Grown-up Tones

Bonjour mes belles!!!

I'm super excited because I just passed a final proficiency exam and now there's nothing standing between me and my graduation!!! Woo-hooo!!! Secondly, I'm finally getting a much needed haircut later today and I'm already anticipating the lightheadedness. My tresses are desperate for a trim!!

My makeup this week has been very simple and quick, and since I'm still challenging myself to venture outside of my beloved Urban Decay palettes, it's forced me to try out new techniques and different color combos. Here's another easy ready-to-wear makeup look I wore yesterday to my exam... sorry for my jittery facial expression (^_^') this pic was taken before the exam.

Read more for pix, swatches & reviews :))

Primrose & Proper

Salut mes amis,

Happy Wednesday and may all your tasks be completed smoothly and swiftly. I say that because I have a week full of responsibilities lined up for myself, so I want to take today by storm. Sometimes, writing it out or saying it out loud helps me with my procrastination :)) Anyway, my post of the day is featuring my second installment of using non-Urban Decay cosmetics and is dedicated to the one and only Clinique. This brand is very near and dear to my heart as it was one of the very first makeup brands I ever experimented with. My mom used to get those free gifts and pass them over to me and thinking about that makes me smile from ear to ear :D

Read more for reviews, descriptions, pix and lipstick tips :)

Coralberry Cleopatra

Salut mes belles!!

Happy Monday, hope everyone is well :)) Today's post is a quick makeup review and a maquillage du jour using some Bare Minerals, NYX, Sephora and Revlon makeup. This month I'm challenging myself to explore eyeshadows outside of my Urban Decay palettes, just to break my addiction and show some love to other awesome cosmetics. So, here goes:

P. S. my hungry birds necklace is from Anthropologie

Read more for details, pix, reviews & descriptions :)

We Remember...

a moment of silence for our angels and heroes

Commemorative 9/11 beams as seen from Jersey City. Where were you 10 years ago today?

Maryam Maquillage © 2012. www.maryammaquillage.com

Back in the Day :)

An oldie but a goodie: Maryam pre-Maquillage & Mama Maquillage :)

Just thought I'd share this blast from the past family portrait :))

bisous,

Maryam Maquillage

❤

Join me on FACEBOOK / TWITTER / BLOGLOVIN

Maryam Maquillage © 2012. www.maryammaquillage.com

My Desert Island Lip Pick

Salut mes amis,

If you could only choose one lip product to wear for the rest of your life, which one would it be? Say, if you were stranded on a deserted island? Today's post is my very first tag ever, passed over by the lovely Nancy of the Dark Side of Beauty. Here's my lipstick pick, can you guess what it is?

Read more to find out!!

Rockstar Pink Nail Tips

Salut mes amis,

Quick and easy nail post today, using Sally Hansen Rockstar Pink glitter nail polish on my tips... as if I was playing in a glitter sand box :))) P. S. Sorry for reposting this a million times, but my preview pic ins't showing up in the blogger dashboard and I am über ::annoyed::

UPDATE: OMG guys, I feel like a genius!! After wrestling with blogger the entire day, I finally figured out that the reason why my preview pic wasn't showing up in the dashboard is because the first "pic" was an Amazon Associates link to the nail polish I was using. If you ever experience this problem, make sure your first link appears after your preview pic, like so: Sally Hansen Rockstar Pink, or simply drag and insert your pic above your writing (I did that as well). Doing so will prevent any interference with the blogger dashboard.

phew... on to my post :)))

Sisterly Bridal

Salut mes amis :))

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of doing a bridal makeup trial on my beautiful friend Amelia and a couple of her gorgeous bridesmaids. I always get extremely excited when working on faces other than my own, so needless to say, I had a blast. Yes, I am a true makeup nerd and proud of it!!! Reason for this post--other than the obvious--is that I want to remember all the steps I took in creating Amy & her sister Lizzie's makeup looks and what better way than to blog it :))) Plus, just look at these two stunners, how can I not share this beauty with the world?!

Striking their signature sisterly pose: Amy--the bride to be (ironically in pink :) & Lizzie--the bridesmaid to be (in white :)

Read more for pix & deets :)))

Walking the High Line

Salut mes amis :))

As the fall season approaches and summer months come to a close, I begin to miss all the small things that are made exceptional when hugged by warm blankety weather. For me, one of those simple pleasures is taking long walks in my city with my beau and/or friends and stopping for occasional beer breaks. As much as I love friends, beer and strolls--I can only fully enjoy that combination in the summertime. Once the weather drops and the wind picks up, I tend to want to hibernate at home, in front of the telly... So, before I get any more ahead of myself, let me tell you about one of my favorite NYC summer hot spots to wear your walking shoes to: the one and only High Line park.

The High Line is a unique park that was built on top of an old elevated freight railroad, running on the west side of Manhattan from the Meatpacking district up to 34th Street, spanning about a 1.5 miles. The converted park has become a popular destination among New Yorkers and tourists alike thanks to its undeniably spectacular views of the city and peaceful, green-friendly ambiance. One thing for certain--this park was made with loads of palpable love that every New Yorker needs to appreciate in order to let go off the hustle and bustle. Check out my pix from my stroll and be sure to visit the High Line if you're ever in New York :))

Read more for pix, pix, pix :)))

Fluro-Trash

Bonjour mes belles :))

In today's post, I'm featuring a makeup look I wore last week to a theme birthday party for my fabulous friend Kavita, who celebrated her big day in the funky style of Ibiza nightlife. Ibiza is a party island off the coast of Spain and is known for its fiery, crazy, fluorescent, "barely there" fashion and atmosphere. The birthday girl was adorned in brights, glitter and feathers and the guests sipped on Sangria as they danced the night away to Euro beats. Since the party was held in a NYC loft and not on a hot sandy beach, I wanted to concentrate most of the crazy fluorescence on my face, rather than in the styling of my wardrobe. I did, however, wear a see-through top with a bright bathing suit underneath and a mini leopard skirt for the barely there factor. My maquillage was very bright and different from what I would normally wear to a party, so I named it Fluro-Trash, if you know what I mean :))) Here's the look:

Read more for products, descriptions, and pix :))

Strawberry Love Swirls Forever

Salut chicas :))

Thank you all so much for your kind words and well wishes regarding hurricane Irene. Thankfully, she passed rather quickly and spared us a major power outage (some of my friends weren't as lucky). Being stuck indoors the entire weekend, I was bored out of my mind; until I decided to take advantage of my free time to practice water marbling on my nails. Having the extra time and patience paid off well and I think I finally succeeded!! With Irene's swirling winds long gone, my nails are now marked with swirling twirling winds of love in bright strawberry pink :))) excuse my corny, I just can't help myself... I find meaning in everything. Here's the impression she left behind:

Read more for details & pix :)

#CalmBeforeTheStorm...

It's eerily quiet and still in NYC... public transportation is out of service and store aisles are empty... big X's criss cross most windows... everyone is awaiting Irene... My dad's borough of Staten Island has been evacuated and he fled to Canada... statuses are updating, tweeting, and buzzing at lightning speed, yet there is no sight of Irene... except when she appears on my caller ID as my mom... her name is Irene :)

I'm not a doubter, skeptic and/or conspiracy theorist, but I'm basking in the calm before the storm with my beer in my hand and my keyboard under my fingertips. Call it capitalizing, but I'm a blogger and I gotta follow the buzz while my electricity is still on. So, enough about Irene (sorry mom); time for my hurricane themed maquillage du jour worn last week on another stormy day for my friend Kenya's bday.

 Read more for products, suggestions, and pix :)

Nail Jewels

Salut mes amis,

Quick nail post today, using my recently won nail polishes from Yami's giveaway, do check out her blog because she's dope :)) For this nail look, I used:

• Sinful Colors Open Seas polish for base (the color of Tiffany's Box)
• Old Navy glitter polish for tips (Gold, green and turquoise glitter; I've had this polish since I was about 12 and it's still as good as new)
• Sinful Colors Verbena & Beautiful Girl for marbling the accent nail (Purple & Pink)

My water marbling didn't go so well, hence the reason why I only have one accent nail left with the swirls--the others were way off. I'm excited to practice more water marbling, so as soon as I master the skill, I will show and share :))

Pretty Darn Close to Tiffany's...

Princess in PINK

Hey hey beauty lovers :))

As promised, today's post is a personal photo update, a makeup look and a tutorial in one--so get ready, it's gonna be a long read. The maquillage I'm featuring is a "pink-and-princess-themed" makeup look I wore to a kiddie party to represent a princess, though not a specific one. Last weekend was my 4-year-old brother and sister's bday and we threw them a small "royal bash" to celebrate the occasion. They love anything and everything related to princes, princesses, kings and queens (my bro is more into knights and sorcerers), so all the guests had to dress appropriately. Sadly, both of them caught a bad cold and the party had to be postponed to a later date, but the parents decided not to waste the decorations and still hold a small family affair just to make the kiddies feel extra special. Being a crazy older sister, I had a gown planned and all, however, after hearing the bad news, I set my princess attire aside and settled for a tiara (borrowed from my sis) and lots of PINK all over. Here's my everyday princess makeup look worn to my brother and sister's 4th bday bash.

:))

Read more for pix, details, descriptions, makeup how-to, swatches, personal snippets and more!!

Turn Up the Neutrals

Salut mes amis :))

Happy Monday to meee cuz I'm finally freee (from school)... This week, I'm planning on blogging more often--I have maaad time and I'm gonna take this week to enjoy it!! Believe it or not, blabbing about beauty relaxes me and puts me in the best of spirits :)) Here's an amped up neutral makeup look I wore this weekend to my bestie's bbq--hope you likey :))

Read more for pix, details, close-ups, etc.

Lashes-1,2-Step

Hello dear friends :))

Once again, I apologize for my brief hiatus... hope you can understand and embrace me back into the blogosphere :)) I have lots of material lined up for the remainder of the month, and to show you how serious I am, I'm even blogging on a Saturday. Today, I'm reviewing a mascara sent to me by KKCenterHK and I'm pretty excited because this product is probably the best freebie I've ever received, so my overly enthusiastic review isn't one bit exaggerated.

Click 'read more' to check out the before and afters and judge for yourself :))

My Ready-to-Wear

Happy Hump-Wednesday mes amis :))

Once again I find myself desperately awaiting the week's end... My lack of longer posts and big, experimental makeup is mainly due to the fact that I'm painfully struggling with a densely packed schedule consisting of one nasty chemistry class (it's a requirement). Yes, this is my last class before I'm outta skool once and for all, so I'm giving it all I've got, though my all really isn't much when it comes to sciences. I've always been able to bs breeze my way through most subjects, earning a relatively easy A, but this aint that kind of a story. So, enough with the rant, it's all over after tomorrow and then I can finally exhale...

Now you know that the reason why I have so many "ready-to-wear" makeup looks is because I'm literally taking my pix moments before I'm out the door for chem! I promise I'll have more fun and exciting stuff like my Red Lash Special as soon as this school bs business is over. The great thing about ready-to-wear looks however, is that they only take a few minutes to complete and can be replicated by anyone--even makeup newbies. So voila, yet another easy makeup look for every day: perfect for school, work, play, whatevs :))

Read more for more pix & blah blah blah :)

Smokey Summer Rain

Bonjour les filles!!

Happy summer rainy days everyone :)) I love summer rain and could sleep all day hearing the raindrops beat against my window, it is such a soothing sound... August is one of my favorite months, not only because it's summer, but also because of all the great people who celebrate it as their birth month. So, Happy Birthday to Kenya who turns the BIG 3-0 today & to my bro & sis who turned 4 on Friday!!! Yaaayyyy & roooarrrr for all the amazing LEOS in my life!!!

In my maquillage du jour or makeup of the day, I'm featuring another ready-to-wear look: a simple, silver / gray smokey eye using my NYX Smokey Eye palette in honor of the rain gods :)) Hope you likey...

Read more for pix & how-to

Purpleberry Kisses

Salut mes belles!!

Today was a lovely day up in NYC (pix coming) and to conclude it on a high note, I'm gonna blog a little :)) Since I don't have a particular topic in mind, I'll just show you my recent makeup purchases and a swatch of my latest favorite lipstick. Here's moi, wearing Berry Haute, a medium purple creme lipstick from Revlon. Let me know if you like it or if you think I look like I drank too much vino... :/

Read more for pix, details, descriptions, etc.

Red Lash Special

Ni-hao dear friends :))

In today's post, I'm reviewing a pair of red hot lashes I got from KKCenterHK and featuring a costume-y makeup look inspired by the lashes. Because I've seen way too many Jessica Rabbit makeup recreations on blogs and YouTube, I decided to do something a lil different. My interpretation is slightly darker, more along the lines of McQueen and Gaga, if you get my drift (though these falsies would be perfect for a JR costume, dahling). Here's my creation, hope you like this freaky me :)))

Read more for review, pix, details, etc.