Holiday Makeup & Nails: Sparkly from head to toe!

Salut mes belles! The easiest way to transform any makeup or nails look into a festive one is to add sparkle in the form of glitter, shimmers, rhinestones or jewels. Hence, today on the agenda, I'm adding a dose of holiday sparkle to some of my favorite go-to looks and transforming them for a celebratory occasion. 

Read more for deets & recs!

Statement Necklace, Understated Makeup

Hi girls!! Continuing with my holiday theme, today's post is all about decoration. I've chosen two of my favorite holiday statement necklaces from Ily Couture and paired them up with understated makeup to bring you two looks that are festive and easy to wear, no matter what your style is. As a bonus, I've teamed up with Ily Couture to offer you a special treat, read below for details!

Read more for tips, deets & a special deal!

Glitter "Border" Liner for the Holidays!

Hello beauties!! The holidays are approaching faster than ever this year, and I'm whipping out my glitter pots & liners in anticipation. Today, I'm bringing back my "Border" liner from last year aka a creative eyeliner look that utilizes an outline technique. This look is super edgy and does require a bit of practice and a steady hand, however, it is easier than a smokey eye and more unique than a glitter shadow look. I hope you try it for yourself and see what I mean!

Read more for how-to & deets!

Fit for a Queen: Exotic Makeup & Headpiece

Hello beauties! It's Tutorial-Tuesday on my blog, but I've got much more to share. Today's exotic look was inspired by the gorgeous turquoise headpiece from my favorite Eastern jewelry line Innaya Couture and put together using all Motives Cosmetics. The beauty of this headpiece surpasses any makeup, so instead of matching the colors and attempting to reproduce the wow-factor of this piece, I re-interpreted the look with glittery jewel tones and Eastern-style cat eye liner. This modern take on Eastern makeup is a fresh complement to traditional jewelry and balances it out in a way that's wearable and approachable.

Read on to learn how it's done!

Hair, Fashion, Makeup & Leopard

Salut mes belles! November is here and I'm eager to explore a new beauty theme for the month. Other than Thanksgiving (celebrated in the US) and Hanukkah falling on the same day this year, the remainder of the month is pretty much holiday-free, so I'm planning on featuring lots of ready-to-wear makeup looks to fit the theme of fall and prep for the major holiday season. Today's look is a classic and perfect for any occasion -- I'm including a lip tutorial, talking contouring and even showcasing some fashion.

Read more for pix & deets!

Creepy Nail Art for Halloween

Hellooo and Happy Halloween my beauties!! Today is one of my favorite days of the year, but I'm not in costume... I'm currently working on a few professional beauty projects, so I'm quite busy and haven't had much time to personally prepare for today. One thing I never miss - no matter how busy I am - is taking out the time to do my nails and this week's nail art is dedicated to all things creepy, crawly and spooky. 

Check out my Halloween Nail Art & More!! Mua-ha-ha-haa :D

"Mermaid Eyes" Easy Halloween Makeup

Hello Beauties! I know I've been away for a while and I feel absolutely negligent... between my birthday and other holidays, October has been a crazy month for me -- but NO excuses. I'm looking forward to playing catch-up in November and have lots of exciting news to share with you! For now, here's a last-minute makeup look for tonight's Halloween parties. Ariels, mermaids, sea creatures -- this one's for you!

Let's get started :)

Jason Wu for Lancome: Four Looks & Tutorials

Hi guys! Remember my Tutorial-Tuesday series that I've skipped over for the last couple of weeks? Well, today's post will hopefully make up for it and give you some makeup and nail art ideas for the rest of the week. I've created FOUR fashion-forward tutorials including nail art using the latest Jason Wu for Lancome Collection. This collection is a hot commodity right about now and is sold exclusively at Nordstrom. I'm kind of excited to share this big bundle -- let me know which look and/or palette is your fave! x

On to the Maquillage!

My Skin Routine: Missha "Golden Snowflake" Herbal Medicinal Skin Care

Hello beauties! Today's post is the first in a long-awaited series, addressing one of your biggest concerns and one of my most frequently asked about topics: Skin Care and My Skin Routine. To launch this important blog series, I'm starting with one of my most loved lines from a stand-alone category -- Oriental Herbal Medicinal Skin Care featuring Missha Geum Sul "Golden Snowflake" line. 

On to the review!

Friday Night Makeup: Exotic Liner & Pink Pout

Salut mes amis! Today's look is simple, effective and a bit edgy -- I'm going for a sultry, exotic cat eye liner and updating my every day work look to a fierce night look! I'm using all Motives Cosmetics because Motives liner is one of the best I've tried and makes this look super easy to achieve. Liner is sort of my specialty and I'm very excited to present my first ever "Cat-Eye Liner" Pictorial-Tutorial!! Shall we?

Read more for pix, deets & step-by-step!

Lip Contouring Techniques for FULLER Lips VIDEO Tutorial

Hi guys! This post is way overdue, so I'm gonna keep it short, sweet and straight to the point! A lot of you have been asking me film a video tutorial focusing on the lips and how to make them appear fuller. I heard you loud and clear and packed all my full lip tricks into one tutorial to make it as informative as possible. Your VIDEO is now live on YouTube and I hope you find it useful!!

Read more for VIDEO TUTORIAL!

"Dazzling Anaconda" Snake-Skin Nail Art!

Hello my darlings!! It's been a while since my last hand-designed nail art and I feel terrible about bypassing my favorite topic. Truth is, my nails just haven't been the same since my trip -- I've damaged a lot of them while peeling Southeast Asian fruits like Rambutan and Mangosteen, so I had to let them breathe without polish so that they could grow back healthy. My nails are still quite short, but they're back to normal and I'm excited to present this festive, snake-skin inspired bedazzled nail art, just in time for Mani-Monday! I'm using emerald polish from Motives Cosmetics (yes, Motives even offers polishes!) topped with glitter and spangles from Inglot's latest nail art collection.

Read more for tips, pix and how-to!

Classic "Glam Purple" Smokey for Autumn

Hello dolls!! Getting back to my regular posting schedule, today's look is an oldie, but a goodie. I prepared it a few months ago along with my Day to Night Transformation look using Anastasia's Catwalk Palette. Now that "Catwalk" is officially on the shelves, I'm eager to show you the looks I created using this awesome palette just in time for fall, so here's the first one!

Read more for pix, tips & deets!

"Sweet-n-Edgy" Fall Look & Makeup

Salut mes belles! Fall is officially here and I'm switching up my beauty and styling routine. The changing of the seasons is the best time to experiment with fashion and mix up new trends. This fall, I'm swaying from the typical earth tones and whipping out the cooler tones instead to complement the cloudier days and the darker nights. I'm letting down my hair, keeping it long, sleek and straight and I'm layering it up with separates. My color palette and overall style is sweet yet edgy, highlighted with accents of pink and doses of sharp edgy accessories.

Read more for deets!

"Coral Sunset" Monochrome Look & Makeup

Hello gorgeous! Fall is almost here and while everyone's talking about scarves and layering, I'm holding on the last bit of summer! Today's ready-to-wear look is inspired by the warm, loving sun that gives us energy and light -- two major forces without which we cannot function. For the sake of keeping true to my inspiration, I'm going for a monochromatic look using coral as my primary color source. After all, it is my favorite color for the summer... ::sob::

Read more for deets :)

"Win a Trip to Paris" Contest Giveaway!

Salut mes belles et Attention!! Some of you may know that Paris is my favorite place in the universe. A few years back, I was lucky enough to live and study abroad in Paris and it was the best time of my life! Having said that, it is my honor to present an amazing opportunity from Lancome to win a trip for two to the City of Lights, plus a package of Lancome's brand new Artliner 24H. Join me and my friends at Lancome & enter your best "Creative Liner" look (like I did here) for a chance to win a TRIP TO PARIS!!! Bonne Chance et Bisous <3

Details after the break!

Autumn Smokey for a Maven

Hello dolls! I've had the most incredible, busy week, so I'm posting this look on my off day, because it just can't wait any longer! I'm using my new favorite fall palette -- Motives for La La mineral eyeshadow palette "La La's Court" -- and I'm bringing back the Autumn Smokey in rich burgundy, gilded olive and smoldering black for a dramatic look that's fit for a Maven and a Queen of her Court. 

Read more for deets, tips & a pictorial-tutorial!

Fashion Week Beauty: "Runway to Realway" Lancome for Jason Wu

Salut mes belles! With New York Fashion Week in full glory, today's post is my first "Runway to Realway" makeup adaptation inspired by the gold glitter look showcased at the Jason Wu show on Friday. The look, envisioned by key makeup artist Diane Kendal for Lancome, focused on the dramatic Marlene Dietrich eye shape and heavy-metal rose gold glitter, featuring bronze shadows from the Bronze Amour palette. To bring this runway makeup to the real way, I stayed true to Diane's vision, but kept the shape smaller and more wearable, while still emphasizing the lid with glitter and bronze shadows.

Fashion Photos: Style.com

Wanna get the look? Read on!

"Sparkling Lilac" with Motives!

Hello my beauties! It's Friday night and NYC is poppin' for Fashion Week!! I'll be busy the whole weekend through Wednesday, so I wanted to get out this special post as a taste of what's to expect in the weeks following FW. With that said, I'm ecstatic to present a Maryam Maquillage debut: Motives Cosmetics -- the award-winning makeup from Loren Ridinger and La La Anthony.

For my first Motives look, I went for "Sparkling Lilac" -- a soft, yet edgy Ready-to-Wear look focusing on lilacs, lavenders and mauves. These purple shades are my favorite "falling-into-fall" makeup colors and work for both day and night. Let's get started!

Read on for deets, tips & a pictorial-tutorial :)

"Pink Glitter Fishnets" Nail Art

Salut mes belles! I'm still in a pink mood, so today's nail post is reflective of my girly theme of the week. This mani is my first hand-painted nail art in almost a month -- I used mostly stickers & appliqués while on vacation -- so I wanted to keep this first one fairly easy and fun. I came up with this bright glittery design, which is not only quick and easy, but also satisfying in terms of my pink theme and craving for Strawberry waffles ;))

Read more for tips, tricks & how-to!