July 2017 – Beauty Playbox

AVON Shine Burst Lipsticks in Calypso and Strawberry Blush

AVON lipsticks and I haven’t been getting along for quite some time. From complete misrepresentation of colour in the catalogues to hellishly drying formulas, it just wasn’t working out. But on the greater interwebs I read a complimentary review on their new Shine Burst lipstick line. I trusted this blogger and decided to risk it. One of the things that I found most attractive, funnily enough, was sheer coverage. I’m a serious fan of full-coverage matte liquid lipsticks, but even I want to take a break from them and use something light.

So. What have I got to say about them?

Calypso is a cold pink that, to my eye, has got just a touch of lilac in it.

Strawberry Blush has got quite an apt name. The colour is indeed reminiscent of a light strawberry blush. Both colours have shimmer in it, but it’s much more apparent in Strawberry Blush.

As I understand, the entire Shine Burst line (also called Gloss Sticks) is separated into 4 colour categories, which is reflected in its packaging. All the bullets are chrome metallic; they come in pink, red, copper, and purple, respectively. The two colours I own come from pink and red categories.

Although my disposition towards them was quite sceptical, I fell in love with Calypso from the get go. A sheer coverage, no visible shimmer. The colour looks great with my favourite lip pencil as a base, but on its own it, too, is amazing. A great every day colour that is also good for evening time. Upon a closer look, you can see just the tiniest amount of shimmer in the tube, but it is unreadable on the lips.

Strawberry Blush gives a ‘thoroughly kissed’ effect on me. I love this effect very much, and if it weren’t for shimmer, it could be that I would’ve loved Strawberry Blush even more than I love Calypso. Unfortunately shimmer, besides everything else, also affects the texture of the lipstick. Compared to Calypso, which feels like a really luxurious balm, Strawberry Blush is a bit… chalky. That description is offputting, but don’t let that stop you – both of these lipsticks do not feel drying. They are a pleasure to wear, especially during winter.

I’ve only got two negative things to say about AVON Shine Burst lipsticks. One is the amount of product – 1.8 g only. I’ve already used up about 1/3 of both Calypso and Strawberry Blush, though I can’t say that I’ve been using it more often than my other current favourites.

Another point is they tend to bleed outside of the lip line during summer. The formula is rather creamy and sheer. They are not long-lasting in the slightest, so during the hotter days make sure you use a clear or nude lip pencil with AVON Shine Burst lipsticks.

However I did like both of these AVON Shine Burst lipsticks quite a lot. When I run out of either of these, I will definitely repurchase it. Some other colours in the line have also sparked my interest (Peach Punch, Iced Mocha…) but since I’m saving money this year, I don’t quite know when I will get my hands on them.

What’s your take on AVON lipsticks?

Oriflame Volare Perfume

I am not the one to throw around statements beginning with ‘every woman wants’. Every woman is different, I’ve got no idea what all y’all ladies want – aside from less bullshit and more respect.

But.

Every woman wants a crystal rose on their vanity.

I’ve got three.

Okay, well, two. One of them is gold.

My relationship with Oriflame Volare started by proxy – it was my grandmother’s favourite perfume to give to my mother. Since then the perfume bottle has gone through a couple of redesigns. I am not sure how many there were in total, but I believe the rose-shaped bottle is the third version. At least, it’s the third design I own. I’ve included the two previous incarnations of Oriflame Volare for reference.

Together with the bottle, Oriflame has altered the scent. From where I stand, the third incarnation of Oriflame Volare EDP is lighter and easier to wear, but I know there are a lot of people out there who disagree with me.

Volare EDP

As you might just guess by the shape of the bottle, Volare certainly has notes of rose in it. They’re on top for me, shifting to leather rather quickly, and then moving on to something woody. This is the perfume I wear when I want to play grown-up. It is a very ‘have to be in the mood’ scent for me. I have to really feel it to wear it.

If you quickly flip through some Fragrantica reviews (old/ new), you will see that the scent of Oriflame Volare EDP is quite polarising. Some people hate it, some people love it. I find it classic and beautiful, undoubtedly partially influenced by the bottle. Though I like it and use it, I don’t think it suits me well.

Volare Forever

One of the recent variations of Oriflame Volare. Still very rosy, but a lighter kind of rose. Whenever I scent this, I think of a big bouquet of white roses. This time around it shifts into citrus, and then goes into something a bit musky and a touch aquatic. Volare Forever is lighter and therefore easier to wear than the Volare EDP above, but still requires a certain mood from me.

Volare Gold EDP

Released to celebrate Oriflame‘s 50 year anniversary, Volare Gold has notes of peach, rose, and salted caramel. Again, you can certainly scent the rose, and I suppose the underlying sweetness that is so attractive for me in this perfume is peach.

I have a peculiar relationship with sweet perfumes. I love them – but they need to be, in my understanding, properly done. For example, I love nearly all Escada perfumes. They’re sweet as all fuck, but man I could bathe in them. What I would do for a bottle of Rockin’ Rio or Magnetism just about now, you have no idea.

And I love peach. One of my favourite scents is easily the least sophisticated one out there – Victoria’s Secret Love Spell, I’m looking at you. Again, I could just bathe in it.

Oriflame Volare Gold reminds me of both Rockin’ Rio and Love Spell. It is heavier than either of those, with rose still being the main accord, but Volare Gold is indeed my favourite one out of the three perfumes in the Oriflame Volare line. It is a little too heady for the blasted heat of Moldovan summer days, but I can picture myself wearing it on a cooler summer evening, preferably somewhere close to a big body of water, or a gentle spritz or two to the ~~Arctic~~ conditioned office.

Volare Magnolia

I have a teeny tiny bottle of Volare Magnolia, a limited edition Volare scent in the second incarnation packaging. My bottle – as any bottle out there, really – is old. Directly from it, these days I mostly scent rubbing alcohol in it. However on my body it opens up rather nicely. It is a very light scent, lightest of them all, and reminds me of walks under the blossoming trees during the warmer days of spring.

Volare EDP 15 ml

Although supposedly the same scent as the Volare EDP above, this tiny bottle smells different. To my nose it’s much more powdery and quite ‘older’ than the rose-shaped bottle of Oriflame Volare EDP.

Have you tried either of these?