October 21, 2009

Avon Smooth Minerals Review and Swatches

I’ve been purposely hanging on to the Avon Smooth Minerals Collection until the site had them in stock.� As I recall I reviewed some lip items a few months ago that weren’t available online and had to be purchased directly through a rep.� This caused for many e-mails asking, “but where can I get them if not online?”�� I imagine everyone doesn’t have an Avon rep hanging out in their closet that they can bring out and order from you are wanting something….

Avon Smooth Minerals 13

See my mentality?

Point being I did wait until the collection was up and online until I hopped on board with my review so they are easily available now for your purchasing pleasure.

Jump ahead for my review!

Although I’m not a fan of mineral foundation I have no such dislike when it comes to mineral eye shadows and blushes. Avon Smooth Minerals is a combination of point and base products which caters to both those like me who aren’t keen on mineral foundation but generally like minerals and those who just overall love the mineral experience including foundation.

If you’re looking for an affordable solution outside of the higher end brands or lower e-tailer brands, Avon Falls into the budget friendly available option with it’s new Smooth Minerals Collection. The collection consists of foundation, blush, shadow, liner, and lipstick all ranging in price from $8 to $10.

First off the collection will appeal to those that like a smoother, silkier makeup minus a ton of pigmentation. These are sheer, quite subtle, and very work friendly minerals. If you prefer your makeup lighter, fresher, and subtle they should appeal in a major way. If you prefer more vibrant, bolder shades of color you might want to skip as color pay off can be built up in intensity but not so much so that you are going to get a bolder look from the products.

Avon Smooth Minerals Blush is available in eight shades and probably one of my favorite items released. I’m very heavy handed with my blush application and these make it quite easy to apply a hint of color without over doing it. The formula is quality with a silky smooth formula and offering a flawless finish with an ease of blending for even the most heaviest of hands. Even if I dose my brush in color I can’t over do it since the shades manage to be sheer yet offer a good color pay off to cheeks and face. I tried two shades which were Blushing Mauve and Copper Glow. Blushing Mauve is a deep dusky rose, ideal for the Fall and Copper Glow is a rich blend of deep peach, again ideal for the colder weather. The price frame is $10 which is considerably cheaper than name brands. Overall, I liked the blush and it performed very well for me to the point I will further indulge in other shades.

Avon Smooth Minerals 14

Avon Smooth Minerals 16

Avon Smooth Minerals 15

Avon Smooth Minerals 12

Avon Smooth Minerals Eyeshadow is available in 10 shades and sports a similar formula as the blush in the fact it’s very subtle and sheer but allows building for deeper color pay off without appearing over done. The shadows are a good solution for those afraid of color as the shades I tried have a subtle finish. The two shades I have are Rose Quartz, a pale pink almost lilac shade and Golden Moss, a lovely olive green. All in all quite nice shadows for the price ($10).

Avon Smooth Minerals 18

Avon Smooth Minerals 19

Avon Smooth Minerals 13h

As you may know from reading past reviews I’m a big fan of the quality and value of Avon Lipsticks. Avon Smooth Minerals Lipstick available in 10 shades give alot of bang for the buck. Made up of a mineral formula with SPF 15 these are creamy, pigmented, and highly moisturizing. I tried four shades which were Plum Crazy (Light Plum), Malted Mineral (Nude, Malted Brown), Crystal Coral (Shimmering Coral), and Pink Berry (Rosy Pink Berry). These are $8 each and not as cheap as some other Avon Lipsticks but honestly where can you get good quality lipstick for less than that? All in all not my favorite lipstick from Avon but a contender for great.

Avon Smooth Minerals 1

Avon Smooth Minerals 2

Avon Smooth Minerals 4

Avon Smooth Minerals 3

Avon Smooth Minerals 6

Avon Smooth Minerals 5

Smooth Minerals Eye Liner ($6) is an affordable way to update your Fall liner wardrobe. Formula has great pigmentation and applies flawlessly minus skipping or tugging as the formula is moisturizing and creamy. These were a favorite of mine in the collection and quite good.

Avon Smooth Minerals 7

Avon Smooth Minerals 11

Avon Smooth Minerals 10

Avon Smooth Minerals 9

Avon Smooth Minerals 8

Finally the Smooth Minerals Foundation which I liked the least of the items I got to try. It gets rave reviews on Avon’s site but for me it’s a no go. My skin is too dry to take on minerals and I end up looking way too made up in my attempts of application. This is not fault of the formula just my own skin woes that causes the rant you’re reading. I will say the good news is it’s talc free so if you happen to be like me and experience an itchy feeling after mineral application this will not itch or break you out.

Avon Smooth Minerals 20

Avon Smooth Minerals 21

Here’s a few looks I created using the products.

Avon Smooth Minerals 117

Avon Smooth Minerals 116

Avon Smooth Minerals 115

Avon Smooth Minerals 114

Avon Smooth Minerals 113

Avon Smooth Minerals 112

Avon Smooth Minerals 111

Overall, the Avon Smooth Minerals Collection has some great offerings for Fall at an affordable price. The liners, blush, and lipsticks were sure wins for me and worthy of a look at if you’re wanting to cheap things up a bit. As you know from past posts I’m always quite pleased to say how far Avon has come with their line and how interesting some of their releases are. Budget seekers should rejoice and enjoy this ode to inexpensive makeup that doesn’t forsake quality with it’s lower price tag.

Avon Smooth Minerals are available online now at shop.avon.com

Disclosure: The following item was provided to Musings of a Muse by a PR firm for review purposes. For further information please see my FTC Guidelines or my Disclosure/Disclaimer posts.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  • Janet

    These looks are all amazing. Loving the mauve blush so much! What do you have on your waterline? Awesome application! =)

  • the Muse

    hey janet 😀 thanks so much! ummm I believe all the waterline stuff is listed it’s one of the liners in the collection 😀 black in most of the pics!

  • Hana

    Oooh, I think I need both those eyeshadows, especially the green one. And what is your favorite Avon lipstick?

  • Del

    Hello Muse- the Avon addict is glad you finally tried out some of your stuff… the lagger that I am just tried a couple samples – and also finally tried the mascara you reviewed a while ago- should I post my comment about it there? I suppose so, just to keep the flow of things. Anyhow, I like the minerals lipstick- got teeny tiny samples & waiting for a sale for it to go cheaper since I have wayyy too much lipstick at the moment. One tube lasts me forever since I don’t wear lipstick everyday. I usually have to wear my bonne belle lip smacker under anything & everything, else my lips get chapped, dry & unhappy, but I didn’t have to with the minerals lipstick- YAY! curious- which of the Avon lipsticks IS your absolute fave?

  • Del

    BTW, I saw reviews on Avon’s website & people complained that their lipsticks broke within a couple uses–they said the lipsticks were soft & would break unless you applied gently, resulting in using a brush…any thoughts on this? Think you’re up for testing that theory? I doubt people apply lipstick with that much pressure that it breaks into pieces…hmmm…

    • the Muse

      mmm that’s true Del! It’s very true actually. Mine just recently snapped off. I wrote this review prior to that happening but indeed it’s true. I dunno if it’s the formula or what but after two uses of the coral shade it snapped off. Was WEIRD! And now the other shade I have looks like it’s kinda wriggling around loose. sigh 🙁 Weird!

  • Angela

    Just a comment on using mineral foundation – the ingredient that is probably causing the trouble is “Bismuth Oxychloride” a shimmer agent in most commercial brands. Check the ingredient list on those Avon products – most likely it is in there. True mineral makeup should only have a couple of ingredients.
    I used to be a Sheer Cover user but never really cared for the coverage of the foundation, too sheer and a tad shimmery. I finally found a source for my gift shop and have never been happier with mineral makeup. This type has great coverage but never looks dry or kakey. The trick to mineral foundation is to moisturize heavily – good mineral foundation works in tandem with your moisturizer to give you an even, soft look.

    • the Muse

      yup angela that would be it 🙂 I never tried Sheer Cover, I’m really not much of a mineral girl myself because of my dry skin I tend to stick to creams and such but I do LOVE lancome oscillation that’s some seriously great mineral wearing!

  • Melissa Donovan

    Thank you for reviewing these products. I was interested in ordering Avon Smooth minerals lipsticks, however, i also liked the blush and eyeshadow you sampled. Have you tried any of the Mark products…..Dew Drenched lipstick, Afterglo blush, imark eye shadows? Just curious what they were like.

    • the Muse

      hi melissa! the blush are really nice as are the shadows, very subtle and pretty. Mmm I’m so sorry I haven’t tried any of those mark products fear. If I do in the future I’ll be sure to review/swatch for you!

  • Stel

    I don’t really like Avon’s stuff but I LOVE LOVE LOVE your headbands!!
    Especially the green one oh so beautiful! 😀

  • Phyllis Kennedy

    I am an Avon representative. I have a customer interested in Smooth Mineral Lipstick in the Malted Mineral color. I can find the product listed on Avon search and in the product reference guide but I cannot find a item number to order it.
    Please send item number and price for item.

    Thanks!

  • Melissa Donovan

    Just out of curiosity, what is your favorite Avon lipstick?

  • Nicole

    Hi, does the mineral foundation contain shimmer? I’m new to this whole mineral make-up concept, and I’ve only looked at Covergirl’s mineral foundation and they shimmered like crazy I didn’t even have any second thoughts in putting in back to the counter. So, does this brand have any shimmers? Or do all mineral foundations have shimmer in them? Thanks in advance!