I have only a handful of affordable brands which I actually trust with my lipsticks – Bourjois, NYX and Avon being some of them. There's something about an occasional lipstick treat that doesn't cost an arm and a leg that gives me butterflies at the bottom of my belly. Well, a new lipstick launch has given me those amorous butterflies again and I feel compelled to show those beauties here. Avon Ultra Color Indulgence lipsticks are a new lipstick range advertised on Irina Shayk's luscious lips – reason to run off and buy every.single.shade. However, let's see how these spring blossom-inspired colors look on your regular pout? Ultra Color Indulgence range is created with soft, hydrated lips in mind and they're wax-free. Instead, we have a lightweight gel texture to smooth and beautify lips and with 20 shades at your disposal – I think choosing just one or two can be overwhelming. I have five shades out of which I have two absolute favorites, one solid shade and two ‘meh’ ones. I'll start with the packaging. I always am fond of pretty, simple and chic black lipstick bullets but these were especially prone to fingerprints and dust. It was near impossible to get decent, non-dirty photos so have this in mind. Casing is made out of plastic but seems robust enough to survive falls, punches and key scratches – I even dropped them on the floor a couple of times and the lipstick was chip-free. They're sturdy and reliable but not the most pretty on the market.
Postoji samo par brendova pristupacnijeg ranga kojima u potpunosti povjeravam brigu o ruzevima za usne – Bourjois, NYX i Avon su neki od tih brendova. Mislim da postoji neka car u povremenom cascenju lijepim ruzem koji ne kosta pola mjesecnog budzeta. Takva mala iznenadjenja i ugadjanja svakako da prijaju dusi a jedan novitet mi cak izmamio one leptirice u stomacicu, kada se zaljubimo. Avon Ultra Color Indulgence ruzevi za usne (trenutno na ponudi kostaju 5,90KM a inace 13,90KM) su novitet koji krasna Irina Shayk reklamira na svojim punim usnama – sasvim legitiman razlog zbog kojeg bi svaka od nas pozeljela nabaviti sve.i.jednu.nijansu. No vjerujem da nas sve zanima kako ovi ruzevi izgledaju i na ‘obicnim’ usnama, zar ne? Ultra Color Indulgence ruzevi su kreirani za postizanje mekanih, hidratiziranih usana i ne sadrze voskove. Umjesto njih imamo laganu gelastu formulaciju koja zagladjuje i hidrira usne a sa 20 nijansi na raspolaganju – jasno mi je da odabir samo jedne ili dvije nijanse moze biti izuzetno tezak zadatak. Testirala sam pet nijansi medju kojima su mi se izdvojila dva favorita, jedna solidna i dvije nijanse koje su me ostavile relativno ravnodusnom. Zapocnimo od pakovanja. Oduvijek sam bila ljubiteljica jednostavnih sik pakovanja crne boje no ovu ruzevi su posebno skloni vidljivim otiscima prstiju i prasini. Bilo je gotovo nemoguce napraviti pristojnu fotku gdje ruzevi djeluju cisto tako da, imajte ovo na umu (pogotovo ako ste perfekcionista u vezi ovih stvari). Pakovanje je napravljeno od plastike no djeluje mi dovoljno robusno da izdrzi padove, udarce i grebanje kljucevima u torbi – cak su mi par puta pali sa police na pod i sadrzaj ruza uopste nije bio ostecen. Pakovanje je cvrsto i pouzdano ali mozda ne i najljepse, narocito nakon duzeg koristenja.
I'll walk you through my five shades (Red Tulip, Hibiscus, Pink Blossom, Tawny Rose & Royal Peony). Hands-down favorite out of this bunch is Tawny Rose – it's an exact dupe for Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Rosewood Shimmer (06). Now, this lip gloss/balm hybrid from Clarins is an icon, the most perfect lip balmy product any girl can dream of. And Tawny Rose by Avon is its exact dupe, at least color-wise. It's almost the exact color of my natural lip color and it's so smooth, creamy and truly indulgent as the lipstick name suggests. It doesn't make dry lines or flaky patches visible, it actually smoothes them over and the formula is light and pleasant indeed. This range has a medium strong sweet fruity scent and since all these lipsticks are very creamy, you instantly know that it'll affect the longevity. I get approx 2h, maybe 3h if I'm extra careful. My second fave is Royal Peony – it's actually a peachy/pink shade which looks perky and instantly enlivens the complexion. Along with Tawny Rose, it's a perfect every day lip choice (and goes well paired with a smokey-eye). Very creamy, light to medium pigmentation, light, soft and smoothing – I approve. Most reds from Avon I fall heads over heels with and Red Tulip is no exception. Such a juicy tomato red – it's a timeless classic and I think this is a shade that'll suit anyone and everyone (regardless of your skin tone). There's a catch though – due to the creaminess, it can ‘bleed’ a little outside of my lip line so I'll recommend using a lip liner beneath it. It also possesses a sheer quality that makes me think of candy lips. It's perfect for spring and summer when we wear a lighter make-up overall but it's not exactly a night out, high-impact red material.
Mislim da cu ruzeve najbolje docarati predstavljanjem svake od pet nijansi (Red Tulip, Hibiscus, Pink Blossom, Tawny Rose & Royal Peony). Meni najdraza i ubjedljivo najkvalitetnija nijansa je Tawny Rose – ovaj ruz je savrseni dupe za Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector u nijansi Rosewood Shimmer (06). Clarinsov hibrid sjajila i balzama za usne je ikona, najidealniji njegujuci proizvod za usne sa kojim sam se susrela i ukratko – san svake djevojke i zene. Avonov Tawny Rose je barem po pitanju nijanse njegov najvjerniji dupe (razlika u cijeni izmedju Clarinsa i Avona je znacajna). Nijansa odgovara prirodnoj boji mojih usana i tekstura je prekrasna. Mekana, kremasta i istinski ugodjaj za sva cula, kako naziv ove kolekcije i sugerise. Ne istice suhe dijelove niti fine linije te ih cak uspjesno zamaskira i jako je prijatan za nositi. Ovi ruzevi imaju srednje intenzivan slatkasto/vocni miris a posto im je tekstura jako kremasta, odmah znate da ce se to odraziti i na trajnost. Otprilike mi na usnama traju 2h, nekada i 3h ako sam pazljiva. Moj drugi favorit je nijansa Royal Peony – ovdje se ustvari radi o breskvasto/ruzicastoj nijansi koja jako lijepo izgleda na usnama i osvjezi ten. Uz Tawny Rose, ova nijansa je idealna za svakodnevni make-up (i jako se lijepo slaze uz smokey-eye). Jako kremasta, lagane do srednje pigmentacije, njezne i meke teksture, omeksava usne i zagladjuje ih – ima moju preporuku. Vecina crvenih Avon ruzeva od mene dobija najvece ocjene a Red Tulip nije izuzetak. Tako socna paradajz-crvena nijansa je bezvremenski klasik i pristaje svakome (bez obzira na podton koze). Ipak, postoji jedno ‘ali’ – zbog kremaste teksture, ova nijansa se pomalo uvlaci u borice po ivici usana i zato bih preporucila koristenje olovke za usne prije njenog nanosenja. Takodjer posjeduje odredjenu prozracnost zbog koje me na usnama podsjeca na slatkise od jagode. Idealan je ruz za proljece i ljeto kada nosimo uopsteno laganiju sminku ali nije bas idealan odabir za vecernji izlazak kada zelimo izrazito pigmentirane crvene usne.
Finally, we have two shades that resembled basic tinted lip balms too much for my taste that I simply felt indifferent towards them. Hibiscus is a cool toned pinky shade that'll look amazing with cool skin tones and I feel that it clashes a bit with my yellow undertone. It's of a part gel/part creamy texture and feels a tad lighter than previous three shades. It is also smoothing and soft and delicious to wear but it did gather a bit in my fine lines and dry, flaky bits. Pink Blossom is a warmer pinky hue and is quite universal and probably flattering on all skin tones. It shares the same problem with Hibiscus – it seeps into fine lines and my dry parts of lips seem to be more pronounced. To sum up, you can have a few things in mind. These are touted as lipsticks and I guess some of you might feel underwhelmed as we're all accustomed to high-impact pigmentation and vibrancy from our Avon lippies. However, the clue was in the gel-like texture claim and light colors inspired by blossom flowers of spring. You won't get crazy pigmentation but depending on the shade, you'll find light to medium opacity and a balmy, slightly sheeny finish. They have a lightweight and comfortable formula and the longevity is average due to the creaminess. I'd purchase Tawny Rose and Royal Peony in a heartbeat while I'm on the fence with Red Tulip. Maybe I prefer my reds to be bright and bold? In that case, I'll stick to my Avon Ultra Color Bold lipstick in Ruby Shock.
Napokon, dolazimo do dvije nijanse koje su me toliko podsjetile na svakodnevne balzame u boji da sam naprosto ostala na njih ravnodusna. Hibiscus je ruzicasta nijansa izrazito hladnog podtona i mislim da ce sjajno pristajati damama svjetlijeg i hladnijeg podtona koze. Na mom zuckastom tenu mi djeluje pomalo neprirodno. Djelimicno je gelaste a djelimicno kremaste teksture i nesto je laganiji od prethodna tri ruza koja sam spomenula. Omeksava usne tokom nosenja i prijatan je ali cini da suhi djelovi i fine linije djeluju izrazeno. Pink Blossom je nesto toplija ruzicasta nijansa koja je prilicno univerzalna i vjerujem da ce pristajati vecini. Nazalost, dijeli isti problem kao i Hibiscus – cini suhe dijelove usana vidljivim, ne kamuflira ih (kao npr.Tawny Rose). U sklopu zakljucka trebamo na umu imati vise detalja. Ovdje se radi bas o ruzevima za usne i moguce je da ce se neke od vas osjecati pomalo ravnodusno prema pojedinim nijansama ako ste navikle na visokopigmentirane ruzeve. I sama sam navikla na ruzeve iz Avona koji su izrazite pigmentacije i to su moji licni favoriti. Ipak, ako procitate najavu za Ultra Color Indulgence ruzeve moci cete primjetiti par natuknica. Gelasta, lagana tekstura i njezne boje inspirisane proljetnim pupoljcima su definitivno neke od njih. Sa ovim ruzevima necete dobiti impresivnu pigmentaciju nego (ovisno od nijanse) lagano do srednju pigmentaciju i balzamu slican njezni sjaj. Tu je takodjer prozracna formulacija koja je ugodna na usnama, ne isusuje ih – naprotiv, hidrira ih tokom nosenja i trajnost je prosjecna zbog kremaste teksture. Licno bih istog trena izdvojila novac za nijanse Tawny Rose i Royal Peony dok sam neodlucna glede Red Tulip ruza. Posto preferiram crvene ruzeve koji su upecatljivi, mozda je bolje da se drzim vlastitog favorita koji je Avon Ultra Color Bold u nijansi Ruby Shock?
*Some of these products may have been sent to me for review. For more information, see my disclaimer.
