AVON Nail Experts

This was the stuff I was talking about in my previous post.   AVON Liquid Freeze Quick Dry Spray.   I've had this bottle forever and cannot recall how much I paid for it.  Probably $1.99 no doubt on a sale.  It works quite well.  I usually let my nails semi-dry for a bit, maybe 5 minutes.  I've tried it sooner and the paint will bubble up slightly so I have found 5 minutes works well.  It contains mineral oil in it, not sure how you feel about that.  Many tend to stay away from mineral oil.  But it is super moisturizing for the cuticles and it's one less step. 

My first NOTD!

My fingers look shiny because I had sprayed some AVON Nail Experts Liquid Freeze Quick Dry Spray.  It's a great cuticle moisturizer as well.  It dries the nails super quick too.  You still need to be bit careful.  I mean you don't want to smash your fingers on the table just after application. 

This was my first time using Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro as well.  Talk about a one coat wonder.  I did end up putting on a second coat anyway but if you are in a hurry, one coat would work.  It has the wider brush which I have tried before with another brand and was unsure about, but it really works with this formula.  Three swipes per nail with a steady hand and you are done. 

The color pictured above is Steel Grey.  It's a lovely greyish purple.  The picture is taken in front of my diningroom window in the morning light.  This is a gorgeous color, perfect for fall.  Well perfect for any season really.  I picked this up at CVS BOGO with a coupon.  Wish I had another coupon!  I could pick up another All You mag.  I hope you all subscribe to the magazine.  The coupons are usually pretty amazing.  Well worth the subscription price of $1 and some change.  These nail polishes are quite affordable at $3.99 a piece so the coupon saved me $3.99.  Retail I think the magazine is around $3.99.  So basically it paid for itself but I have used other coupons from that issue as well.  Love coupons!!!

Lancome vs. Estee Lauder

A while back I splurged and purchased Estee Lauder's Double Wear Light in Intensity 1.0.  I love everything about it!  The texture, the coverage, the fact that it is light and it stays matte all day long!  However, it is just too yellow for my skin.  I was going to try the 2.0 which the woman at the counter and I thought would have more pink, but alas, it was too dark.  So disappointing!  So thankfully they let me return it.  I tried it 3 times.  If I used just a hint, it was perfect, but we all have those days when we need a tad bit more coverage and the yellow was just too much to bare!  Unfortunately it is the lightest shade so there are no other options for me in the Double Wear Light.

So when I went back to Macy's a lovely gal re-introduced me to Lancome.  Now I was a huge Lancome fan back in the day.  Lancome was the only mascara I would wear.  So she sent me home with a 10 day supply of Teint Idole Fresh Wear in Ivory 2C.  The foundation is more runny, great description, it's thinner than the Lancome, which I did not like at first.  And of course, one again, YELOW!  Ugh.  So frustrating.  I should go back and try the Ivory 1C.  My face feels baby soft with the Teint Idole.  The coverage is pretty light.  I do like Double Wear Light a little better in that respect.

Will I ever find a foundation that matches my complexion?  Any suggestions???

This week's empties...

51.  Yves Rocher the vert serenity body wash
52.  Plantidote™ Mega-Mushroom Face Serum sample
53.  GinZing™ Refreshing eye cream to brighten and depuff sample
54.  e.l.f. Mineral Infused Face Primer  (has anyone noticed that this stuff goes extremely fast, like the bottle is only half filled???  I think it needs to be in a squeeze tube.)
55.  Botanic Spa Fresh Up Cold Cream
56.  Nivea Water Lily Shower Gel (travel size)
57.  Garnier UltraiLift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Moisturizer sample
58.  Purity Made Simple one-step facial cleansing cloth
59.  Bioré® Makeup Removing Towelette
60.  Phytum Hair Care Nutrition Replenshing Shampoo
61.  Phytum Hair Care Nutrition Replenshing Conditioner
62.  Yves Rocher Honeysuckle Refreshing Body Wash

63.  Nivea Touch of Water Lily Hydrating Shower Gel

CVS HAUL!!!

I know, I know, I'm not supposed to be spending any money during my Project 100 Pan.  I was so good though!  I had coupons and Extra Care Bucks from a shampoo and diaper purchase, I just couldn't let those go to waste now could I?

So here's the skinny on my purchases.  I had a BOGO coupon for Rimmel Nail Polish from the latest All You magazine.  I picked up Steel Grey and Midnight Blue.  So $3.99 for 2. I had a $1 off coupon for Nivea Happiness which has an absolutely divine scent that I have reviewed before.  CVS was offering $1 off as well.  It's a bonus size and came with a travel size shower gel in Touch of Water Lily.  So the lotion came to $5.99.    I also picked up some L'OREAL Magic Perfecting Base which I have reviewed as well.  It was $12.99 but I had a $2 off coupon and L'OREAL was BOGO 1/2 off and I spied a Felt Tip Liquid Liner in Mineral Grey for 75% off so $2.12.  CVS was offering ECB's on a $10 Milani purchase so I grabbed an Infinite Liquid Liner in Endless which looked to me to be a purple and an eyeshadow in Black Out. 

I will swatch everything out soon.  In addition, I had a $5 off $25 CVS purchase and the $15 ECBs so my total out of pocket expense was... drumroll please... $14.57.  And I will have $3 ECBs for another purchase.  So $11.57.  Well I guess that isn't that great but 7 (8 if you include the shower gel  lol)  products for around $1.65 a piece, looking at it that way, I did pretty well!  Yay!

Protect your investment

Every beauty product should be treated as an investment in yourself.  Hair color is no exception.  Should be a no-brainer because of the expense.  Even that $10 hair color bought at the grocer adds up.  There are so many products on the market right now that claim to enhance your color, maintain your color, wash the brass away...  I was tempted to try AVON's new line.  I might pick it up eventually.

I change my hair color a couple times a year, pretty drastically at that.  Right now, it's blonde, a few months before that brown, a few months before that and the past couple of years varying shades of dark brown and red.  Right now I'm close to my true hair color.

Now that I have gone the blonde route again after a 3 year hiatus, I went back to John Frieda.  The company has a color enhancing formula, a purple shampoo that guarantees to keep the brass at bay.  I've been using it for about 2 and a half weeks and no hint of brass.  So if I can keep this color lasting 2-3 weeks longer than the 4-6 weeks, I will cut down on my yearly hair dying upkeep.  Money saved! 

The shampoo and conditioner will run you $8.99 a piece.  I was able to score mine with a $1 off coupon and $5 Extra Care Bucks at CVS.  So it cost me around $12 for the both of them.  I use the shampoo every other to every 2 days so I'm hoping they will last until the next CVS Extra Care Bucks sale.

Bottomline, by protected and keeping your hair investment looking fresh longer, you will save in the long run.

EcoTools Look Gorgeous, Love Green Campaign

Everyone knows about this program right?  You send in some products and Ecotools sends you coupons to try theirs.  Well I forgot all about it.  I meant to do this months ago and sure enough, they are still have the offer.

So they want you to swap your supplies.  We all have some things laying around that we didn't like, that we are not ever going to use anymore because they are a fail etc...  Here are the products/supplies EcoTools will swap for a coupon to try their brand:

To encourage women to get gorgeously green with their beauty routine, EcoTools will collect used cosmetic brushes and bath + body care products to swap them for an EcoTools alternative. The Look Gorgeous, Love Green Campaign strives to show women that EcoTools will keep them stunning – and sustainable.




Examples of items to swap include:


•makeup brushes


•body washes and scrubs


•body lotions/butters


•hand creams


•body mists


•bath sponges
 
I'm sending in two bath sponges.  I've been wanting to try EcoTools forever.  I have even had brushes in my cart before on more than one occasion.  So I'm ready to take the EcoTool plunge!
 

The address to send your products to:

Look Gorgeous, Love Green Campaign
c/o Skirt Public Relations
2320 N. Damen Ave., #2D
Chicago, IL 60647

They are limiting it to 2 coupons per household which is quite reasonable.  You send in 2 products and they send you two coupons for $7.99.


Here is the link.