Simple Look of the Day: Avon Smoke & Mirrors

I thought I'll share with you today's make-up look, using Avon's new Smoke & Mirrors products (which between you and me, I couldn't wait to try).

- I started with a primer on th entire lid up to the brow bone

- I then traced my socket line with Avon's Super Shock Eyeliner Gel in 'Blackberry' and blended upwards

- Applied a light brown colour on the entire lid, stoping at the crease

- I then took the dark brown shade eyeshadow from the Smoke & Mirrors Quad and applied in on the already blended gel eyeliner in the socket line, just to soften the edges a little bit , and softly applied it on the lower lash line as well

- I then took the light minty colour and placed that on the brow bone and inner corner of the eye

- I softly lined the upper lash line with 'Blackberry' and smudged it a bit

- Same Blackberry on the water line

- When the entire look was done, I then applied a white glitter on top up to the crease, to create a more sophisticated look

- Last step: Avon's SuperShock Mascara

FINISHED LOOK :)

On my lips I am wearing 'Purple Hazed' from the same collection

Hope you're having a wonderful start to your week :).


Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Collection 2000 Cream Puffs

I discovered these on Friday, when I bought 2 for 7.50Euros on offer in Boots: it was love at first sight I tell you. I've tried loads in my life time, bought loads and received loads, and trust me: nothing gets me all that excited anymore. Sure I squeeled when I got the Lancome Genifique Serum (my ultimate favourite serum in the world), and sure I jumped for joy when I received the Avon's SuperShock Eyeliner Gels , but lipstick wise - it's been a while.  

These babies were made for ME! No doubt in my mind they were thinking about my own taste in consistency, shades and lasting properties.

Formula - These have a mousse/cream consistency, extremely similar to Bourjois' So Delicate Lip Cream, an old favourite of mine. It just glides on, feels a bit wet when applied but soon settles, and when it does, this baby does not move. It's definitely a long lasting lip product, so, so gorgeous words are not enough. They smell deliciously like creme puffs. I only saw four shades, and I hereby promise to buy the other two plus back-ups for these shades.

THE FINISH - My lips are quite dry in general and these don't seem to be drying them out more so than any other lipstick I use. The finish is matte (no doubt about it), and that's the way I like it. If you're not a matte kinda girl, then these are not for you.

Cannot stress how much I love these, the price is amazing (Boots, here I come on Monday!) and Collection 2000 has made a great impression on me lately, I have a fabulous foundation from them which I must review soon. That being said, these might not be your cup of tea, but as mentioned above, it's been a long time since I fell for a lippie, and it was about bloody time I did! *grins*

Have you bought any of these? Let me know if you love them as much as I do :).

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Avon Smoke & Mirrors Collection

Avon has done it again! And by that I mean new SuperShock Gel Eyeliners for us and not only. While the liners make me super happy, this entire collection (launching in February) is well pretty to say the least.

First up, the nail polish....

Now if this ain't pretty, I don't know what else is. A creamy, super fast drying nail polish in the most gorgeously delicate peachy shade ever. No nasty glitter, just a creamy shiny nail polish. Love!

'Apricot Mystery' - 8 Euros

  

This collection offers us two eyeshadow palettes. They're quite soft and easy to work with, slightly shimmery and most of the shades within are duochrome. Pretty pastel colours, perfect for spring time :).

'True Colour Eyeshadow Quad' - 11 Euros 

I received two lipsticks, Purple Hazed - which is an iced plumy colour and Apricot, which is a peachy shade. The consistency of these lipsticks is sheer, soft and creamy, and they smell delicious.

Ultra Colour Rich Lipsticks - 9 Euros

Last, BUT not least...............Gel Eyelinerssssssss

I'm sorry, but Avon makes the best gel eyeliners out there, the best shades, they stay on for ages and they work wonders on the waterline as well. Yes, I love them and I'm not afraid to show it. These two shades from 'Smoke & Mirrors' are AMAZING. You can tell that I've already worn 'Golden Fawn' (pic above), I've worn this all week. Easy to glide-on and blend, very pigmented and mostly, they're reasonably priced. I even remember ordering x3 liners once which were on offer for 3Euro each. The full price for these is 8 Euros, and that's a fabulous price for the quality that you get.

Kids, get those eyeliners, you won't regret it, I simply cannot recommend them enough, I already have six shades in my collection and they're all bang-on-trend.

Overall, well done Avon, cannot wait to see what you have stored for us next.

See anything you like from Smoke & Mirrors?  

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo 

Sally Hansen Giveaway

I promised a giveaway in my latest post with some Sally Hansen goodies, so here we go:

CLOSER LOOK:

See how gorgeous the Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips really are, HERE 

Rules:

a) You must be a Google Friend Connect Follower

b) Leave a comment below stating your G.F.C. follower name and a contact email address

c) Optional: You get x2 entries if you tweet about it also (no need though to follow me on Twitter, only if you wish :)). Please tweet the following:

Be in chance to win a Sally Hansen Goodie Bag over at http://artdonatella.blogspot.com/2012/01/sally-hansen-giveaway.html @artdonatella

* Competition Open Internationally

* If you're under 18, please get your parents/guardians permission before entering as a postal address will be necessary if you're the winner.
* The closing date for entry is Midnight, Sunday- 12th February - Winner will be chosen by random.org

That's all, good luck everybody!

Yours, ArtDonatella


xoxo

Sally Hansen's Cupid Colour Collection

Nails of last week to be more precise, even more so, the Sally Hansen Cupid Colour Collection- the entire....on my nails  :)...let me explain what I mean.

It's a collection made out of 4 gorgeous, delicious shades, two pinks and two reds as seen above. I cannot (literally) decide which one I like best, but let's just say that 'Red Zin' got a lot of 'Oooh's & Aaaaah's'.  

So what does a girl do when she receives x 4 new nail polishes to review? She wears them all at once, that's what (at least that's what 'this girl' did). And the results were amazing, pretty, gorgeous! In fact, I shall start wearing different shades on my nails more often from now on.

See what I mean? Purrrrreeeetty! 

The Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure retails at  8.95 each and can be purchased in selected pharmacies, department and grocery stores nationwide. See swatches of a few more wonder shades like these, here.  

So, which one do you like best? Also, do you ever wear several shades on one hand at once?


P.S. I have some Sally Hansen goodies to give away soon, so keep your eyes peeled if you're a fan  of the brand :).




Yours, ArtDonatella


xoxo

Free Threading Service from T.B.S. (Ireland only)

Here's one for the lovely Irish babes:

On Tuesday 31st January, The Body Shop will be holding a Free Threading Day in support of the Irish Cancer Society. Hats off to you T.B.S., I applaud you :)!

This is a fantastic idea, you get free threading service and you can donate to a great cause in the same time. Now who would not appreciate an opportunity like this?

Only one threading service per customer.

This service is only available in the Republic of Ireland stores.
No bookings required this is a walk in service.
Donations can be made at your own discretion, in stores.

 
 
 
 
 
Yours, ArtDonatella
 
xoxo
 

Glam Saturday Look with M.U.A. Cosmetics

I guess that by now everyone has heard of M.U.A. Cosmetics, it's a brand from the U.K. that launched in 2010, and its name 'rhimes' with cheap and cheerful make-up products, with prices ranging 1GBP to 4GBP.

I was having a look in Superdrug the other day and I 'stumbled' upon a basket of reduced M.U.A. Cosmetics products. Now I'm not one to pass this on, so obviously I bought three eyeshadows, priced at the grand 1.25Euros each.  That being said, I'm glad I bought these, they are fantastic for the price and not only. Very pigmented, packed with glitter/shimmer (in this case), and let's face it, we all need a bitta' glitta' from time to time :).

This one is amazing! It has a red-ish undertone to it, but with flexes of sivery green on top (hard to explain, but it's oh-so-gorgeous)   

Glam Saturday Look:

I have No. 12 on the entire lid applied over a blended black eye pencil base, with No. 30 on the inner section and corner of the eye 

+

False eyelashes from Ja'Maal Buster (Sold Out Show)

On my lips I wore the NYC Smooch Proof Lipstain in '490 Persistent Pink' - this is my go-to lip product at the moment, suits every look I've been sporting lately.


Have you tried any M.U.A. products? Any recommendations for me :) ?


Yours, ArtDonatella


xoxo

YSL 'Candy Face' Spring 2012

Lloyd Simmonds gives us a cosmetic visual feast in other words, this Spring. This collection looks so juicy and yummy and it's filled with 'fresh colours, melting textures and transparent effects', as the press release suggests.

1. Voile de Blush / Jelly Blush - a water based gel blush (sounds delish), available in four shades at 38 Euros

2. Rock Candy Palette - x 4 harmonious eyeshadows in one compact (x 2 pearlized & x 2 satin finishes) at 55 Euros

3. Volupte Sheer Candy Lipsticks - four luscious shades (red, purple, pink and tangerine) at

31.50 Euros

4. Rouge Volupte Perle at 32 Euros

5. Ombres 5 Lumieres No.13 at 57 Euros



6. Manucure Couture No.8 - at 38 Euros

Let's take a closer look at one of the Volupte Sheer Candy Lipsticks, and to be more precise, let us admire No. 8 'Prune Frappee' (Iced Plum)

Unlike Rouge Volupte, the packaging of this is silver instead of gold, but equally stunning. This applies quite sheer, smells fruity delicious and even tastes candy-sweet when you lick it (off your lips that is, trust me I did NOT lick the lipstick - that's my version and I'm sticking to it!:D).  

It is super moisturizing and has a glossy finish and because of its sheer consistency- you can apply it on the go, especially this particular neutral shade. To me, it's like a luxury lip balm with tiny flexes of glitter running through it. It is indeed a very soft and natural shade, just perfectly complimentary to a dramatic evening eye makeup.

  

Collection available in stores now. Have you seen it yet, if so, what are we loving?

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

NYC Goodie Bags Winners

Hey there my lovelies, apologies for the delay in announcing the winners, hope you don't hold this against me :). If you're not on this list, please come back as I still have some fabulous goodie bags to give you guys (left from December :)) with products including Avon, Vichy, Sally Hansen, etc.

Without further ado, here are the lucky winners:

1. Katryn

2. Max

3. Ruthie

4. Demonicsmurfette

5. Chloe

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! Please send me an email with your postal address as soon as possible, to artdonatella@gmail.com 

Thank you to everyone that entered the competition, I wish you the best of luck for the future giveaways to come :D!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Barbara Daly Oil Free Foundation Review

I love Barbara Daly for Tesco range. I have a gorgeous highlighter from this brand plus one of my favourite lipsticks is from BD. It's a cheap and cheerful brand, even their concealer is fab, being a serious dupe for Benefit's Boi-ing Concealer, highly pigmented stuff.

I spotted this foundation in 'Ivory' after Christmas and it's my perfect shade.

First Impressions: It comes in a 29ml, sleek thick glass bottle, it looks rather expensive and neat. The bad thing about it is that it doesn't come with a pump, instead it comes with an applicator/spatula, I do love my pumps in a foundation, so  this is a small minus for it.

Barbara Daly says: "A light and silky formula that glides on smoothly for a long-lasting, satin finish. Contains a 'soft focus complex' to help minimise skin imprefections. With sun filters;SPF12. Suitable for normal to oily skins." 

Final Impressions: The consistency is indeed light, oil free and glides on smoothly. The coverage is medium, but very buildable to a full coverage without becoming cakey. It is lightly scented, but nothing overpowering or disturbing, to me at least, and it doesn't bother me since I don't have sensitive skin. It sets on my skin beautifully and I love the fact that I can build it to as much coverage as needed. My skin is normal/oily (oily T-zone & chin and normal cheeks), and I do get about 4-5 hours wear from it without needing touch-ups, and powder performs beautifully on top. The fair shade I use 'Ivory' tends to oxydize (darkens in shade) a bit once applied, but if I use a primer underneath, I found this can be fixed easily :).

All in all, I think this is a fabulous foundation and priced at 9.50Euro, I will defo repurchase it. It's not my favourite foundation of all times, but I belive that it does its job perfectly. The thing I most like about it is the light, runny formula that doesn't sit in your pores or block them, and which doesn't accentuate your  flaky patches (when you forgot to exfoliate), the perfect word for this is: a glide-on foundation.

In my opinion, a great product that's worth investigating further.     

Here's a before and after pic, so you can see how it performs:

Have you tried anything from Barbara Daly? Any recommendations for me???

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

My New Year's Eve FOTD

Happy New Yeeeeeeaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr, my lovelies!!!

On New Year's Eve we had a few friends over and we had a great time altogether, it's been a while since I had a sleepless night and trust me: no eye cream can 'fix' a sleepless night ;)! Tomorrow is my last day off :( and then back to work I go, I cannot believe that we're in 2012 already. I wish you guys all the best for the freshly started year, lots of health, happiness and prosperity!

I thought I'll show you what makeup I wore on the night, so here goes:

Of course I opted for a statement lip, but I also accentuated the eyes a bit more, with glitter and all that jazz. The foundation I'm wearing here is a Barbara Daly for Tesco foundation (will review soon), and the lipstick could only be the world's most beautiful red lippie:

 Inglot's '408 Matte'. Earrings are from Penneys (Primark).

How was your New Year's Eve, and more importantly, what make-up did you wear on the night? Please link me if you have a post or a photo done, I would love to have a cheeky look :D.

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo