Deck the halls because ’tis the season to be jolly. Christmas is that time of year when we can be as festive as we want without fear of judgement. Instead, we may get rounds of applause for just how decorative we can be. One thing we can count on for each holiday occasion, is for the very talented makeup artistes around the globe to come up with very creative and innovative makeup looks.
For this Christmas season, Santa Hat Eyebrows seem to be the new trend and we’re anxious to see just how viral it will get.
Surely this fab look would be the talk of the office Christmas party or family dinner if you were to show up with these joyful brows. All it takes is your favourite red eyeshadow and a white liquid liner and your on your way to Santa’s nice list.
Have you seen any of these other makeup trends for the Christmas season?
Do you feel festive enough to recreate these makeup looks? Comment your thoughts below.
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Sure we’ve all become familiar with the vast amount of amazing makeup brands Fontana Pharmacy has enlisted to help women and makeup artists across Jamaica to slay the game. However, in the spirit of giving and welcomed new beginnings, Fontana Pharmacy has added two very renowned makeup brands to the shelves. Can you guess what they are?
Well, I’m pretty sure the title of this post already gave it away. But I’m hoping you’re just as or even more excited about the new addition !
It is my pleasure to introduce to you, Absolute New York.
Here are some of the goodies that you’ll find.
Absolute New York’s PRO Contour Palette with its very own brief instructional on how to contour!
HD Flawless Foundation that promises second skin finish and undetectable coverage.
Matte Lipstick in almost every range to make your outfit pop! From Bulgarian Red, Crimson and Burgundy, to Dark raspberry, Blue Purple and Dark Blue.
PRO Bronzer fitted with a guide on how to apply bronzer to suit your face shape.
Spritz 2 Fix setting spray available in a Dewy Finish or a Matte finish.
HD Flawless Universal Translucent Powder and Brightening Banana Setting Powder.
Waterproof Eye & Lip Remover so you can get fresh fast!
And as you can see there’s a tester for everything because we want to ensure that you get your perfect match before you buy.
Next, we have a lot of Max Factor X goodness coming your way.
Max factor X Display equipped with foundations, pressed powders, mascaras for volume, length and lift, lipsticks, eyeshadows for excess shimmer and a smokey eye drama kit.
Max Factor X Ageless Elixir Miracle Foundation
Max Factor X Miracle Touch Skin Smoothing Foundation (pressed powder)
The goodies really are endless, and seeing is believing. So stop in the Kingston Fontana Pharmacy branch to check out the new additions.
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It’s been a long day. You’ve managed to break a sweat in the hot Jamaican sun and when that finally mixes with your choice of lotion, it can become a pretty sticky mess at the end of the day. What better way to unwind and cleanse after a hectic day than with a moisturising body scrub. Locally made, Irie Rock’s Pure Coconut Sensation Body Scrub is a blend of Sugar, Coconut oil, Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E, and other natural ingredients that help the skin and its cells to thrive.
What can these ingredients do for me?
Sugar body scrubs are always more ideal than salt scrubs, for example, since sugar particles are finer and would less likely leave microscopic scratches on the skin. Moreover, sugar is a natural humectant and does a good job of attracting the moisture in the air and keeping that hydration within the skin.
What are the skin benefits of coconut oil?
Another ingredient, coconut oil, is a natural moisturisers. Coconut oil goes the extra mile with its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties to ensure that once the sugar crystals remove the surface dirt, the skin and its cells can be stripped of any micro-bacteria.
What are some skin benefits of cocoa butter?
Cocoa Butter’s antioxidant property is known to fight free radicals that bring about ageing, dull skin, and dark patches. It goes further to offer deep moisturization since it is high in fatty acids.
All these ingredients combined ensures that the skin will gain and retain all the moisture possible, making it possible to have silky smooth skin even if you shower/ have a bath with hard water (water with a lot of chlorine).
For those of us who are looking for a product to provide both moisture and a cleanse, this product is definitely a must since it does all the aforementioned and has a very neutral and ‘quiet’ scent.
What are you waiting for? ’Tis the season for silky soft skin that’ll pair nicely with your Christmas air chilled blankets.
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All those who suffer from visibly dry hair, please raise your hand. Is it hard to find the right regime to give your hair moisture, hold and shine?
I’d like to help you by giving you two good product reviews and a giveaway. As a former struggler of dry feeling, and looking natural hair, I empathise with your cries for moisture and shine. I tried everything to get the right balance and I’ve found a duo that works. Nature’s Collection’s Shea Butter Hair and Scalp Moisturiser, and Argan Oil Herbal Revitalizer.
Nature’s Collection’s Argan Oil Herbal Revitalizer was made to repair, soften and protect hair. The instructions say that it can be used daily before styling. I used this product as my moisturiser and styler. It made my 3b/3c hair soft to the touch and really helped to form my curls and coils. It’s lightly perfumed and offers a fragrance that’ll transport you to your favourite tropical isle.
After I’d thoroughly moisturised and partially curled my hair, I used just a little of the Shea Butter Miracle Growth on my hair and massaged some all over scalp. I wanted this product to act as a coat on top of the Herbal Revitalizer. It gave my hair very nice shine and held my curls together for three days. During those three days I did nothing but pick my hair to give it some fluff and body since I’d flattened it during my sleep.
Although it is a Shea Butter hair and scalp moisturiser, it does not smell like Shea Butter. It has a rather fruity, tropical, sweet fragrance and its colour is just as tropical being a mango/orange mix. It is infused with castor and coconut oil so that it can help with healthier, shinier and faster hair growth. I must say that even four days later, my hair is still shinny, and I really appreciate this product for that property because my hair is very easy to get and look dry.
For this one timely blog exclusive giveaway, I want to bless a fellow naturalista with a Nature’s Collection Shea Butter Hair and Scalp Moisturiser and an Argan Oil Herbal Revitalizer. Comment below ‘Fantastic Giveaway’ and the winner will be randomly selected on a date to be announced. Also feel free to ask in the comment section any burning questions you may have. Local entries only.
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On this Thanksgiving Day there are so many things to be thankful for. Life, family, good grades, good finances, love, and MAKEUP. Makeup has come so much farther than the ole’ powders and heavy blush. Our beauticians tell us some makeup products and trends they are most thankful for. Here are some of their responses.
“Concealer. It’s everybody’s friend. Thank God for concealer! For me, I don’t like when makeup is too heavy, and I don’t have to put on my foundation too heavily because of my concealer. When I’m going on the road I can put it on my spots, under my eyes, do my brows, put on my powder and I’m gone.
I’m also thankful for mascara. Without lining the top lashes with eyeliner, mascara gives your eye that open, fresh look.
I’m happy that tinted lipgloss came about. If you don’t want the heavy matte lipstick and want to take some time off in the week for your lips to revive and replenish itself, use a tinted lipstick. Many tinted lipgloss have ingredients like vitamin E and shea butter. So it’s like taking care of your lips while looking fab without that heaviness of lipstick.
– Crystal
- “Highlighter. Sure we can appreciate the natural look, but when a woman adds that swipe of highlighter, it just brightens up the face and adds a little glow.
- Eyeshadow. Where would cut creases be without eyeshadows, and where would makeup be without cut creases? Let’s just think about that for a little. Eyeshadows have truly become a staple in makeup looks; even the neutral tones ones.
- Liquid Foundation. It’s about time we did away with the dusty makeup powders that use to dominate the makeup world. When you think about it there were a lot of makeup powders that didn’t even cater to women of all complexions. I love that liquid foundations are available in different shades and helps to add more coverage while moisturising the skin.”
– Shauna
- “Eyeshadows. Back then eyeshadow use to take a backseat and was never really used to its fullest potential. The shades were often dull and they use to come in a very restricted range of colours with the little Q-tip applicator. To be honest, those dull greys and pine green shades never did women of colour much justice. Today, eyeshadows are available in glitter, there’s a lot of shimmer, and this way women and makeup artists get to play and experiment with colours and create some really bomb looks; especially the cut crease.
- Blush. Thank God we don’t wear it so heavily now. That’s really all that needs to be said about blushes. Just, thank God!
- Lipstick. Very similar to the evolution of eyeshadow, lipsticks have really come far from the regular degular red, cream lipsticks. We now have matte lipsticks, we have glitter lipsticks and I’m really loving the development of ombré lips.”
– Shenelle
- “Instagram brows. I’m shouting from the mountain tops how thankful I am that they’ve [women] stopped with the ‘sharpie marker’ brows. Those were just too dark.
- I’m really loving that makeup brands have really started catering for women of colour. This year, by far, we’ve had a lot of brands that have ventured into darker shades of foundations.
- I also appreciate how far makeup has come. Everyone now wants to look good. Even those who didn’t want to try it before, they now want to venture into makeup, have tried at least one item, and have fallen in love.”
– Keneisha
- “Matte foundations I know much like myself, many ladies out there have oily skin. I’m so happy matte foundations were made so we don’t have to walk around looking extra oily, especially at night time events. It’s really not cute when the camera’s flash picks up on oily skin, and it’s not always convenient to be blotting your face every minute throughout the day to get rid of excess oils.
- Lashes. OMG! I thank God for lashes. Lashes always have a way to make the face pop, and add a lot more vibes to makeup looks. It really helps to give a perfect finish. Once you wear lashes, it’s really hard to appreciate a makeup look without them. Once you go lash, you never go back.”
- Eyebrow pencils. LOL! Can you imagine how we’d look if we had bomb cut creases, THE fullest lashes, highlighter glowing from outer space, and then … your naked or super thin, jagged eyebrows? Kudos to those out there will naturally thick and beautifully shaped eyebrows, but I don’t have any! So Thank God for eyebrow pencils!
– Shameka
- Glosses. Thankful that they’re back. ‘Winter’ is coming and this is precisely the time when lips need a lot of TLC so they don’t look dried and cracked. That’s why glosses need to be our best friend.
- Metallic lippies. Theses have a unique way of adding oomph to beauty looks, and we’re entering the season with a lot of glitter and sparkle. CHRISTMAS!
- Setting spray. Think about doing your best face beat. Lashes, cut creases, contour, WINGED eyeliner, highlights and all the works. Then you go outside for 2 seconds in the Jamaican sun and your face just melts right off and falls to the pavement right before you. TRAGIC! I love that setting sprays have been designed to keep makeup looking snatched !
– Samantha
Which makeup looks are you thankful for and which ones are you grateful have stopped ? Comment below and join the fun.
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Christmas is in the air and so are all of the overwhelming thoughts of what to get the special people in your life for the festive occasion. This time of year particularly calls on our hearts and wallet to gift someone a present that’ll make the season all the more merrier. For some of us, we have the gift of gifting, for others, we need a little suggestive help to get the ball rolling.
Luckily for you, Fontana Pharmacy is that one stop shop and go-to for all your Christmas gifting needs.
Finding a gift for that or those special ladies in your life can be a Christmas nightmare. Women are drawn to so many different styles. From purses to perfume, makeup to money, Pandoras to flowers, household decor and so much more – the list could be endless; because let’s be real, a woman’s taste can be just as complexed as the woman being.
Here’s a list of things you can gift your lady for the Holidays.
Perfume and lotion – Many women take pride in the fragrances they choose to ever so gracefully mist their bodies with. One particular fan favourite for lotions and body fragrances is Bath & Body Works. The fragrance have, in fact, become quite the collectable.
Makeup – Fontana Pharmacy has become the ladies’ hub for beauty consultations and supplies. For this Christmas season there will be a slew of makeup products on sale; this way you can stretch your dollar farther and get more bang for your buck. HINT HINT, she’d want items such as concealers, foundations, Pomi brushes, Pomi eyelashes, lipsticks, eyeshadow palettes and so much more. When you get to a Fontana Pharmacy nearest you, be sure to ask our beauticians for help to pick just the right ones.
Home Decor – A gift like this is for the decorator in your life. Fontana Pharmacy offers a wide array of home decor options to choose from; from bath to bedroom or any other living space in the home. Help her make her dream home/room that much more of a reality.
Wine and candles – Help her to unwind after a long day’s work with an assortment of scented candles coupled with a chilled, smooth bottle of wine. Perhaps a Barefoot Wine or Stamp of Australia Pink Moscato would do the trick.
Hair Products – Is she a natural or healthy hair enthusiast? Help her to fall even more in love with her mane by gifting her a few of her favourite or new hair care products.
Journals and diaries – Is she an organiser? Help her put together her thoughts and tasks in one of these fashion forward and downright cute journals.
Quoted mugs – Remind her of how awesome she is and how proud you are of her even when she’s at work or on the go. These mugs have a funny, unique, stylish and precise way of helping the both of you to express yourselves.
Photo album – A picture is worth a thousand words and printed photos are much more sentimental and outstanding. Help her to collect all her special memories in this sleek and stylish photo album, or compile an album for her and show her how much you’ve been enjoying the journey.
Gift certificate – Perhaps you want to get her everything but you’re just not quite sure if you’d pick the right style or colour. Give her a gift certificate charged with any amount you’d like and allow her to meet her heart’s contentment at Fontana Pharmacy.
For many more options and ranges, visit fontanapharmacy.com or the nearest Fontana Pharmacy outlet. Take the time out and show her how much you care.
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Time to get real! Here’s everything you need to know about the Alikay Aloe Berry Styling Gel.
For a while I was stunned as to how to prepare an intro to tell you about Alikay Naturals Aloe Berry styling gel. I was stuck for a while because every time I thought I had something to work with, I’d counter myself by remembering that there are other gels that persons are more familiar with and have already read and viewed raving reviews about; so who am I to come to you with something different?
Truth is, I can only come to you as the truthful hair enthusiast that I am. I absolutely love when people find products that’ll help them to fall more in love with their hair. So, I have no choice but to bring it to you as is.
My friend Kamaya and I have been long time fans of Eco Styler Gel. However, whilst walking throughout the hair aisle at Fontana Pharmacy, arbitrarily reading what some of the hair products could do and their ingredients, the Alikay Aloe Berry Styling Gel particularly piqued her interest.
So you know as the hair enthusiast that I am, I was all …
The first thing I gotta tell you about this product is THE SMELL. This product is a candy store on its own ! I guess that’s where the ‘berry’ element comes in because it smells like strawberry heaven; even it’s consistency is keeping with the fun theme, closely resembling jello/pudding. Watch out for the ants with this one, the scent is pretty strong. However, don’t worry, as it dries the scent goes away.
On the other hand, I must admit that the only downside to this product is that it’ll leave behind its strawberry goodness on your fingertips, tinting your fingers to a reddish hue. But don’t worry guys, it’s nothing that some good ole’ water can’t fix.
Nonetheless, the packaging is just as tropical as the scent, using a mix of colourful hibiscus flowers and other tropical flora to call forward the kinky, curly, wavy and straight hair types to indulge in the natural goodness.
The problem many people can’t seem to escape with gels is its ability to make the hair crunchy, stiff and hard. Kamaya noted however, that this gel in particular allowed her hair to have movement unlike her usual Eco Styler. She explained that her curls felt free and loose and was soft to the touch. She was equally amazed when she realised that once fully dry, her hair had no flakes.
Kamaya’s hair is 4a and although she was initially a little heavy handed with the product, she remarked that had her hair been wetter, less product would’ve been needed. Nonetheless, she marvelled at the moisture her hair had despite the amount she’d used. The next day she was happy to report that even though she’d slept on her hair, her curls were still in tact and didn’t even need a touch up … not even at the roots y’all.
The instructions advises using a nickel size (about the size of $20 JMD) and work it through wet or dry hair. BUT!! Let’s be for real, nickel size amount does NOT exist in the natural hair realm.
Alikay’s products are made from all natural and organic ingredients which was one of the major selling points for Kamaya.
The product contains Aloe Vera, coconut oil, almond oil, vitamin E and a lot of other hair flourishing stuff. What’s also good about this product is that it’s safe for coloured hair. Why not style and treat your hair at the same time? It’s a great addition to your product stash, especially for the minimalist naturals out there.
Below are Kamaya’s results.
Pass through the Fontana Pharmacy nearest you and pick yourself up Alikay’s Aloe Berry Styling Gel.
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‘Tis the season of giving and I have just the giveaway to make the upcoming Christmas season even more memorable. I want to give one blessed reader the chance to win a product from the Hempz Pure Herbal Extracts Vanilla Plum line. Continue to read for a review of the line’s sugar body scrub.
The Hempz Vanilla Plum Sugar Body Scrub is amazing and then some ! It’s like a magic potion in a jar.
When I opened the 7 oz jar, there was a little oil on the surface hinting to me that they’d actually infused an oil into it – quite possibly hemp seed oil (nature’s great source of natural proteins, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals). I gave the mixture a quick stir, and on my damp face I’d applied it. It felt similar to how sugar would melt on your tongue. It was warm. As I rubbed it in the sugar particles went to work with exfoliating and gently scrubbing my skin – nothing painful that felt like gravel on my face. The product is made to exfoliate and polish the skin.
CONFESSION ! I’d tasted just a little to see if it was actually sugar and not a sugar substitute, and heads up , it’s the real deal. It tastes sweet.
The product doesn’t lather per se but it works well with the water to give even distribution.
The Sugar Body Scrub contains the perfect duo; the sugar gets off the dirt and the other oils that’s in this great mix imparts and locks in so much moisture.
It common for me to have a shower and race to my room to get some lotion on my skin before I turn into an ash ball. I can usually feel the chlorine in the hard water drying out my skin as I shower.
This time, I had a shower first so I could get the best out of the scrub. With my skin feeling dry and tight already, I applied the scrub and I must say it transported me somewhere else. I felt like I was in a spa getting a sweet, relaxing pampering. The smell of the scrub was so present yet so subtle. Even after I came out the shower, I was able to take a cool stroll to my room because I’m telling you … it felt like I’d already gotten and locked in all the moisture my skin needed.
I had to immediately document my experience. I didn’t want you guys to miss a beat of this great stuff. I somehow felt like I didn’t even need to lotion because my skin just felt naturally content with its moisture level. And I’m telling you !! I’d be ashy grey as if I’d been kicking a bag of flour had I not used this.
It didn’t feel oily but my skin felt succulent, soft to the touch, thoroughly moisturized but not dripping in oil like a festival or French fry. I’d recommend this to anyone !
It was made to exfoliate and polish and it does EXACTLY that. Even my palms felt moisturized. It’s great for use before bed so you can feel smooth against your cool and refreshing bedsheets during the Christmas season. This product will make the perfect gift for you or any loved one you have in mind. You can check out and purchase Hempz Pure Herbal Extracts products at any Fontana Pharmacy location or visit fontanapharmacy.com.
Have you tried any of the Hempz products before? Would you like to?
To win the Hempz Vanilla Plum Herbal Body Moisturiser Hydrate and Soothe lotion like this post and comment Fontastic Christmas Giveaway. Winner will be randomly selected on a day to be announced. Local entries only.
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Makeup foundations come in almost every shade to help women across the globe find the right match to help them even out their skin tones and even cover up minimal blemishes. Of course, with such an important task it is only best for foundations to come in various forms to help get the job done.
Amongst the most popular types are:
Liquid foundation -this type of foundation, as the name suggests has more movement and is more ‘runny’ or ‘wet’ than the other foundation types; not too ‘runny’ as the formula is actually thick enough to be applied properly. This is because they’re largely oil or water based and does a good job at providing good coverage as well as helping to moisturize the skin. This type of foundation is best matched all skin types especially dry.
Stick – this foundation type is largely used in the theatre or for camera production since it does an excellent job at covering blemishes or dark circles. It’s heavy consistency may prove to be too much for everyday use, but would nonetheless be most suited for women with oily skin because as it dries it will quickly blend in. However, for women with dry or combination skin there is a risk that this foundation type will cause the skin to look even drier.
Powder – this foundation is often used as a fixer upper and can be used to make touch ups. As the name hints, there is no moisture provided by this foundation and is best suited for the minimalist woman who has oily skin. The powder would soak up some of the oil on the skin. Remember, this foundation comes in loose and pressed forms.
Pressed powder Loose powder
Cream – This foundation type is obviously on the creamy side, and can provide moisture and great coverage for blemishes, dark circles or even minor scars due to its thick, rich and slightly oily consistency. Women with dry skin can count on cream foundations to give the skin the moisture it needs, concealing power and an overall glossed and shine finish.
You can come into any Fontana Pharmacy near you and have a consultation with any of our beauticians to help you find the perfect shade and foundation type for your unique skin type. Have you tried any of these foundations before? Which works best for your skin? Comment below and let’s start a conversation.
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Oh Yes! Leave-in-conditioners; they really make the world go round. It can be used to moisturise your hair, help fight frizz, act as a styler and the list goes on. Local brand, EG Wellness Brands went to work in the lab to come up with a leave in that would serve up some serious moisture. True coconut & olive oil leave in conditioner was made to protect and repair dry, brittle and damaged hair.
What better way to get honest feedback but directly from the horses mouth, right? I spoke to my friend Tracy, who is seemingly addicted to this stuff and has already gone through THREE bottles! It must be good because Tracy is a natural hair enthusiast and only goes after credible products; so if she went for this THREE times, well it must be good.
“When I was about to buy it at Fontana I was hoping that it would actually work for my type 4 hair and that it would live up to the hype. It actually smells nice; like mint. When I was applying it, it felt tingly on my scalp which I really liked; it felt like if I had put some peppermint oil on my scalp.”
FUN FACT! The leave-in contains peppermint oil which will leave the scalp or any part of the body feeling cool and refreshed. It promotes hair growth because of its ability to stimulate blood circulation.
“I got great slip when I’d apply it to my wet or dry hair and it feels so moisturised, even days after I felt the moisture still there. The formula isn’t oily, ‘wetty’ or greasy either; it’s thick and rich. I love to use it to detangle my hair. When I put it in my hair was instantly softer. The day after application it felt SO moisturised and soft. It stayed on my hair and didn’t leave it feeling weighed down. I grew from ‘in-like’ to ‘in love’ because of all these things PLUS I didn’t have to apply it everyday, unless I felt the need to. I’d keep buying it and would recommend it to others because I believe it’s moisturising and a very good product.”
You can stop into a Fontana Pharmacy near you and snag yourself this early Christmas present.
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