Review, Swatches | Avon The Big Gel Paint Pencil in Cobalt and Plumful

You know, sometimes you come across a product that is so good that’s it’s worth talking about, even if the brand is a little bit controversial.

I have watched (and loved) enough anti-MLM content on youtube to feel the need to preface this review by saying: I’m not an Avon representative, neither is my mother, nor anyone remotely related to me. I’m also not going to redirect you to any specific representative, and certainly do NOT suggest you join “the business” in detriment of your 9 to 5 job, nor to join any MLM business expecting to earn a liveable income, because it only takes 30 seconds worth of research to show that is not going to happen. That being said, I’m going to review an MLM product.

Review Swatches Avon The Big Gel Paint Pencil in Cobalt and Plumful

I purchased the Big Gel Paint Pencil from Avon’s child brand, mark., in two colours: Cobalt, a deep sapphire blue, and Plumful, a dark mauve-y plum. What attracted me to these pencils was the word “gel” in the name; usually that means that the formula is creamier and denser, and tends to show up well on the waterline. And I was not wrong.

Shades like blue and purple are somewhat tricky and hard to show up on the waterline. Although Cobalt is more pigmented and opaque than Plumful, requiring only one pass (and you can tell that by the swatches), both show up really well on my eyes.

But what’s really impressive about these pencils is their lasting power. On the waterline, it’s average, but on the eyelid is apocalypse-proof. Specially Cobalt. I don’t need to set it with powder, I can make the thickest layer imaginable, that the eyeliner does. not. move. This is quite something people: I have oily eyelids and hooded eyes, so even with long wear eye pencils, at the end of a long day, I get a bit of transfer to my upper lid. That doesn’t happen with this. Plumful fades a bit, but Cobalt stays true sapphire until you choose to remove it. And when you do, it’s not difficult to take off!

Highly recommend that shade. I think it’s safe to recommend these eyeliners in general, but there’s clearly a difference between colours, so if you want to play it safe, try Cobalt.

Now, that it’s for the review part of this post. I’m going to go off on a tangent now about MLMs and how I feel about Avon in particular. If that bores or bothers you, you don’t have to read from this point on.

I don’t know if it’s a geography thing, but I’ve never met an Avon representative here in Portugal that tried to recruit me, nor sold me the “this can make you rich” spiel. It’s very much known that there’s very little money to make from this – if you like the products and have a few friends and family who do too, than you can make back the money you spend on products for yourself, and that’s pretty much it. And people are aware that this is how it is.

Never, ever, have I found an Avon lady that did not have a real full time job. Or that claimed to be rich, for that matter. Plus, Avon’s pricing is very much in line with drugstore prices around here, so this doesn’t feel like the sinking-money-into-overpriced-products-scheme that many other MLMs are. Maybe I’ve been lucky, or maybe not all MLMs are the same. I have a very different opinion of Mary Kay, for example.

I’m going to keep purchasing from brands I feel aren’t crossing ethical lines, from my viewpoint, and in this group I include Avon, Oriflame and Yves Rocher. Which doesn’t mean my opinion of these brands can’t change as time goes on.

Just as an overall statement though, I’d like to end this post with this: beware of any company that claims direct competition, like another sales representative just like you, who sells the same exact stuff, will make you more money – something is off with that business model. Because the only way that happens is if the employee spends money, and is, therefore, the client. Set your expectations right, and do your math. Don’t fall for pyramid schemes.

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5 Comments

  1. Avon is not very popular in my country either. I don´t think I ever tried any product from this brand. Thank you for your wise advise on these type of businesses, one should always be fully informed before joining.

    1. Yes, I think that’s what is most important. Having the right expectations. Avon has some hits and misses, it’s kind of a roller coaster, but once in a while there are some real gems.

  2. Thank you for the “tangent”, it wasn’t what I expected. Usually it goes the other way and people trash MLM’s (which I agree there are sketchy ones out there). There are some Avon reps that are “for real”, just trying to make a few extra bucks and not claiming to be rich. I’ve sold for years because I love the products and like getting a discount. That’s it. And I do work full time too. Great post and thanks for not trashing my company!

    1. Hi Denise, thank you for commenting! Of course, I think generalizations are dangerous and unfair, and not only is not every MLM the same, not every rep is the same within the same MLM. And my experience has been exactly that, so I thought it was worth mentioning 🙂

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