Bring out your inner animal: "Amber-cat"

I think I need a drinky-poo!!!

As I've stated in my earlier blogs, winter time for me means 2 things: being sick every other week and birthday season--voila!! Because I'm missing a very important birthday of a very dear friend, I'm taking this time to dedicate my post to her highness--my lovely Jonsi-Bunz :)) Fearless, fabulous and inFamous--Jonsi is the one who started my love for make-up and I thank her for this every day as I "apply" it on my face. Recall me mentioning "makeup shopping" in high school... Well, she was my partner in crime and so much more. Amber and Mercedes (our alter-egos) were local celebs and we continue to be a fierce duo whenever we're in each other's presence. Love ya Ambah!!! Happy Birthday darling and please have many drinky-poos for moi ;))

bisous,

Maryam (Mercedes) Maquillage

THE LOOK: is all about unleashing your inner animal and goin' wild with it!!! The focus is on bold, dramatic eyes and bright, pouty lips, but the look is still wearable if you've got the perrrrsonality to back it up :)) So, if you dare to wear, try it out, and care to share ;))) I'm no poet, but my muse sure is!!!

Because the look is inspired by this gorgeous DiVa, I would describe it as such: Fun, Bold, Fiery, Amber, Glowing, Sexy, Wild, Daring, Gold, Glam, Hot, Bling, Crazy, and Animalistic :DDD If you can relate to at least one of these qualities, you've got the Amber-cat in you!!!

Do I have the Amber-cat in me?? Let's see... meow

MY TOOLS: This is a crazy complicated look, so I won't go into details as I pretty much just winged it... Keep the face simple and clean--no contouring or bronzing necessary. Use shimmery shadows on your eyes and whatever bright sh*t you can find for your lips ;)

FACE: Here are all of the products I used on my face, excluding my primer and moisturizer.

Top Row: Coastal Scents Blush Palette. (I used the orange blush--#4, top row)

Middle Row: Nars Albatross Highlighting Blush, Coastal Scents Pink Kabuki Brush and Bare Minerals Matte Foundation in Golden Medium

Bottom Row: MAC mineralize blush in Moon River, Bare Minerals Warmth, Lancome Maquicomplet concealer in Medium Bisque

EYES: Below are all the products I used on my eyes (obviously not all the colors in the palettes lol), minus the lash glue: Duo adhesive in dark tone. Click on the picture to ENLARGE, read the names, etc.

The Palettes: NYX 10 Color Eyeshadow Collection in Jazz Night. I used the shimmery pale yellow as a highlighter under the brow. Urban Decay Naked Palette, comes with a mini primer potion and a double ended 24/7 pencil in zero (black) and whiskey (chocolate brown). I used the four middle colors--Buck for blending, Half baked on the lid, Smog for the crease, Darkhorse for outer corner. Both palettes are must haves, but the NYX palette is $10, I could buy that with no money in my pocket... :/ (not literally like when I was a 14 yr old clepto, but figuratively... lol)

The Brushes: (left to right) Mini precision (pencil) brush for detailing the inner corners, lash line, etc; Angled Fluff Brush from Coastal Scents for highlighting under the brow; Sonia Kashuk fluffy contouring (dome-shaped) brush for contouring, blending, etc.; Coastal Scents mini chisel (flat) brush for packing on the color; Angled eyeliner brush for gel or cream liner. 

Eye liner and eye pencils: Clinique cream liner in true black (can under brush); NYX jumbo eyeshadow pencils in Cottage Cheese, Pure Gold, and French Fries. I use them under shimmery shadows to create a sticky base.

Single Eyeshadow and Duo: Bare Minerals eyecolor in Cleopatra; L'Oréal Hip bright shadow duo in Flamboyant. I used the gold for the inner tear duct.

Lashes: Elite lashes in #6, Black.

AND HERE'S THE EYE CREATION :)))

LIPS: I lined my lips with a red lipliner and filled them in only a few mm's, leaving the center of the mouth blank. I applied peachy orange lipstick to the blank portion, and applied golden orange lipgloss over. To the outer part of the lips, I applied a bright cool-toned red gloss. In Yo' Fayce!!!

Lipliner: NYX lipliner in plush red

Lipstick: Cargo limited edition in Evangeline (peachy orange)

Glosses: (left to right) L'Oréal Hip lipcolor in Precarious (bright orange with gold flecks); Sally Hansen Diamond Lip Treatment in Signature Taupe (light golden beige); Sally Hansen Smile Brightening Lip Treatment in Radiant (cool bright red).

I got all these lip products a while ago, so they're probably all discontinued, as cosmetics often are... :((

CHECK OUT THE LIPPIES :)))

AND THE REST OF THE FAYCE!!!

A "hiss" for my miss... prrrrrrrr... grrrowl... meow

 Doing my Jonsi-dance... roaarrrr

Bright Eyed Bright Smiled AMBER-CAT!!!

 Amber lights in yo Mercedes-Benz!!!

Peacocky

Hello lovelies :)

The only way to follow up a natural makeup look is to go all out with a bright and bold one. Besides, this dreary winter weather really makes me long for vivid color schemes and combos, so today's look is my attempt at bringing some sunshine to an otherwise bleak day. The look I'm featuring today was inspired by warm Caribbean weather, tropical cocktails, and exotic flora. The photos were taken a few months ago when I was still a bit bronzed from the summer sun, so I'd say this look is primarily for individuals with tan to darker complexions; although, with a good bronzer, even the most porcelain of dolls can certainly pull it off :)

bisous,

Maryam Maquillage

ABOUT THE LOOK: Daring and distinct, this look is sure to turn heads, but don't fear, it is actually very wearable and would be perfect for a Sunday brunch at a chic NYC hotspot. I wore this one on a casual lunch date with my hunny and also for ladies night out on the town. I wouldn't recommend this look for a first date because most guys don't prefer obvious makeup, and this one is clearly a bright one :)

TO ACHIEVE THE LOOK: Start with the eyes--pigmented shadows tend to have a lot of fallout and removing it from your freshly applied foundation is a pain. Save the face routine for last and begin by priming the lids with a good primer.

Tip: Priming the eyes is the most important step in achieving this type of look. My favorite primer is Urban Decay primer potion, but I also like Too Faced shadow insurance, which comes in a more convenient package. You only need a little of this product, so I highly recommend purchasing one of these options if you want your shadows to last.

After priming the lids, you may need an extra base to make the colors more vibrant, and this will depend on the quality of your eyeshadows. I like to use NYX's jumbo eye pencils, blend them roughly and add the eyeshadows on top. For this look, I used a shimmery white jumbo pencil (Cottage Cheese) all over the lid, and a two-toned bluish purple (Purple) for my crease and under the bottom lashline. I applied the pencil directly onto the lid and blended with my finger. Next, I applied a shimmery minty green shadow with a flat shader brush on top of the Cottage Cheese.

Tip: With shimmery shadows, the trick to applying it is to use tapping/patting motions rather than swiping or brushing it on. Doing so will help the shadows stick to your base and create less fallout. If you plan on doing bright eye looks, it's imperative to invest in some quality makeup brushes. Mac's are great but pricy, so go for Sonia Kashuk's brushes, which are decent and can be purchased for a fraction of the cost.

For the crease color, I used a fluffy dome-shaped brush and applied a deep pink to the middle of my eye, right in the groove of my eye socket, using windshield wiper motions. If this is new to you, you may want to feel your eye socket first to determine the shadow placement. (o_O) Next, take a finer brush and apply a darker purple eyeshadow directly to your crease and blend upwards with the pink color. Take the same color and apply it underneath the bottom lashline, on top of that purple pencil.

Tip: Make sure your crease shadows are matte and not shimmery. Shimmery shadows can cheapen the look if used in the crease and tend to not show up very well on camera.

Add a matte pale pink eyeshadow as a highlighter under the brow and blend with the deep pink. Add the same pale pink color to the inner corner, to open up the eye. Finish with black liquid or gel liner on the top of the lashline and add a coat of black mascara. Clean up any eyeshadow fallout and add concealer to hide any dark circles. With a bright eye look, it's important to keep the canvas as flawless as possible, so skipping under eye concealer may not be an option, unless you don't have a dark circle problem like I do. I used my favorite Lancome maquicomplet concealer in Medium Bisque, which is several shades lighter than my skin color and works perfectly for under the eye. I used Bare Minerals matte foundation in Golden Medium to complete my skin routine and lined my lips with NYX's lipliner in Natural.

PRODUCTS USED: 

All the eyeshadows came from the Coastal Scents 88 eyeshadow palette, but you can find these palettes on eBay or Amazon from various brands and users.