Avon Matte Nail Enamel in Violetta

Here's the last of the Avon mattes that I bought as a BOGO, Violetta.











I did two coats of the Violetta, but you can see by the fourth picture I should've done a third coat. I didn't get it on very even because I was coughing like crazy, and still cotton swab-less to clean up the splatter.

This had some similarities to the Red Velvet - it had some shimmer, this time a pinkish/blue-violet shimmer. The finish wasn't really matte, but more satin. But this shade worked for me. I know, I know, you're all thinking it's because it's purple and I love purple. That's not it. This shade worked as a satin finish, whereas the Red Violet was just off. Violetta's shimmer was much more apparent when wet, but wasn't easily visible once it dried. It gave the shade some depth that it wouldn't have had without, whereas with the Red Velvet the shimmer just looked out of place with the finish. Does that make sense?

Even though I used two coats, it had slightly better staying power than the Red Velvet. It started to flake off the next afternoon. What's left of it is still on as I type this.

Brush - meh. Went on nice and creamy, a decent brush would go a long way for a more even application, but so would not coughing every 2 seconds. I'll use this polish again, definitely.

Avon Matte Nail Enamel in Red Velvet

I purchased the other two matte Avon nail enamel shades as a BOGO.



The Red Velvet - look closely and you can see gold shimmer






I used three coats & took the pics on the 23rd, in between coughing fits. I didn't even have any cotton swabs to clean up all the splatter. It did peel off within a couple of hours, after doing some routine household cleaning.

It's got some teeny golden flecks in it, which are nice, and I guess it's to give it a little dimension or pizazz or whatever. It's supposed to be matte, but I'd use the word satin to describe it, not matte. A glossy sheer coat on top would probably help, since it looked really nice wet. Once it dried, not so much. It seems like during the manufacturing process, someone forgot to push that last button to add in the ingredient(s) to make it regular enamel with a glossier finish. It doesn't seem like it was meant to be matte. But with the flaking off issue, some sort of top coat or finishing coat really would be needed, so it kinda throws the whole matte out the window anyway, unless there's a matte top coat out there :0

Don't get me wrong, I love a good red polish, and prefer darker reds like this. I wanted to like it, but it's just not making me happy. I can't pinpoint what it is, but I will play around with it anyway.

Brush is the usual Avon brush, which I'm not a fan of. Polish went on nice & creamy, but overall I wouldn't buy this one again.

Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light

I was flipping channels one day last week and saw a few minutes of Tarte on QVC. This was the first time I've ordered from QVC and was surprised to discover the items I ordered were not available either at Sephora or from Tarte's website. I don't know how long QVC gets the exclusive on these items. QVC also has video clips of the products if you want to learn how to use them. Here's the page for the concealer, just click the "video" tab right above the item's picture.



My order arrived within a couple of days, but I've been sick and haven't done much lately. Here's the concealer.



It came with the brush, choice of Light, Fair, Tan, Medium, or Deep. I went with the Light, assuming that it wouldn't be the best shade for me but also assuming I could work with it. $24.50 plus the shipping.

I put a small amount of concealer on my arm




then used the brush to blend it




this pic is slightly blurry but the color looks most true to life on me


It is a little too dark on me, slightly too warm / peachy / beige / IDK. This shade would likely work on most fair skinned ladies, but those of us who are a shade lighter than fair know everyone else's idea of fair isn't quite ours.

It takes a bit of a squeeze to get it out of the tube, which worried me. I was afraid it wouldn't blend well, but it's a nice consistency and easily blendable using the brush. The maracuja oil doesn't feel greasy or oily on my skin, but keep in mind my skin is seriously dry, and after battling a cold for a week, I'm in hyperdry. Oily skinned ladies might want to seek out a sample before buying a whole tube.

I didn't use this for my undereye circles, because I need a pink concealer. I did use this on the apples of my cheeks, where my rosacea is the worst. Although it wasn't the right shade to really disappear into my skin, the darker, more-yellow-than-my-skin concealer did minimize the redness. I wouldn't be able to wear the concealer alone, but under foundation it worked fine. Very little product is needed, so this tube should last me a long time.

I normally use Illamasqua cream foundation on those very red areas, but am hoping the maracuja oil in this Tarte concealer will help with my dry skin. I guess time will tell.

All in all, a good product and worth it, even if the shade isn't quite a match.

Avon Matte Nail Enamel in Black as Night

Here's the Black as Night matte enamel. The matte shades were BOGO, so for $5 I got both the gray and black.



inside no flash


outside no flash


outside with flash


outside with flash


Like the Gray Cement, it went on creamy and shiny, but quickly dried to a matte finish. I really like this. The matte is definitely interesting, although somehow I doubt a matte black polish is a big seller for the typical Avon customer. They ought to market as a Halloween special.

Avon Matte Nail Enamel in Gray Cement

I bought all four matte nail enamel shades since they were buy one get one free. Here's Gray Cement.



inside no flash


outside no flash


outside with flash


outside no flash


I couldn't get an "inside with flash" picture because the flash completely washed out the color.

It's been a long time since I've used a matte nail polish, and I kinda like it. I don't think it's something most women would, certainly not the color nor the matte. But it's a nice gothy look, and probably would work well for those of you who like to use multiple shades to create patterns and designs.

The brush leaves a bit to be desired, but works well enough. One coat gave me a nice even coverage, two coats darkened it up and made sure any spots I missed were filled in. Goes on creamy and shiny, but quickly dries to a matte finish. Not for everyone, but definitely interesting.