Coming Soon: Avon's Arctic Goddess Collection: Pic Heavy

Fans of frosted shades, both blues and greens are going to adore this season's Limited Edition collection, Arctic Goddess from Avon. There's a little something for everyone in here, how about a geansaí load of photos, eh? 

Firstly we have two gorgeous eye shadow palettes, one more vibrant than the other but both  very wearable. Muse is the more subtle of the two with muted greens, purples and taupes with Arctic Goddess for the braver amongst us, with one of the most in yo' face, vibrant blue shadows I've seen in a while. 

Muse Palette: €11

Muses shadows each have a beautiful shimmer running throughout, that last colour is a particular favourite of mine, an iridescent mauve/gold that suits any skin tone as a subtle wash of colour or a brightening highlighter. 

Arctic Goddess Palette: €11 (LOOK at that blue!!)

Arctic Goddess Glosses: €9 (Caramel Sparkle, Pink Icicle, North Star)

This sparkling shimmer glosses are deceptively gloop free. Soft and comfortable on the lips, they're non sticky and light. I'm going to go with Caramel Sparkle here as my favourite, we know how I get around coffee coloured loveliness. 

Arctic Goddess NailWear Pro+ €8 (Arctic Waters, Chilling Teal & Green Goddess)

The pièce de résistance of the entire collection for me though is, unsuprisingly, the polishes. Using the fantastic NailWear Pro+ formula these colours would suit any pingys at all. 

• Arctic Waters is a bright blue with beautiful silver microshimmer gleaming on the nail. 
• Chilling Teal is a frosted pastel mint, again with silver bringing it to life in the sunshine. 
• Green Goddess is, for all intents and purposes, a very close match for Chanel's Peridot. Leaning greener than the Chanel offering but still bursting with iridescence, this was on my nails for 4 days with no sign of chipping. Result!    

Arctic Goddess will be available from catalogues in November, so you don't have long to wait. Should you need a rep, you can find one here . What do we think? Is the frost winning you over? 

Coming Soon: City Rush from Avon

Milla Jovovich, SuperScwhing, is the beautiful star behind this seasons fragrance from Avon, City Rush. It promises to be powerful, confident and stylish like the lady herself and is winging its way to a catalogue near you next month. 

With top notes of bergamot, plum and ivy green, floral middle notes of  black dahlia, rose and vanilla and it's base notes using creamy woods, musk and patchouli flower, City Rush will appeal to a wide range of women but also to different age groups. 

My take on it? I'm impressed. It's a soft floral, creamy scent rounded out by its musk notes and stops short of being sweet. The more I wear it, the more it reminds me of Gucci Envy, which is a very good thing.

While I have to be honest and say that City Rush isn't great when it comes to longevity of wear (realistically, it's less than twenty quid so wouldn't be), you're looking at about three hours of scent. The bottle is compact and resilient enough to be popped into your bag for a spritz or two through the day, so it's not a huge issue.  

Priced at €19.95 and available both online and from your local Avon representative, City Rush will hit catalogues in October. 

NOTD - Avon - Perfectly Flesh

I had the chance last week at a sneaky ogle at what's new from Avon polishes and, yep, I leapt at it. I'm going to put together a similar post to the recent NailWear Pro + one to let you see all the goodness but I couldn't let this pretty pink number leave my talons without giving you a peak. 

Avon Perfectly Flesh - €8

Perfectly Flesh is a beautifully creamed, dusky pink that actually made me think of Barbie's nails as I put it on. The formulation is fantastic and takes two coats for full, smear free opacity. 

With Flash

Natural Day Light

Isn't it pretty? Subtle enough for office wear and the perfect base coat for a sneaky slick of glitter, Perfectly Flesh, despite it's sliiiiightly weird name, will see you right through the seasons. Love. 

Are you a fan of pastel pink polishes? 


Psst. My talons are recovering nicely
with thanks to Nail Envy too. Getting 
longer & stronger every day. 

Avon- ANEW Ultimate 7S Range - Ulti-Minute Lifting Complex Review (Of Sorts)

I mentioned a couple of weeks back that the Elder Cherry (D'Mammy) was the lucky beneficiary of Avon's new ANEW Ulti-Minute Lifting Complex when it was sent to me for review, I also mentioned how I was gutted to hand it over as I was already trialling a serum but today I have her thoughts and findings to let you know how they got on.

I met said Mammy in the shopping centre yesterday for coffee and actually noticed that her skin seemed brighter, not from the usual glitter fest that she only has to walk past a card shop to get up her face for days, but more luminous, as soon as I'd said the words it clicked that she owed me a review. But first, the science bit.

Ulti-Minute Lifting Complex comes in a heavy weight glass bottle with large dropper for use. 

To be used under your moisturiser on freshly cleansed skin every morning, this lifting complex promises to give you visibly lifted skin in as little as 30 seconds. But how? 

According to Avon:

'The ANEW Ultimate Collection was founded on a breakthrough discovery: Naturally occurring youth proteins called Sirtuins are scientifically proven to extend the healthy lifespan of living organisms. Researchers have recently found that skin cells have not just one but seven Sirtuin youth proteins that affect the way skin ages. Now Avon scientists have developed a patented technology to reactivate all seven Sirtuins in skin like never before, offering a comprehensive approach to anti-aging care. This breakthrough technology is the basis of ANEW Ultimate 7S, a complete collection of powerful anti-aging essentials.'

Close up the golden microshimmer that works to bring luminosity and radiance is clear to see

D'Mammy's first comment was about the smell of this complex. She remarked how 'It smells expensive' that she 'looks forward to using it each morning before moisturising'. I asked if she'd noticed any difference in her skin with use, 'As soon as I finish applying it, I can feel it tighten my skin slightly but not unpleasantly. It just feels right'. Intriguing, Elder Cherry, do go on...

'It reminds me so much of those squeezy things your Aunty Peggy brought me home', she's talking about Elizabeth Arden's Ceramide Gold Ultra Restorative Capsules that we both adored. Apparently, even though she only applies this complex in the mornings, she can still feel it's effects at the end of the day. She commented that her skin felt 'velvety soft', which I can verify from giving it a little rub (for science) and, most importantly of all, she asked if I'd order her a new bottle when it launches in June, which takes care of the value for money aspect.

And there we have it, we'll never make a crack journalism team, nor will she write me an actual guest post but you now have it on good authority (cos she knows everything about everything) that Avon's ANEW Ultimate 7S Range - Ulti-Minute Lifting Complex is worth a punt or €35 in June when it's released.

Yep, still raging I gave it away....

Avon- ANEW Ultimate 7S Range - Ulti-Minute Lifting Complex

Ooh, Fancy, check out the newest addition to Avon's ANEW Ultimate 7S collection, Ulti-Minute Lifting Complex. To be used under your moisturiser on freshly cleansed skin every morning, this formulation is said to work in 30 seconds to make your skin look and feel lifted. 

The gold pearlised serum smells no less than divine, made with sweet almond extract and a 'unique biopolymer that shrinks when applied to the skin' I definitely noticed a difference within a minute of application. 

The pearlised formulation works to brighten and lighten skin as soon as applied

I've only had the sneakiest of gos of Ulti-Minute as I've passed it on to the Elder Cherry (D'Mammy)(Do NOT tell her I called her that) for full review in a couple of weeks time.

Even typing this and remembering my first impressions, I know it's going to be one of those products I wish I'd held on to. Guess I'll have to lap up the daughter brownie points instead, eh?

Keep an eye out for her verdict very soon.

Avon SuperExtend Extreme Mascara

Secret formulations have been hailed in marketing since the beginning of time, used universally as unique selling points to draw sales – take for example the Colonel’s secret recipe for chicken or Coke’s secret ingredients that set it apart. Well whatever secret sorcery Benefit used to create cult favourite mascara, They’re Real, Avon have cracked it.

Their new SuperExtend Extreme Mascara, launching this month, claims to leave lashes 87% longer (How long is a lash?) while I can’t confirm that exact percentage I can confirm that I love it.

Using ‘energy charged magnetic fibres’ this new formula separates lashes like a pro. I’ve been using this for a week now and have found no clumping or flaking, just lengthened and glossified lashes that lasted all day long.

The new brush puts me in mind of They’re Real too and worked wonders on lower and corner lashes to up the mascaras impact.  

In the interest of balance, I do have a couple of issues with SuperExtend though:

1. The packaging might need a rethink, although I’ve been using this daily (sometimes twice daily) for a week now, the writing shouldn’t have rubbed off already. Now, this in no way affects the product itself but I do like pretty packaging and this just looks a little grubby now. Boo.
2. So lengthened were my lashes with this new formulation that I couldn’t wear my nerdy Harry Potter 3D specs in comfort! Cue me watching StreetDance 3D with specs down my nose like the Tweety Pie’s Granny. *shakes fist*

Although this was given to me to review at the Avon evening last week, without doubt, I will be purchasing both the navy and the brown versions for €12 when they go on sale this month.

If you haven’t yet tried They’re Real or you have and know a bargain when you see one try to get your mitts on one of these bad boys before they inevitably sell out.

Available online here or from your local Avon Rep.

New Avon Nailwear Pro+ - Reformulated and Fab

Behold, the newly formulated Nailwear Pro+ from Avon. Aren't they purrty?


I had the great pleasure to toddle along and meet Avon's celebrity Make-Up Artist, Jackie Tyson, yesterday evening to have the chats about what's new with this reformulation and the new Avon Super Extend Extreme mascara (more on that later). First up, the lady sure knows her beauty, secondly, she's probably the friendliest and most down to earth celebrity anything, I've ever had the good fortune to meet. 

Cookehs!! The cutest cookies IN the world were in attendance too. 

Back to the polish! Due to launch through Avon catalogues and online  in May for €8 each, these are the first twelve shades (& 1 clear) of the Nailwear Pro+ line. Containing real diamond dust (!), calcium and keratin, the improved formulation is said to increase nail strength by up to 80% and to seal and protect your nails for up to 12 days of gorgeousness. 

The delightful mani I received. Love! 

You'll remember in the Smoke and Mirrors post I was taken aback at the quality of the Apricot Mystery polish, well, I'm happy to report that this lovely little lot are, in fact, better again. Fancy a goo at the swatches? Yeah you do...

Expect to see a lot more of this collection popping up in my nail posts in future, there are some genuinely scrumptious shades and range enough to bring you right through the seasons.  If that wasn't enough, there'll be several new shades added to the range throughout 2012. 


So what say you? Loving the look of any of the colours? If you'd like a closer look at a particular polish just lemme know, ja?

Avon Smoke & Mirrors Collection

Feast your eyes on the new limited edition Smoke and Mirrors collection just in time for Spring from Avon. Gone are the days that I only wanted to see the Avon catalogue for the smelly pages, they have upped their game beyond all expectations, each new collection is contemporary and not only wearable but wantable! With that in mind I was fairly delirah when this arrived on my desk for a looksee, fancy a peek?

Golden Fawn & Blackberry €8 each

First up we have the Supershock Gel Eyeliner, this is Avon's best selling eyeliner and looking at these two new limited edition colours you can see why. They are highly pigmented and unbelievably soft because they went on so smoothly I didn't hold out much hope for the 'finish that lasts all day' claim but please see exhibit A below M'Lud. 

A lovely swatch to show you how beautiful the colours are....

This photo was taken Four Hours later! 

I had taken the swatch pictures in D'Mammy's, swatching these lovelies on my arm and promptly forgetting them. The above picture was taken four hours later! My arm had been, quite rightly, back up my sleeve and not one smudge or rub. These are crazy long lasting, yo. Blackberry is already my new favourite liner and Golden Fawn is an ideal highlighter to brighten your peepers. 

True Coloue Eyeshadow Quad in Mystery and Smoke & Mirrors €11 each. 

There are two eyeshadow quads in blendable and crease proof spring time hues. The quality of the packing here really is something. They're solid and sleek with a large mirror inside for touch ups or sudden bouts of narcissism. 

Mystery is bright and fresh

Smoke and Mirrors is more subtle, ideal for an understated look

While silky soft and beautiful these shadows would definitely benefit from the use of a primer to further bring out their pigmentation. Or if subtle and understated is your thing, just wear as is, the taupe above is definitely my favourite so far. 

Ultra Rich Lipstick in Apricot Mystery, Nude and Infused & Purple Hazed €9

Sheer delights

I'm not usually a big lipstick fan, I'm an avid lipglossaholic if truth be known but these offerings have almost swayed me. The subtle colours and give you the sheerest, most natural coloured lip that suits the Springtime perfectly. Containing jojoba and vitamin E they're extremely soft and moisturising. So much so that D'Mammy and I turned to each other several times during Corrie smacking our lips like demented goldfish 'Yeah, really soft'. 

Nailwear Pro Nail Enamel in Apricot Mystery €8

Last in the range we have Nail Wear Pro Enamel. We all know I'm a bit of a fiend for a good polish. This is a lovely peachy pink, because it's fortified with acrylic  for strength the consistency is a little more viscous than I would be used to but look at that colour! It's perfect for office wear or understated every day wear. Because of the thicker formulation this would be an ideal candidate for use in nail art and stamping too. Well played, Avon. 


The Smoke and Mirrors collection will hit catalogues in February, if you don't already have a dedicated 'Avon Lady' or Gent (Humblest apologies, Peter) you could always order a catalogue online. Believe me there's so much more than a whiff of sniffy pages to look forward to. 


My favourites of the collection have to be the Supershock Liners and the Lippies. What do you think? Anything tickling your fancy? 


**Update Have you seen the new NailWear Pro + range from Avon made with diamond dust?  I love 'em!**