HISTORIC cosmetics brand Avon is trying to shed its dated "Avon Calling" image with a beauty show in Southampton's WestQuay shopping centre.

Professional make-up artists will be offering free demonstrations on how to apply Hollywood- style make-up at the three- day Avon Beauty Show starting on Friday.

Avon boasts 1 in 3 women in the UK use Avon cosmetics, that are sold by more than 170,000 representatives, with 664 operating in the Southampton area.

For more than 120 years, Avon has been selling cosmetics before getting a makeover of its own this year in the firm's global Hello Tomorrow campaign Andrea Slater, president of Avon in the UK and Ireland, said: "We are making radical changes to our image so we become more appealing to our core market of 18-45 year old women and our visit to Southampton will give an exclusive insight to our new image."