With word of mouth advertising proving the key mode of communication, women made a beeline to the Jeddah Hilton where the ‘International Exhibition for Cosmetics’ was held.

Not only did they get to know about the latest innovation and trends in this field, they were given the opportunity to try products for free at the expo.

The exhibition featured more than 95 local and international companies from 11 countries.

Women took the opportunity to try out the free makeup on offer and the scenes of ordinary veiled Saudi women trying to make themselves up along with the bolder ones was a unique sight to behold. The women, like children let free in a toy store, tried out the most expensive and exotic cosmetics. The fact that they did not have to pay an average SR200 to their beautician was an added incentive.

Um Saleh, a mother of five interviewed at the exhibition, said she wanted to rediscover herself with new makeup under the hands of an expert. Doing that for free was a good deal for her, as she normally does not have the budget for it.

“I wanted to look like the beautiful women that appear on TV. Here, I managed to find a good Lebanese expert who gave me a touch of class. She advised me and beautified me in a way that is suitable for a woman of my age; I was transformed. I felt really good. Now with the products available, I can really dress myself up,” she said, adding, “I do not get such expert advice at the beauty salons I sometimes visit. There, all they care about is making money even if it means turning me into a clown.”

Sarah Manjoumi, a 32-year-old Saudi woman, visited the exhibition to get an overview of the latest trends. She said that Saudi women have poor knowledge about beauty and style.

“Many Saudi women fall victim to fake products, which are plentiful in the market, due to lack of knowledge. The exhibition gave an opportunity to women to familiarize themselves with genuine products. This would help them to at least protect their skin from harmful effects. Experts at the exhibition talked about the cosmetics’ sensitivity to the skin and the right and the wrong way to wipe makeup from the face. Such tips create awareness and are also valuable.”

She said that Saudi women tend to buy new cosmetic products in the market without making sure whether it suits them or not. Even at beauty salons, women tend to look like each other and most of the time they put too much makeup with too much colors thinking that it will make them look beautiful. She added, “The experts at the exhibition did change our perception regarding makeup.”

Christine Awad, a Lebanese businesswoman visiting the exhibition, was at the expo to buy Saudi traditional clothes, ankle-length tunics made from a variety of fabrics, to wear when meeting friends from GCC countries.

“Before, I used to ask my friends to buy special Saudi dresses from Jeddah so I could wear them in Lebanon. Most of the dresses they bought did not meet my taste. Hence, I decided to visit the exhibition to have a closer look at the top Saudi dresses available,” she said.

She said the exhibition was a golden opportunity for non-Saudi women too. “Also, since it is a one-stop ‘brand wagon’, it saved me a lot of time for I did not have to visit different malls to get what I wanted — from dresses to beauty products,” she added.

Msha’el Al-Roudan, a Saudi medical student at King Saud University in Riyadh, believes the information gleaned from the expo would prove beneficial for her. “It is a perfect opportunity to meet experts in the world of beauty and get free advice. It is also a good opportunity to know what is new in the world of spas, herbal creams, and many other cosmetic products and tools that are widely used all over the world but still new to the Kingdom,” she said.

Nadin Baatheme, a Saudi teacher, agrees with Msha’el saying that she benefited a lot from the lectures at the exhibition. “We are getting accurate information from experts instead of someone who is willing to lie to us to sell us a beauty product,” she added.

Roukaya Thamer, director of the Oriental Beauty Factory for Cosmetics-Meirzmo Group, participated in the event after setting up the first makeup factory in the Kingdom just four months ago. “Here we are targeting people from different nationalities. We want to promote Saudi-made products,” she said, adding, “All staff at the factory are Saudi females. Our aim is to encourage local Saudi products.”

Amid the flurry of activities, the expo also saw a competition held by a Saudi expert. Manal Khayyat, a cosmetic expert and competition organizer, held a hairdressing competition during the exhibition. “We organized this competition for the first time in the Kingdom to discover young local talent. The competition’s aim is to bring together talented Saudi hairdresser and cosmetic companies that would cooperate with those talented girls. We are planning to hold professional cosmetic competitions next year. We will invite experts and talented individuals from around the world to hold an annual cosmetic competition in Jeddah.”

Four Saudi talented girls won the competition for dressing up a model with bouffant style. Ibtisam Fathi came first, Aish Omar came second, Sana’a Mohammed came third, while Samah Al-Qahtani came fourth, beating a number of other competitors.

The bonhomie and free wheeling-dealing apart, the expo underscored that even beautifying oneself could be a fun-filled activity — where free trials, expert advice and competitions go hand in hand in trying to look one’s best.