Montly Favourites - November

Monthly favourites for November are here, and if I do say so myself, the pictures for this month are pretty cool. I was feeling creative (a very rare occurrence) at 7pm, the sun was still out and I figured I may as well do something somewhat productive!

Anyway, my favourites for this month are as follows:

 

Face - This month I used my Garnier BB cream every single day without fail. Despite having complained about the greasy feeling this product gave me, I have since learnt about how to deal with it (by slapping on a heap of Maybelline Dream Matte Powder). I haven't needed super high coverage, but I've still wanted something to hide my redness and uneven tones, and this has been just right.

 

Lips - It is not much of a surprise that my new Rimmel Lipstick in number 16 was my favourite for November, because as soon as I saw the shade I knew it was 100% me. It is slightly brighter than I would usually go for, but now that I am on holidays I have been cracking out the brights, and goodness it has been enjoyable!

 

Nails - Whilst I don't actually like the formulation of the Face of Australia Pastel polish in 'Would you like some orange sherbet?' (and I still can't decide whether I like the shade on me or not), this is the only nail related product I used this month so I haven't any other choice but to put this in here!

 

Eyes - I usually wear my Covergirl Lashblast length waterproof mascara, but I was getting sick of the waterproof formula and all the effort it took to take off, so I decided to use this Avon daring curves one, and I am a big fan.

 

Other - Lastly is my 'other' category, and this is, hands down, my Daisy Eau So Fresh perfume by Marc Jacobs. The bottle is unbelievably gorgeous and the smell is so beautifully summery and girly...How could you not love it?!

 



Avon Daring Curves Mascara - Black

Avon is one of those brands that I have always viewed as terribly boring and not worth looking at. None of the products have ever grabbed me, and they are difficult to gain access to as well. Every Avon thing that I own has been given to me by relatives who are into the brand.

The Avon Daring Curves Mascara has been in my drawer for goodness knows how long, simply collecting dust and looking pretty. I never bothered to give it a shot with all my other gazillion mascaras (I literally have 9 mascaras open at this point in time, how disgraceful is that?!) but cracked it open the other day to see what it was like.

It isn't a waterproof formula, which to be honest does make me quite nervous. I fear the panda-eye look like the black plague, as it is something I am so susceptible to and something that I hate the look of so much. Flaky/smudged mascara and I do not go well together. Anyhow, despite this not being waterproof, I really, really like it.

This mascara gives me a more dramatic look than I usually go for. It is a little more volumising and certainly less natural than my every day mascaras, but I have really taken to it. Who would have thought that I would end up reaching for a mascara like this?!

It is a dark black shade and it lengthens and volumises with minimal clumping. That said, it does clump a little but with a quick comb through the lashes I find it to be perfect. It really does make my lashes keep their curl, and evens curls them if I'm too lazy to use an eyelash curler beforehand.


It is a little drying and makes my lashes feel rather 'crunchy.' It is very obvious that I am wearing mascara, unlike the typical mascaras I go for, but that is hardly a crime.

I really like the outside packaging of this product, with the shiny black plastic and silver print. It is simple and classy, and the shape of the tube is interesting. As for the brush, I absolutely hate it. It is a twisted design with tightly packed bristles. I have discovered that I love plastic brushes, and this certainly is not plastic. It is hard to get all your lashes through this brush, and I find that I have to wipe of excess mascara as it collects in the horrid bristles. Even though I don't like the brush at all, it still does an okay job of applying the product.

This product isn't exactly life changing, but it is one that I will continue to reach for and wear with confidence. I am very pleased that it found itself in my makeup drawer, and I am glad that I gave it a try.

I give this 7 out of 10.

Top 3 Tuesday - Mascara

Mascara is one of those products that most people would consider an absolute staple, but if I am really honest with you, they don't excite me that much. Don't get me wrong, I think an amazing mascara can make the world of difference to a look, but when it comes to makeup shopping, I always gravitate to the lipsticks and blushes and then eventually get around to checking out the mascaras at the end.

I have a very specific taste in mascaras. I like long, defined lashes with a smidgen of volume - none of that clumpy stick-your-lashes-together rubbish. I like natural looking lashes the best, but I am appreciative of the dramatic(ish) look too.

1. Covergirl Lashblast Length Waterproof mascara
I love this mascara so much, but I know it isn't for everyone. My good friend had this too and absolutely hated it, whereas I think it is perhaps that greatest thing I own (well not quite, but it is good!). Length and definition is what this is all about, and I love that it is waterproof because I am subject to severe cases of panda-eyes.


2. Avon Daring Curves Mascara
I only just started using this mascara and I am really quite impressed. It is a little clumpy, so I do need to run a comb through my lashes after application, but it is darker and gives a glossier finish than my Covergirl one which is a welcome change.

3. Natio Maximum curl waterproof mascara
This is just one of those mascaras that I change my mind about all the time. One day I love it, the next I hate it and tell myself that I will chuck it out ASAP, then the next day my opinion of it is somewhere in the middle. In my initial review I gave it a 5 out of 10 (which is appropriate because it represents all those 'in the middle' days), but honestly, some days I would give it a 7 or 8 and others a 2 or 3. It is very natural looking, but drying and requires effort. It is lengthening and defining, but not overly glossy or black. In short, I wouldn't bother with this product if I was you, but since having it in my collection, I have been using it often.

Close but not close enough...

For my close but not close enough this week is Maybelline's lash stiletto mascara. I picked this up for $2 not realising that it was in a light black/grey shade, but I seem to be able to wear it without any trouble. I absolutely hate the wand, which looks like a terrifying razor-blade-like contraption that is much too dangerous to put near my eyes. The formula is okay, a little wet and requires a bit of fiddling about with, but lengthening to a satisfying extent.

Glitter Bomb!

As I was going through my makeup collection for my Shopping my Stash post, I came to realise that within my ever growing collection there are a number of products that get pushed to the back of the drawer due to one simple fact - they are ticking glitter bombs.

I like a bit of glitter and shimmer in moderation. Key word: moderation. You see, there are some products, like highlighters for example, that must be shimmery because that is their job. There are other products, say...lipsticks, that I do not feel should have half of the galaxy's worth of glitter in them. We're going for glowing goddess - not round disco ball - here guys.

Here are some of my most glittery makeup products, both good kinds of glitter and bad.

FOA illuminator in Angel Flame - this product contains the good kind of glitter! This illuminator has popped up numerous times on my blog so I won't ramble on too much, but this is one product that will be staying up the front of my drawer from now on!

Loreal Anti Dull Skin Primer - Well this certainly is an anti dull skin primer, it makes you unbelievably glittery. Yes, this is a product that contains the bad kind of glitter...the really, really bad kind of glitter.

Face of Australia Bronzing pearls - I haven't decided whether this product is full of good glitter or bad glitter yet, I guess it depends on the way that you hope to use such product. It is definitely not suitable for contouring, but for an all over glow I guess it would be useful...then again it does have a lot of shimmer.

Loreal lipgloss in Tempting Pink - If there was a glittery winner and all these products were the runners up, this would take first place. This is packed so unbelievably full with huge, silvery chunks of glitter. It is lucky that I received this product for free, because there is no way that I would pay for this, no way I would ever wear this in view of anyone, not even my dog.

Dle lipgloss in Jess Barely - This sneaky little thing appears to be all innocent and then BAM, you find your lips coated in a thick layering of silvery/blue shimmer. Don't be fooled!

Avon lipstick in Shiny Rouge - There is a reason I didn't recognise this lipstick - I have never worn it before!  It is almost identical to the Loreal lipgloss in colour, but has a little less glitter. Nevertheless it still deserves to be featured in this post, because only the most intense glitter loving sorts could pull this off.

Ulta Nail polish in Confetti - Once again, this is the good kind of glitter where it makes you want to squeal in delight and run around in circles like a small child. Is that just me? This collection of tiny blue, pink an green chunks of glitter gives you a party on your nails.

BYS nail polish in Silver Moon - I think it is pretty obvious that this contains the good kind of glitter - the best kind of glitter in fact. This polish is just awesome.


I am curious as to what glitter products you are keen on, and which ones you could do without. This was a really fun post to do, I might have to make way for the glitter in the future!

L-R: Avon, Loreal, Dle

Avon - Colour trend Fruit shine

I own three different Avon colour trend lip balms/glosses because I bought one and was given two. If you read on you will realise why everyone else dumped them onto me. I don't know whether to call them balms or glosses, because they are solid yet a jelly like texture. They aren't anything like I have ever seen before. In fact, if you wind them out you will see that they are translucent. Weird...

Well, let me tell you about their smell.
Raspberry Craze - Smells like burnt plastic mixed with dirt after a spot of rain
Strawberry Sublime - Much better than Raspberry Craze, in fact, it actually kind of smells like strawberry! It does also smell a bit like burnt plastic.
Pineapple Pop - Smells like the toilet that has been covered up with a cheap air freshener (no joke!)
At first I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt - maybe it was my fault they smelled so bad. Maybe I left them somewhere stinking of toilets and dirt. No, I think that is just the way they are...

Well, I'm sure I have already put you off, but I still have more to complain about. Just to get this off my chest - I hate these names! Raspberry Craze? Pineapple Pop? Aren't they just the worst names you have ever heard? I think they might be....

As for the packaging...yuck. Not attractive at all.

I can't believe I actually put these awful smelling things on my lips, but I did it in the hope that they might actually be decent. I had no luck.

The texture is just disgusting. It's like coating candle wax across your lips - stinky, gross smelling candle wax. They do not moisturise, they stick your lips together, they feel horrible, however they do give a bit of shine to your lips. Personally, I would not ever, EVER wear them again, no matter how desperate I was for shine on my lips.

I can't believe Avon has actually made something so bad. I am disappointed! Very disappointed!

I gladly give this product 0 out of 10. (Is this my worst score yet?!)



I think it would take skill to actually make something so bad

Have you guys ever come across a product so bad? I would love to hear about it!

Avon Colour Trend - 3 in 1 colour stick, Heartfelt

I bought this product because it was on special and it was really, really cheap. I bought it in the colour heartfelt as it looked lovely in the picture. I was less than impressed with the colour when it arrived. It did not look anything like the picture. It wasn't hideous, but it was so not what I was expecting. After having a massive complain to everyone who was listening, I came to the realisation that it actually wasn't too bad. In fact, I really liked the colour! Maybe not for my lips, but I loved it for my eyes.

Yes, the good this about this colour stick, is that (as the name suggests) you can use it for three things - lips, eyes and cheeks. I personally wouldn't use it on my lips as I don't like the colour and I found it really drying, nor would I use it on my cheeks because it just doesn't look right, however as an eyeshadow it looks really, really good! The pinkish/brown kind of colour compliments my green eyes.

I'm glad I bought it even though it turned out completely different to what I had expected!

I give this product 7 out of 10 (as an eyeshadow!)

Avon Naturals - Strawberry and Cream

 

Ahhh, strawberries and cream. Yum! Yes, whilst this may not be one of the 'top of the line,' most popular, 'coolest' of lipbalms, it is fairly good.

It smells like strawberries and cream (what a surprise!) and has a similar taste. It can feel a little greasy at times and may take a while to 'sink in', but it's not too bad. It's not too thick and is easily applied. It has no tint or colour to it and is good for purely moisture purposes.

I've been using this lipbalm for a long time now, and I'm pretty pleased with it, especially considering the price.

The packaging isn't all that appealing, but I suppose it doesn't matter all that much.

It's a good product...I might have to look out for more in the 'Avon Naturals' range!

I give this product 8 out of 10.

Avon - Sundae Sweets, Very Cherry Lipbalm

 This lipbalm, as the name suggests, is very cherry. In the stick it is a rich, royal red colour that looks slightly frightening, considering the packaging suggests that it is a childish lipbalm.

As you apply it you find that it does leave colour on your lips. It's not too overpowering, however it is definitely noticeable!

I don't think it is all that moisturising to be honest, and it feels a little bit gritty (I don't know if that is the lipbalm, or just me...). It is kind of waxy in an odd kind of way - let's just put it this way, I've come across wayyy better moisturising lipbalms.

It smells like a strong, chemical, cherry smell, and tastes like flavoured candle wax. It's not my favourite taste, I must say.

Overall it's not amazing, but it's not horrible or anything.

I give it 6 out of 10.