I recently attended the Avon Arctic Goddess launch which introduced 9 new products to their already substantial cosmetics range; the Arctic Goddess collections includes two new palettes, three lipglosses & nail varnishes and a mascara.

I've haven't properly tried Avon products lately; I tried a few products here and there when I was a teen and reacted to a Color Trend eye pencil - not good!

Fast forward a couple years and here I was eager to see how things have changed. Luckily it wasn't just the Arctic Goddess products being shown at the event, so I got to peek at the other permanent ranges like the foundations and lipsticks.

One of the palettes that caught my eye - gorgeous colours!

I decided to get my nails done by Marian Newman and chose the Arctic Goddess colours Sea Breeze and Green Goddess on top as the greens went with my outfit.

Getting my nails done by celebrity manicurist Marian Newman

Sea Breeze underneath Green Goddess

Sam & Nic of Pixiwoo were there to give lovely makeup advice as well as just a general friendly chitchat. We talked about the new Avon collection and how best it can be used as well as YouTube and names like Pixiwoo and Frootibeauty!

I went with Numera, Tanzina and Asmaa and we managed to get a sneaky pic in before meeting Alesha Dixon, Avon's Beauty and Empowerment Ambassador:

Alesha was absolutely gorgeous and friendly, explaining why she became the ambassador and how she supports domestic violence initiatives. She modelled the new Arctic Goddess blue palette (which I got to take home) and gushed about how she loves the Ideal Flawless foundation and perfectly nude nail varnish too; personally I think her natural skin is flawless, as a makeup artist I know a good base helps a makeup look look amazing, so that's her real secret!

I didn't get to take a proper FOTD picture but I have one pic that you can sort of see what I wore:

excuse the funny face!

The new collection is all very Snow Queen and icy but also slightly Mermaid-like too with the green nail polishes and second eyeshadow quad.
I got to take a few goodies from the new collection home:

I found the blue quad's matte colours to be more pigmented than the shimmery ones:

The Ultra Colour Rich lipgloss in Pink Icicle was surprisingly unsticky which I loved. The pink shimmer is sheer but the multicoloured glitter was pretty enough for me anyway. I also liked the thin applicator for precise application:

Finally, one of my favourite nail polishes from the range, Arctic Waters:

I do think my opinions of the company have changed as the quality seems to be a lot better than what I knew of it; I'm also quite impressed with the Supershock Gel Liner that I got to try out at the event and take home so looking forward to see if it lives up to the hype!

The Arctic Goddess collection launches in November and can be bought from an Avon rep (if you have one near you!) or online at www.avonshop.co.uk.

Have you tried Avon products before? What are your thoughts/favourite products?
 
 

Review: Make Believe Tan Lotion & Glow Tinted Moisturiser

Product 3 & 4 of the TFWOC series is by Make Believe. I made a mistake of thinking that week 3's product was the Vita Liberata mousse so I've had to wait til that one has faded (and it's a 2-3 week tan!).
Luckily I had some St Tropez tan remover and scrubbed away at my arm but I had left the other arm un-tanned so for this post I'll be using the one arm.

Review 1: Make Believe Self Tan lotion with bronzer [w/b 24th September]
I was sent zone 4 (Golden Tan):

The product when first applied looks like a chocolate-caramel kind of smooth colour (no glitter or sparkle) and it's what I'd say is a "colour guide" as it's dark and you can see where it's been spread on the skin.

I applied it to my right arm and took a before and after of the same arm so you can see the difference:

no tan

zone 4 just applied

after washed off

As you can see, when just applied the tan is very visible. After washing the tan off the colour is less obvious and more natural looking.

Packaging: The packaging looks like its an established/quality product and has easy to understand instructions.
Finish: Lotion with bronzer.
Texture: Creamy chocolate-caramel coloured creamy lotion that when spread settles in skin.
Key Ingredients/Facts: Lipo-Care Complex - keeps skin looking toned and can help reduce the appearance of cellulite so great for thighs and arms! Anti-Oxidants and fruit extracts help protect skin against aging.
Application: After the usual routine of exfoliating, shaving and moisturising before applying a tanning product, the Self Tan lotion can be applied with a glove or mitt to the face and body; not with the hand as instructed unless you want orange palms! This particular product can be re-applied for a deeper colour.
Smell: The scent as described by Make Believe is an "exotic fragrance". On first smelling the product I could smell a cinnamon/cinnabon kind of smell which isn't bad! But when the product settles in there's a tan smell as with all tan products.
Who this would be perfect for: I personally think this product leaves a lovely subtle warm tan to my skin tone; I wouldn't recommend zone 4 for very fair skin tones as I think it would appear too orange, however for more olive/tanned skin tones this is lovely and looks quite natural.
FrootiFactor: Aside from the tan smell which is eminent in pretty much all tan products, this Self Tan Lotion is good as it applies with an instant bronze guide and looks very natural. I'd give this product a 4 out of 5:

The Self Tan Lotion can be bought directly from the Make Believe website for £24.50 or from Boots.


Review 1: Make Believe Glow Tinted Moisturiser [w/b 1st October]
Make Believe also do a few products especially for the face and I received a Enhance Glow Tinted Moisturiser to review.

It comes in a 30ml size and has a fairly thin nozzle so you don't get too much product out in one go.

Once blended in there's a slight noticeable shimmer:

You can see where the cream isn't on my skin shows as a yellow tone, therefore I found the shade to be too peachy/light for my skin tone.

Packaging: I love the packaging of the tinted moisturiser; black and gold are a classic combination for a rich-like feel.
Finish: Tinted moisturiser cream with shimmer.
Texture: The product is a cream texture and takes a bit of blending in to sink into the skin.
Application: I used my hands to work the cream in which does need careful blending; it may be better to use a blending brush for this reason.
Smell: No particular scent.
Who this would be perfect for: I think this product would be better suited to cooler/peachy skin tones rather than ethnic/yellow tones, but the peachyness isn't too obvious once blended in on the face. The shimmer is lovely, not too over powering, and it does give a subtle "glow" if you're looking to achieve that dewy look. Having said that, this product is not good for people with dry skin as the glitter clings to dry areas accentuating them.

FrootiFactor: I'd give this product a 3.5 out of 5 as its a good product if you're looking for a "glow" however it's probably too light and peachy for more darker/yellow or red skin tones.

The Enhance Glow Tinted Moisturiser is available from the Make Believe website here for £15.

Make sure you follow the other girls' reviews on this project as well: 

  Annie Epiphannie

LaaLaa Dolce Vanity

Sophia Tattooed Tea Lady

Tass Une Tasse

Grace All That Slap

Hafsa Muslimah Beauty

Yinka Vex In The City

Stephanie Nerd About Town

Dija Dija's World

Lola LolaStar Heart

Have you used any Make Believe products before? Which tanning products would you recommend?

 

Recent makeup work (again)

Hello my lovelies!

I do realise I haven't done a makeup look in like forever and I really do apologise for this! I've been quite busy with bookings etc so I thought I'd share some of the looks I created on my clients whilst I get my makeup mojo back!

Sorry in advance for some of the pictures' poor quality (they're zoomed in coz the clients didn't want their full face showing!)

First up:
#1 - Bridesmaids/party makeup
Bridesmaid 1:
Cream and green outfit with antique gold threadwork and diamantes.

Bridesmaid 2:
Turquoise/teal outfit with silver threading and diamantes.

Bridesmaid 3:
Green & purple outfit with silver diamantes.

Bridesmaid 4:
Blue-turquoise & purple outfit with silver diamantes:

Bridesmaid 5:
Another green & golden-silver outfit.

#2 Bride A
Bride A required two days of makeup and hair, the first day being a peachy-pink colour outfit and the next day with a blue & red outfit. She didn't want very heavy makeup like the last bride, so I did a subtle look but matching her outfits both days.
My cousin Farah - who does the hair in our team - did a bun and helped with the hijab & dupatta setting for the second day.
I personally preferred Day 2 as there was more colour involved again.
Day 1 (Peachy-Pink): 

Day 2 (Blue-red outfit with gold work):

eye makeup for day 2

day 2's outfit

Be sure to join my facebook page Frootibeauty and mine and Farah's joint Safrah Beauty page for even more pictures including hair and mehndi/henna.

Which looks did you like best? Hope you've enjoyed the looks as much as I did creating them!


 

Competition winner!

Hey guys, so after careful consideration and much thought I've finally picked a winner!

It was a hard one because I liked so many of them but the one I liked best was chosen for its colours, use of glitter and clarity as well as it being a personal creation and following instructions/rules, which always helps!

So without further ado, the winning look:

which was submitted by:

Anne of Fashiony Nails

Congratulations Anne, please email me your address you'd like your goodies posted to!
The makeup look was lovely and colourful, it had purple in it and also a bit of glitter which gets even more brownie points! It's elegant and well blended too and something I think I could totally see myself wearing so thank you for your inspirational look!

I feel bad that I haven't got a prize for the other great looks that I loved too, but I definitely feel they need a shout out in this post so here are my other favourites:

This gorgeous purple-blue look by Crys of Amantesdelabelleza
 

Despite my love for purple, I absolutely loved this teal/turquoise look with the pop of colour in the water line by Burcin of Lale Beauty

This look by Sam of Sam's Beauty Blog had me in awe too, the neutrals are so wearable and blended beautifully!

I loved this funky liner and use of glitter too by Najlaa

And finally I adored this look by Alma!

I could go all day posting the looks that I liked but I fear I'll oversaturate this post with pictures so these are my top 5 after the winner!

I hope you enjoyed entering the competition as much as I enjoyed receiving these fab looks and look forward to holding an even bigger contest next time!

 

Review: Karamel & Brown Glow Creme [w/b 17th Sept]

So Product 2 of the TFWOC series is by Karamel & Brown.

I was sent a Glow Crème and a lovely velvety tanning mitt.

This product is described as an intensely moisturising creme with natural ingredients and anti-oxidants to create a long lasting glow that fades evenly.

what the product looks like straight from the bottle

The packaging also says that the Glow Creme has an "instant bronzer guide colour" which I thought meant that it would be brown.. this product is a green colour and pretty much absorbs straight into the skin so you can't actually see where it's been applied!
I applied it to my left arm with the mitt, but got no colour whatsoever so I applied it again and still no colour difference appeared, if anything my non tanned arm looked darker!
I finally applied it again with my bare right hand (as usually products with tanning DHA in it show up on the hands as an orange-y colour) and this is what the end result was:

top arm: with Karamel & Brown Glow Creme, bottom: no Glow Creme

left hand: no Glow Creme, right hand: applied Glow Creme directly to arm

As you can see, there's barely any colour difference at all! These pictures were taken at least 4 hours after applying the product which should be enough time for the product to develop, but there's pretty much little to no colour.

Packaging: The packaging is quite basic but I like the logo and font on the bottle.
Finish: Moisturising cream.
Texture: The product is a cream texture and sinks in to the skin pretty well.
Key Ingredients/Facts: Karamel & Brown products have no parabens or alcohol and use organic Aloe Vera, vitamin rich moisturisers and "premium active ingredients". It does actually contain DHA (the active tanning ingredient) but it must be in the tiniest amount.
Application: After the usual routine of exfoliating, shaving and moisturising before applying a tanning product, the K&B Glow Creme can be applied evenly and massaged in well, using sparingly on dry areas like elbows and knees. 
Smell: When first applied it smells of coconut which I love! After a while you can smell the distinct warm "biscuit-y" smell that all tanning products have.
Who this would be perfect for: I'm not too sure who I think this product would be perfect for; at best I'd describe it as a coconut-tan smelling cream/lotion but there's barely any visible difference in colour between the two arms (or hands) above which isn't enough for me. I do think that it's very nice and moisturising and does feel lovely on the skin, however I personally am not too keen on smelling of the warm tan smell and could find other creams without the smell!

FrootiFactor: For a product free of parabens and alcohol it smells quite lovely on first application, however I'm quite surprised at the minimal effect this product had on my colour.. I didn't feel it gave my skin a "glow", I felt it just intensely moisturised it with a tan smell. For this reason, I give it only 2 FrootiFactors as I don't think this product is best suited to me personally.

The Glow Creme can be bought in both 50ml (£6.95) and 200ml full size for £16.95 from the Karamel & Brown website.
I've now received all the brands products in this TFWOC project including Vita Liberata, Make Believe and Xen-Tan, so look out for these reviews too!
Make sure you follow the other girls' reviews on this project as well:

  Annie Epiphannie

LaaLaa Dolce Vanity

Sophia Tattooed Tea Lady

Tass Une Tasse

Grace All That Slap

Hafsa Muslimah Beauty

Yinka Vex In The City

Stephanie Nerd About Town

Dija Dija's World

Lola LolaStar Heart

What do you look for in tanning products? Would you consider tanning if you have a fair amount of colour yourself? I'd love to hear your thoughts below!

 

Competition ends tomorrow!

Hey guys, just a quick post here to remind you that the competition I'm running ends tomorrow night!

For those of you who'd like to win all of these goodies (enough for a full face of makeup and more!), please send your makeup looks to enter@frootibeauty.co.uk.

You can send as many looks as you like but only one will be picked to win, so get your entries in now!

For full rules please click the "competitions" tab at the top of the page or click here.

I look forward to picking a winner, good luck!