Avon's Arrived || Brochures 04 & 05!

Hello everyone!

So today I've got a few things to show you that I bought from the last couple of Avon brochures including some super exciting new products!

Let's all ignore the fact that at first glance I seem to have gone for a monochrome theme since I didn't even realise until I came to write this post.

But anyway, I have been so excited by some of the new products that Avon are releasing as I think they are trying to branch out to a younger target audience (no complaints from me!).

This is the Ideal Flawless Cream Concealer in the shade Fair. This is basically a highly pigmented cream concealer with medium coverage. I really like this as although it is a cream product, it isn't too thick which makes it easy to blend out. I have the lightest of three shades, and it is a great eye cover-up/highlight colour. Another massive pro is that it has a really smooth finish and doesn't tend to crease under my eyes. I think this is the best concealer that Avon does and I'd recommend it to anyone!

This winter I have been seriously loving matte nails, and although Avon has sold matte formulas in the past, they have revamped the whole product to give the Magic Effects Matte Nail Enamel. I bought the shades White and Black as these are super wearable colours for everyday. The formula of these polishes are really nice and they last well without chipping. 

Next is a different item to what I normally get from Avon and it is the Floral Clusters Drama Necklace in White. I don't tend to get much jewellery from Avon (apart from my beloved rose-gold watch) and I just think it is all a bit old for me and I wouldn't personally wear it.  However this necklace really caught my eye. It is a gold chained statement necklace with three white floral-designed clusters. I think this is a really good necklace to have as you can pair it with tonnes of different looks.

Lastly, Avon has released a new colour selection of their Ultra Colour Indulgence Lipstick. This is a really smooth gel-like formula, which although is sheerer than the other lipsticks, creates that super plump glossy lip. I got the shade Tawny Rose which is a dark pink/brown nude. This colour is a perfect 'your lips but better' shade and because it is SO glossy, you don't need to wear a lipgloss over the top which I love!

Have you tried any of these products too?

Monthly Favourites || October 2014

Hello my lovelies!

October was a pretty crazy month for me as it included my 18th birthday *woop woop* but I've finally got around to writing my October favourites!

So let's start with make-up...

I had a slight moment in the middle of Next when I saw a tiny little NYX stand at the other end of the shop and did a quick shuffle over to it. I didn't even realise that they were selling NYX on the English high street, but obviously I picked up a few things. I had never tried NYX before but I think it's safe to say that I love their products! So the first thing I've been loving is the NYX Blush in the shade Mocha. I wanted a darker autumnal shade, and this deep pink/red shade is really perfect and super easy to blend. Obviously everyone and their dog has raved about NYX blushes on the internet, and I'm so glad I have tried one out as I now know why!

Next thing is the Soap and Glory Archery brow pencil in the shade Hot Chocolate. This is just such a good brow product - you can use it to define the edges or fill in sparse areas of your brows and it always looks great. The colour is really natural and not too red which I find some brow products to be, and paired with a good brow gel makes the perfect brow!

I've been absolutely obsessed with the Kiko Smart Lip Pencil in the shade 712 which is another Kylie Jenner-esque pink/mauve nude shade. I've been loving this lip colour for autumn, and this lip pencil has been so useful; whether I use it to define my lips or just use it all over the lips, it creates such a gorgeous 90's lip. 

I've already talked about the NYX Matte Lipstick in the shade Whipped Caviar in my most recent post (Autumn 2014 Favourite Lip Colours), but I had to put it in here too as I've literally nearly used up the whole bullet. It's another pink/mauve nude shade but it has a matte finish which is my favourite type of lip to wear. 

I've also been loving using my Real Techniques Contour Brush to apply and blend out concealer under the eyes. I don't tend to use the brush to apply contour, and so have been using it under the eyes as it has the perfect tapered end to allow super easy concealer application. The softness of the brush is also really nice and not too harsh on the sensitive skin, and it blends out the concealer really well. 

Obviously there would be a nail varnish in my favourites, and honestly autumn is my favourite time for nail varnishes as I love wearing darker colours as the weather starts to get colder. One I've been constantly reaching for is the Barry M Matte Nail Paint in the shade Black Espresso. I'm sure I've talked about it before, but I always end up going back to this formula of nail varnish as they are so quick and easy to apply, and come in a great variety of autumnal shades. 

Lastly we have the film Rock of Ages. Now you might think this is a bit random, but I'd heard loads about the musical in theatres, and couldn't resist watching given how much I love a good musical, and I have to admit that I'm hooked. I've watched the film so many times now and have actually booked tickets to go and see it in London during November! It is such a good musical made up of classic 1980s rock songs - obviously I wasn't around in the 80s but still found myself singing along to most of the songs! This is such a good film, and I'd highly recommend seeing it even if it is just for the songs!

Hope you enjoyed reading my October Favourites!

Have you tried any of these products? What are your monthly favourites?

:)

How To: Stay Sane During Revision || Pamper Evening For One

Hey Guys!

If you're a student, the Easter Holidays doesn't just mean eating chocolate and watching films (although I try my hardest to only do that). Any form of time off as Exam season approaches equals revision, and with revision comes the need to relax, so I thought I'd share with you what I like to do maybe once or twice during the holidays just to relax and have a pamper, girly night in. 

So first thing's first, take off all of the day's makeup, cleanse and tone, and get into your comfiest pyjamas, and maybe a pair of fluffy socks if you want to go all out!

I then start with my nails, and I just use a nail file and clippers (the ones shown above are just from Avon), and I just file and shape my nails, sometimes adding nail varnish or nourishment varnishes with cuticle cream, but just generally taking care to look after your nails.

Then I apply my favourite Lip Balm and this is The Body Shop Born Lippy Lip Balm in the flavour Pomegranate, but any lip balm will do, just to moisturise the lips whilst you pamper yourself. 

Also use some moisturising face creams, for example recently I've been loving my little sample of Benefit's It's Potent Eye Cream, as it smells really fresh. Using face moisturiser and maybe body butter is also really nice, especially as summer is coming up up you want really soft, smooth skin.

Then for maybe one of the most important parts of any pamper night or relaxing session is to have a face mask. Here I've got the Superdrug De-Stressing Mud Mask and the Superdrug Detoxifying Dead Sea Mineral Mask, and just apply that and maybe do your nails or something while you wait for it to dry. This is probably the step where you actually relax the most as you have to actually stop and just let the face mask do it's thing. 

And lastly, go on a cupboard hunt for chocolate, choose a girly film, light some candles, and cosy up in bed! I've got my Yankee Candle in the scent Beach Flowers, and just a regular tea light. At the moment I've been working my way through the 'Teen Spirit' list of films on the Sky Movies website, but any good, girly or soppy love film will do. And hopefully with all of these you can take an evening to relax and forget about revision for a few hours!

Avon Party & Gel Nail Polish Launch / Avon's Arrived || Brochure 06

Hey Guys!

So I have a super exciting post for you today! I had an Avon Party yesterday to celebrate the launch of their new Gel Finish Nail Enamels, because obviously if they bring out anything to do with nails, I'm the first person in there! So yeah here are the new shades that I got.

Wine and Dine Me, Very Berry, Mauvelous, Sheer Love, Barely There and Mudslide. 

I'll just start by saying how good these nail varnishes are, really they are so good. For most of them you only need one coat, and they finish so shiny. They also last really well, and there is such a good range of colours. So the first ones are the more muted colours which are some of m favourite shades at the moment. Wine and Dine me is a beautiful deep red colour, perfect for winter really. Very Berry is a deep, berry pink shade and Mauvelous is a deep pink toned purple. Sheer Love is a really pale, pastel pink and Barely There is a gorgeous pink/brown nude. These two are the ones that need a second coat, but that's just because they colours are really light. And finally Mudslide is a really nice brown/taupe colour. I really love Barely There, and I've been wearing it all week. Also Mauvelous was a really popular shade, and I think it's the perfect colour for the transition between winter and spring,

Roses are Red, Candy Apple, Orange Crush and Limoncello.

These next four colours are really bright, vibrant colours, perfect for summer. Roses are Red is a bright true red colour, and Candy Apple is a more pink-toned red. At first I couldn't really tell the difference between these two in the bottle, but once you apply them Candy Apple is definitely more pink and a bit brighter. Orange Crush is a bright orange, slightly coral shade, and Limoncello is a bright yellow with a slight gold shimmer. I think my favourite out of these is Limoncello because it's so vivid and loud, and I just think it will look so good in the summer.

Shimmer and Sterling.

These two shades are super glam, Shimmer being a sparkly gold, and Sterling a shimmery, metallic silver. I especially love Sterling and I think it'd be great for nights out because it's so noticeable. 

Yeah so loaded with these new nail varnishes I hosted an Avon Party where I basically just displayed everything from Avon that I own!

I also wore only Avon Makeup Products and Perfume on the night:

CC Cream in the shade Ivory

Ideal Luminous Blush in the shade Soft Plum

True Colour Eyeshadow Quad in Stone Taupes (through brows and on eyes)

Avon Eyeshadow Primer

Supershock Mascara in Black

Supershock Eyeliner in Flash (bottom waterline)

Always on Point Eyeliner in Gunmetal Grey (top waterline and flick)

True Colour Lipstick in Red 2000

Femmer Eau de Parfum

So yeah I had a really good night, and it's a great thing to do with all your friends. The new nail varnishes are absolutely gorgeous, and I'm sure there will be a lot of talk in the future about them, from other bloggers but especially me!

Review || OPI Liquid Sand Nail Lacquer

Hey Guys!

So for my birthday last year, one of my friends got me the OPI Liquid Sand Nail Lacquer in the shade Wharf!Wharf!Wharf!, and I've been wearing it quite a bit lately. I love nail varnish in general, especially different or unique ones, and so this is just such a great nail varnish for when I want something a different!

So as you can see, this isn't your average nail polish. The best way to describe it is that its a textured nail polish that dries matte. It feels really strange, a bit like when you were a kid, and mixed paint and sand, but I actually really like it. The colour that I have is Wharf!Wharf!Wharf! which is a deep, cobalt blue, and it's a really nice, alternative autumn/winter shade. Let's just talk about the names of OPI nail varnishes for a second. I'd love to know who comes up with these names, because every polish I have seen either has a funny or play-on-words name, so well done OPI!

I love how all of the OPI bottles have really big and wide lids with thick brushes, because it makes it so much easier to actually apply the nail varnish! I really hate when you get tiny bottle of nail varnish with the smallest brush you've ever seen, and it takes forever to paint one nail!

I normally apply tow coats to get a nice even cover, but it dries matte and really quickly which I think is very useful; since the worst thing is when you're in a rush after spending ages painting your nails and it smudges!

It lasts for a really long time without chipping, but that is what's expected really from such a great, high -end brand such as OPI. To be honest, all of OPI's nail varnishes are great, but I particularity love this nail varnish as it's completely unique, and catches peoples' eye!

Nails Review || Avon & e.l.f

Hey guys! 

So I've recently been wearing this nail combo quite a lot, and thought I'd show you!

The two nail varnishes are the Avon Nailwear Pro+ in the shade Tweed, and the e.l.f Matte Finisher Nail Polish.

The top picture is the Avon nail varnish on its own. This shade in the book is a deep red-burgundy colour, but in real life is much darker. It's a very deep red with purple under-tones, and the more layers you apply, the darker and more brown it gets. In this photo I think I had maybe three layers on, so it is quite dark, but seeing as its winter, I think it looks really nice. On its own, the Avon nail varnish has good staying power and lasts at least 3 days without chipping (which is a lot for me), and I think that it's just such a nice wintry shade. 

In the second picture I have the Avon nail varnish with the matte top coat on top. I absolutely love this nail varnish since getting it in my recent e.l.f haul (http://hobbsessed.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/elf-january-sale-haul-first-impressions.html) and have been using it when I get bored of the Barry M Matte Nail Varnishes in the colours I have. It basically is just a clear top coat which, when it dries, goes matte, and it makes and colour underneath it go from shiny to matte. I have found that with this on top, my nails tend to chip a little bit more than without it, but to be honest I think that it's worth it for the matte finish, because apart from OPI, I haven't seen another matte top coat. 

Together, I really love this combo as it makes a really nice winter colour, and I'm really into my reds and burgundy's this year. What I also love is that you can have it with the top coat or not, instantly creating two looks for every nail polish you have!

Models Own Scented Nail Varnish

Hey guys, so as you may have seen in my recent haul I bought the Models Own Scented Nail Varnish in Banana Split. It's a pastel yellow nail varnish with a scented lid and is a really nice colour for summer.

I was super excited to try this because on the top, as you can see, there is a scratch & sniff panel which, once scratched, smells of really sweet bananas! I think if smells of like banana milkshake and its absolutely delicious woo! 

As I painted my nails it was really nice. Due to the very pale colour it needed two coats but looks really nice on, and I think it's a perfect colour for summer!

To begin (after it dried) it did smell a bit like bananas but I don't think it lasted very long so if you want an actual scented polish then I wouldn't suggest getting this, but if you want a pastel, summery colour, then try these out because the whole range is gorgeous!

I really love these nail varnishes and even if you don't buy one, definitely go and scratch all the lids in the shops because they are SO nice!

Summer Topshop Collection!

Ok so I have a slight obsession with nail varnishes (I call two shelves full slight!), and when I went shopping at the weekend I couldn't help buying some of the new Topshop Summer 2013 Range!

They are all such cute pastel colours which are so summery and go with so many outfits! 

I bought the far left one above which is Boy Next Door which is like a minty green-blue colour. I love this colour because it is so bright and colourful!

It paints really nicely onto the nail because it is quite thick but I did have to use two layers to get a full colour. I've worn it for about three days now and it hasn't really chipped so thumbs up on that front! Another thing is that it actually dries really fast and is really shiny which I love!

Now I wear quite a lot of gold jewellery and I think that this colour goes so nicely with gold and it also makes your hand look really tanned so I can imagine in summer wearing this colour to show off my tan!

So yeah this is such a good nail varnish and for £5 I think it is definitely worth it, and I will be going out and buying some more for summer!