Avon Haul

I buy from the Avon pretty regularly and I'm never disappointed by their products. I know a lot of people don't often think of Avon when it comes to beauty, as there seems to be this stigma attached to Avon that its for older women. It's really not and they have some gorgeous products!

I'm an independent Avon representative so I get to try the products before they are released for a cheaper price than what will be in the brochure. I love doing the Avon, however I'm on maternity leave at the moment but that doesn't stop me ordering just for me! 

So everything I ordered this time are things that haven't been released into the main brochure yet but they will be very soon, so if you see anything you like keep your eyes open for them as they will be out soon!

First of all I ordered two new nail varnishes. These are from their new Magic Effects Matte range. I picked up the colours Black and Inky Blue. I have the colour Inky Blue on my nails at the minute, and I must say that I'm not sure on the Matte effect, however I will say that the colour is gorgeous and it dries super fast which is always what I look for in a nail varnish.

Next I ordered a new shower gel, not that I needed one as I have enough bath and shower products to last me a lifetime, seriously! I always find that the Avon shower gels are such pretty scents and they work lovely on my skin, and they're not expensive at all! I picked up their newest scent of Pink Daisy & Sicilian Lemon. This scent will also be available in a body lotion and a scented spritz.

I also ordered some bubble bath as I always do! My absolute favourite bubble bath is from Avon. They do so many yummy fragrances and they bubble up so nicely, I don't tend to use any other brand of bubble bath. The fragrance I picked up was their new release of White Tea & Jasmine. I haven't used this yet but I'm excited to try it!

Next I ordered a new face mask from their Planet Spa range. This is the Bali Botanica with Frangipani & Lemongrass Face Mask. I've never used anything from the Planet Spa range, but I am looking forward to trying out this face mask!

Finally I ordered some pyjamas. I already have two other pairs of Avon pyjamas in the same style but with different patterns. I love these kind of pyjamas with the legging type bottoms and strap top. They're so comfortable just for lounging around the house and when I saw this gorgeous, pretty pink design I just had to order them! I can't wait to put them on. In case any of you are wanting to order these pyjamas they are called the Coralicious Legging PJ's. You can find your local Avon representative, here.

So that's all for my Avon haul, what have you been buying recently?

My Dry Skin Saviours

Now I don't know about you but the winter weather plays havoc on my skin! Every winter I get ridiculously dry skin especially on my hands. This year, however, adding pregnancy into the mix my skin has been horrendous. It's been very sensitive aswell which makes having dry skin very painful. So I thought I would do a post about what dry skin products have been saving my life this very cold winter.

First off lets start with a real gem that I've found! The Garnier Intensive 7 Days Ultra-Replenishing Lotion. Its specifically designed for very dry skin and because it is formulated with Shea Butter it not only smells amazing but it makes my skin feel so smooth and soft for ages after. I beg to differ about how it claims that hydration is felt for up to 7 days but as I like to apply moisturiser every day I'm not too fussed about it not lasting. It's fast absorbing aswell which is great for after I've gotten out of the bath in the evenings and all I want to do is get into my jarmies and climb straight into my warm bed, as I'm not stood for ages waiting for my moisturiser to dry. Overall, I have been very impressed with this product and how hydrating and kind it is to my very sensitive skin!

Next I have been using Avon's Skin So Soft Tissue Oil. I bought this because the skin on my tummy has been very sore and itchy lately which makes me think that stretch marks are getting ready to make an appearance! I'd read somewhere that applying an oil to stretch marks is better than applying a cream so thought I would give this a try. It's formulated with Phytol, Vitamin A and Vitamin B. Its also enriched with Argan Oil which leaves my skin feeling gorgeous and it smells lovely too. I have been using this on my stomach, hips and boobs in the hope I won't get really bad stretch marks, even though I'm well aware that stretch marks are inevitable I'm still going to try to reduce them. 

Moving onto my hands which I feel are the worst out of all my dry skin dramas of the moment! I like to use anti-bacterial gel on my hands which really strips my skin of all its natural moisture. So when the skin on my hands gets so bad like it is now, I whip out the big guns! The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector for very dry skin. Hemp oil is a great way to restore moisture and nutrients to the skin and after only one application of this hand cream I notice a huge difference. It really relieves the pain of having dry skin, and because of all this we can forgive the awful stench that hemp has!

Finally, my lips are always dry. All year round! I don't know what it is but I always have dry flaky lips. It's horrible! So, recently I have been using Maybelline's Baby Lips Intense Care. I apply this to my lips whenever I remember to during the day and it definitely makes a difference. My lips feel instantly soft and hydrated. I always have to apply this before applying lipstick as otherwise the lipstick just clings to the dry skin and looks awful. 

So those are my dry skin saviours this year! What have you been using to keep dry skin at bay this winter?

Everyday Makeup Look | Bold Lip

Base:

Seventeen Skin Wow 3 Way Highlighter

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in Light Vanilla

Rimmel Clear Complexion Clarifying Powder in Transparent

Cheeks:

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder in colour 51

MUA Blusher in Candyfloss

MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter

Eyes:

Avon Eyeshadow Primer in Light Beige

Naked Urban Decay Basics in Naked 2 and w.o.s

Avon Big and Daring Mascara in Black

Eyebrows:

MAC eyeshadow in Bateau

Lips:

Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in 107

Brushes:

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

Real Techniques Contour Brush

Real Techniques Blush Brush

Real Techniques Shading Brush

Shower OCD

I sometimes find it fun to co-ordinate my bathroom for when I'm in the bath and shower. Yes, I am a complete freak. You should be used to this by now ;)

Here are a few examples of my Shower OCD...

Avon Strawberry Sorbet bubble bath, SuperDrug Strawberry & Raspberry shower gel, Alberto Balsam Raspberry shampoo, The Body Shop Strawberry body butter.

The Body Shop Coconut Cream body scrub, Nivea Creme Coconut shower cream and The Body Shop Coconut body butter.

Radox Relax shower gel, Avon Blackberries & Vanilla bubble bath and The Body Shop Passion Fruit body butter.

Do you like to couple your shower products according to scent or colour, or is it just me?

May Favourites

I honestly can't believe that it is June already. Talk about this year flying over, it is 206 days until Christmas. Yeah I know, crazy! So because its June, we all know what that means! May favourites time, hoorah. Here are the products I have been loving in May.

First off we'll start with my Avon Gel Finish. I bought a couple of colours from this range and I love them, I think they're really good for not chipping. The colour I have here is Dazzle Pink and I find that this is really lovely to wear for work when you want something not quite nude but not too in your face.

Next is the Skin Wow Highlighter from Seventeen. I mix this with my moisturiser and apply it as a primer. I find that I can't wear a proper makeup primer as they dry my skin out even more than it already is so I have to wear moisturiser under my foundation and this highlighter makes my skin appear bright and healthy, just what my skin needs at the minute with all this dull weather we've been having!

Next is a body spray from Avon in the scent Incandessence. I really love this smell and its great for using before work when I want to make sure I stay smelling delightful all day long!

On to my Real Techniques Buffing Brush. I can't even tell you how much I have been loving the Real Techniques range at the minute, especially this buffing brush. Its great for buffing in foundation and I also use it for buffing down my blusher if its too bright and for making sure my concealer is buffed right in also.

Another product I wanted to include in my May Favourites is my Dolce & Gabbana 3 L'Impératrice perfume. I got this for my birthday in February off my sister in laws and I really adore the smell, but for some reason I stopped wearing perfume all together but recently have started wearing it again, and I find every morning I reach for this perfume above all my others.

Another May Favourite has been my Avon Cocoa Butter Hand Cream. As I've mentioned in previous posts I get horrible dry skin, especially on my hands and my go to hand cream of this month has been the cocoa butter because it smells so delicious!

Finally, is a little something for my dry lips. The Body Shop's Born Lippy in Raspberry. Not only does this smell gorgeous but it really helps with my dry lips and I have definitely noticed a difference since I have been using this.

So that's it for May. I can't believe its over already! Here's to going on to June and hopefully some much nicer weather! xx

Natural Everyday Makeup Look

On an average day I don't do anything extravagant with my makeup. I like to spend no more than 10 minutes of a morning applying my makeup, so I like to keep it nice and natural. Here are the products I used to achieve this look.. 

For the base:

The Body Shop's Vitamin E Illuminating Moisture Cream

Seventeen's Skin Wow! 3-Way Highlighter

Avon's Ideal Flawless Foundation in colour Shell

Rimmel's Wake Me Up Concealer in colour Ivory

Sheer Cover's conceal & brighten trio in colour Light/Medium

For the cheeks:

MUA blusher in colour CandyFloss

For the eyes:

Avon's eyeshadow primer in colour Light Beige

The Body Shop's Colour Crush eyeshadow in colour Oh, Honey

Rimmel's Scandal Eyes Thick and Thin Eyeliner in colour Black

Avon's Mega Effects Mascara in colour Blackest Black

For the brows:

Anastasia Brow Wiz in colour Brunette

MAC eyeshadow in colour Bateau

For the lips:

MAC CremeSheen in colour Sunny Seoul

I managed to link all the products I used except from my Mac eyeshadow, I think they must have discontinued it but I'm sure you'll be able to find a similar colour.

My Avon Favourites!

As you all know by now I am an Avon rep in my spare time, and I don't do it because I have to, I do it because I love it! I love being an Avon rep. I find that Avon is a great company with really good values. Their products are gorgeous, and they strive to be unique in every way. 

So on to my favourite Avon products at the minute. 

I've used the Avon Mega Effects Mascara since before they released it, and I adore it. Its so amazing and unique and really works for me. It makes my lashes so long with only two coats where other mascaras I have to build up the volume and length with at least four coats because my eyelashes are barely there. In my opinion, if you haven't already tried this mascara I would definitely recommend it, it is amazing!

I always have extremely dry hands, not just in the winter, all year round. So I always have to have a hand cream with me at all times. Recently I have been using this Avon Cocoa Butter Hand Cream and I love it so much. It not only smells delicious, it does the job really well. 

Another of my favs over the past few months is this Avon Blusher Brush. I really like it because its angled and it deposits just the right amount of product onto my cheeks, and then it is really easy to use to blend it in aswell. I've used a lot of blusher brushes in my time, and I would definitely say that this has been my favourite one to use. 

Finally, is the Avon Bubble Baths. I chose to put the Strawberry Sorbet one in this picture, but its definitely not just limited to this scent. I have used at least half a dozen of their bubble baths and I can't actually say there has been a one that I haven't liked. They all smell gorgeous and they bubble up really well, with using only a little of the product. They're so cheap, and you get a huge bottle so definitely worth the price.

Again, I really love Avon and not just because I work for them. They are, in my opinion, a really good brand and definitely cheap enough for someone like me who is always on a budget!

Do you have any Avon favs? What are they?

Top Foundation Choices - And Review

I've decided to put together my favourite foundations of the minute and do a review on them. From left to right I've got Rimmel Lasting Finish in Ivory, Rimmel Wake Me Up in Ivory, Mac Pro LongWear in NC15 and N18, and finally Avon Ideal Flawless in Shell.

Lets start with the Rimmel Lasting Finish. I have used this foundation for years. When I was younger I went with a much darker colour until I figured out that orange is NOT best! So now I use Ivory, thank goodness! I really like this foundation, I love how it feels. It has a thick, creamy texture that reassures me it will stay on all day, which it does. I would say this foundation is medium to full coverage and I find that its great on my dry skin as it feels very moisturising. It smells very perfumey which I like, I hate smelly foundations. The smell reminds me of the summer, I must wear this foundation the most in the summer! It sells for £7.99 at Boots, which for a foundation is very affordable. Overall, I really like this foundation and I think if I had to choose a foundation to use for the rest of my life, it would be this one. 

Next is the Rimmel Wake Me Up. I like this foundation for days when I'm feeling like I want a lighter coverage foundation. I find that this foundation starts to come off towards the end of the day but we can't expect all foundations to stay on forever! This foundation sells for £8.99 at Boots. I do like this foundation but its probably not a one I would continue to buy forever. For now though, it does the job.

On to my Mac collection. I have the same foundation in two colours as at first I bought the darker colour in the winter which I find to be too dark to wear in the spring and summer months. However, when I went to buy the next lightest colour I found it to be too light so what I do is I mix the two foundations together to get the colour that I want for my skin. When I went to the Mac counter I asked for a foundation that would stay on all day when I am at work and was recommended this, however I don't find that this foundation does that. And if like me, you're not very good at sticking to a strict skincare regime, this foundation probably isn't for you because I find that unless you have a freshly cleansed, toned and exfoliated face this foundation will not sit nicely on your skin. I do like this foundation but because it is £25 I don't often buy it!

Finally is a new one that I have been trying, the Avon Ideal Flawless. I bought this foundation in the colour shell and at first when I put it on I thought that it was too dark but once I had finished my whole makeup and took a look in the natural light, I feel that it is just right for my skin. I like how this foundation feels on my skin, light and fluffy. It doesn't stay on all day like I had hoped, however and it doesn't have a lovely smell either! I will keep using this foundation for a while longer before I decide if I love it or not. 

That's all for my Top Foundation Choices, which foundations are your fav and can you recommend me a great foundation for dry skin that will stay on all day?

Avon Gel Finish Nail Enamel ¦ Review

Hi everyone!

As I said in my previous post I am an Independent Avon Representative which means that I get to try out products before anyone else. Avon has just released this new nail polish range called Gel Finish Nail Enamel. You can now get the salon look at home with these new gel nail polishes that do not require a UV lamp to set them. They are available in 24 different shades, all as beautiful as each other. I couldn't wait to try these new polishes!

I do not often wear nail polish as I am not allowed it on at work, but when I do wear it I prefer neutral or natural looking colours so I opted for three natural colours and one bold colour just to see how well they go on. They were a dream to paint on and literally took no longer than two minutes to dry. Great for if you are in a rush. Or if you are like me and are the most impatient girl in the world when it comes to waiting for your nails to dry! 

I have had Shellac on before and what I loved about it was that it stayed on without chipping. Great for a housewife, like me, as I hate when I paint my nails then have cleaning to do and they just ruin straight away. So I love that now, thanks to Avon, I can get this at home for a fraction of the price and without all the faff! At the salon you can pay up to £25 whereas with Avon's half price introductory offer you can get these polishes for £3.50 each! So amazing and so worth it in my eyes! 

In order: Dazzle Pink, Perfectly Plum, Creme Brulee, Sheer Love

Another great feature of these Gel Polishes is that they come off with normal nail polish remover! Unlike Shellac where you have to go back to the salon to get them removed, costing you more money. 

So these gel polishes are 5 benefits in 1:

1. Gel-like shine: high gloss finish that strengthens nails by up to 42%

2. 3-in-1: top coat, base coat and intense colour in one bottle!

3. Intense colour: full coverage and rich colour in just one coat

4. No UV lamp: gives a gel like finish without the need for UV lamps

5. Salon finish at home: for that impeccable, just stepped out the salon finish, without the price tag!

I was really excited to receive these products and as always Avon never lets me down with the great quality and low prices of their products. I am loving these Gel polishes so far and would definitely recommend these to those of you who, like me, don't often get along with regular nail polish.

You can order from my online brochure here.

Or you can find your nearest Avon representative here.

Avon Fleur Perfume ¦ Review

Hi everyone!

I am an Independent Avon Representative and as a perk of this job I get to try the products before anyone else! I love it. So I decided that I really wanted to try this perfume because it looks so summery and bright and the weather we have been having in the North East lately has really excited me. 

So obviously Fleur is the french word for flower which explains the pretty flower attached to the side of the bottle. I was so excited when I opened the box and saw this! It just adds a special sort of cuteness to the already gorgeously coloured bottle. The name Fleur also really explains the smell of the perfume. It has such a floral scent with hints of an underlying fruitiness. Avon describe this perfume by saying 'A burst of mandarin and mango, mingled with Bulgarian rose and finished with delicious blue iris." 

As soon as I sprayed this perfume on I fell in love with the scent and I can tell already that this is going to be my go-to perfume for this summer! What makes it even better is that it is an Eau de Parfum instead of just an Eau de Toilette which I find don't last as long on your skin. It is also a generous 50ml bottle so definitely worth the £9 it costs. The cheapest Eau de Parfum I've ever come across!  

I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who is after a change of scent for this summer. As always Avon you never let me down!

You can order from my online brochure here.
Or you can find your nearest Avon representative here.