Makeup Tag with The Artist Of Makeup Zukreat.

 

 


The lovely Artist Of Makeup herself.

Speak to the Artist of Makeup Zukreat about all things makeup and beauty and immediately you will see how passionate she is about it all. The first thing that stands out aside from her amazing makeup artistry talent is her warm smile and sweet, soothing voice. If you remember, a while back, I took some inspiration from Coco at The Beauty Milk's makeup tag on her blog and decided to do one myself. (here). Read on further and you will see how Zukreat brings to life her makeup journey, reveals her love for it and gives us an insight into what she thinks about it all in this short makeup tag.

When did you start wearing makeup?

Me and a friend of mine started experimenting with eyeliner at the age of 14, we used to sneak away to the toilets at school to do it during break time lol. At college I didn't wear much makeup in the beginning, then a friend of mine brought me a mini makeup kit for my birthday, it included a mini lipstick, mini eyeshadow, a lip gloss and mini kohl pencil so that refuelled my love for makeup and at 18, while at uni, I started to experiment with more elaborate makeup style and started to by more and more makeup as I was working and could afford the more expensive brands. I started turning up to university classes with a full face of makeup, most of the students seemed puzzled as to why I would make so much effort in doing my face-up before class, I just enjoyed enhancing and experimenting with different makeup styles :)

The finalised AOM eyeshadow palette.

Recent bridal client.

What was the first makeup that you brought and loved?

The first makeup I brought was a brown eye shadow from The Body Shop, it was my go to eyeshadow at the age of 16. the first makeup that I brought and loved was a Dior 5 Couleurs Palette which had 5 shadow neutral shades in one compact, I absolutely loved the way I could create different makeup looks with just one palette.

What is your most used eyeshadow?

Artist Of Makeup Nutmeg eyeshadow on myself- and Glow eyeshadow on my clients also from my AOM range, It doubles up as a great highlighter too, which is why I love it even more.

The Artist Of Makeup Academy graduates.

When did you begin loving makeup?

I began loving makeup when I started to see the transformation it could have on people when I started working on makeup counters at the age of 16. (Bliss pharmacy in Marble Arch), and seeing how happy my customers became after I gave them a mini makeover, I could literally see the confidence boost it gave them.

How do you feel without makeup?

Makeup helps me feel more confident about myself and I feel I can tackle anything. I also believe beauty is from within and a beautiful smile with the right attitude makes the world a more beautiful place.



Zukreat with good friend Loren Ridinger.

YES! She did Khloes makeup!




Lala, Khloe and Eva at the wedding.
 




What do you like about makeup?

I like how makeup can enhance the natural beauty of a person and I like that you can transform a face without limits allowing me to be creative as possible.

Three Holy grail items?

Artist Of Makeup- Extreme art liner pen.

Artist Of Makeup- 30 eyeshadow palette with all the colours (that's not cheating :-) )

Clinique Dramatically Different moisturiser.

Why do you wear makeup?

It makes me more confident, it helps me enhance my features and I love to experiment with colours depending on my mood and express how I feel through makeup.

Any misconceptions about makeup that bother you?

When people want to look like a photo they have seen in magazines. its important to understand that these pictures are always edited and photo shopped and what may suit someone else may not suit you. I prefer to enhance your natural beauty and make you look the best you can be. Having said that, I always ask people to show me images of the makeup they like so that I can gain inspiration from this and adjust it to suit their face and unique colour palette.



Thank you very much for taking a few minutes out of your busy schedule Zukreat and completing this tag. We love your products and cannot wait to see what IMATS brings! Wish you all the best in your new, much deserved, journey with AOM. Hinnah xxx

Be sure to follow Zukreat on:

 

Youtube

 

Twitter

 

Facebook

 

 Instagram

 

Website

*Privacy Policy: All words and images remain the right of Zukreat  and Artist Of Makeup. Not to be used or copied in any way.


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5 minutes with the meastro SAHIDA at ZBridal Studio.

Thr Meastro Sahida.

You can understand my excitement when Makeup Maestro Sahida Sardar from Zbridal Studio agreed to let me interview her for a short piece on my blog. I have been really trying to get back onto Blogsphere after having my two children lately and when you manage to get hold of a top Makeup Artist and trainer for a few minutes of their time, it is certainly a moment to be proud of.

 
If you follow Zbridal based in the heart of Bradford, (Formerly known as Zara's Bridal) closely, you will know that they are one of the largest training academies in the UK with just over 7 branches situated across the North with plans for more branches reportedly opening across the UK.

Meet 'The Meastro', the woman behind it all, Sahida Sardar, mother of three who juggles it all and has created a big name and reputation for herself, as well as the expansion of her 'brand', she now has a huge fan base following her, the recent launch of the ZBridal app, more and more girls enrolling onto her training courses, a trip to Pakistan to do what she does best as well as being filmed for the BBC2 Bradford City Of Dreams documentary  which recently aired. For those of you that watched the programme, you would have seen the inspirational story behind it all.
 
That's all from me, in Sahidas word "Say No More", read on below to get a few minutes insight into the maestro's world.
 
Me: When did you decide you wanted to be a Makeup Maestro?
 
Sahida: I always wanted to be a makeup artist during my teens.
 
Where did the name Zara or ZBridal stem from?
 
Zara is my middle daughters name, I have three daughters and her name Zara was very appealing so I decided to name it after her.
 
(My daughters name is Zara too! :-) )

 
If you are not doing what you are, what would you have done instead?
 
I would have been continuing in my existing job as a Housing Officer- although I would have loved to have continued where I left when I joined the West Yorkshire Police force when i turned 20 but for family reasons had to leave shortly after I joined to pursue an acceptable career in an office.
 
Describe your training experience with Jawaad Ashraf?
 
Amazing and excellent training delivered by the makeup GURU, learnt tremendous amounts and continue to do masterclasses with him every year.

Describe a typical days work for you?
 
In short, doing bridal makeup, rushing from one house to another and trying to make sure everything runs smooth and is well organised and executed well.
 

 
 
 





Would you ever launch a makeup range?
 
Defo, something I have been thinking about including designing my own tailor made makeup trolley.
 
Oooo we just cant wait!
 
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

 
Inshallah INSHALLAH definitely in Britain's 100 RICH LIST!!
 
How do you juggle family life and work?
 
Its hard...trying to balance everything is chaotic at times, organising and prioritising is very important.
 
Any tips for aspiring MUAS?
 
Follow your dream, don't hold back and don't be scared..whats going to be will be!
 
Whats your most favourite part about making up people?
 
Love it when the whole look comes together, amazing feeling and total job satisfaction!!

 Three holy grail items you cannot live without?
 
My concealer, eyeliner and lippy!
 
How has ZBridal impacted you as a person?
 
It has made me stronger and more positive. I enjoy life and love my job so much, I look forward to new challenges and I'm always embracing change.
 
How do you unwind after a hards day work?
 
I never unwind! Theres a DVD player running in my head, theres no pause button on it! LOL I do find time to unwind with my family but can never fully unwind!
 
 
 


Just wanted to thanks Sahida for taking out a few minutes out of her busy schedule and answering the above for me. It was definitely an interesting read.
 
Until next time, Au revoir!
 
Hinnah xxx
 
** All images remain the right of Sahida Sardar and ZBridal. Not to be used or copied in any way.
 




 

MAC Fix Plus- Review & How to

When I first started to see makeup fixing sprays or setting sprays come out in the makeup market, I did not comprehend their purpose at first to be honest. I just didn't see the use for them, if you have already created a perfect foundation routine, prepped and primed your skin, highlighted and contoured and then set it with powder, what was the need? Did it not smudge the makeup applied? Did it not ruin the look? Curious to find the answers, I purchased the Mac Fix+ spray and boy was I wrong! You definitely need this in your makeup kit, whether you are a makeup artist by profession or simply a makeup fanatic like myself.

Now I was aware that there were other brands available, I first became intrigued when MUA cosmetics launched their Pro Base Makeup Fixing Mist, truth be told, I wasn't totally convinced that at £5, there was a 'fixing time of up to eight hours' as specified on their website. It was only because I had stopped off at Mac to stock up on a few things that I ran out of that I decided to add this to my shopping. Having said that though, and to prove I am not a complete
brand/price snob, I will definitely be purchasing the fixing mist from MUA next down I pop into my local Superdrug, cannot really go wrong can I?

So, how did I go? To be honest, I did cringe at the price a little at first, £13.50 seemed like a lot for a fix spray, but it was a 100ml bottle and it did contain  "vitamin and minerals, infused with a calm-the-skin blend of green tea, chamomile, cucumber, topped off with the fresh, natural, energising scent of Sugi" and promised to "add radiance and fix makeup".



The first thing that attracted me to this was the smell, it was so invigorating and my skin seemed to take an instant liking to it. I tried to play around with it a little, I first used it BEFORE applying my makeup and it created the perfect hydrated base for applying my foundation and the rest. Thankfully, I had a three day family wedding and thought it was the perfect time to use it, so after applying a full face of makeup on the first day, I held this from a 25cm distance and spritzed and the product worked instantly. It mattifies your makeup and creates this luminous, dewy look. it was so hydrating!

I later discovered other uses for it and I just love a product that has multi use. I spritzed a little product onto my eyeshadow brush to help my eyeshadow glide on and stay in place and it really did! Also, I was thinking for when the days get hotter to just pop it in the fridge for a little while and spritz it onto the bare face as a refresher? What do you think? Good idea right and definitely one for getting your moneys worth. You can also add it to slightly creamier, thicker products like foundations for instance to help thin it out. I also love the fact that the top comes with a lock pump thing for you to lock the pump  so it doesn't leak in your makeup bag!

If I am at all honest, as much as I still find Mac Fix+ a little on the pricey side, I will definitely be repurchasing it as I will make good use of it. I do not use it everyday though simply because I do not wear heavy makeup so will just save it for the occasions for when I do, most likely weddings. The product comes out in a nice mist sort of way and not a full stream of liquid which is nice too.

Would I save lots of money if I was to simply fill the same bottle with water and use that? Most likely yes but then cucumber and green tea have been known to be good for the skin too, besides, there are many ways this can be used so money well spent in my opinion.

Mac Fix Plus can be brought on the official MAC website at http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/ (UK) and at all MAC stores.

Have you tried this? What are your thoughts?

xxx

My February Favourites.

Hello, lovely ladies,

I just cannot believe how fast February has come and gone, how quickly have the weeks flown by!  On a positive note, the days do seem to be getting a little warmer and that can only mean one thing- Spring is coming! Yay!

This post would have been quite fun to do in a video format if I had a Youtube channel of my own, but one, my current Sony camera does not have a long recording facility and secondly, I just don’t have the confidence to be honest, but maybe in the future, who knows, watch this space!

For once, I will be keeping this post short and sweet and to the point, ill let the pictures do the talking. (Apologies for the poor picture quality :( )I just wanted to share all the products I have been using religiously this past month and what works well for me and what doesn’t, as well as my wish list that I will be mentioning at the end of the blog, yes, I have a wishlist of all the pretty things I currently have my eyes on and I am sure, you have one too!

Here goes:

Gucci Rush Body Lotion



 

I got this as part of a gift set at the Perfume Shop simply because the gift set was cheaper than the perfume alone so it made sense!  Although, I cannot really understand why gift sets are generally cheaper, shouldn’t it cost more surely because you are getting additional products? Oh well, not that I am complaining but I have been loving this. After my shower, I apply this just over my arms and chest mind you and it smells absolutely divine. The light fragrance from it tends to linger onto your skin so you can keep smelling it throughout the day and it is perfect now the days are finally getting warmer.

Mac Lipstick in Satin.



 

Well we all know just how great MAC lipsticks are so I wont bore you with all the details on that but my lipstick shades vary depending on my mood but this month Ive been feeling the Satin shade, it is a nice subtle pinkish shade that compliments my skin tone well and has buildable coverage. I like it because although it is not too bold and in your face, but not so natural that the colour doesn’t show up.

Hello Glow Whitening Plus Facial Polish.

I just cannot praise this enough, I swear by it! Here is my review of it incase you missed it. Along with my Elemis Facial Wash, its the only polish that actually works on my skin. I don’t include it in my skincare regimen daily, it is certainly good enough to be though. I am currently offering it as part of a giveaway on my new facebook page Diva by Hinnah Khalifa, check it out here, Giveaway ends on Monday the 11^th of March.

Kryolan Paint Stick in Shade Oriental.

Although, this is primarily a foundation, I have found it great to be used as a concealer simply because I find its a little bit too much to be worn on a daily basis and for those of you that know me, will know I have ridiculously dark circles around my eyes and this provides great lasting coverage. I wont go too much into detail, although you can read my full review on it here.

F2 Stippling Brush by MUA and Buffing Brush by Real Techniques.

 

 

I have been using these 2 brushes extensively and find they blend my Studio fix liquid foundation from Mac brilliantly. I find I no longer need to use my sponge to blend as this does the job and leaves a flawless finish if I use setting powder on top, again which I apply with these two brushes.

 **My Wishlist (Which just keeps getting longer by the day!)

·         Mac Fix +

·         Mac Mineralize Skin Finish

·         Mac lipliner in Cherry

·         Crown Brush C406 Large Duo Fibre Face Brush

·         Banana powder- Ben Nye.

·         Flawless Face Blender from Crown Brush UK

·         Professional Stainless Steel Mixing Plate from Crownbrush UK.

I could go on, but ill choose not to haha!

What are your monthly fav products? Do you have a wish list?

Hinnah xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

MUA Heaven and Earth Palette Review.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but theres been a big hype lately over MUA cosmetics. Now, Ive got to admit, when I first came across MUA in Superdrug, it wasn't instantly love at first sight. The only thing that amazed me about it was the ridiculous low prices and I immediately mistook it for a brand targeted at miners. In fact, I couldn't have been more further from the truth.....

Yet, not being one to completely judge a book by its cover, I decided to check out the range and snoop further especially when their product range started to increase with face and eye primers, contour pens and BB creams to name a few and that's where I decided the brand definitely had potential and I am definitely not one to miss out on a big hype.


So of course, this meant that my wish list started to build up and right on top of it was the Heaven and Earth 12 eyeshadow palette which I stumbled across on a recent shopping trip  as well as many twitters tweeting away about it. Just the name is enough to keep you intrigued wouldn't you agree?


Without further ado, lets get down to the nitty gritty:


All their fabulous palettes come with 12 beautiful and complimentary shades so that a variety of looks can be created and at just £4, (Yes £4!) you basically need them all! The shadows are soft, blendable and easy to apply and surprisingly are quite pigmented for something so cheap. Has anyone also noticed how the third colour in the second row strongly resembles the 'All That Glitter's' Shadow from MAC?

If you favour the natural everyday look then this is definitely the palette for you. All the gorgeous shades are a combination of beiges, browns, bronzes and creams, enough for those natural wearable looks or can be played around with for that intense still favoured sultry smokey eye look a la Kim Kardashian for the evening. Just sweep the creams and beige's under a nicely threaded eyebrow, one of the nice bronze swept over the eyelids and finally, a brown for contouring and voila you have it! Easy, foolproof natural neutral/smokey eye.


Now here comes the best part, I am fortunate enough to own Urban Decays NAKED palette and whilst these may not be of the same quality and price range (Thank god to the latter!), they are still highly pigmented and impressively, glide on well, no fall outs with good staying power. For ease of application, I do recommend using a good blending and fluff brush though, as opposed to the eyeshadow applicator brush provided, just so that a good amount of the product can be picked up and blended well as personally I find eye shadow applicators a little 'amateur' and find that they do not work so well.

Another trick Ive managed to come across here is that dipping your brush in a drop and I mean just a drop of water to help in making the eye shadows glide on and build a heavier look. No eye primer is required as the shadow doesnt crease or smudge. Hoorah!

It might be worth mentioning however, that these shadows are not matte and powdery and may disappoint those that prefer this but the finish is satin like with just the right amount of shimmer making it perfect for every day wear particularly as I feel they are not quite as shimmery as NAKED, but certainly are a good dupe. Might be best to leave NAKED aside for those special occasions.

Also, it may be best to wrap the palette around in cotton wool....literally as if its had a bit of a rough ride or a fall on the floor, the shadows are likely to break, but the phrase, 'you get what you pay for' springs to mind here and at £4 you cannot really complain especially since the shadows are still usable. If I was to be a little picky, I would have liked to have seen some matte eyeshadows in here like UD's NAKED palette but like I said, that would be a little picky for £4.

To sum it up,  I really love this palette and plan on stocking up on it just in case MUA run out of stock or in the fear of it being discontinued, which I believe is highly unlikely though. You can imagine these must sell like hot cakes so if you are lured in, I suggest you put one or two in your basket and believe me, you will not regret it! Well done MUA!

Heaven and Earth can be purchased at all major Superdrug stores or on line at http://www.superdrug.com/make-up/icat/makeup/ or on the MUA cosmetics website at http://www.muastore.co.uk/.

Have any of you tried this palette? What do you think?




xxx