Fragrance Extravaganza

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

Last 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.

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!

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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 Clear^TM 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







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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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"!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

 

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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.

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-ozs-3-day-detox-cleanse-one-sheet

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.

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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.

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The Hidden Hair Threat - Part 2

Well we've identified that hard water might be the culprit behind your hair and also your skin issues. For right now however, we going to focus on the hair in this series.

So what exactly makes water hard?  Depending upon the source of your water, it may naturally contain dissolved minerals ranging from calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, and silica.  Each of these dissolved minerals can build up on your hair shaft just like over time they build up on the interior of your plumbing or around your faucets and shower heads.  Go ahead run to your bathroom and see if you have a little buildup around your faucet or on your shower ahead.

Did you check?

Well the minerals that don't collect there can make it to your hair and scalp.  Since hair is fine (only about 180 micrometers in diameter even in the coarsest of hair) it doesn't take an extreme coating of minerals to notice effects. What are some of those effects?

Calcium and silica build up cause similar effects such as dry and weighted down hair, dandruff, hair breakage, blockage of new hair growth, and hair loss. It can even cause perms to be relaxed. Magnesium can also cause hair to feel dry and weighed down.  Copper and iron can discolor your hair.  All of these minerals can interfere with any chemical services you get.

So how do you find out for sure if you have hard water? Visit your local hardware store and pick up a hard water test kit. It's not very expensive and very easy to use. In part 3 I'll share the results of my most recent water test and whether or not my in-shower water filter is actually working. But check out the video below to see the follow-up to using the first version of my hard water hair rinse.

If you watched part 1, you'll see that the flaking cleared up. I've reset my test trials by not using the rinse and going back to regular preconditioning, then shampoo and leave-in conditioner routine.

The products that I've been using for preconditioning and shampooing are from Avon.  However I won't say the specific names here, as I wouldn't personally recommend the shampoo because it contains sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate.  Continuing to use these products and making the only change in my routine the use of the hair rinse I'm formulating will give a more realistic view of it's effects.  You'll be able to come back soon and watch a new blog series on that...

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Deal of the Day

NATURALS Yellow Canvas Bag 
The perfect place to store your favorite NATURALS collection. PVC. 9 1/2" H x 11 1/2" W. 

Regular Price $10.00
Current Price $5.32


Order Now


While Supplies Last.

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Deal of the Day

NAILWEAR PRO Nail Enamel in Vivid Violet 
High-gloss shine. Salon-quality precision brush. No formaldehyde, toluene or phthalates. .4 fl. oz

Regular Price: $5.00 
Current Price: $2.99 

Order Now

While Supplies Last. 

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The Hidden Hair Threat - Part 1

You may have it and not even be aware of it.  Your hair seems dull and dry no matter what you put on it and you've tried a number of different products. Your chemical processes (perms, relaxers, coloring, highlighting) seem to take longer or don't come out just right.  Then there's the most dreaded hair problems of unsightly flaking and thinning hair.  You search for the right product, the right stylist, the right diagnosis but can never seem to find the solution.  There may be one hidden threat that you're overlooking in your own home that you come into contact with regularly:  Hard Water.

According to some sources 85% of homes have hard water. The minerals that make water hard can wreak havoc on your hair: discoloration, dryness and the flaking and breakage you'll notice in the video below.

In part 2, we'll dive deeper into what makes water hard and things that might help.  We'll also have another video with after shots from using version one of the in-production hard water hair rinse.

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Fragrance of the Month - Feb 2012

This month's fragrance is Far Away from Avon. It is in the Oriental fragrance family.  Avon describes it as a mix of "dreamy florals, spiced amber and spirit-moving woods". 

This fragrance really lives up to its name as it goes on with a light but rich scent that makes you think of being on an exotic vacation somewhere far away (no pun intended) with that special someone.

If you'd like to experience it, I'll be giving away free samples all month long.

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Fragrance of the Month - Introduction

This year ECV will be highlighting a different fragrance each month.  Let's begin by giving you a little background knowledge about fragrance families. In the beginning there were four basic families:  Floral, Oriental, Woody and Fresh. Now when shopping for a fragrance you may see or hear from the lady at the sales counter a number of other descriptions such as fruity, fresh or spicy. Here we're going to keep it simple and stick to the original four.

This month we picked the fragrance via the MK Personal Beauty Profiler's fragrance finder. We decided to use the find by personality and must say that the profiler worked whether well.  It matched ECV's founder (a multi-tasking girl always on the go that loves to travel) with one of her favorites, the Belara Eau de Parfum, which falls under the Floral family.

Click to learn more about the fragrance's composition or to purchase a bottle.

Click to learn more details about the fragrance wheel currently used by the fragrance industry. Remember a well-informed consumer is a happy consumer.

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