that I had to add arrows to show where the swatches for the first two shades are at. That's gripe #1 for me, there's no real need(or use) for two flesh toned matte shades in the same palette. The pigmentation for these two shades is not as good as the shimmer shades either. I can get the same effect of these shadows by dusting some translucent loose powder on my lids, so these two shades are a big fail for me. The shimmer colors are really pretty though.

The last color of the palette is extra glittery and a little more sheer, and is meant to be layered over the other shadows. Okay...but it's so close in tone to that second pink shade that it makes the second pink shadow pretty irrelevant. Like I said, these colors are really pretty but this is definitely not a palette I would use on it's own. With the two matte shades being practically the same and the second pink and last shadow being pretty much the same there is a lot of redundancy for a palette that only has eight shadows in it. I would love to see these palettes with a matte mid-tone and matte dark shadow in place of those light colors and enough variation between the rest of the shadows to make them all usable.

The mascara on the other hand I was actually pleasantly surprised with. Here is a close up of the brush:

The formula of the mascara is not too wet or too dry, just right. And as you can see in the pic above the bristles of the mascara wand are flat on one side and curved on the other. The flat side is good for getting mascara into the base of the lashes to build volume, and the curved side does a good job of separating and adding length. I like that the bristles are tapered too, makes getting to the lashes in the inner corners of the eyes a breeze.

Overall, I was really impressed with the mascara and would definitely repurchase it. The shadows I don't see myself buying again unless they come out with some new colors that have a better variety of tones and textures.

Have you guys tried any of the Kardashian Beauty products? What are your thoughts?

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.