Avon Calling

I'll let you in to a little secret - I used to be an Avon Lady.

From being a little girl back in the 80s when I spent my pocket money on strawberry flavoured lip balm from my mum's brochure to when I was cash-strapped student, being an Avon Lady always had a certain allure for me.

So a few years back when I was looking for a hobby to excite me outside of my corporate banking job, I joined up. I did enjoy it and loved the big parcels arriving every 3 weeks, however job and house renovation projects took over and I left the world of Avon behind me.

Until a couple of weeks ago that is, when I was round at my friend's house and I spied a catalogue. Like an addict getting a fix, 20 minutes later I had a fully completed order form and an empty purse.

What I loved about Avon when I was selling it was the constantly evolving product lines, choice of products and of course the prices - I got this little lot for £25. Not bad when you think about what the comparable products in Boots would have cost.

I do like to think of myself as a cosmetics connoisseur and I found that although Avon offered lots of choice and copies of designer make-up at bargain prices, the quality of the products was sometimes disappointing. I always found the lipsticks and nail polishes to be excellent but that the bronzers, blushers and eye shadow were often over glittery, lacking in pigment and weren't very durable.

However, I was willing to give Avon another shot and this is how I got on:

Avon Ideal Luminous Shimmer Block - £8

When I saw the Ideal Luminous Shimmer Block in the catalogue, I thought "Ooo - that looks just like the Bobbi Brown Brightening Finishing Powder (£40)", so of course I put it straight on my list. This is a really expensive looking product, although I'm not keen on the see-through lid - I think a solid black case would be more classy. 

The powder picks up on the brush really easily and at first I felt it was a little orangey however when I put the rest of my "face" on it actually just gave me a nice glow.

Anew Beauty Transforming Brow Filler - £9

Having been a teenager in the 90s when plucking one's eyebrows to within an inch of their life was de rigeur, my brows remain in part traumatised and have gaps where the hairs just won't grow back. This particular product is called a "brow filler", which was therefore quite appealing! 

Ever since I discovered that enhancing my eyebrows totally finished off my look I've been collecting various types of eyebrow products - powders, pencils, coloured wax - but I hadn't got a gel which I'd always fancied trying. 

The pen "brush" was clear plastic and looked like a little stickle-brick (remember those?), which is quite unusual and it took quite a bit of twisting to get the gel up to the brush. The brush isn't as soft as it could be so was a little difficult to use, but with a bit of practice I think this will be a really effective and useful addition to my make-up crate, ahem, bag. 

Avon Ultra Colour Lip Crayon - £8.50

It goes without saying that I didn't need any more lipsticks or glosses, however this particular Avon catalogue twisted my arm by tempting me with my two favourite types of lip product - chunky crayons and nude-coloured lip balms.

I'm used to lip crayons being quite a creamy texture, but the Ultra Colour Lip Crayon is much drier than I'd expected. It's also glittery - not shimmery - actual glitter, which, again, is unusual. But once I got over reality vs. expectation I actually quite liked this lipstick, however it didn't feel very appropriate for a quiet girly lunch in a cafe in Hebden Bridge which is where I was going after I tried it out! This is definitely more of a "day at the races" or "city-glam lunch" kind of lippy!

Avon Anew Beauty Lip Restoring Colour Balm - £9

Where to start with the Anew Beauty Lip Restoring Colour Balm? Well, in summary, I hated it. I can't remember ever having such a strong negative opinion on a product - it smelled dreadful (a kind of synthetic cucumber scent) and was far too thick and sticky (you can see below on my hand swatch how thick it is). The colour was also too pale to wear with full make-up, however you might get away with it on a bare face.

Happy with my Ultra Colour Lip Crayon in Carefree Coral... not so happy with the Anew Beauty Lip Restoring Colour Balm in Luminous Nude. 

Finally, as I'm a sucker for a nude nail, I couldn't resist trying out one of the new range of Nailwear Pro+ Nudes collection. I went for "Barely There" as it seemed the most neutral of the collection and I've been disappointed in the past when an Avon polish turns up and it's nothing like the colour it looks in the brochure! It seemed a little streaky when it went on but that disappeared as it dried. Below I'm wearing 2 layers, however for a more opaque finish I think that three coats would be needed.

Avon Nailwear Pro+ in Barely There - £6

One of the best things about Avon is the bargain prices - I've listed the RRP for each of the products however there's nearly always offers on everything. 

I love high-end cosmetics but for a bit of fun and experimentation on a budget, I don't think you can beat Avon! What do you think?