Avon Haul

Every so often I pick up a good few items from Avon. They have very good sales so it is well worth keeping an eye out. The following items below cost €42.50 but due to sales I only paid €21.50.

First up is Dog Lover Necklace €6.50 - I adore this necklace, sure it might be a bit kiddie but I love it. There are three charms a paw print, a little dog and a bone.

Avon Perfect Kiss Lipstick €6.50 usually €11 in the colour ‘Caressing Coral’ – Lipstick with natural oils to give you smooth lips. This lipstick feels more like a lip balm than a lipstick, it also smells gorgeous a vanilla/bubblegum scent.  Not only was this lipstick nearly half price but it also came with a free lip liner worth €8. I always line my lips when I use red lipstick so I picked up the shade ‘Red Brick’

I also picked up two makeup brushes. An eyeshadow brush €3.25 usually €6.50 and an all over face brush €5.25 usually €10.50. I was quite surprised with the quality of these brushes. The all over face brush is quite soft but has a heavy handle. The eyeshadow brush is good for applying eyeshadow to the lash line or a base coat to the lids. It would not be good for blending. However at €3.25 it is not bad at all!

Just to warn you all the Avon supershock eyeliners are only €4 in the current brochure. I have seen lots of reviewing raving about them so I will definitely be ordering one or two...!

Laura x

New Kate Moss Lipstick New Shade 02

With Summer just around the corner it's time for some Summer lipsticks. Kate Moss has once again collaborated with Rimmel to bring out a new Spring Collection. Added to her Lipstick range is a gorgeous hot pink lipstick in the shade 02.

The pink is highly pigmented and feels quite moisturising on the lips. I wore a layer of Lipcote over the lipstick and it lasted about 5 hours. Like the older shades, shade 02 has quite a nice scent. The packaging like the previous colours is a black bullet with Kate's signature on the end.

I picked it up for the bargain price of €4.95. Most chemists have this on special at the moment so keep an eye out! This will definitely be packed into my suitcase for my holiday. It's the perfect Summer colour.

Larry x
*Edit- I just realised I picked up the wrong shade and the new colour in 20 not 02! >:( The new pink lighter than my 02! It's the shade Kate is wearing in the picture though. 

Green Lipstick?!

I never thought I would say 'My new favourite lipstick is green'. Well today I am actually making that statement. I have fallen in love with Barry M 'Touch of Magic'. I picked it up in London last week and have been wearing it ever since! 

Ok so at first glance the lipstick may appear to look like the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz.... but do not let that put you off! For this lipstick is actually a magic lipstick. When applied to your lips the lipstick turns pink! The amount of alkali on your lips depends on what type of pink it will turn to.

The lipstick itself does not feel like your typical lipstick, it has more of a lip balm feel to it. The staying power is amazing. It is also waterproof and has added Aloe Vera. I swatched it on my hand the other day, went on a night out and the next morning you could STILL see the swatch on my hand. (Even after a shower I could still see it faintly on my hand!) 

It is like the love child of a lip balm and a lip stain. AMAZING! I also do love peoples reactions when they see me take out a green lipstick their faces are priceless! A great product for the bargain price £4.49! 

Larry xx

Astor Lipsticks!

Astor is a make up brand that I only came across recently. It's very popular in main land Europe with Heidi Klum as the face of the brand. I have tried one other Astor product before click here! and quite liked it. So when I seen more Astor lipsticks in my local Dealz I snapped them up! (Each lipstick is the bargain price of €1.49!) I picked up two 'Rouge Couture' lipsticks in the shades 205 'Red Couture' and 101 'Ballerina Pink'.

The first thing that struck me about these lipsticks is the packaging. I love the design of the lipsticks. They look and feel a lot more expensive than the €1.49 I paid for them. (The usual RRP is £8.99)  Astor claim Rouge Couture lipsticks have 'Impact and shine worthy of the most dazzling high-fashion catwalks' the lipsticks 'Wrap your lips in luxurious silk, with intense, alluring sculpting colours that last up to 9 hours! The delicious creamy texture enriched with premium silk fibers magnifies lips in an effortless application. Luminospheres pigments deliver exceptional coverage and superior shine for rich vibrant colours that last. The sculpting, high definition formula draws lip contours with precious, vivid colour.'

Both lipsticks are really pigmented. The red is a gorgeous shade which I LOVE! The pink is not far off hot pink. It's a few shades down from Barry M 52. Both lipsticks smell lovely, slightly like sweets? They feel really moisturising on the lips and don't dry lips at all. 

When swatched the pink is lighter than Barry M 52

Side by side it looks like Barry M 52

If you live near a Dealz store I would definitely recommend to snap these up! Really pigmented, moisturising, nice smelling lipstick for €1.49? You would be mad not to buy them!

Larry xx

DIY Lipstick Palette

I came across an old No7 eyeshadow palette the other day. I have had it for ages but never use it so I decided to put it to better use. I had a number of lipsticks that had broken and I didn't want to throw them out. I decided this was the perfect opportunity for some D.I.Y. So I turned the unwanted eyeshadow palette into a new lipstick palette.

The first thing I did was to take the eyeshadow out of the palette. I was going to keep the eyeshadow but it broke as I taking it out so I just broke up the rest. (As I never use this eyeshadow and it was old I wasn't too bothered I was throwing it out)

Next I got four lipsticks that were broken. 

- Maybelline 563 precious ruby

- Miners Red Lipstick

- Clinique Rosette

- 17 Mirror Shine in Hollywood

The first lipstick I decided to destroy was Maybelines Precious Ruby. I chopped off the lipstick and place it into the palette.

Once in the palette I squashed it with a spoon.

Next on my list was Clinique Rosette. I really like this lipstick but stopped using it after it broke. (That's why it's looking so weird in the photo above)

I was really shocked by how much product was still in the tubes after I had broken off the lipstick. There was still SO much product in the base! Be careful to check this if you think a lipstick has run out because you might be surprised how much you have left!

I kept going until the palette was filled and all my broken lipsticks had a new home. It was very messy and by the time I had finished I had so much red on my hands you would think I had murdered someone!

After a bit of a clean up we have the finished palette! I'm delighted with it and think I will get a lot of use out of it! It will be perfect for popping into a handbag as it's quite small. There is also room for a lip brush which will be very handy as I can never find mine in the mess that is in my hand bag!

So what do you think? 

Larry xx

Catrice Limited Edition 'Nymphelia'

The new limited edition pictures for Catrice have been released! The new line 'Nymphelia' will hit Irish shores around February or March. I'm LOVING the look of it! I have not been this excited about a Catrice limited edition for ages. The one that is in shops at the moment is a bit snooze This range however is very eye catching and I'm already lusting after many items. Catrice describe this range as: 

'Soft and feminine yet strong and sensual – this is the perfect description for the world of nymphs. A mysterious world that hovers between nature and mysticism – a world shaped by goddesses and embodied by natural forces. This is reflected in the colour scheme of the Limited Edition “Nymphelia” by CATRICE. Warm red, orange and brown shades from the forest combined with green and nude tones bring the spring season to life in February and March 2012. The result: a natural yet modern and sensual make-up collection inspired by the international catwalks. The ideal make-up for delicate but strong ladies. Nymphelia – mystical and mythical.'

Eyes wise this limited edition is very strong. The mascara 'Lashes to Kill Mascara' is a black green which is quite unusual. This is designed to create 'amazing eyes'. The False lashes are very dramatic. For €4.49 they are cheap enough to experiment with dramatic eyes! The Smokey Eye set includes four eyeshadows for €4.99. I won't be bothered to buy this as I have a million eyeshadows! It's a good price however, if you don't have much eyeshadow and want to try a smokey look. Despite not needing anymore eyeshadow I'm lusting over the 'Intensif Eye Wet and Dry Shadow'. They are €4.29 each and can be used as the name suggests both wet and dry. The colours have a beautiful marble effect. There are three colours intertwined to create a gorgeous finish. I also love the names of the shadows 020 Charly’s Chocolate Factory and 040 Have You Seen Alice?. Names like this and the appearance of the shadows make them appear a lot more expensive than their bargain €4.29 price!

'Unbeleaf'able Blush' is a gorgeous marbled blush. It has three shades in intertwined red, orange and nude It's designed to give a natural fresh look. 

For lips there is three Lip colour creams. I think they are more cream than gloss similar I would say to the Collection 2000 Cream Puffs. 

Finally there is the nail polishes. They look quite plain compared to the rest of this edition. Although I adore the name of the light pink shade 'Salmon & Garfunkel' I think this is brilliant!

So what do you think? Will you be buying anything from this limited edition?

Larry xx

NYC lipsticks

New York Colour is a brand that I have loved for a few years now. I used to find it really hard to get my hands on it however, as it was not sold in many shops in Ireland. I was DELIGHTED to find out that Penneys would be now stocking this brand! (It is definitely in Mary's Street and O' Connell Street so far anyway!) The lipsticks are one of my favourite products from this brand.

My favourite NYC lipstick is called 'Blue Rose'. This is an amazing lipstick! It is such a beautiful colour. It's a bright magenta with blue undertones. Many bloggers have compared Blue rose to Mac's Show Orchid. I have received so many complements while wearing this lipstick (One was a weird old man but we shall not dwell on that) To make things even better this gorgeous lipstick is less than €2.50!! I wear a coat of Lipcote over it and find it lasts a good few hours.

The second NYC lipstick I have is 'Fragile Pink'. This is a light pink lipstick that is suitable for day wear. As much as I love 'Blue Rose' I don't think the principal would be happy if I showed up to work wearing that! 'Fragile Pink' on the other hand is the perfect work lipstick as it gives my lips a nice colour without being very dramatic.

Overall I really like these lipsticks. They are pigmented, creamy and feel moisturising. They don't have that awful cheap lipstick scent either which is always a bonus! The only negative thing about them is the packaging which is a bit cheap. The lid sometimes does not close properly and this can squash the lipstick. (That's why my Blue Rose is in such a state in the pictures!) However, for less than €2.50 I can't complain too much!

If you have not tried NYC I would definitely recommend you try them out!

Larry xx

Make that lipstick stay on!

While up the North in Belfast a few months ago I came across a strange little product in Superdrug called 'Lipcote'. I had never heard of this brand but was extremely intrigued by it. It claimed to be 'lipstick's best friend' a lipstick sealer that keeps lipstick in place and stops it from fading. This strange little bottle soon became my one of my favourite beauty products. I was devastated when I lost it as a wedding. Luckily though I came across it in Boots in the Jervis  in Dublin last week! Finding this product again and seeing the very cheap price tag of €3.99 meant I fell in love all over again.

Lipcote is a lipstick sealer that has been around for over FIFTY years! The Lipcote I bought in Boots is a 50th anniversary special packet. Lipcote teamed up with the artist Dora to redesign the packaging and also introduce a vanilla scent to the product.  Just to warn you though this is a product you either LOVE or really HATE. I fall of course into the love side. It can feel and smell strange at first but don't worry you get used to it! 

1. Line your lips with a liner and fill in.

2. Apply lipstick 

3. BOLT with a tissue (Important!)

4. Apply a very light layer of Lipcote over your lipstick. It might sting a small bit like a lip plumper but that    will go away. Be careful not to put too much product on as it will cause your lipstick to go flakey!

5. Keep lips apart while the Lipcote sets. (also don't eat or drink for about 15 mins)

If I follow these instructions I find that my lipstick has AMAZING staying power!  It stays vibrant and does not rub off.  As a tiny bit goes along way this product will last AGES!! It's a must have for lipstick lovers :)

Larry xx

Astor Lipstick

I was in my new favourite bargain shop 'Dealz' the other day when I came across this lipstick for the bargain price of €1.49. I had never heard of this brand before but seeing as it was only €1.49 I decided ah sure I might as well!

'ASTOR has been creating high-quality cosmetic products for 60 years, enabling every woman to express her beautiful best in any situation. Passionate about beauty, we feel uniquely attuned to women’s beauty needs and try to offer them real responses.  Ever since its creation, ASTOR has wanted to help women look and feel beautiful, and experience how beautiful it is to be yourself.'

At the moment Heidi Klum is the face of the brand and they are also against animal testing. 

So what do I make of this brand? I picked up this lipstick in the shade 018 'Candy'. The packaging is a bit strange bright yellow. (you will definitely see this in your make up bag or among other lip sticks!) The lipstick itself is a glossy pink shade that is sheer glossy with a bit of sparkle. It also has a lovely scent (like sweets) that I really like.

Overall I really like this lipstick. It's perfect for everyday use as it enhances your natural lip colour and gives a bit of gloss. It feels very moisturising and feels more like a lip balm than a lipstick. It's very similar to 17 Mirror shine on Lipstick. 


Not bad for €1.49 ! :)


Larry xx

Review: Avon Products

My boyfriend’s Mam sells Avon, so whenever I’m in his house I read Avon to keep me amused (while he watches football…) Before I started buying Avon I didn’t think it was good quality. However, I must say my mind has been totally changed now! There are some lovely products available. In this post I'll show some of my favourites.

I received Reece Witherspoon’s perfume ‘In Bloom’ as a gift. The bottle is so pretty! The lid of the perfume is a big flower that comes off when you spray. I found this very unusual and it really stands out next to my other perfumes. The scent is a light floral scent which is not over powering and very wearable. Reece Witherspoon said the following at the launch of the perfume:

“In developing In Bloom, I found myself drawn to the scents of my childhood in Tennesse. We had a great big magnolia tree in the backyard and it’s that beautiful white blossom that inspired the perfume. In Bloom is indicative of where I am in my life today. I’m feeling very strong and independent, and so happy, so full of life. The fragrance truly captures that feeling – it’s very sensual, very romantic and alluring.”

I am really impressed with Avon’s lipsticks. I do think they are quite expensive, but there are a lot of special offers when you can get them for cheap. I picked up two for €10 in a promotion. The first I picked was Avon Ultra Colour Rich Moisture Seduction Lipstick in ‘Fuchsia Fever’.

This is a Rich, ultra-creamy lipstick intertwined with ribbons of hydrating moisture. It also contains SPF15. I love the concept of this lipstick in that you can see the white moisture intertwined in the lipstick. The colour I picked ‘Fuchsia Fever’ is extremely pigmented and is a shocking pink. I love to wear this if I’m not wearing much eye make up. The lipstick also has a gorgeous scent. Brilliant buy for €5 as it worked out in the promotion.

The second lipstick I purchased in this offer was Ultra Colour Rich White Gold Lipstick ‘Platinum Pink’. This is a Rich, creamy moisturising lipstick infused with glistening pearls of gold that is very sparkly! It is called platinum pink but is quite a sheer pink. However, the sparkles in this lipstick are what really makes this lipstick stand out. It gives your lips a lovely sparkle without a very noticeable strong colour. This is good if you want a more neutral looking lipstick. I paid €5 for this in the promotion but don’t think I would spend its full price of €11 euro if I was to repurchase.

It's MUCH more sparkly in real life, photo does not do it justice!

Lastly I also picked up this make up palette for €3. Inside is four cream eye shadows and two lip glosses.

I don't usually use cream eye shadows, but I like to use the sliver/white colour as a highlight. It's a pretty palette for the price!   I will definitely keep buying Avon products! :)

Larry xx