I'm sure you already know that Rihanna has launched her own makeup line called Fenty Beauty "so that women everywhere could be included" and initially I was dubious seeing as celebrity makeup launches tend to be a bit gimmicky, but as the launch approached I became more and more intrigued especially because of my quest for finding the perfect match foundation, so I decided to sit up and research this new brand.

In case you didn't know, Rihanna's full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty which is where her "Fenty" brand comes from and she's focused her line on "hard to match skin tones" as well as products that should work for all skin types.

I'm here to test out a few of these products and give my opinion based on my experience as a makeup artist and of course years of blogging; I already held an instagram live the day I visited Fenty Beauty, so if you're not following me, make sure you do (@safiyahtasneem) for more current opinions!

In this Fenty Beauty blog post I'll be reviewing the Match Stix Trio that I purchased on the first day I visited Fenty Beauty at Harvey Nichols (I waited an hour and a half!) 

Read on to see why I bought this and for the full review with swatches <3

Midweek Makeovers: Moondust Sparkly Purple 3D Halo Make Up Look

Hey my lovelies!
This week's midweek makeover post is featuring this Sparkly Purple 3D/Halo eyeshadow look on fellow blogger friend Tanzina of Makeup A to Z! Read on to see what products I used for this look:

Sunday Swatches: L'Oreal Infallible Sculpt Collection Review + Mario Dedivanovic Tips!

Hi guys!

Thanks to L'Oreal, I had the amazing opportunity to attend their "Sculpt School" on Friday with none other than Mario Dedivanovic.

If you don't know who he is, he's only the guy who brought to our attention the concept of "contouring" through Kim K (see pic below) and since then the craze has spun out of control (a quick scroll through IG makeup pages will give you an idea!)

I knew I had to attend the class as soon as I received the invite and was totally enthralled along with other bloggers/youtubers/press watching Mario work his magic on the model below.

Mario used the new L'Oreal Infallible Sculpt Range which aims to make "sculpting"/contouring easier for everyone and addresses sculpting every part of the face including base/complexion, eyes and eyebrows, cheeks and even lips (all products except the sculpting brush below).
 
Today's swatch post will feature the complexion products in this new range: 

Sunday Swatches: Illamasqua Dusk Collection

Following my last post featuring my Eid Makeup Look which used the new Illamasqua collection, it's only right I follow up with a review and swatches post to show you just how awesome this collection is!

Dusk Collection (minus the Illustrator Pen)

Dusk is inspired by the middle east and the art of skin sculpting and contouring; I love how the shades in this collection compliment medium/warmer skintones perfectly, (but can equally be worn by fairer and deeper tones too). 

My first impressions were of course surprise and adoration; firstly at the wearability of this collection for my own skintone and secondly the new products I'd never seen before by Illamasqua - the Slick Sticks and the Sculpting Palette. I'm used to their colouring pencils and the quad palettes so this was new territory for me and I couldn't wait to dig in.

Tuesday Takeover: Mohima Farchu

Hello my Frooti Beauties! 
This weeks Tuesday Takeover is from Mohima who I discovered through Instagram with her stunning looks and honest reviews.
I hope you guys enjoy her review today, don't forget to follow her on Instagram and Facebook!

Illamasqua Gel Colour - Fluster

Hi Guys! Thanks to Safiyah for letting me do the Tuesday Takeover blog post. I love a good natter about all things makeup so I'm going to get stuck in straight away!
Today I'll be reviewing Illamasqua's new Gel Colour cheek tint. These come in stick form and provide an instant flush of colour to your complexion.
Now let me just take a moment to tell you that I love Illamasqua. Anyone who follows me on social media knows I harp on about them all day, everyday. They always think outside the box and keep it interesting. When I saw this product launch I wanted it immediately!
The Gel Colours include two shades, Charm (Apricot) & Fluster (Pink). I will be reviewing the latter. There is also a contour colour, referred to as Gel Sculpt, in the shade Silhouette.

Sunday Swatches: Kiko Modern Tribes Collection

I cannot believe it's been a month already since my last blog post, but alas I'm back after a busy month with a review of the new Kiko Modern Tribes Limited Edition Summer Collection.

Sunday Swatches: House Of GlamDolls GlamBase Wheel and GlamDoll Lipstick

So if you've been following me on Instagram you may have seen me post a pic recently of House Of GlamDolls' GlamBase Wheel and GlamDoll lipstick.

As you saw in the previous makeup look, I've had a chance to play around with the products and thought I'd share the swatches and review on my skintone.

But first, a bit about House Of GlamDolls. 
House Of GlamDolls (HOGD) is a studio space in Islington (London) created for professional makeup activities; not only are they a school/venue, they also have a range of artist products such as the GlamBase Wheel, GlamDoll Lipstick, affordable eyelashes and more.

I was lucky enough to be sent the GlamBase Wheel and GlamDoll lipstick by HOGD creative director Chinyee and have met HOGD Makeup Artist David Horne on several occasions at previous Illamasqua events where he developed amazing products such as the Skin Base/Skin Base Lift, Hydra and Matte Veils amongst more.

So I was most definitely intrigued when I received information about this GlamBase Wheel and was eager to try it out, considering the current craze for contouring! I've also recently discovered the MDMFlow lipsticks and was pleased to receive the HOGD lipstick in "GlamDoll", both of which are swatched below.

GlamBase Wheel

I received the GlamBase Wheel 1 (shade 2 is for darker skintones, probably around NC/NW 40+).

Colour & Pigmentation: The whole wheel consists of cream pigments that have extremely intense colour payoff, so a little goes a long way.
My personal favourites are Illuminate- perfect for that Kim K super highlighted look. I also love that Sculpt 1 is an ashy/taupe contour colour. 
To be fair, I love the whole wheel.
Texture: The texture of this product is really thick and pigmented, and slightly dry. I'd recommend using the fingers to warm the product up a bit so that it doesn't cake up. And most probably use something like HydraVeil underneath if you have dry skin.
Packaging: I was strongly reminded of a concealer wheel I've seen by Kryolan when I saw the packaging! The windowed compact is so handy to grab at a glance, particularly if you're a makeup artist and have both the shades in your kit.
Price: Priced at £25 this complexion enhancer mixing wheel is very reasonably priced (around the same sort of price as the Kryolan concealer wheel).

FrootiFactor: Compared to other similar contouring/highlighting products on the market, I really really like that this one is particularly suitable for my skintone; I feel like all of the shades are usable up until maybe NC/NW40/42, so I love how versatile it is and would definitely recommend it for makeup artists and contour enthusiasts. I give it a 5 out of 5.

GlamDoll Lipstick - MDMFlow

HOGD collaborated with MDMFlow creator Florence to create this exclusive signature hot pink shade in "GlamDoll". 

Colour & Pigmentation: "GlamDoll" is hot pink lipstick and is pretty pigmented (satin).
Texture: The lipstick is available in two textures: Satin (strongly pigmented) and Sheer (glaze).
Packaging: When I first discovered MDMFlow, to be honest I was attracted to the packaging and embossed "MDMFlow" detail on the lipstick bullet. As with all shiny packaging, though it looks pretty, its hard to not get fingerprints on and unfortunately my bullet was snapped at the base so I'll have to use the lipstick with a brush or depot it from the beautiful packaging *cries*.
Longevity: I like that the lipstick leaves a slight stain on the lips, making it seem to last longer.
Scent: No particular scent.
Price: At £18, this lip product is slightly pricey, however if you're attracted to shiny pretty things like me, chances are you'll love adding this to your collection too.

FrootiFactor: I'm glad I got to finally try a MDMFlow lipstick through HOGD no less; aside from the fingerprint issue, the lipstick is a gorgeous pink that I would definitely wear particularly in the Summer or when I want to inject a bit of colour! I give the lipstick a 4.5 out of 5 

All HOGD products are available to buy from the House Of GlamDolls website.
Be sure to check the site out also, for more info and tips on how to use the GlamBase Wheel and of course check out the makeup courses and other classes/events they hold.

What do you think of the House Of GlamDolls GlamBase Wheel? Which product would you buy?

 
                  

Sunday Swatches: Illamasqua 2014 Releases - Summary Post

[picture and text heavy post!]

Following my last post, I thought I'd run through some of the recent Illamasqua releases that I've had the chance to play around with and use in the time I haven't blogged.

As you may well know, Illamasqua is a brand close to my heart; I love that they push boundaries and cater for all skintones.
Lately, Illamasqua have been releasing more neutral and toned down products compared to their previous collections with more daring colours (as in the Paranormal and Human Fundamentalism collections).
I like that they are producing more everyday-friendly products however the artistic streak in me hopes they pull a wild card soon and make something eye catching again.

This post will feature a round up of my favourites from the recent releases, hope you enjoy!

Nude Glamore Lipsticks 

Since the release of the Glamore Satin Finish Lipsticks in February this year (blog post here), I have to say I was really impressed with the formula and longevity and was looking forward to the release of any new shades.
July 2014 brought the release of 7 Nude Glamore Lipsticks in the same formulation as the original Glamore with a range of shades for all skintones, including rose, earthy rose and nude corals. 
I picked the nude coral in "Cherub" (above) as I tend to wear MAC Crosswires almost every other day, which is definitely my go-to lip colour. Below I swatched Cherub and Crosswires together to see the difference and you can see Cherub is a slightly less-pink coral.

International Season Collection

 
August saw the release of the International Season Collection, exclusively in Selfridges.
It consisted of the above items; a new Sculpting Duo shade ("Illuminate & Nefertiti) and a new Gleam/highlighter ("Mirage"), a Brow Gel ("Strike") and a nude-pink lipstick in "Bare".
I have to say I loved every single item in this collection. 

If you remember my blog post from the Holiday 2013 Collection, you would remember me gushing about my love for contouring products and how I wished Illamasqua would release more shades. Well they did and this particular Sculpting Duo's contouring shade (Nefertiti) suits my skintone gorgeously, so much so that I use it every day for a subtle contour rather than a darker, heavier one. I do prefer a lighter highlighting colour so I tend to use the "Lumos" highlighter from the previous Sculpting Duo as "Illuminate" was quite golden and warmer than I am used to (see swatches below).
Illamasqua need to now make an even darker Sculpting Duo shade and my contour collection will be set; chiselled perfect face here I come!

My next favourite product had to be the Precision Brow Gel; up until now I've been using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Ebony and I wanted to use a lighter colour so I thought this Brow Gel in "Strike" would work perfectly for a less darker brow.
Weirdly, the shade looked darker than I anticipated and in fact can be used really lightly for lighter coloured brows or heavier for darker brows; amazing!

The lipstick in Bare added to this collection was also a pretty nude-y shade that I love; I do have to wear it with a lip liner as my lips are dark but I must say I love this rosey nude shade for my NC30/35 skintone.

Finally, the Gleam highlighter is a gorgeous addition to the collection, however I found it too dark for my skintone to use as a highlighter and instead found it useful as a bronzer or used on the décolletage for a subtle glow.

Autumn/Fall - Once Collection

The Once collection released at the end of August really captured the tone of Autumn/Fall with the antique-y hues and gold shimmer running through the products.
I have to say the packaging on the new Vintage Metallix Cream Eyeshadows stole the show for me; rose gold just exudes elegance and luxury.
The formulation of the Vintage Metallix Cream Eyeshadows blends smoothly when applied but once the product sets it won't budge which is always a plus for me. I loved this moss green shade "Bibelot" but now have my eye on the brown shade "Embellish".
The sheer lipgloss in "Exquisite" would look good on top of a colour lipstick for me as alone it would be too light. The teal/gold nail varnish in "Melange" is such a pretty two toned colour, perfect for Autumn days. 

Holiday 2014 - Facets Collection

And last but certainly not least, the Facets Collection released for Christmas 2014 features 2 multitasking (or multi faceted) palettes in "Semblance" and "Aura", 2 lipsticks (Salacious and Starkers), a brush set and a makeup bag and an eye trio gift set.
I was surprised to see the packaging wasn't in the iconic Illamasqua shape, but in an ordinary square shape but aside from that, I have to say I love multitasking palettes like this; they make condensing a makeup bag or even my makeup kit so much more easier, meaning less space taken up by unnecessary packaging; perfect for holidays too.

"Semblance" palette swatches

I do already own a few of the shades in this "Semblance" palette; I actually own the blush "Hussy" twice already (one single blush, one part of the Hussy/Lover duo palette) and now this one; the Gleam in "Mirage" is also mentioned in the above International Season collection and I own the black eyeshadow "Obsidian" because I needed the Illamasqua Neutral palette in my life of course!
I would have loved to see limited edition/new shades in an exclusive palette, however seeing as I already have a few of these shades in the palette, it just means I don't have to carry half as much makeup and can just pop this palette in my makeup bag.

If I'm correct, I'd say the Aura palette is aimed at fairer skintones and the Semblance palette aimed at slightly deeper tones, but this judgement is based on the Gleam Creams - the Aura palette has the Gleam Cream in a lighter shade "Aurora". 

I'm now looking at the rest of the Facets collection and definitely have the "Embellish Eye Trio" gift set on my wishlist; it has the Precision Brow Gel and Gel Eye liner as well as the Embellish Vintage Metallix in it, and all in a limited edition rose gold packaging... love!

All Illamasqua products (aside from the Selfridges exclusive products) are available to buy in store or online at Illamasqua or Debenhams.

Which of these collections caught your eye this year? Did you buy any products from any of the collections?
 

Sunday Swatches: Illamasqua Christmas Envy Collection 2013 Review

Following my previous FFF makeup look post (here) and holiday gift post (here) with my picks from the holiday sets and collections this Christmas, I wanted to give my thoughts on the gorgeous Illamasqua Envy Collection.
I received the package by surprise last Saturday and couldn't contain my excitement at receiving two of the products I'd lusted over from the new collection inside, namely the Powder Sculpting Duo and the Fatale Palette: 

 
Fatale Palette
I fell in love with the Fatale Palette as soon as I saw David Horne use it on his Instagram page to create this beautiful look.
I think the colours are gorgeous tones suitable for all skintones and love the warmth they bring; perfect for a festive look with its gold and cranberry tones.

Colour & Pigmentation: As always, Illamasqua shadows are gorgeously pigmented as you can see above from the swatches and translate just as you see them in the pan. 
Bronx: bronze gold shimmer
Ensnare: berry shimmer
Charm: violet shimmer
Mystify: chestnut brown shimmer

Texture/Finish: Powder shimmer

Longevity: Pigmented shadows like Illamasqua's do last long, however I always recommend to wear with primer.

Price: At £34 it's the usual price for an Illamasqua quad and works out £8.50 per eyeshadow; a single eyeshadow is £15.50 for 2g and here you get 4 x 1.5g which still works out cheaper!

FrootiFactor: I can see myself using this palette as a great addition to my kit for Asian brides as it holds 3 of the main colours I use for brides in it (gold, red and brown) with the addition of the gorgeous violet shadow. I give the quad a 5 out of 5 as I feel it would suit pretty much every skintone!

Sculpting Powder Duo
I have to say I'm a huge fan of contouring kits as I absolutely love the effect it gives to the face especially in bringing out the cheekbones, so when I saw this sculpting duo by Illamasqua I was very excited.
My hesitance on the product was that the contour shade looked like it would be too light for warmer complexions like myself, but the highlighter shade in Lumos certainly had my attention, especially as a Harry Potter fan!

Colour & Pigmentation: Again, the pigmentation is of usual high Illamasqua quality. I found Lumos highlighter to be even more so pigmented than Heliopolis.
On my NC30-35 skintone, Heliopolis actually shows up on my face, more so than it does in the swatch above on my arm for some reason!
Lumos: shimmering champagne 
Heliopolis: neutral peanutty brown 

Texture/Finish: Both powder; Lumos is a champagne shimmer and Heliopolis is a neutral matte.
 
Longevity: I'm a fan of powders on the face as I feel they last much longer on the skin. The Lumos shimmer lasts especially longer than Heliopolis.

Price: At £26 it works out £13 per shade; personally I tend to spend more on highlighters/bronzers and contour shades as I use it pretty much every day more so than blush, so for me it's totally worth it.

FrootiFactor: I was pleasantly surprised that the Heliopolis contour shade showed up on my face as I was almost certain it would do nothing for contouring on my skin. I would however recommend using the Heliopolis contour shade as a matte bronzer/in between shade for contouring on deeper skintones, or as a contour shade on the eyes.
I hope Illamasqua release more of these sculpting duos for a variety of skintones as I know it will be a hit and unfortunately this particular contour shade wouldn't do any justice for contouring on much deeper/black skintones. For this reason alone, it loses out on half a lipstick rating, but other than that its a 5 in my books!

Intense Lipgloss - Maiden
A surprise colour addition to the Christmas collection is the Intense Lipgloss in Maiden; I'd say it's more of a Spring colour but it would go well with a smokey eye if you wanted to tone down the lips so works well.

Colour & Pigmentation: As the name suggests, it has high pigmentation in a warm peach colour, with all the intensity of a lipstick.

Texture/Finish: Glossy, slightly thick for my liking but I guess it's due to the saturation of colour!

Longevity: Glosses tend to last longer than lipsticks due to their stickiness so I'd imagine this gloss to be just as long wearing as other Illamasqua glosses I've tried.

Price: At £14.50 it's more than I would usually pay for a gloss, however I am a fan of highly pigmented glosses when I do go for a gloss, and £14.50 is around the average price for a high end brand.

FrootiFactor: Unfortunately this gloss is much too light for my skintone and pigmented lips; it translates a much whitish colour so doesn't suit my lips at all, however I do think those with less pigmented lips than myself would suit it beautifully, paired with a smokey eye. For this reason, this shade is not particularly for me and I'd have to give it a 2.5 for it's pigmentation and longevity.

Nail Varnish - Blizzard
This polish is perfect for the wintery months, immitating snowy weather on your nails. You can wear it alone or I found it even better over a dark nail varnish (like Boosh) so the iridescent white speckles show up even more.

Colour & Consistency: A clear based nail polish with flecks of iridescent white sparkles in chunky hexagonal shapes and smaller shapes too. Two coats will give you the amount of sparkle in the above pictures.

Longevity: Fairly long wearing due to the particles in the polish; as with glitter they tend to last longer but I didn't find it as hard to take off as glitter which is good!

Price: At £14.50 it's a slightly pricier polish but gives a lovely wintery effect on your nails if you're looking for something to suit this season.

FrootiFactor: I'd give this nail polish a 3.5 out of 5 as I find it looks best on top of a darker colour polish and needs two coats for the full "snow" type effect. I do however like that it isn't as hard as glitter to take off!

This "Christmasqua" collection is a great addition to their existing products in my opinion; I'm particularly fond of the Sculpting Powder Duo and the Fatale Palette which I can see myself using on in my kit as well as myself fairly regularly. I do hope they bring out more shades in the Sculpting Duo as I can see it being a very popular product for everyday and going out.

All Illamasqua products are available to buy in store or online at Illamasqua.

What are your favourites from this Holiday collection? Will you be buying any?