Hellooo Old Friends and New :)))
Thank you all for following my blog and sending me such positive feedback. I really am inspired by all your interest and kind words. Merci!!!
As some of you may know, New York has officially been welcoming the winter weather with temperatures falling well below freezing, leaving us New Yorkers with only one activity: sitting at home in the privacy of our heating systems. Since I'm not a polar bear and actually a hibernating bear (from Russia with love), I fully enjoy packing on the winter pounds while lounging in the comfort of my bear domain. However, as luck would have it, winter season for me means birthdays galore with the kick-off starting last night for my friend Karolina's birthday. Turning a rather monumental age, she did it up last night at the Four Seasons, cuz she so fancyyy :)) Great time had by all and happy birthday again my lovely!!! I must admit, it took me a while to come up with my outfit lol, given that I had to fit the dress code and also be able to keep myself from slipping on black ice that has covered the streets of New York City, as of late. Wrapped in several cashmere pieces and my fox collar, I took a change of shoes and was actually rather comfortable while the other 5 people I saw on the street were rattling their teeth. Needless to say, I feel accomplished... especially when I dress appropriately for the weather :))
One thing that cannot be affected by any weather WhatSoEver is my makeup... Thank goodness for that!!! The look that I'm presenting today is my party makeup from last night's celebration of the first birthday of the season aka Karolina's. Hope you all enjoy it :)))
Bisous,
Maryam Maquillage
THE LOOK is very simple, focusing on bringing out brown, light brown or hazel eyes. I kept the lips and the face very simple with my usual routine.
THE TOOLS: I never show the tools!!! Thanks to my homeslice Jo for pointing this one out :)))
1. For packing on the color, use a flat shader brush like this small eyeshadow brush from Sonia Kashuk. This brush is flat, dense and has a fine edge. Click on the pics to enlarge.
2. For contouring the crease or softening the edges of the shadow, use a fluffy dome shaped brush like this crease shadow brush from Sonia Kashuk. This brush is soft, fluffy and has a rounded edge.
3. For smudging out pencil eyeliner or shadow, use a smudge brush like this one from Sonia Kashuk. This brush is flat and has short, dense hairs.
4. For your highlighter or a "wash of color" application, use an angled eyeshadow brush like this one from Sonia Kashuk. The hairs on this brush are fluffy but angled, so the application is minimal.
5. For gel or cream liner, use a fine, pointed brush like this one... again from Sonia Kashuk :) I find that there really is not much difference between a straight one and a bent one.
THE EYES are gold, bold, and glittery though it doesn't seem to translate in photos. I used my
Urban Decay Naked Palette
, and added
MAC reflects gold glitter
on top.
HOW TO:
1. Start by priming the lids with primer. I used
Urban Decay Primer Potion
, as always.
2. Take your contouring crease brush or fluffy dome shaped brush and the color Naked (matte nude-beige) and apply in the socket of your eye using windshield wiper motions. If you're darker, use the color Buck (matte light brown).
Tip: For a more exotic eye, concentrate the color on the outer corner and blend it up toward the brow.
3. For more dimension, add the color Buck to the outer edge. If you're darker, take a matte dark brown eyeshadow of your choice.
4. For the gold lid part, take a gold base and apply all over the lid, staying under your crease color. I used
NYX jumbo eye pencil in pure gold
. Smudge it out with your finger.
5. Taking a flat shader brush (small eye shadow brush), apply the color Half Baked (true gold) all over the lid, leaving the outer third blank.
Tip: When applying metallic colors, use patting motions instead of sweeping motions. Sweeping the color on will produce a lot of fallout under the eyes.
6. Take the color Smog (metallic bronze-brown) on the same brush and pack in on the outer third that you left blank.
7. Clean the flat brush and take fine gold glitter and pack it all over the gold.
8. For your highlight, take an angled fluffy eyeshadow brush and apply the color Virgin (pearly pale pink) under the eye brow and in the inner corner of the eye. Sweep it on very gently.
9. Take a brown waterproof pencil liner like
Urban Decay 24/7 pencil
in Whiskey and line the inner half of the bottom waterline and tear duct. Line the outer half underneath the lash line and seal with Smog on a smudge brush.
10. Line the top lash line with a black gel or cream liner and wing it out. I used
Clinique cream liner in True Black
.
11. Add your lashes if you choose or just add mascara and you're done with your Fabuleyes!!!
FACE AND LIPS: After doing my regular face routine, Bare Minerals matte foundation and Benefit Hoola bronzer, I highlighted my cheeks with MAC mineralize blush in Earth to Earth and sprayed 3 spritz of Mac Fix+ finishing mist to keep the makeup lasting all night. BTW, these pictures were taken after I came home from the dinner and I did zero touch-ups on my eyes or face.
Mac Fix+
really really works. For the lips, I used NYX lipliner in soft brown and Coastal Scents plumping lip gloss which is unfortunately discontinued.
P. S. I used these Ardell whispies about 5 times,
so they've lost their original shape, but I kind of
like it. I think the look is more natural.
This is me hibernating...
Licorice flavored cotton candy @ Four Seasons
I ONLY LIKE ONE SEASON
GUESS WHICH ONE :)))
Read more for more pix and things :)
5. Taking a flat shader brush (small eye shadow brush), apply the color Half Baked (true gold) all over the lid, leaving the outer third blank.
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...
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??!!
