Avon's Stardust Nail Enamel in Teal Glitter

Just in time for the myriad of Christmas events that are beckoning Avon have released a new range of nail enamels. 

As a rep my customers have been loving the magnetic effect polishes this month. 

I have also sold a lot of this Stardust brand. 

On paper they look good. Promising a matte finish with opalescent glitter in different sizes for a unique 3D effect. 

On the nails they look even better. Easy to apply, I've had this colour on for 3 days now and barely a chip in sight. There is a bit of wear of the edge of my ring finger, but that isn't bad - considering I can chip varnish in a matter of minutes of applying it. 

It dries quickly. And I mean really quickly. 

I barely got the chance to smudge it! 

I have also bought the enamel in Radiant Rose which appears to be a bright cerise colour and I have my eye on the Cherry Dazzler for Christmas. 

Radiant Rose

 

Cherry Dazzler

Currently £3. You can buy online here or find your closest representative here. 

Autumn Nail Colours

As the leaves are changing so are the colours of my wardrobe and make up.

First I'm going to look at my nail varnishes.

This one is Wine and Dine from Avon's Gel Finish range.

A dark chianti-kind of colour. 

I have two coats on here and it goes on smoothly. Do make sure that you leave plenty of time for each coat to dry. I have had some smudging issues with this colour in particular for some reason.

As with all the Gel colours I have tried so far from Avon, it lasts well and has a good high shine finish. 

Another favourite is Very Berry, a rich raspberry/plum colour. Another one that I tend to have issues not spreading all over my fingers. That says more about the applicator than the actual product if I'm honest. 

Again it is prudent to leave a good gap between coats for this colour. Something about the plummy colours seem to need that extra layer to make is opaque and get that expensive and luxurious result. 

Now for a slightly brighter shade. Candy Apple. This one reminds me of Hull Fair. Going with Mum to walk around the rides, visiting the coconut shy and getting cinder toffee, toffee apples and the famous Brandy Snaps. Hull Fair is about the Waltzers and the food to my family. 

This is a rather iridescent colour, after the richer opaque colours, but the pop it gives you makes up for that. Wear it with a classic pin up look and you won't go far wrong.

My last favourite from the Avon Gel Finish range is the molten chocolate Mudslide. 

I have issues trying to put into words how much I love this colour. It is looks almost as if I have Galaxy Counters for finger nails. Good enough to eat. Probably not a good idea though. 

From my non Avon collection I have Tanya Burr's Midnight Sparkles. 

I loved the look of this when I ordered it from Superdrug online. It hasn't quite lived up to the promise. 

Again it's a dark plummy purple, more towards the blue side, with a light shimmer of blue, purple and red flecks. When I say light, I mean light. With a name like Midnight Sparkles I expected, well more sparkle. 

If I do away with that, it is a really nice colour. I've not had any issue with it chipping, it did however fade a little on the tips of my fingers. Probably down to the sheer amount of typing that I do, that and I am not precious about my hands. They go from cold to hot water, cook, clean, tinker about in my car, I don't give my nail varnishes an easy time of it. 

Midnight sparkles is another one that need more than one coat to make the most of it. 

My Nail Woes

Yes I'm back to trying to grow my nails again.

I have spotted some fabulous nail art that I want for Halloween, the sticking point it that they need to be long enough to carry a French polish and some decoration as well. These are not them, I will post them when I have them finished! So patient my little ones.

source: beautysweetspot.com

The fight is on.

The best way I have found to keep my nails stronger, and help the growing process is to use nail varnish.

I've tried a couple this week. But for some reason I just couldn't get them to apply quite right.

I used a neon pink by Avon which didn't so much chip off as flake off like dandruff, and a yellow by Rimmel London that I couldn't for the life of me get to go on evenly. After 4 coats I gave it up as a bad job.

Rimmel London's I Love Lasting Finish in Cute as a Kitten Heel

The one colour I did get to go on seemed to wear off and fade at the tip.

It's been a strange old week nail wise, not helped that a whole 30 mins after booking my appointment for the manicure (yes I'm getting it done professionally for a change - Thanks Gemma!) one of my decent nails just tore off in my hair.

I can already see some of my other longer nails showing wear and tear too, it's going to be a nerve wrecking month until I get my bum in the salon's chair.

Rimmel London's Salon Pro Nail Colour in Oyster Pink

There is a bit of a hang nail problem going on there too. I foresee hand cream arriving back on my desk in the office and being introduced into my bathroom and handbag once again.

Gosh being a girl is tiring. These are just nails!

10 Things To Do...

In your lunch break. 

Since returning to work I've been looking for things that I can do during my lunch break to make sure I actually leave my desk and take that break. I only get 30min but if your luckier and get that full hour just think what you could get up to!

1. Take a stroll. The weather is getting better and it sure as heck feels good to break free from your desk, even for just 15 mins. 

2. Nip to the shops. If you are lucky enoiugh tot be in the centre of a bigger town or near a city centre bo to a chemist, department store or even a supermarket and pick up a new lip gloss, lipstick, eyeshadow or even mascara. It doesn't need to cost the earth, but it will brighten up your day. 

3. Me time. Book yourself a treatment. Getting your eyebrows tamed takes no time at all. Or if you have a slightly longer have an appointment a tthe hairdressers for a treatment and blow dry. 

4. Getting handsy. If you can get the space, give yourself a mini manicure. Pop a bright nail varnish into your bag and liven up your fingertips at lunch. 

5. Every day is a school day. Try and learn something new, a skill or  a craft. I'm a crochet fan, so I sometimes hook at lunch, your could knit, start to learn a new language, take up puzzles. 

6. Go on holiday. Well not a full one. Plan a virtual break, where would you go, what would you do, what would you like to do, where would you stay/eat... I think you get my drift. Dream big. Pinterest is a great site to do this on. 

7. Embrace your smartphone. Most of us have a smartphone these days, pop some earbuds in your bag and you can catch up on some vlogs, a tutorial or even a tag video using YouTube.  

8. Take a picnic. Pack a nice lunch and meet a friend for a picnic lunch in a local park. 

9. Eat out. Instead of your normal packed lunch, get out and visit a local eaterie and have a nice lunch. Your sandwich is always going to be there tomorrow. 

10. Novel idea. Read a book, obviously not a whole one but you could squeeze in a chapter or two depending on the length of them. Have you a book that you've always wanted to read, but you never seem to have the time at home anymore? Lunch breaks are the perfect in for a blossoming reading habit. 

My Nail Woes: Avon Gel Finish Nailwear

So I've not spoken about my nails recently.

Right now they are looking pretty good, even if I do say so myself. (What's the bet that I've just jinxed them right there?)

What have I been doing to them this time? Not much if I'm honest. Increased typing seems to have helped them grow. The constant tapping also appears to have made them that bit stronger too.

I've also been using the new Gel Finish Nailwear by Avon (available from Campaign 8). I've been loving the nude colour of Barely There. It lends to the look of a muted French Manicure which I adore.

I have been lucky enough, as a consultant, to be able to try several of the colours. So far out of the 11 I got to do some Wel Gel events this one is my favourite, and at just £3.50 on it's introductory offer it's a real steal; full price it will be £7 and I believe still worth every penny.

The Barely There is easy to apply, and dries to a high shine with no streaks surprisingly quickly.

The best bit that I have found about these Gel Finish colours is their durability.

I don't particularly look after my manicures after I have done them, I get up to all sorts. However the staying power is astonishing, I've not managed to chip a colour without major effort, in my case it was wrenching go-karts in and out of a lock-up container.

From the other colours I have tried the stand outs have been Candy Apple, an almost transparent neon red, I found this one needed a couple of coats. Red as Roses, Mauvelous and Berrylicous all had great staying power.

I also loved the richness of Mudslide. I hope to try and mix it with Glimmer - a gold colour to see what happens, I have heard mixed reports on this though.

Overall, I'm loving this new product. The one downside... once you take the bottle from the box, there is no name on the bottle to refer back to. So quite a small downside, but noticable - especially if you are planning on going down the party route.

What's In My Bag?

This is my current bag, I'm using it for work and generally live out of it. It is the Storm Cabin Bag in a fantastic teal patent. I love it. It will be available to buy through Avon during Campaign 8. 

I have so much in here, as you are about to find out. 

Microfibre cloth, this is mainly for cleaning my glasses now, it used to be for wiping down the windscreen in my car!

My father-in-law's kindle. It's filled with books, including a pre-release I'm reading for an online book club I work with. 

My purse, I got this for my birthday last year from work. I absolutely love it. 

Giant notepad and pen. I never go anywhere without one. If I don't write my ideas down when I have them, poof they're gone never to be thought of again. 

Body lotion and fragrance spray, in my current favourite Apricot and Shea scent. I love it so much, I've even ordered the shampoo and conditioner now. 

These are my inhalers, got to love being asthmatic. I don't use them often but they need to be there. 

Mini make-up bag, hand sanitiser, tissues and face powder.

Hello Kitty first aid bits, paracetamol, plasters, safety pins. And my favourite perfume.

Apart from 2 loose pennies, that's the main section empty!

Now for the little inside pouch.

Dental floss, fruit knife (me and apples don't get on!), little mirror and my daily vitamins & anti-histamines. Also extra hayfever tablets in case I have an allergic reaction. And a biscuit leftover from a coffee I had last week. 

In the front pocket of the bag I keep my 2 phones. The world's worst Blackberry and a back up android that I use for apps and watching YouTube! A USB charger and some ear buds.

This is my mini manicure set, I picked it up from a poundshop and added in the orange stick - love those for cleaning my nails out on the go, and the tictac box I keep my kirby grips/bobby pins in. Top tip there!

So that is what I have in my bag. 

Nail Woes: Update

If you spotted my Something Fishy post you'll have seen my nails were finally getting to a decent length.

Alas, not long after that photo was taken a couple of them broke... now I've managed to cut them all down to a similar length and the splitting that was wrecking them is starting to only effect a couple of nails now.

I have started to use Avon's Diamond Strengthening Complex and Nail Experts 24k gold strength. Apart from the residual dye from my hair tinting the nail they're starting to look good again.

I apply the Diamond Complex after removing my nail varnish, I apply it to the cuticle area and the nail bed then massage it in, which - I am informed - encourages nail growth.

I seem to have been having much more success with the 24k gold treatment than with the pearl shine. It both protects and has a much longer durability than the Pearl Shine. You get a nice golden shimmer too which means that you can use it as your daily polish or as an undercoat.

I've also been carry around my current favourite hand cream also by Avon. It has a fresh apricot scent which isn't overpowering and sits happily in my handbag. I like it that much I'm considering getting a second one for my desk at work.

Overall, I'm really happy with how my nails are looking right now, hopefully it won't be long until I can embrace my nail wraps and more intricate nail art again.

Nail Art: Something Fishy

What is your secret weapon in your nail art arsenal?

Mine is acrylic paint.

I add a layer of base coat to my nails to avoid staining.

Then using my nail art brushes I mix the colour I want then slowly begin to build up the colour in layers, until I get a nice opaque look.

This time I decided a fishy look would be fun.

So I mixed up a little orange and fashioned myself a goldfish.

The rest of the nails I then added spots for bubbles in white and a light blue.

I finished the look with a couple of coats of top coat which gave it a glossy finish.

Silent Sunday

Nail Woes #2

So we are at the end of week 1. 

I have been using the Avon Pearl Shine now for a week. 

I'm loving the pretty pale pink shimmer that it gives you. However, I'm finding that I need to reapply on a daily basis. It isn't keen on people washing up, or even cleaning, using your hands for anything apart from sleeping. 

I have found that if you don't use rubber gloves that the polish starts to bubble, if you do much else it starts to not so much chip and wear off on the tips, which is wear you need the most protection. Especially as I'm growing out some major splits. 

One thing I have noticed though is the speed in which my nails have grown this week. I don't know whether or not that is down to the Avon product or just co-incidence. 

My Nail Woes

Over December I had some fabulous nail art going on.

Since January they've done nothing but split and peel. I've never had this problem before.

So I have taken it upon myself to cut my nails right back, and will use an arsenal of Avon nail care products as I grow them out again.

This is my starting point.

Short and stubby.

The first product I'll be using is Pearl Shine.

Let's hope that my nails grow back fast, and strong, I'm not keen on this lack of nails nonsense. I don't wear them exceedingly long, but I do like the pads of my fingers to have a little bit of protection.

What products do you use to keep your nails in tip top condition?

Nail Art: Festive Foils

After the success of the Avon Candy Cane nail stickers I ordered a selection of nail stickers from eBay.

First up I chose these foils. My eye was drawn to the doves on the end. Sadly my nails are not long enough to reach those... in some cases they weren't even long enough for the 2nd pattern either.

They were really tricky take off their backing - which I'm sure is a good sign for the promised 11 day wear. Alas this didn't seem to transfer as well to my nail.

I'm starting to wonder if my nails are a tad on the curved side, as this is an issue I also had with the Avon stickers. Even using a cuticle pusher I still had some ripples and bubbles where the foil refused to adhere to my nail bed correctly.

So I took the 2 smallest stickers and added them to my pinkie finger nails and gave the rest a couple of coats of Barbara Daly nail polish in Scarlet. I think it works rather well.

I doubt I'll be buying foils for my fingernails, however I am still willing to try them on my toenails as I know that they are much flatter across the board and probably a much better canvas for the product.

Christmas Nails

I bought these nail stickers from Avon quite a while ago when they were on offer.



Question is... did mine look like this after I stuck them on? How easy are they to apply? How long will they last and look good for?

So far I have had mine on for 5 days. They've not exactly been looked after... That is once I got them on.

As directed I cleaned and dried my nails. Chose the appropriate-sized sticker for each nail and trimmed them to fit. I peeled the strong plastic backing off and attached the thin sticker to the nail. They went on easily with little bubbling and smoothed out well. Then as directed, I smoothed it over the end of my nail and then filed the ends of to shape to fit.

I did this for both hands. It was quick and easy and looked really good.

Then I had a couple of problems with the left hand. It appears that on the batch I got there was a lack of glue. Some of the stickers just slid off my fingers. So I cleaned my nails with acetone and did a little buffing/scuffing up of the nail bed and reapplied 3 stickers. This seems to have done the trick they've not budged much since then.

So what sort of wear have I had? Well, there was the party on Saturday night, not counting the accidental scorching the palm of my right hand on my turning tongs. Ouch... lots of holding under cold water ran over that hand, followed by drying then repeating, I washed up (without the aid of rubber gloves) after a party for 20 children! I've done the usual mum thing of picking up, cleaning and other generalness.

Now they look like this...

I've really enjoyed this style of nail covering. No drying time, no clean up afterwards. Even better no fumes, I have a highly sensitive nose.

I already have some other nail stickers added to my next Avon order, not to mention some others I have found on eBay too.

You can buy these stickers here in the current campaign