Artist Of Makeup- Flawless coverage HD Cream Foundation Review.

Hi

lovelies, I hope this blog post finds you well. Firstly, apologies for being so MIA lately, I know it sounds like a cliche, but I have had so much going on lately what with the kids, birthdays, getting bits and bats sorted around the house and I'm sure you get the picture. For those of you that are full time mummies like me will know that life sometimes is like a roller coaster but  that's not necessarily a bad thing, although sometimes I guess it is good to have a bit of a break from the Internet to really give yourself the time to focus on the more important things in life.

So anyway, things have seemed to have calmed down for a little while so I am back with another makeup review. Hurrah! Now, before I get started, I am super excited about this one as far as I know and see, I will currently be the FIRST ever non Youtube blogger to post a review of this product so its safe to say, the pressures on a little ha ha !

Sorry to keep you all guessing, the product I am rambling on about is the Artist Of Makeup foundation palette by Zukreat. If you closely follow Zukreat on her Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube, you will see that around the time of its launch at IMATS, there was (and currently still is) a huge amount of hype and excitement for the Artist Of Makeup brand and cosmetics. It is always nice to see a makeup artist and Youtuber allowing us to follow their journey of launching a brand and product from start to finish, I suppose it is nice as you feel a part of it. Feel free to check out my makeup tag with Zukreat here.



Back in June, just a few days after qualifying as a makeup artist, I went to IMATS in London for the first ever time and of course, I stopped by at the Artist Of Makeup stand to finally see and swatch all the wonderful products in real life. as expected though, most of the products were sold out, no surprise really so any new orders had to be placed by filling out an order form and getting the products delivered to you. Sounded simple enough.

It was three days after having an eye op (In case you're wondering why I had the shades on!) so needless to say I did feel all hot and bothered at most times during the day, the eye drops I had to insert every two hours made me drowsy so that didn't help matters, so I didn't really allow myself to have a thorough look. The product that really stood out to me, was the Flawless coverage HD Cream Foundations which I was so eager to try.

Thoughts? Well the product finally arrived after three months of frantically waiting, I suppose it was out of Zukreats hands as it was all an International order, shipping etc. The product lived up to its hype so I guess it was well worth the wait. There are a total of six colours suitable for all skin tones not too far off in colour from one another enabling you to mix two shades together if desired. I like the fact that it comes with a clear lid so that you can actually see what you are doing rather than faffing around if you are on a makeup job. The palette and foundations come separately so you need to insert them in yourself,  couldn't be easier though, carefully remove the foundations from their packets and insert in the slot. The pans are magnetic too, so that they do not budge once inserted. Also, I suppose it makes sense to insert them in order of shade ranging from light to dark but I guess this is down to individual preference.






If you quickly become accustomed to the six different shades then there's no need to label them either. Sometimes I did find that the product smudged onto the case however this can easily be wiped off with a wet wipe. The colours are number coded as follows, No. 5, 15, 25, 35, 45 and 55.
The case itself does not have a button or anything to close it, instead it just snaps shut. My only concern would be that in really hot weather conditions, due to the lid being transparent, there may be a possibility of the foundations melting slightly but I guess ill only ever know if I take this on holiday with me. Oh and did I mention you get a cute little 'Zukreat' powder puff sponge with it too.

Results? Holy Moly, are these super pigmented or what? The product easily glides on and has buildable coverage, yet at the same time, it feels so lightweight on the skin. Something I dislike about using waxy/stick type foundations is that heavy caked on feeling on the skin yet you can almost forget you're wearing this as it does not seem to be heavy on the skin at all. I did also find that it worked brilliantly as a concealer too and didn't crease at all. Result! I have to say though, I did find that after using this all over my face, my skin did feel a little bit dry afterwards, but this may be because of the recent weather change and the fact that unfortunately, I do not drink enough water. I guess if you do have dry skin, I would advise using a moisturiser and  primer beforehand just to keep the skin hydrated and help with product application. As per Zukreats suggestion (She did a quick tutorial on this), the foundations are best applied with a buffer brush, (I used my Nanshy and Real Techniques one) but any good one will do.


Price? I cannot remember the exact prices of each of these and the palette which is an additional charge, but I do remember it all costing around £91.50 with an additional £4.50 for postage and packaging. The online site is due to go live soon so for those of you that are interested, be sure to check out the exact prices on there.

Conclusion? Definitely a good buy and well worth the money. I am looking to repurchase this for my makeup kit for use on my clients, however as I am currently suffering from dry skin, it may probably be best for me to stick to my usual liquid foundation or probably none at all for the time being! I will definitely give it another go though once my skin calms down a little. It works brilliantly for me as a concealer and I have found an excellent use for the lightest shade as a highlighter and the darkest for contouring so
money well spent overall.

I have my eye on the eye shadow and blusher palettes next, don't the colours just look amazing?

Have you purchased anything from the Artist of Makeup range? Do you have your eye on anything?

xxx

 **Disclaimer: NOT a PR sample.

IMATS London 2013 + Haul.

  I am a month late with this post and almost didn't publish it for that reason, but rather than the 'been busy/ haven't had time' excuses I normally produce, I can be let off seeing as I had an eye op and had two weeks of complete eye rest so no phones, Internet or TV. Absolute torture if you ask me! Seeing as it has now healed well, I thought I'd better knuckle down and get this post written before having my other eye operated on..

Anyways, enough of eyes and back to the post. Today's post is a very exciting one for me as after much hesitation,  it was my first time ever attending the International Makeup Artist Trade Show in London, or most commonly known as IMATS and it was even more exciting seeing as I had just qualified. For those of you that do not know much about IMATS, it is basically like the Ideal Home Exhibition except its all makeup, with many exhibitors offering discounted products, a chance to meet some well known artists and bloggers, key speakers and of course, a chance to swatch all the wonderful makeup!

Like myself, if you are fanatical about makeup then you know this is the place to be each year it takes place. Tickets cost approximately £40 for one day and this year it ran for a period of three days; I decided to attend Saturday 22nd of June at the National Grand Hall in Olympia.

Needless to say, it was going to be a long day. Up at 6am, out of the house by 7am, Starbucks in one hand and a brolly in the other (there was light rain, so polished straightened hair went out of the window!) with my little sister who kindly decided to accompany me seeing as though it was only the third day after my eye op and she didn't want me to travel alone, bless her! I must point out, she has no interest in makeup whatsoever nor any desire to spend her Saturday walking around countless makeup stands. As you can imagine, travelling with an eye patch on wasn't exactly the most ideal thing, I did feel as though I would take a drop at some point when walking down the stairs and on top of it, I had to insert eye drops in every two hours, so I suppose that's what you call dedication and passion for makeup!

First thoughts? Well, when we finally did get out of the what seemed like an hour queueing time, excitement kicked in at the realisation of actually being there, having put on a wrist band and being handed a string bag to load with goodies! Thought number two? It wasn't as big as what I imagined it to be but then again seeing as I hadn't been before, I didn't really know what to expect.

 


Once we actually got into the trade floor and arriving nice and early, I instantly familiarised myself with all the brands I knew of. After much ooiing and aahiingg, I rushed straight to the Crown Brush stand for fear of their lovely brushes being sold out, yet there was no chance of that happening as it was all nice and fully stocked with lots of lovely staff around to help. Of course, just before I started to grab a whole load of brushes, I was incredibly starstruck at seeing Karla Powell demonstrating her pop art look.





She was even more gorgeous in real life! What a lovely lady and an extremely talented one at that. Definitely the highlight of the day

.

At the risk of this post turning into three, Ill just quickly mention the stands that did/didn't stand out for me and why. Of course you had the usual Mac Pro, Bobbi Brown, Temptu, NARS, NYX, Kryolan, Makeup Forever, Stargazer, Inglot, Zukreat- Artist of Makeup Cosmetics, OCC, Royal Brushes, and of course exhibitors stocking Limecrime, Sugapill (I sadly happened to miss both), Ben Nye, Graftobian and so on. Illamasqua were notably absent which I was a little gutted about; I would have definitely liked to have swatched their products and taken advantage of any discounts.


I have been closely following Artist Of Makeup Zukreat on her Instagram and Youtube Channel for the launch of her AOM range (see my interview with her here) and I was very eager to meet her and check out her products. What a lovely, genuine person and of course, her husband too. Again, very starstruck, (as was my sister!) and it was definitely another highlight of our day.


  I don't think AOM Cosmetics anticipated just how busy they would be and sadly would have benefited from a larger booth. I was a little bit gutted, as expected, as many of their fantastic products sold out which meant that I had to order them. In the end, I opted for their six foundation palette which I am really looking forward to receiving. It was there that I also met the lovely Selina aka Miss Beauty Adikt as I had recognised her from her Youtube channel. She was just as lovely and down to earth as she appears on her makeup channel and blog. I would have loved to have met Wayne Goss too as I absolutely adore his work, but wasn't sure if he attended Saturday. Hopefully, next time though...

If I am honest, aside from Crown Brushes, the only other two stands that really stood out to me were Makeup Forever and Inglot. Why? Well, they both had discounts of some sort, were fully stocked, had products on the outside which we could swatch, we had to write down our orders on slips of paper that were given to us and then the staff, who were all INSIDE the whole square booth/ counter then processed our orders accordingly. Overall, both stands were very efficient and organised, and it showed

.

NARS on the other hand, was a bit of a disappointment to say the least. Firstly, their booth was very badly organised. They had a stand of all their permanent line, however, none of it was fully stocked which was a little frustrating as with a place like IMATS, people expect stock from their permanent line especially where a 60% discount was being offered. Also,  I thought having a stand with their

most popular products such as the Orgasm Blush where people were repeatedly swatching them was a little misleading. You don't want to go to IMATS, swatch a product you like and then have to go to say John Lewis or Selfridges to buy it.

All the products that were being sold were all placed on one stand at the right of the booth so you can imagine just how crowded and badly organised it all was. Having
 said that, though, I did manage to pick up a few bits and pieces from there.

NYX again was a bit of a disappointment. Although, they were well stocked, not everything from their range was there and queuing time was up to an hour long. Of course, at a trade show like IMATS, you would expect shoppers to take photos just in general or for their blog/vlog/Youtube, only having being told by NYX staff that photos could only be taken if you were a blogger and had a business card of some sort! It was a bit of a shame especially since NYX cannot be purchased from an actual store here in the UK and is only available on line.  Sadly, I didn't actually end up buying anything from NYX.

By around midday, as you would expect, we were absolutely starving and broke and decided to make a move. We did manage to have a quick browse of everything and I also picked up a few Stargazer glitters and glue, the much hyped about Ben Nye Banana Powder, a small bottle of Makeup Brush Cleaner from Crown

and an Inglot customised palette.

If like myself, you will be attending the next IMATS for the first time or simply not so for the first time, here are a few simple do's and don'ts for the day.

DO:

• Do ensure you have plenty of cash as some exhibitors will not take payments via card, the queue for the cashpoint will be horrendous and can you imagine the horror if the cash machine decides to go out of order?!
• Do take some snacks and a bottle of water as you will be feeling peckish later on and the food prices in the hall will be sky high. Besides, who wants to waste time queueing up for food.
• Do take some handy wipes with you as you will be swatching loads and some of the exhibitors may not offer wipes.

DON'T:

• For the love of God, do not wear high heels and instead opt for your flats, you will be on your feet all day long  and chances are, you will probably want to chop half your foot off rather than taking another step to walk. Why torture yourself.
• Do not wear any extra layers of clothes. It will be so hot and crowded in there, regardless of the weather outside, it will be uncomfortable.
• Do not bring any other valuables you will not be requiring. Nobody wants to be pick pocketed whilst swatching your favourite M AC lipstick. If possible, try and bring a bag that you can wear over yourself or place on your shoulder. It will definitely be much more comfortable.
  
  
  I didn't pick up as many products as I would have hoped but seeing as I was still recovering from my eye op, I didn't want to overdo it. I will however, definitely be attending again next year and hopefully meet lots more people and bloggers and of course pick up more goodies! All in all, we had a great day out and IMATS was a fantastic experience. Did you attend this year? Will you be attending next year? What did you buy?

xxx

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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'Artist of Makeup' launch_Why I CANNOT wait!



Copyright- www. zukreat.com.

I don't know about you, but when a make up artist talks to me on a personal level, it almost makes me feel starstruck, like Ive met a famous celebrity, especially as in the past, a few, as busy as they are, chose to ignore my messages and emails and are just generally difficult to get hold of.


So, when London based professional make up artist Zukreat, took time out of her busy schedule to reply back to my emails and tweets, I instantly took a liking to her and not just her work. As opposed to most MUA's, not matter how big or small, she appeared professional, friendly and down to earth. As a make up artist, entrepreneur as well as a devoted wife and mum you can just imagine how busy her schedule must be, but one thing Ive seen for certain is that she always makes time for her many followers.




http://www.youtube.com/user/zukreat?feature=results_main


I first came across Zukreat when I extensively searched around for a make up artist that specialised in Arabic make up purely out of interest and her name frequently came up. With her being of Arab origin herself, it intrigued me more. But it was only when a good friend of mine told me about her and her fabulous work and seeing how Zukreat did her make up on a number of occasions, including her registry and wedding day,  made me decide she was definitely worth looking into.





Copyright- www. zukreat.com.




Her talents just don't stop there though. Having worked in the make up industry with several leading make up brands for more than fourteen years, today she boasts a highly successful make up and hair profession ranging from Asian bridal make up and hair, media and fashion make up, exotic Arabic looks, celebrity inspired looks, several published work, a highly rated You tube channel, her own professional training academy and now her much awaited launch of her own line of make up and brushes from her 'Artist of Makeup' brand. Whats more, recently she snapped up the opportunity to do Senior VP of Internet retailing giant marketamerica and creator of cosmetic line Motives, Loren Ridingers make up during her trip to the UK, better known as close friend of Kim Kardashian. Yet, despite all this under her belt, she still appears humble and doesn't brag.

http://www.myfashioncents.com/tag/london/

- Zukreat with Loren Ridinger



Zukreat often encourages her fans to subscribe to her You Tube channel, follow her on Twitter and like her Facebook page and I didn't hesitate in doing all three. I wanted to keep up to date with her fabulous work, competitions, her fantastic give aways, make up and beauty tips and many more.The thing with Zukreat is that theres never a dull moment, each and every uploaded video and work is engaging, clear and straight to the point in her smooth, soothing voice.

It was only recently I came across a competition of hers on her You tube channel to suggest in true Zukreat style, creative and quirky names for her many eyeshadows, the winner yet to be announced would receive nine complimentary eye shadows of their choice! Needless to say, I jumped at the chance in submitting my ideas, in fact, it would be safe to say I got a little too excited in doing so! I just imagined how amazing it would be to actually use an eyeshadow which was named by me and receive nine fantastic colours of my choice....provided I was a winner of course.

Please note: This competition is now closed.

Her website says very little about the AOM launch and products as it is still all very much in the pipeline, although Zukreat has informed her fans that the much awaited launch will take place end of July, beginning of August. In fact, she has no problem with any questions thrown at her and politely answers them. but what I find likable most of all is her ability to share her tips and products used, although it is known that a good make up artist never tells, Zukreat doesn't hesitate in revealing her impressive collection of make up products and shades when asked and talks you through the process step by step, unlike many make up artists I have come across.


More recently though, Zukreat posted a video of her fantastic finalised 22 set of professional AOM brushes, which along with other products in her range, she extensively uses in all her tutorials. With 22 brushes that will only be sold as a set, you really cant go wrong whether you are starting out with make up or a freelancer wishing to add it to your kit, and with a brush for everything, what more could you ask for. I for one, definitely CANNOT wait to get my hands on these and yes the leather case come free with it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi8cnqh-st0

On closer inspection, it is obvious that her cosmetics line consists of good professional quality products. Just subscribe free to her Youtube channel and see for yourself. For instance, her eyeshadow palettes are highly pigmented, easy to apply and last all day long, without the heavy price tag she assures us.


Similarly, her range of foundations, highlighters and blushers create a flawless finish with a little going a long way, again are affordable for both professional as well as personal use. Zukreat has clearly used her business mind here in regards to retailing, whilst she has kept her prices low and affordable, she clearly hasn't skimped on quality. Whats more, she frequently seeks the opinion and welcomes all feedback of her consumers in regards to names, packaging etc just so that they feel involved in the whole process, again, something you rarely find with most make up artists/entrepreneurs.


Putting all the above aside, I cannot WAIT for the 'Artist of Makeup' launch and its safe to say, it could possibly be the best on line launch of the year yet. It has already had a humongous amount of interest and positive responses on line and I am sure Zukreat is just as excited as we are! The 'Artist of Makeup' range definitely looks worth investing in and I am certain Zukreat's products will be flying off their shelves! My mini kit for one will certainly consist of these amazing products, no doubt about it.


Now now, ladies form an orderly queue...


xxx


For all enquiries, Zukreat can be easily reached on the following:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Zukreat

Facebook: http://facebook.com/ArtistofMakeup

Email: info@zukreat.com

Course details: academy@zukreat.com

Please note: I am in no way associated with the 'Artist of Makeup' brand or Zukreat, this is purely a personal review and all views and opinions are solely my own.