Tuesday T. Bryan: MAC

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Sunday, 4 August 2013

Avon True Colour Technology - reviews + photos - lipstick/lip gloss/eye shadow/brow definer

Unnecessary intro: It's July 29th 2013 (I usually hand-write my notes well before publishing my reviews
online), and I'm sat in my 347 year old house with no lightening conductor, anxiously waiting for today's summer storm to pass (we've had three today already). There's rain water pissing through the old windows and the conservatory is shaking as if an earthquake's on the way, but that's life when you live in a house that was built in 1666 - the same year as The Great Fire of London!
Anyway, writing the notes for this blog entry is basically my shot at taking my mind off the storm (unsuccessfully).

Necessary intro: So there's a lot of hype in the Avon world about their new make up, which features "True Colour Technology". According to Avon, this means that the colour you see is what you will get when applied. They also say their make up contains "self-renewing pigments for long-lasting colour". They've released loads of new shades, and they've updated their packaging; it's Avon's usual sleek and simple design with added practicality, i.e. the lipstick bullets have a "window" in the lid so you can see the shade easily.
I'm going to review 4 lipsticks, 3 lip glosses, one eyeshadow quad, and one Perfect Eyebrow Kit.

Image, above-right: A photo of myself! The cosmetics I'm wearing include Avon True Colour Eyeshadow Quad in "Stone Taupes", Avon Perfect Eyebrow Kit in "Blonde", and Avon Ultraglaze Lip Gloss in "Apple Cinnamon", all of which I am reviewing in this blog entry.
***
Let's begin with Avon Ultra Colour Lipstick. It's available in 30 shades with 3 finishes - 12 satin finish, 11 shimmer finish, 7 soft matte finish - all of which have what Avon call a "clear view window" in the lid, as I mentioned earlier. The moisturising formula leaves lips feeling soft, and looking healthy, conditioned and smooth. Avon say "purse lips to reactivate self-renewing pigments for ongoing colour". I'm putting 4 shades to the test... (I apologise in advance for the awkward layout.)

Knockout Pink: This shade is one of the 12 with a smooth "satin" finish. This sexy and sophisticated pink is a great all-round colour. It's actually my favorite of the four shades I've chosen - this is unusual for me as I'm not a huge fan of pink lipsticks, but I love this one!

Oxford Wine: Again, this lipstick has a satin finish. I like this deep, rich, plum shade, but it doesn't suit me at all! The creamy consistency of these lipsticks means applying the dark shades can get messy - I highly advise using a lip liner to make application easier. Avon Glimmerstick Lip Liner is fabulous stuff, but it only comes in four shades and I can't see one online to suit this particular lipstick - maybe it's time they released more shades!

Hibiscus: This lipstick has a soft matte finish. It's a vibrant, fun and flirty shade of "almost-neon" pink. This super-girly shades is perfect for statement summer lips! Pair it with simple eye make up and a flawless but natural complexion to really make the lips stand out.

Scarlet Siren: Soft matte finish. A deep and seductive classic red. I really love how this shade stands out
against my pale skin - it creates a really striking contrast that would look perfect for Autumn / Winter! Again, the moisturising consistency combined with such a dark shade create potential application problems - use a liner to minimise the chance of making mistakes. Avon Glimmerstick Lip Liner in "Red Brick" is a great match for many red shades - trust me, I use it all the time!

***

Let's move on to the new Ultra Glazewear Lip Gloss. It comes in 19 high-shine, non-sticky shades that make "lips glisten in every light". These glosses care for your pout, too - the formula is enriched with shea butter for deep moisturisation. Lips look and feel plumper, smoother, hydrated, and youthful. Avon say the new gloss is "infused with colour-awakening pigments that saturate lips in rich, vibrant colour"...

Apple Cinnamon: Sugar, spice, and all things nice! This super-shimmering high-shine gloss is perfect for
Autumn. It's subtle enough for the office, and glittery enough for the dance floor. If you're a lover of nude lipstick, give this shade a try for a more glamorous option.

Strawberry Shine: As I said when commenting on the "Knockout

Pink" lipstick, I'm not usually one for pinks, but this beauty has pleasantly surprised me! It's a summery, sparkly, ultra-feminine pink. The shade is bright and fun, yet still sophisticated and not too "over the top". I love it!

Fiery Red: This bright red shade has a "glass-like shine" finish. If you love the red lip and want to keep it all year round, you'll want a brighter shade for the summer, and this one is perfect. Keep the eye make up simple and the complexion natural yet flawless, this way you can stay true to the classic look yet make it more summer-practical.

***
It's time to talk eyes! First we have the new and improved True Colour Eyeshadow Quad. There are 9 shades available, all of which come as a compact containing a mirror, a double-ended sponge eye shadow applicator, and four beautifully matched shades. The shades are actually numbered and arranged in the compact in such a way to help you apply your eye shadow "like a professional". Of course, you don't have to follow the step-by-step guide; get creative and mix up the order, or use less shades for a subtle daytime look. Avon say that their True Colour Technology means the rich colour you see in the palette is the same colour you'll see when applied. Avon also say the "crease-proof colour stays true without fading", so this stuff is great for us busy bees as it banishes the need for touch-ups. Statistics show that one of the original

Avon quads was sold every 2 seconds*, so these are bound to be a hit!
*Based on actual UK sales, 08/03/12 - 06/03/13.

Stone Taupes: I chose this one as I love neutral eye make up - the earthy browns and taupes suit me down to the ground. If you're not sure what shades of shadow to wear, remember that you can't go wrong with neutral tones as they suit all hair, eye, and skin shades. I love all four of these shades. The colours work together really well and they blend effortlessly. And they're build-able, so you can add more colour for extra drama. Personally, I would have liked shade number 3 to be more metallic to match the shimmer of shade number 2, but other than that I can't fault it!

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Finally, let's discuss the Perfect Eyebrow Kit. We all know how the eyebrows can change the overall look of the face. Not only do they play a vital role in our facial expressions which help with communication of emotions, but they also frame our features. Avon have created this new eyebrow compact which contains wax, colour, a mirror, and a double-ended application brush. There are two smudge-proof shades available, "Soft Brown" and "Blonde" - I opted for "Blonde", of course, which is a perfect match for my brows! There are two steps to the application process: First, smooth the wax over your brows to set them, then you fill in and define your brows with the colour. The result is a natural yet defined look, but you can build the powder for a stronger brow. Avon say this stuff provides better coverage than a pencil, but I prefer their Glimmerstick Brow Definer. The brush included in the compact is okay, but I'd advise you to invest in professional tools. Avon did sell an angled eyeliner brush which would do the job well, but it's recently been discontinued according to the website. I use Mac and Bobbi Brown brushes, and for my brows I'd choose the Mac 266 brush.

All Avon products mentioned in this blog entry are available online from http://avonshop.co.uk/ or from your Independent Avon Representative.

© Tuesday T. Bryan Photography
DO NOT USE IMAGES WITHOUT PERMISSION. Copyrighted material

By Tuesday T. Bryan.

Friday, 25 January 2013

Revlon Vital Radiance Moisture Boosting Lipcolor; 4 shades; reviews + photos

I really like Revlon's cosmetics. Their all-round quality never fails to impress me. I was browsing online for make up to buy and review, and I came across these little beauties; Revlon Moisture Boosting Lipcolor from their Vital Radiance collection. Apparently, Revlon decided to sink Vital Radiance in 2006, but they're still easy to find on the internet. I had high hopes for these "lipcolors" (I'm British, so spelling it "color" rather than "colour" doesn't feel right), and they didn't let me down!

As the name suggests, they're super moisturising; they come in a range of shades that look great all year round, but the moisturising quality makes these ideal for the cold dry winter air. They work wonders on my dry lips! They have a sophisticated glossy creme finish, especially "Cabernet", which gives my lips a lovely shine without them feeling uncomfortable; it appears have a thinner consistency than the lighter shades. However, this does make the darker shades a little difficult to apply without the use of a lip brush (I use Mac's 209 which is really an eyeliner brush), and I was constantly using my mirror to check I hadn't smudged my lips!

Revlon claim these lipsticks "brighten your face and leave your lips looking noticeably fuller". The colours are lovely, but I didn't notice any "brightening" effect so I can't really comment on whether they "brighten your face" (honestly it sounds a bit silly to me; brightening highlighters and foundations? Yes... Brightening lipsticks? No). However, they defiantly made my lips appear smoother which I love.

All four of my shades have fairly good staying power, some better than others. "Cabernet" needed quite a few minor touch-ups due to it's thin consistency and dark colour, where as I only needed to re-apply "Tea Rose" twice throughout my 18 hour day! I suppose it depends on how you apply it, your lip condition, and what you do during your day. Staying power isn't something these products boast about, so it wasn't my main concern.

Included with each lipstick is a little piece of paper with information about the product, tips on how to apply it, and a bit of info about other Vital Radiance lip products. I've added an image of the back and front of it to save me typing it all out (see image on the right).

Now, let's talk colours. I have this product in four shades; 002 Bare, 026 Tea Rose, 042 Glistening Berry, 048 Cabernet. Below are images of my lips sporting each shade and my short opinions on them...

002 Bare

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026 Tea Rose
© Tuesday T. Bryan Photography
DO NOT USE IMAGES WITHOUT PERMISSION.
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002 Bare: I do like this colour, but it's not bright enough for me to want to wear. It's has a fully opaque and super glossy finish.

026 Tea Rose: I really like this "pinky-nude" shade. It's an absolute winner for all year round. It's still not quite bright enough for me to feel comfort able to go out in though; beautiful as it may be, I don't quite feel myself in it.
042 Glistening Berry: This colour is stunning! It's a gorgeous dusky pink shade packed with golden shimmer, resulting in a beautiful opalescent finish. An amazing winter lip colour.
048 Cabernet: I really love this dramatic shade, deep bold reds are my favorite lip colours! However, the thin consistency makes neat application difficult without my MAC 209 brush (yes, I know it's for eyeliner, but it makes a killer lip brush), and I constantly worry about it smudging. If it had a matte finish rather than creme it would be perfect for me!

So, all-in-all, I think these are great little lipsticks. They may have their bad points, but for me, the pros outweigh the cons. As I said, Revlon scrapped Vital Radiance, but their Moisture Boosting Lipcolour lipsticks are still available from many places online. I found mine on Ebay. Get searching!

© Tuesday T. Bryan Photography
DO NOT USE IMAGES WITHOUT PERMISSION. Copyrighted material

By Tuesday T. Bryan.

Below: Myself in my bathroom mirror sporting Revlon Vital Radiance Lipcolour in "026 Tea Rose". Please note that I've toned down the colours in this image, the shade comes out more vibrant than it looks in the photo below! See the image above to see it's "true colour". My nail polish is No7 Speed Dry in "Iced Mocha". Also, notice I've taken my bridge piercing out? I got it done in 2007 and I got sick of it. :)

Sunday, 30 December 2012

3x Avon SuperShock products; Gel eyeliner, pencil eyeliner, mascara; reviews + photos

There are quite a lot of products in Avon's SuperShock range, and I have three of them; SuperShock Eyeliner in "Blackened Metal", SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pencil in "Black", and SuperShock Mascara in "Black" in the limited edition packaging. So I thought I'd give them all a review in one blog.

First I want to share my thoughts on my favorite product of the three, my SuperShock Eyeliner in "Blackened Metal". I'd heard good things about it from friends, and I can see why! Its a gel eyeliner which comes in a little glass pot, and is currently available in three metallic shades; "Blackened Metal" is a very dark grey/black packed with silver shimmer (see my "swatch photo" below), "Shimmering Sapphire" is cobalt blue with light blue sparkles, and "Flashy Brown" is a metallic shade medium-dark brown/bronze.

I went for "Blackened Metal" as I'm not a fan of bright eye make up on myself. I wish this product was available in matte black - I can't fault this shade at all, but it would be nice to have it in plain black, too. Anyway, I really love how build-able this shade is. When first applied it's fairly light and translucent, but when you layer it up it becomes a gorgeous dramatic dark grey / "almost black", packed full of sparkling silver shimmer, I love it!
I can't explain how good the wear is; I work 18 hour days, and it looks just as stunning at the start of my day as it does at the end... it doesn't even need any touch ups! It's also smudge-proof and crease-proof. The formula is silky-smooth, but it does feel quite greasy on your hands and it's a pain to get off your skin and brushes with water alone (so try not to make a mess with it!).
Obviously you'll need an eyeliner brush to apply this product. A brush isn't supplied, but Avon do sell one separately for £4.00. My assistant's sister uses Avon's eyeliner brush and tells me it's good, but I use my MAC 263 Small Angle Brush which is available for £16.00 from the MAC website.
Avon SuperShock Eyeliner is available from your Avon representative for £6.00.

Now it's time to discuss the eyeliner pencil, Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pencil in "Black".
Although I do like this product, I personally don't think it's as good as the SuperShock Eyeliner. If they made the SuperShock Eyeliner in this deep matte black I'd buy it in a shot!
On your skin this liner lasts all day, the wear is fantasic. Again, it's completely smudge-proof and crease-proof. However, on your waterline this product just doesn't work for me; it fades and begins to run very quickly, and literally within minutes I have no liner left on the corners of my waterline at all which is disappointing. Again, this product is silky-smooth but quite greasy; you need to be careful not to make a mess with it as it's almost impossible to remove with water alone, in fact it's even more difficult to remove than the SuperShock Eyeliner due to the dark shade. The pencil is very soft which makes the application smooth and drag-free, but it also means it wears down fairly quickly so you'll need to sharpen it quite a lot.
Avon SuperShock Gel Pencil Eyeliner is available from your local Avon representative for £6.00.

Lastly, my Avon SuperShock Mascara in "Black". They only sell this product in black, but that's no problem for me. They also sell a SuperShock Max version which I'd like to get my hands on! I bought it a couple of months ago in the limited edition packaging; it's metallic red with gold writing and stars and really is quite pretty, now and then they sell it online and in the brochure for a limited period.
This is a volume boosting mascara, and it really does work. I have fairly short lashes and they're quite thick anyway, so I usually go for a lengthening product, but I'd heard great things about this one so I had to give it a go. It thickens my lashes really well! And it coats my lashes for root to tip which gives me a nice dark lash line without eyeliner. It doesn't clump which is always a winner. It also dries very quickly - my "everyday mascara" was Maybelline Great Lash for about 2 years as it was an all-round beauty bar the fact that it took too long to dry which could lead to it getting messy, but Avon SuperShock (and my No7 Extreme Length Mascara) have now replaced it! The photos show the thickness and length of my lashes after using Avon SuperShock Mascara.
Avon SuperShock Mascara is available from your Avon representative for £8.50.

© Tuesday T. Bryan Photography
DO NOT USE IMAGES WITHOUT PERMISSION. Copyrighted material

By Tuesday T. Bryan.

Image - below: The photo below shows all three products together; SuperShock Eyeliner on my upper lid, SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pencil on my waterline, and SuperShock Mascara on my lashes.

Tuesday T. Bryan

Sunday, 4 August 2013

Avon True Colour Technology - reviews + photos - lipstick/lip gloss/eye shadow/brow definer

Friday, 25 January 2013

Revlon Vital Radiance Moisture Boosting Lipcolor; 4 shades; reviews + photos

Sunday, 30 December 2012

3x Avon SuperShock products; Gel eyeliner, pencil eyeliner, mascara; reviews + photos

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