Fragrance of the Month

Check out the six fragrances for the month of October!
Photo: Up in Smoke by illpadrino

Top 10 Workout Songs

Put together a playlist to help you get your beach body back from author Nathanel Jefferson.

Image courtesy of Stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

ASPiring Artist

Online gallery of drawings and artwork by ASP.

ECV's Beauty Tips

Check back often for new tips!

New Year's resolutions and goal-setting

Get the help you need to follow through on your resolutions and goals in 2012!

Oct 12, 2013

Fragrance Extravaganza



This month instead of having one featured fragrance we have 6!

Close WindowLast week, the sample was for Viva by Fergie which is still on sale for $20.  It has a fresh lavender-like scent.



This week we're sampling two Avon classics: Wild Country for him and Haiku for her.







You can get 1 Wild Country for $17.50 or 2 for $22 but either way you'll get the FREE Dopp Kit pictured below.
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The women's fragrance Haiku is available for immediately delivery and is only $12.  If you've never experienced it before, it smells fresh and natural like a garden blooming with jasmine, lilies and citrus. 

Check back next week for another scent for guys!

Oct 11, 2013

October Events at ECV



October is a very busy month here and we're already behind.

This is the first month we're highlighting a different fragrance each week. Last week was Viva by Fergie (from the Black Eyed Peas). This week there's a scent for him and one for you ladies that'll be posted later today. Free samples of each week's fragrance will go out.

It's Breast Cancer Awareness month. We have a variety of products that when you purchase them all of the profit goes to Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. For example, the case below is immediately available for $5.35.
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More near and dear to us is the fact that October is also Domestic Violence Awareness month. Starting tomorrow and for the remainder of the month all online orders entered with the promo code "AFVIOLENCEFREE" will see 50% of the profits go to the Hubbard House, a local organization providing emergency shelter and other services to victims of domestic violence.

Sep 28, 2013

Teen Money Guide - Issue 1

This will be a recurring series of posts regarding everything I was told or wish someone had told me when I was a teen about money. Of course, teens don't read unless it's about vampires, werewolves, alien love affairs or some other fantasy nowadays so eventually these will have to morph into videos.

But anyways...

Save more than 10%

When I was young I heard the whole save ten percent thing. Something about being in the Bible belt; give 10% to God put 10% in your savings account. But as a teen who actually has a job in this still slow economy (ignore the hype about being in a recovery), I advise if you don't have to take of yourself with that money because of parents that can't cover all of your ESSENTIALS due to the current job market, put more than 10% in your savings account. That way by the time you're legal you'll already have that rainy day account a lot of Gen Y and some of you Millenials won't have but will desperately need.

Sep 23, 2013

Make My Mani Last!

How many times has it happened? You just paint your nails or worse, pay for a manicure, and a day later your color is already chipped. I feel your pain.
 
 
 
Although ECV took a summer hiatus from posting it doesn't mean we weren't working hard to solve the beauty problems that bug us and you to no end. We did the following nail polish experiment after researching a lot of different base and top coats to try to find the best.
 

And now for the how-to...

 
  1. Before we even get to the polish we soaked our nails for a few minutes. How often does this happen at your average strip mall nail shop nowadays? Please let us know in the comments if your manicurist does this. But here's the reason: soaking your nails gets them soft enough to cut evenly and the nails swell slightly.  Having them swollen when painting is important if you wash your hands as much (or as long) as I do.
  2. Next we applied a thin base coat of Seche ClearTM crystal clear base coat. It had the best reviews from the various national beauty editors and mags we researched.
  3. Two thin coats of color were applied to the nail and the edges of nails. If you don't have nail tips that extend past your finger, don't try to get the polish on that extremely thin edge or you'll just end up with a lot of color on your fingers. We used Avon Nailwear Pro+ nail enamel in Tangtastic mainly because it's a color we retail so we wanted to see how long we could get our product to last. Unfortunately, as you'll see in the photos below, it didn't live up to the "12 days of lasting color" as advertised.
  4. Finally we finished up with Avon's Speed Dry top coat. We applied a thin top coat to the top and edges of the nail and under the nail edge.
 
Photos are not retouched in any way (only cropped so you won't see so much sheet or desk) and no additional top coats were added. Sorry for the brightness variations! Please send comments of what you think.
 
Day 1

Day 2

Day 3
Oops, looks like someone forgot to snap a pic.



Day 4
 
Day 5A




Day 5B


Day 6




Artwork by ASP - Sonic the Hedgehog

For our first post to the design section we're posting artwork by a young aspiring artist called ASP. She is a huge fan of the trademarked Sega character from the 1990s Sonic the Hedgehog.

All of the drawings that we'll post in the future are her original renderings of various characters from the Sonic universe.  The first is a picture of the hedgehog that started the franchise...


Sonic!

Jul 17, 2013

Weekly Beauty Tip - Week 4: Flawless Face

This week's beauty tip is on creating a flawless face and the best foundation for you courtesy of Avon's YouTube channel.



Fragrance of the Month - July 2013

There are two fragrances this month: Blue Escape for him and Blue Escape for her. I know I could use an escape of an indeterminate length.



Free samples all month long. If you like what you experience, be sure to order online from our Avon store and use code ESSENTIAL to get free shipping on any order of at least $10.

Jun 25, 2013

Weekly Beauty Tip - Week 3: Picture Perfect Lips

Who doesn't want picture perfect lips ladies? Here are three simple steps to get the perfect pout.
  1. Draw the line.
    Define the shape of your mouth using a lip liner. If your lips are naturally full, there really is no need to line outside the natural edge of your lip. Choose a shade that complements your favorite lipstick. Now color in your lips with the liner to get color that really clings. For my ladies with two-tone lips, feel free to go lighter with the liner application on the darker lip or skip it all together.
  2. Choose the right color and formula.
    Matte lipsticks give off intense color, but can be drying. Crème lipsticks deliver great color and keep lips moisturized. Whatever formula you choose, make sure to evenly apply the color, covering the liner and blotting any excess. We've found paper towels work well here as opposed to facial tissue which, depending on the brand can leave lint. 
  3. Set the look.Finish off with a little dusting of translucent powder and a second coat of lipstick or a coat of lip gloss. Or start off by using a transfer-resistant lipstick to help color stay put and perfect for hours.

Now if you're looking for the picture perfect full pout watch the video below. There are a couple of extra steps but it's still really simple and easy to do. The hardest part might be picking out a shade. Check back each week for a new beauty tip.


Jun 18, 2013

Weekly Beauty Tip - Week 2: Eyes

Three Steps to Beautiful Eyes

  1. Apply foundation to entire eyelid to prep skin to hold color. Bush a medium-toned shadow in a neutral shade over the entire lid. Then brush a deeper color along the crease to create depth. Gently smudge colors together to blur any unnatural looking lines.
  2. Use a darker color shadow or eye pencil to rim the lash line. You should make the line thicker at the outside of eye and then get gradually thinner toward the inside corner. For a subtle look, line just the top lash line; for a more dramatic look, line both the bottom and top.
  3. Use a darker color shadow or eye pencil to rim the lash line. You should make the line thicker at the outside of eye and then get gradually thinner toward the inside corner. For a subtle look, line just the top lash line; for a more dramatic look, line both the bottom and top.
   Other Useful Hints
When applying mascara, hold a tissue under lashes so that makeup doesn’t end up on the skin. And to minimize dark circles under eyes, apply a concealer that is at least half a shade lighter than your skin tone after applying mascara to bottom lashes.

Jun 12, 2013

Weekly Beauty Tips - Week 1: Blush Application

Ever wonder how to apply your blush so you won't look like a clown or worse, like some one hit you in the face. Here are some tips to help!
 
On a Round face:      Place blush from the center of your cheek out along the ridge of your cheekbone, blending upward towards your temples. Dot some on your chin too.
 
On a Square face:     Use minimal blush placed on the lower apple of your cheek. Don’t sweep it upwards or to side.
 
On a Narrow face:   Blush goes at the outer point of your cheekbone. Don’t sweep it upwards; keep it horizontal.

Check back next week for tips on applying eye makeup!

A Motivational Comment for the Summer

A very interesting email was sent to us by a friend. We love the positive body image it encourages and have decided to share it here. If anyone knows who the original author is, please feel free to post it in the comments of the page.
 
 Recently,  in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan
 woman appeared in the window of a gym.  It said:


THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE?
 
 

 A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match
 those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed
 by the gym.
 

To Whom It May Concern:
 
Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions,  curious  humans).  They have an active sex life,
they get pregnant and have adorable baby whales.  They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing
themselves with shrimp.  They play and swim in the seas, seeing  wonderful places like Patagonia, the Bering
Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs.  They are
 incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired
by almost everyone in the world.


Mermaids don't exist.  If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts
due to identity crisis.  Fish or human?  They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them not to
 mention how could they have sex?  Therefore they don't have kids either.  Not to mention who  wants to get close
 to a girl who's skin is all scaly and smells like  a fish store?

 The choice is perfectly clear to me... I want to be a whale.

  P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that  only skinny people are beautiful,
 but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with  my grandkids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver and a
 latte  with my friends.  With time, we gain weight because we  accumulate so much information and wisdom
 in our heads that when there is  no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies.  So we aren't heavy,
we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.
 
 Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, 
 
   "Good gosh, look how smart I am"!

Financial Wellness - Work on Your Retirement Fund

Retirement is a topic that most 16-19 year olds don't think about. But if they follow through with monetizing the content that they are already putting out as discussed in this article, they can get an early start on securing their financial future. This strategy is useful for other age groups also. Read more about it in Brandon Tucker's blog, Work on Your Retirement Fund.

Fragrance of the Month - June 2013

Fiji Paradise is June's fragrance of the month. It's light, airy and smells of flowers and coconut. Free samples to all this entire month.

May 23, 2013

Avon Color Studio: Femme Fatale

Check out this glamorous look by celebrity makeup artist Paul Innis.

May 13, 2013

Fragrance of the Month - May 2013



The brand new addition to the Far Away fragrance line, Far Away Bella, is our fragrance of the month for May. This scent is nowhere near as floral as the original Far Away. The oriental notes are much more noticeable than the floral ones.

Free samples of this scent are going out all this month. If you like what you experience, get your full-size bottle in our online store.

May 6, 2013

Avon has a BB Cream!

Ask and you shall receive! Avon has developed their own BB cream finally.


If you didn't know already, a BB cream is a skin-enhancing makeup with skin care benefits to conceal, hydrate, perfect and protect by using just one product. After just one week, your skin looks healthier, more even and radiant.

Avon's Ideal Flawless BB cream will be available starting May 13th for only $7.99.  But you can get a free sample now! Find your perfect shade now, which is easier to do with Avon's five shades when compared to Estee Lauder's and Garnier's two BB cream shades and Clinique's three shades.

Place your order now because after the introductory special ends, the price will be $10. This is still a huge saving when compared to a brand like Hydroxatone Anti-Aging BB Cream that does have a SPF 40.

And as always remember your satisfaction is guaranteed or you get your money back.

Apr 26, 2013

NBA Finals

So the Finals have begun and as I type this the Miami Heat are in the lead. So I'm feeling quite well. Sorry for you if you're a Spurs fan.
But to my fellow Heat fans, you can visit our store and grab a logo watch for $24.99.

Mar 26, 2013

Fragrance of the Month - April 2013

Avon's brand new fragrance Flor Violeta is April's fragrance of the month.  We are giving free samples of the scent composed of sparkling green apple infused with a beautiful bouquet of violet blossoms and soft musk all month long.

 
While the fragrance doesn't hit the market until April 1st, if you love your sample you can pre-order Flor Violeta now.  Be a spring trendsetter!

Avon Nail Studio: Leopard Print Nails




While I'm not in love with the results in the video, the concept of leopard print nails is a good one. Since the video was made, a wonderful tool called the Dual Nail Dotting Tool has come into the market. With this tool and at least two Nailwear Pro+ nail enamels, currently only $6.99 for a pair, you can have better results than the video. 

Another option is to volunteer to be a manicure model for ECV.  We are currently seeking a model for a look inspired by one of the photos in our "Artistic Inspiration" album. Click or call to schedule your free manicure now and receive a free nail art enamel as an additional token of our thanks.

 

Mar 20, 2013

My Experience on Dr. Oz's 3-Day Detox Cleanse

Last week I did Dr. Oz's 3-Day Detox Cleanse. As stated on the show, the food cost was less than $16 a day. If you know me off the web, you know I did the math ;) The link to the list of foods is below.


The breakfast drink was delicious and went down well. Surprisingly, hunger was not an issue even when lunchtime came and you're supposed to drink the green monster below. Perhaps it's easier to swallow if you use a juicer versus a blender, but there still seems to be something inherently wrong with trying to drink 4 stalks of celery. Not until the third day of the detox was I hungry enough at lunch to force down a good amount of this drink.



Lunch drink
The dinner drink was delicious and had a kick to it with the cayenne pepper that's in the recipe. On the doctoroz.com site some people didn't like this drink. I truly cannot understand how you can choke down the lunch drink and not tolerate a drink that is mostly blueberry-flavored. Maybe it's a blueberry bias.

Dinner Drink

In closing, I felt great after doing this three day detox. Can't say if I lost any weight as did the participants on the show (because I don't own a scale) but my mood did improve. Another surprise was that I did not miss eating meat at all during those three days. So give this a try if you're doing No Meat March and then tell us what you think of it in the comments.

Mar 16, 2013

Shop my AVON store! Campaign 8 starts soon...

Shop my AVON store!: Here's a sneak peak at some of the latest products available at Avon. There's also going to be a shoe sale! Be sure to click

Mar 11, 2013

Fragrance of the Month - March 2013

Spring is upon us and the fragrance of the month reflects that with its shimmering floral scent.  Rare Pearls is a floral scent with a pure heart of magnolia and sparkling plum.



This five-piece set is on sale all month for $14.99.  Click here and type "398676" to get yours today.

Mar 10, 2013

My New Favorite Thing

So living in Florida, or the South for that matter, is hard on my makeup. I know some people who swear by MAC but truth be told, not everyone including this chick has MAC money. So I've been using primer to see if that helps. It does to a certain degree but I still wanted more staying power.

This brings us to my new favorite thing...drum roll please....

Victoria's Secret Make It Last Prime & Set Makeup Spray

Just happened to pick some up on my last trip to the mall and it works! Check out the pics below. Now just have to work on perfecting my application and get that hair did.

This morning at 11 AM


This evening at 6 PM

Feb 28, 2013

Cycle of Fashion Trend

Cycle of Fashion Trend

Cycle of Fashion Trend
By Gaurav Doshi

It's a fashionista's worst experience, even worse than looking oversize buddy, more degrading than wearing the same dress in another party -- it's the fear of symbolizing looking yesteryear fashion trend model.

Sometimes, fashion trends is considered as fads, are disreputably erratic. The fashion industry players are always on the quest to bring up something "NEW" & "HOT".

What is Fashion Trend?

Trend is the lead in which something new evolving, mostly leaning, penchant and line of growth. Hence, fashion trend is the latest evolvement of the fashion industry.

What is Fashion Trend Really About?
Your closet can give the answer. If you don't want to look at it, well.well. this resembles that you are matching your steps with the latest fashion trends. What it's relation to fashion? People stick rigidly to the rules - okay, maybe not 'YOU'. You may be one of those who walk their own way and dress as they like. When it comes to the fashion industry, it's a continuously changing world. Even though some trends are considered as ludicrous and outdated, many other comebacks with innovative ideas.

Pace and Re-emergence of Latest Fashion Trends
Now its new millennium, but most of fashion things like the pegged pant legs, jelly bracelets, and finally the denim jeans, seem to be returning in trends again. It comes out that the latest fashion trends are simply have nothing new at all. Almost everything re-emerged in fashion trend. You can virtually find torn jeans in every clothing retail store.

Who decides What's 'Hot' and 'Not' in Fashion Trends

There is no existence of specific group who declares what is hot fashion trend or not. In fact, the fashion designers and consumers who buys-out the fashion merchandise make their judgment and throw several opinions out there and observe what is grabbed.

Basically, 'WE', the consumer decide which merchandise is hot by making our minds what to purchase and wear.

The Fashion Trend Cycle

First part of the cycle, where the trend is highly hunted immediately after seeing that great fashionable hat, dress or shoe on the runway, red carpet or music video. Next, comes the emulation phase, where everyone wants a piece of the trend. Only big shots, celebrities and fashion industry players have approach to latest fashion right off the runway, which yet not showed up in retail stores.

During second phase, this newbie will appear in news papers, fashion magazines, TV and internet. At last, the trend will be soaked in the market, commonly at bit lower cost.

In the second phase new merchandise is available in bit expensive designer collections. It is only the third phase, where the merchandise is available to the mass market at affordable cost for most buyers.

The major part of over all mass will purchase it somewhere between second and third phase.

Before two or three decades it might have taken a some rears to make it from runway to mass market, however, nowadays producers have put the fashion cycle into rapid speed. Now, a hot trend often makes it appearance in low cost or discount retail store in as little as a few days or months.

In & Out of Fashion Trend

Reasonably priced fashionable clothing is a double-edged sword that make possible to buy fashionable looks at real-life budgets, at the same time leads to abolish the trend rapidly. However, when the market is completely saturated with a same monotonous trend it loses its appeal.

So how we can assume that how long a fashion trend will last? Let us find out:

Generally, most fashion trends last nearly one year, but some trends, usually the acceptable, last much longer. It is considered that normally fashion trends re-emerge nearly every twenty years. Hence, the minis skirts of the 80s are back in trends again.

The key to assume that how long a trend will last depends on from when you bought the collection. If you bought when the knock-off or discounts are going at retail store, then the count for the trend last not more one or two seasons. Fashion industry normally dumps together two seasons together, Spring and Summer, Fall and Winter, which provides you about six months to wear before it seems looks outdated.

In fact it is not specified that how long a fashion trend will last, you can put money on the just fads such as jeans, Uggs, hats etc... It doesn't signify that you might not get fun in purchasing them. They are the evergreen items you would like to purchase any time.

Purchasing power can keep a trend on oxygen. In some cases people love particular trends so much they wouldn't let it die.

The safeguard against rapidly changing fashion trends is to have a clothing line stocked with more traditional looks: T-shirts, jeans, and black dresses.

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Jan 7, 2013

Slim Chicks SHOULD Workout

This has got to be one of the more annoying, routine comments I get from women:  "You are so slim. You don't need to workout." Sadly this comment often comes from women older than me and also noticeably larger than me. Obviously it never dawned on them that the old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" could be applicable in the area of weight and size maintenence.


All of the currently slim women out there, please don't wait until your weight becomes a problem to get active. Do you realize how much harder it is to get a 190 pound load moving as opposed to a 120 pound one? This also just goes back to science class, you know, an object at rest tends to stay at rest. The same applies to an object, in this case your body, being in motion. Create the habit of working out now and your chances decrease significantly of becoming an overweight older woman sending negative vibes to a younger woman trying to take care of herself .

Deal of the Day - 1/7/2013

Denim Jumper in Girls Size 10/12 Only






Comfortable stretch for an easy fit. Front chest pockets and button closure at neckline and wrists. Machine wash. Cotton, polyester, spandex.

Regular Price $22.99

Current Price $19.99

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