Avon Lipsticks Part 2: Glazewear Dimensions Lipstick

I have to say that this line of Avon lipsticks is my favorite so far. Why? Because I love the sleek packaging, and the scent is not of the usual Avon smell. It smells like a combination of bubblegum and wax, which is not at all bothersome for me :)

I have three shades of this variety: Pink Glimmer, Pink Sugar and Shiny Rouge. They are actually sheer shades but buildable. They're shimmery, so if you're not a fan of shimmer, stay away from these. I personally love them, though.

Here's Pink Glimmer, Pink Sugar and Shiny Rouge without flash:

Here they are with flash:

Shiny Rouge and Pink Glimmer look almost exactly the same, but in reality, they're not, as you can see by the swatch without flash. They're pretty close though.

The con? Just like what I said with the 24K lipsticks, if you rub your lips, the glitter will spread around the area of your mouth! Not pretty. Be sure to remember that!

And since some of you asked for swatches the last time, here they are:

Pink Glimmer

Pink Sugar

Shiny Rouge

I love this for everyday use, or to be layered on top of other lipsticks for a shimmery effect!

Where to buy? From your nearest AVON dealer.

TIP: Wait for them to go on sale so you can get them for around P250 compared to its normal price of around P350.

Avon 24k Gold Lipstick

I'm such a sucker for good reviews. And yes, since I read good reviews about Avon's 24k Gold Lipsticks, I bought three.

Love the gold packaging! Looks so classy.

So here are the swatches of Golden Peach, 24K Pink and Amethyst Gold. I tell you, these swatches do not do justice. They're much prettier in person. Golden Peach and 24K Pink look alike, but in real life, 24K Pink is slightly more pinkish.

The coverage is sheer but buildable.

So here are the pros and cons:

PROS

• affordable
• can be buildable to look thicker
• nice packaging

CONS

• if you rub your lips, the shimmer will transfer to the sides of your mouth
• smells weird, like most AVON lipsticks

 If you love lipsticks with shimmer, this is definitely for you! But if you like matte lipsticks only, stay away from this.

Where to buy? From your nearest AVON lady, for around P420, but wait for them to go on sale so the price will go down to less than P300.

A Review of Primers I've Tried

After Kyuu, one of my readers asked me which primer I'd recommend, I decided to make a run down of different primers I've tried. Just so you know, I have REALLY oily skin, so primers are very important for my makeup routine.

What is a primer? A primer serves as a base for makeup. It helps makeup stay longer, helps control oiliness and helps blur pores, wrinkles and other blemishes.

I use a primer everyday, so I choose the ones that are not heavy on my pocket. So I don't have any of the high end primers.

So anyway, here is a rundown of all the different primers I've tried:

1. BARE NATURALS SKIN PERFECTING PRIMER

photo taken from barenaturals.multiply.com

I'm currently loving this primer because it's very affordable (less than P500 or $10 for 30 ml), readily available (no long waits) but still gets the job done. This is an upgrade from the previous S5 primer. This skin perfecting primer dries faster than the old one, plus with added ingredients like tea tree oil to help combat acne and pearl powder. It also helps control the oilies. This primer doesn't have any artificial preservatives, meaning it's good for the skin but it also means that it expires easily. This primer might not be suitable for people with dry to normal skin because of the tea tree oil, though.

2. CAMELLIA ROSE SKIN SOOTHING PRIMER ORIGINAL VERSION

This is another favorite primer of mine, but it's also the most expensive one I own! Like the BN primer, this one doesn't have any artificial preservatives that's why it's good for the skin, but as I said, it also expires easily. It also helps control oilies, but it takes a while for it to dry.

3. MONISTAT CHAFING RELIEF POWDER GEL


Monistat is one of the most popular primers out there because it's very affordable and yet delivers good results. I have to say, they are right. It dries immediately, blurs pores well and has the best oil control power among all the primers I've tried. But this caused some breakouts for a lot of people. For me, I did feel that my skin got rougher after using it continuously. I suggest not using this for more than three days straight to keep your pores unclogged :)

4. AVON MAGIX SKIN PROTECTOR SPF 20

I really wanted to love this primer because it had SPF, good oil control, dried quickly, had a wonderful texture that blurred out pores. A lot of people love this primer and it's easy to see why. However, it did not hold my makeup as well as other primers. For a full review that I did previously, click HERE

TIPS

• Use a moisturizer before applying a primer. A moisturizer really helps in making a clean canvas
• Make sure that the moisturizer is dry before applying primer.
• Likewise, make sure that the primer is dry before putting on makeup.
• People with dry skin can opt to skip primers.
• People with normal or combination skin can also opt to just apply primer in their oily spots (like the T-Zone)
  

Product Review: Avon Magix Face Protector SPF 20

photo taken from www.avon.com

Product Description:

A magical air-light gel-powder colorless formula that makes all skin tones look flawless... invisible coverage; instant perfection. Banish shine up to 10 hours.

Active Ingredients:
OCTINOXATE 7.5%
OCTISALATE 4.0%

Other Ingredients:
DIMETHICONE
CYCLOPENTASILOXANE
CELLULOSE
CYCLOMETHICONE
CETEARYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER
ALUMINA
ACRYLATES/DIMETHICONE COPOLYMER
SILICA
NYLON-12
HDI/TRIMETHYLOL HEXYLLACTONE CROSSPOLYMER
C30-45 ALKYL METHICONE
C30-45 OLEFIN
PEG/PPG-20/23 DIMETHICONE
LAURYL PEG-9 POLYDIMETHYLSILOXYETHYL DIMETHICONE
CAPRYLYL GLYCOL
DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER
POLYETHYLENE
BORON NITRIDE
PARFUM/FRAGRANCE
TOCOPHEROL

I've been wanting to try this out for the longest time since I read so many good reviews about this product. I have extremely oily skin and I'm still looking for my HG oil control product. So when Toma (www.makeupmasala) sold this in her site, I grabbed the chance to try it out.

Upon trying this product, I had a good impression. It's color is white when you squeeze it out of the tube, but becomes colorless when you apply it to your face. It instantly blurred my pores and provided a smooth canvas to put my makeup on. It dried right away too. It reminded me of Monistat anti-chafing gel, but this one didn't make my skin rougher.

However, whoever wrote this product description has never met someone like me! It claims to banish oil for up to 10 hours. I've read reviews from others who said that it controlled the oil for 6 hours or more. Unfortunately, for my case, it only controlled the oiliness for 1 and 1/2 hours! Haha! That's actually good for just one oil control product alone, but I still hoped that it would go on for a little longer. Combined with other oil control products, it controlled my oiliness for around 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours, which is still not bad.

Sadly, this did not hold my makeup as well as my other primers. With my other primers, a lot of makeup really comes off when I wash my face at the end of the day. With this one, there was considerably less makeup left.

So once again, I'm giving a rundown of the pros and cons of this product:

PROS

• blurs imperfections
• has SPF
• leaves a smooth finish
  
• dries quickly
• did not cause breakouts
• non-drying
• has oil control
• is in a tube, so is therefore hygienic
  

CONS

• not available locally
• does not hold makeup as well as other primers

So will I buy this again? Probably not. Despite the fact that I like this product and there are a lot more pros than cons, it didn't hold my makeup well, which is a big problem for me.