Avon Haul and First Impressions: Campaigns 11 & 12 2014

Hi again!  It's been a rough few weeks as I approach our little one's due date (any day now!) so I haven't had much energy for blogging.  But I did pick up a few things that I'd love to share with you, so here they are!

White Double-Band Lightweight Wedge in size 10

Of course, the week I purchased these is the week my feet decided to do the pregnancy swell!  Thankfully I got to wear them a couple of days so I know that they fit well and they are comfortable.  Very lightweight as the name indicates, and the silver studs are cute but not too flashy.  I usually avoid white shoes since they get dirty so fast out here, but these are all synthetic materials so they will clean up with a wet wipe nicely.  Great for spring and definitely summer -- love them already!


Extra Lasting Eyeshadow Inks in Totally Taupe, Infinite Teal, and Gold Gleam

I was so excited to find out that Avon was making a long-wear eye shadow in a pot!  Something like the eye pencils that I love so much but in a little jar like the Color Tattoos or Paintpots.  I ordered 3 of the 6 available shades with high expectations.  As you can see in the photo, I have already been playing with them quite a bit!  (More on that in a minute.*)  However...these are not the same formula as the pencils; they are much more sheer and "powdery."  This can be a good or a bad thing, depending on what you like in a shadow.  On the one hand, you won't scare yourself with an accidental overdose of color -- great for those who easily apply too much makeup and then have to remove the excess.  On the other hand, it takes time and effort to build up and work with the product to get a desired look.  "Ink"?  Not so much.

The directions say to apply to eyelid with a fingertip, but I prefer a brush (this is Avon's Ergonomic Cream Eyeshadow Brush) to apply and then blend with my fingers, so I swatched them both ways for you.

Left to right: Totally Taupe, Infinite Teal, Gold Gleam.  The top row is swatched with my finger only, two passes (no primer or base as usual).  The bottom row is a rather heavy application with the brush.  Totally Taupe is almost a dark gray and shimmery, although I was hopeful that it would be matte.  Infinite Teal is a shimmery bright teal, what I would call a "golden" teal.  Gold Gleam is pretty sheer pigment-wise, but densely packed with champagne shimmer so it is very reflective.

As you can see, it is possible to build up each of the colors.  For reasons of skin texture, it is much harder to do this on my eye lids than on the back of my hand!  (*I did find that when I dug with my brush a little below the surface of the product, it seemed to be just a touch softer.  So maybe there's a sort of "crust" or layer that forms on top, making it less creamy and pigmented.)

As for longevity, I wore the teal the other day as an eye liner and it stayed put without primer until I took it off a good 18+ hours later.  Not bad!  I would say that these are easier to remove than the pencils -- again, good or bad depending on your needs and preferences.  If I were to wear some makeup to the pool or beach, for example, I would probably still choose the pencils.

Josette over at Makeup by Jo did a great video review on her shades as well -- check it out!
(UPDATE: Jo mentioned that the shadows "balled up" when using a brush and I couldn't agree more although I forgot to comment on it.  It's almost like they flake like a regular powder eye shadow.  So weird and NOT like a cream shadow!  Do seriously go watch her video because she also does some perfect comparisons to the other Avon shadows!)

Extra Lasting Lip Stain + Balm in Tango

I love the look of a lip stain.  It just seems younger and more natural to me!  I chose the shade Tango to try because I'm trying to get into the orange/coral lip trend (turns out it's actually more flattering than I imagined it to be!).

This is one of those products that has the stain marker on one end and a lightweight, moisturizing balm on the other.  I really love the shade -- it's very pretty on.  There's no obvious scent from either end except a bit of a sweet "marker-y" smell from the color side -- which fades fast.

My only complaint is that even though it claims to be non-drying, I find it to be very drying on my lips, even with the balm!  I have somewhat sensitive lips though, so this might not be the case for everyone.  I would wear it all the time if not for that.  Also: being that this is a lighter shade, without the balm it washes away quite easily:

So you may have to reapply after eating/a few hours/if you lick your lips frequently, etc.

That's all for now!  Have you tried any of these?  Let me know what you think!
 

All thoughts stated in this post are my own, honest opinions.  I have not been compensated to review these products, and all were purchased by me with my own money. 
Note: I submit my Avon order every other campaign.  This means that I receive products from two campaigns at once, but half as often as the regular timetable.