Fashion Fair Carnival Collection Review

Fashion Fair is a brand I have known for many years mainly because my mum is 100% loyal to their Soufflé Foundation and she has used it for a few decades. I knew they made other beauty products that are very high quality and popular amongst darker/olive toned skin ladies but somehow I never got to try the makeup. I was very delighted when I was kindly sent some products from their Carnival Collection to try out. I have been seriously impressed with the quality and now, I know what other products I need to check out. I even went to their counter in Debenhams to play around with some other products and my wish list is now longer than my arms. I think I would treat myself to a few more goodies while I wait for my mum's foundation to be restocked (she has refused to try anything else and I honestly don't blame her at all). I was sent two eyeshadows- Soul Ice* and Amethyst* and I was also sent a Lip Liner Pencil Crayon in Dark Brown*. Little spoiler- They are incredibly pigmented!! (and I will use the word pigmented so much in this post so please pardon me!!)

Packaging

I am pretty sure their packaging has slightly changed because I remember my Mum using products with packaging that is slightly different. However, I am totally loving their new look (I think it has been aroundfor a few years now). The eyeshadows come in small pots very similar to MAC ones but the only difference is the colour and the way the lid is designed. The Fashion Fair Eyeshadows are housed in a silver grayish pots and they contain 2.0g of product which is a generous amount for an eyeshadow. The lid is a screw on lid which I really like and I just love how compact the eyeshadows are. The names of the eyeshadows are written behind and they have not even rubbed off despite having these eyeshadows for a little under two months. The Lip Liner has a regular pencil packaging but it has a silver lid which makes it pretty. It also has inscriptions on the pencil itself which are still intact. I am impressed by this because I have many products (even more expensive ones) that have their inscriptions that have rubbed off in a short time.

                                                   Fashion Fair Eyeshadows

I totally love the colour of eyeshadows that were sent to me because they are colours I get a lot of use from already. I already mentioned this but I have to say it again- The pigmentation of these eyeshadows are insane and I absolutely love them. You really need to go in with a light hand if you want a an everyday look; just a gently sweep of your eyeshadow brush. They have a satin-y feel to touch and they pick up really easily on any eyeshadow brush (even if it is a bad one) and also the fingers. I never thought I would say this but using my fingers were not bad at all.  I was very surprised at this because I always prefer to use an eyeshadow brush no matter what. The finish of the eyeshadows varies across the range in my opinion. Soul Ice has a frosted finish while Amethyst has more of a matte finish (or maybe a light satin finish). The best thing about these eyeshadows is that the way they swatch is the same way they translate to the eyes so there is no room for nasty surprises. I don't bother with a primer with these eyeshadows because they are well pigmented although I did try a few times just to compare and the results were the same with and without a primer. Most importantly, they last all day (even when I rub my eyes-terrible habit of mine) and they don't crease at all. I also find that they blend really well although the Amethyst appeared to blend better than Soul Ice (I wonder if the frosted finish has something to do with it).

Amethyst- I would describe Amethyst as a rich aubergine purple shade which I love. I am a huge fan of purple and I always gravitate towards it even in non-beauty items. I don't think I have any similar purple shade in my collection and I love how versatile it is. It can be used on the lid and crease but I do prefer using it on my crease as it puts an interesting spin on things. It is also perfect for creating some Autumn looks. I think it would also be amazing to create smoky eyes as an alternative to using dark/black eyeshadows as it gives a slightly softer look. 

Soul Ice- I would describe Soul Ice as true Silver Gray shade which is intensely pigmented. Somewhere in my head, I keep imagining it has some blue incorporated in it but when I look again, it's gone. I can't remember what tutorial I was watching but the girl/lady used a lovely silver shade and I went through my palettes to see if I had something similar. Sadly, I did not as the only shade close was Slate in my Lorac Pro Palette but it still didn't hit the right spot. You can imagine my delight when I received this a few days later. It is totally all I want as it looks flattering on my eyelids (Ignore the pictures and my awkward poses-it looks better in real life). It's not too cool toned and pale for my complexion and I think that's why it is one of my favourite single eyeshadows. I think it can mainly be used on the lid and inner eye. It makes such a great pair with Amethyst.

                                       Lip Liner Pencil Crayon in Dark Brown

I always use MAC's Cork Lip Liner because it is the one of the best shades for my lips and goes with many lipsticks. However, I do think sometimes it does not blend as well as I want and I was looking to try Chestnut which is also another popular one.However, I think those plans may be on the back burner for a while as I really like the Fashion Fair Lip Liner in Dark Brown.  As the name suggests, it is a true dark brown shade which really meshes/matches with my complexion to a T.


It really helps define my lips so well and ready to take on even the naughtiest lipstick. I feel it is mainly designed as a lip liner (just lining your lips) rather than one that can be used all over the lips like a lipstick. This is because it feels slightly matte and it's not the easiest to apply across the lips. However, it feels creamy or glides across easily when I am using it just as a liner to define my lips.I know it sounds confusing but that's just my experience. I still use it ever so often because it is so well pigmented (I know I have used this word a lot but it is so true) and a perfect match to my lips

Cost// Link // Link

I personally don't think they are expensive for the quality you get and I have been buying quite a few products from their range for my mum for ages now. The eyeshadows retail for £11.50 each (currently on offer for less) which may seem a little pricey at first but the amount and quality of shadows you get is incredible. The Lip Liner retails for £13 (also currently on offer for less) which is also a fair price and around the same amount for a MAC Lip Liner. The Fashion Fair range can be purchased online from their US website and in some Department Stores. You can also find the range  in Debenhams  if you live in the UK (available online and in some stores) and Feel Unique. If you prefer to walk into a store and have a little play, you can find Fashion Fair Counters in Debenhams (Oxford Street, Westfields and Croydon) and I believe there is one in Debenhams Manchester (near Arndales).  I think there is also a Fashion Fair counter in Morley's Brixton. They also sell Fashion Fair in some independent boutiques or beauty salons but I do prefer to buy from renowned distributors. If you live in Nigeria, I highly recommend checking out Kuddy Cosmetics.

Cons

I can't really think of any cons except that they are not the easiest brand to find per say. I am so glad Debenhams stock them but there are only available in select stores. If you don't live in London or Manchester and possibly Birmingham, it may be pretty difficult to get them except you go online. I know Boots used to stock them back in 2010/11 or maybe a little later and it's now no longer there which is such a shame as I used to get lovely points when I made orders for my Mum.

Overall Thoughts

I am super pleased I got to try these lovely products from Fashion Fair and I am  well impressed with them. I can see why my Mum has been obsessed with this brand for a long time. I love the quality of the products and I am so glad that they are suitable for many skin tones especially  olive toned or darker skinned girls. That's pretty much it for today!! Have you tried any product from Fashion Fair?

*PR Sample + Affiliate Links used above and below, read my full dsiclaimer here.