Product Review: Lip Lip Hooray: part I! Sam Fine for @FashionFairUK

Ahhh…

The Fashion Fair brand will always have a special place in my heart! I mentioned it in one of very first blog posts back in 2011!

Many a woman of colour lamented as we saw the brand fall behind young, hip and fast-moving competitors such MAC, Bobbi Brown and black|Up…so I was really excited when it was announced that Sam Fine, MUA to the celebrity Woman of Colour had been appointed as the Creative Director of the brand (I also mentioned this on the blog – I don’t miss a beat ;-))

Sam Fine’s work has graced the cover of umpteen glossy magazines and he counts Iman and Jennifer Hudson among his gorgeous clientele.

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I was keeping an eye on the developments of the brand in the US and as I wanted to make sure that us UK beauties wouldn’t be forgotten, I though I would be pro-active and contacted the UK Fashion Fair HQ a couple of weeks ago to inquire of the range and if when it would be hitting our shores!!

Lo and behold, I was sent an invite to attend the launch of the Sam Fine for Fashion Fair collection but a week later…well you know what they say about putting it out into the universe!!

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I was fortunate enough to meet the Fashion Fair UK Marketing Manager and members of the leadership team as well as their talented MUAs! There is a lot of change happening within the company that should hopefully result in an enhanced Fashion Fair experience for us British beauties…watch this space and I will be sure to update you as I find out more!

Here are a few images from the event courtesy of the celebrity photographer Benjamin Glean (who also happened to take the images for Olympic gymnast and Strictly Come Dancing 2012 champ Louis Smith MBE’s 2013 calender – yum!!).

I will be writing about the launch in greater detail…look out for this post in the near future!

So…back to the collection!

Fashion Fair Cosmetics is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year by introducing the Sam Fine Fashion Fair Supreme Colour Collection. Fine was inspired by his observations of colour during his international travels.

“What better way to kick off Fashion Fair’s 40th anniversary than to deliver a new luxe makeup collection,” said Clarisa Wilson, president, Fashion Fair Cosmetics.
“For more than a decade, Sam has created spectacular looks for the most beautiful women in the world; the Sam Fine Fashion Fair Supreme Colour Collection takes his vision a step further.”

Showcased in ornate gold packaging, the Sam Fine Fashion Fair Supreme Colour Collection features two eye shadow quads (which will be available in March – I will review these as soon as I get to try them), eight lipsticks and a golden lip gloss.

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The eight shades of lipstick are Champagne Toast, Whispering Rose, Deep Suede, Pink Parfait, Moroccan Spice, Dynasty Red, Cognac and African Violet and are priced at £18.00 – a premium price for a lippy – it does however retail for $22 in the US so at least the brand did not just replace the $ sign for the £ sign as so often happens, and which is VERY annoying indeed!

I was given two shades to try, the Pink Parfait….

Fashion Fair SF Lipstick Pink Parfait

…which is a lovely pink with a purple undertone. A creamy texture gives it a luxurious gloss. I am a big fan of purple lipsticks so the purple undertone in this shade gets a thumbs up from me!

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I also tried Deep Suede.

Fashion Fair SF Lipstick Deep Suede

For those looking for a nude lipstick, this shade is not bad. It is not too brown and slides on effortlessly.

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If you have quite light lips as I do, you may find that you need to use a brown lip liner as a base to create the nude effect.

The collection also includes the Supreme Shine Lip Gloss (in Canary Diamond. RRP: £16.00) which is described as a ‘ high-shine, sheer golden shade designed to enhance your pout for a glamorous look”. It can be worn alone or layered over lip colour to add dimension.

Fashion Fair SF Lip Gloss Canary Diamond

This gloss didn’t wow me I’m afraid…I am a big fan of glosses and I found this one to be quite basic. It has a pleasant but not original fragrance – very similar to MAC Lipglasses, but unlike the MAC glosses, the golden shimmer consists of just one shade of glitter – which may afford it to be combined with all of the shades of lipsticks in the collection – but it just lacked a little drama and excitement for me.

However, my over all verdict is that it is a classic yet contemporary range that performs well and will hopefully mark the comeback of this respected brand.

The marketing campaign is elegant and sophisticated – super model Fatima Siad is simply stunning.

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I am sure the campaign will signal the brand’s return to the forefront of the customer’s mind!

The Sam Fine Fashion Fair Supreme Colour Collection is available from the 6th March exclusively at selected Debenhams stores and Debenhams online

5 comments for “Product Review: Lip Lip Hooray: part I! Sam Fine for @FashionFairUK

  1. February 28, 2013 at 10:04 pm

    The nude shade is lovely! Nice sleek packaging too.

  2. April 9, 2013 at 6:51 am

    Fashion Fair will always have a place in my heart. Just remember my mom loving it and I’ve always managed to score a few gems from it. The pink lippie looks great and the packaging is very up to date as well. Can’t wait to see more x

  3. Dr. Pamela Rice
    October 10, 2015 at 7:47 am

    How can I order Dynasty Red Lipstick by Sam Fine? Thank you.

    • October 20, 2015 at 5:30 pm

      Hi!
      Unfortunately it was a limited edition and is no longer available.

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