IMATS NYC 2012!

Salut mes amis! Here I am, striking a pose with my bestie Liz at the IMATS NY 2012!! Liz and I attended yesterday, Sunday, April 15, and had an absolute blast! Here is my official coverage :))

Inspiré par le Black Swan

As suggested by the title of my entry, today's makeup is inspired by the film Black Swan. I have not seen the movie... I know... lame... (I'm waiting to see it on Netflix) but I have heard sooo much buzz that I decided to jump on the bandwagon and do a makeup look based on the movie posters. I thought it would be fun to do a wearable evening version and a full on glam version. Here are the two posters, and the look that I did falls somewhere in between the sweet ballerina and the evil ballerina. Click on them to see them up close. Btw, all the photos that I upload here can be zoomed in by a click, which opens up a new page and shows its original size.

Now, I know I look nothing like Natalie Portman (and I should've probably done this look on my friend Gina who gets stopped on the street with requests for autographs), but imagine my Black Swan as the asian or ethnic version ;)) Hope you all like what I did and please let me know your thoughts. Also, PLEASE VOTE IN MY POLL on the right. To see pictures of the starlets, go to my previous blog entry The Nail House and click on the pics to see them up close. Merciiiiiii!!!

bisous,

Maryam Maquillage

THE LOOK: I tried to emulate the eye look of the first poster (sweet), emphasizing on the liner and lashes and adding a slight wing inspired by the second poster (evil). I wanted to keep the look wearable by suggesting the wing rather than imposing it, if you know what I mean :)) Focusing on the skin, I powdered heavier than I typically would, going for that porcelain doll finish. I applied my typical Bare Minerals matte foundation, in light this time, and used a powder puff to press some mineral veil onto the skin to make the face more pale and matte.

THE EYES: The eyes were a bit tricky and it will be even trickier describing the technique lol... (I swear I'll start doing video tutorials as soon as I get a bigger following ;) Anyway, EYES: I started by lining the inner corner of the waterline and half of the waterline (inner half) with a brown eyeliner pencil (see pic). Tip: Never use a kohl pencil for the waterline, it will smear immediately. Use only a waterproof formula. For this look, I applied Urban Decay 24/7 glide-on pencil in whiskey. Love that one!!! I used the same pencil and lined underneath the (outer) other half of the waterline, extending the line to a wing, from the bottom, towards my eyebrow. 

Next, I lined directly in the crease line with the same pencil, making it parallel to the bottom wing I just extended. It's okay if your crease line bends downwards like mine does, just draw the line slightly above. Taking a smudge brush (a dense, short bristled brush) and a matte gray shadow, I smudged out the crease line and the wing. Next, I took a nude shadow in a color that's 2 shades darker than my skin on a dome-shaped fluffy brush and softened the gray shadow using wind-shield wiper motions. I took the same color and applied it directly underneath the inner portion of my eyebrow, on the side of the nose bridge to create a more narrow bridge. You don't have to do this if you have a prominent bridge, but since my is flat, I have to do this step for this look. If you look at the movie posters, the bridge of the nose is very narrow and is highlighted in both photos. I also ran the darker shade along the sides of my nose to slenderize it. Taking a bone white color on a flat brush, I highlighted down the center of my nose as well as between, above and below the eyebrows. With the bone color, I also tried to "erase" some of my eyebrows, particularly the tops of the inner hairs and the arch. Not an easy job for black brows I tell ya...

I applied one coat of black mascara on the bottom lashes and two pairs of eyelashes on the top. I used the same Ardell lashes as I did in my first blog entry, and a pair of half lashes to add to the winged effect, also by Ardell. After applying the lashes, I took my favorite black cream liner by Clinique and lined the top lashline, concealing the lashes and connecting the liner with the bottom wing. For LIPS: I lined my lips with NYX lipliner in Natural and used my finger to apply two lipsticks. I applied Niagara by Nars first and Underplay by MAC right over. In the first Black Swan poster, Natalie's lips are beige with a peachy undertone, perfect for a ballerina and a little difficult to recreate for a makeup artist :)) I think I got it though. P. S. Check out my lashes!!! Fantastique!!! Aren't they??!!

To dramatize the look, I changed the lipstick color to deep wine. Definitely a bit more goth, but still very wearable and would be great for a night out... Since I created this look in the morning, I decided to wear it to go shopping at Trader Joe's and Target. It's funny how dramatic makeup makes me feel like a drama queen. I caught myself giving out the only icy stares... I guess I'm inspired for real. Or maybe I'm just possessed mwa-ha-haaa!!! 

After I came home, I was inspired some more and decided to line the waterlines with a red lipliner, suggesting the RED Swan Eyes. Here's what it looked like... 

Now I can officially go trick-or-tricking :)

or Not...

Without lashes... could work, no?

Bling Bling Xmas po-Russki

Thanks my lovelies for all your supportive comments on my first blog entry :))) Please keep them coming so I can cater my next entry to your liking!!!

I will now align my entries to the left so it doesn't read like a poem, Ilan... bisous

Anyways, about ze look, I wore this on Xmas day when I went to pick up my gorgeous Russian bff Elvina from the airport. As you may know, I consider make up an art form, and applying it daily has somewhat become my version of meditation. With this look, I was trying to represent several things: holiday glitz and glam, winter chic and chill, as well as Russian opulence, in honor of Elvina. To me, Christmas isn't about green and red or candy canes, rather it's an excuse to dress up and be merry and as much as I hate winter, I find that dressing up in crappy weather makes you feel instantly better. The Russians are certainly known for that and it is clear that no one does it better in the cold winter months than the Russkys. Pravda!!!

In this picture, I'm proudly wearing my Russian shawl, and my fox collared coat, of course. Can't be a Russian without a good fur... it's a no, no (net, net). Although, the Soviet tradition is to celebrate the New Year rather than the 25th, we still use the help of Santa Claus or Ded Moroz (Grandpa Frost) to ring in the festivities. Ded Moroz's granddaughter (really his 18 yr-old girlfriend) Snegurochka was my inspiration for this makeup look. 

ABOUT THE LOOK: 

This look is all about the eyes. First, I primed my lids with Urban Decay primer potion in order to keep my eye shadows from creasing and melting. Next, I lined my upper and lower lash lines with a navy blue eyeliner pencil, smudging it with a navy blue shimmery eyeshadow and sealing the eyeliner. Then, I took a pointed brush and drew a crease with the same blue shadow (I do this because I don't have much of a natural crease). Next, I applied a lighter blue shadow to the outer corner of my upper lid, between the crease and the lash line, blending it inwards toward the center of the eyelid. I left the inner portion of my lid blank, added some glitter, and a frosty lavender eye shadow color underneath my eyebrow, blending it with the crease color. I filled in my eyebrows, following my natural arch, and added some fantabulous rhinestone eyelashes from Ardell. I finished the look with Rimmel lipstick in Airy Fairy, a pale purply-beige, which is one of my favorite lip colors of the moment. My lip liner is NYX Natural.

TIPS AND TRICKS: 

☭ Don't be afraid of blue shadow, when used in moderation it can actually make brown eyes warmer and blue eyes bluer, just don't use it all over unless you're a pro.

☭ Rimmel lipsticks are comparable to Mac and happen to be my favorite of the drugstore brands. Their formula never dries out the lips and never settles in the lines. Go Rimmel lipsticks!!!

☭ Glitter and rhinestones aren't for everyday use, save them for a special occasion or a night on the town. This should go without saying :)

☭ False lashes can be used and reused, so don't be hesitant to purchase those $18 pairs if they are truly magnificent.

☭ Keep lips and face neutral when going for a bold eye look. 

PRODUCTS USED: 

EYES: NYX eyeliner in Sapphire, Coastal Scents 36 Smoky Eyeshadow palette, Ardell limited edition rhinestone holiday lashes.

LIPS: NYX lipliner in Natural, Rimmel lipstick in Airy Fairy

FACE: Bare Minerals Matte Foundation in Golden Medium and Lancome Maquicomplet Concealer in Medium Bisque

RUSSIAN OPULENCE

 RUSSIAN INSPIRED BARBIES (Thanx GiGi)

The look that inspired the blog

A few weeks ago, I posted a pic (my background image taken through photobooth) onto my facebook wall and got pleasantly bombarded with questions, comments and compliments about my makeup look. I've always wanted to start a blog, but given my widely varied interests, I've been stumped and hesitant about my topic for a long time. So finally, after feeling inspired, I decided to make a resolution in time for the new year to stop my typical procrastination and just talk about what makes me happy--Makeup or Maquillage, en Français. As you can tell, I have successfully created yet another alter ego and hope you enjoy what she has to offer!!! Please follow me and all that other good blog stuff and I will def return the favor as soon as I figure out how to do that :)) Merci!!!

Bisous,

Maryam Maquillage

ABOUT THE LOOK:

I call this look the "Maryamian" simply because it was inspired by the Kardashians... After purchasing my favorite of-the-moment lipstick, hot pink Schiap by Nars, I searched the net for ways to wear it and found a pic of Kimmy wearing it naughty and nice. Next, I rounded out my archy brows, lined and winged my eyes arabian style, and finished with some Ardell lashes. 

PRODUCTS USED:

Face: Bare Minerals Foundation in Golden Medium, Lancome Maquicomplet Concealer in Medium Bisque, a no name hot pink blush from Sephora Holiday Palette

Eyes: Clinique Cream Liner in True Black, Ardell lashes

Lips: NYX lipliner in Pinky, Nars Semi-matte lipstick in Schiap

TIPS AND TRICKS: 

✩ Line your upper and lower waterlines to make your eyes pop. Black cream or gel liner, not kohl pencil, will not smear, melt, or run. Rimming the waterline makes dark eyes lighter and light eyes brighter :) 

✩ With bright lips and graphic eyes, keep face clean and simple

✩ Cool hued lip colors make teeth look whiter

ENJOY THE CLOSE-UP :)