The Humble Aquarian

Salut les filles ;)))

Happy Thursday and Happy Birthday to my bestest bestie, my Lizzie!!! Birthdays galore! Wowzers, there are so many Aquariuses in my life, I feel like I must seize this opportunity for inspiration--and I shall :))) So, let's talk astrology... As a teenager, I used to be very involved in pursuing the knowledge of the zodiac, signs, compatibility, etc., but as I've grown older, that passion seems to have escaped me. I do remember, however, that being a Libra, I am highly compatible with Aquariuses because we are both native air signs. That explains the birthday season--most of my friendships have been written in the stars, awwww :)) So, to honor all you water carriers, you beautiful, airy Aquarians, my make-up look of the day is inspired by your unique and mysterious qualities. Hope you all enjoy and benefit from my mini how-to, (even if you're a scorpio, taurus or leo ;)

bisous,

Maryam Maquillage

Lovely Aquarius drawing I found on the net

THE LOOK: Inspired by air, water and the color aquamarine, I'm keeping this look "humble" to represent the humility of the Aquarian nature, and (also to keep it wearable and simple since I'll be wearing this look to school)... I'm not one for trying too hard when attending classes, I think it sends the wrong message hehe... then again, if wearing bright and bold makeup to school is within the boundaries of your personality, then by all means, go for it!! For me, school is not a runway, but that's just me lol...

THE TOOLS: Here are some options for you to achieve this look:

The eyeshadow: Shattered from the Urban Decay Ammo palette, first sample on my arm on the bottom of the pic. This shadow is very shimmery and has a nice blue-green sheen, depending on how the light hits it.

The jumbo pencil: NYX electric blue jumbo eye pencil, second sample on my arm. This is the brightest of the options.

The eyeliner: Bourjois Sparkling eyeliner in Lagon ensoleillé (sunny lagoon). I purchased this one in Paris, so if you like it, you might have to search the internet a bit. This pencil is the third sample on my arm and is my number 1 choice for this look. The color is bright and matte with tiny silver glitters that actually show up :)) Kudos to Bourjois!!!

Other tools: L'Oréal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black, NYC liquid eyeliner in Jet Black (only $1 in Target, however, it's quality is quite eeh), Urban Decay Primer Potion, and an eyelash curler of your choice.

TO ACHIEVE THE LOOK: 

1. With your bright aquamarine eyeliner or shadow, draw a thick line across your lid, winging it out slightly. If you're using a shadow, you might want to do this with an angled eyeliner brush.
2. Take your black liquid liner, you can use gel or cream liners as well, but NO pencil... you need a smudge-free formula for precision. Make sure the brush you're using is fine and the bristles don't feather out. 
3. Start at the inner corner of your eye: place the tip of your brush at the roots of your lashes and drag all the way across. Try to do this in one swift stroke, keeping the line thin and staying close to the lashes.
4. Next, curl your eyelashes and apply one coat of mascara. Take tweezers and pinch the tips of your lashes in 4 or 5 places across. The sparseness will create a dow-eyed effect. Finish with another coat of mascara.

connect the dots

Eye C U

When does a blink become a wink ;)

Same look on a different day :)

P. S. If you've been following my blog, by now you probably know that I am completely obsessed with NYX cosmetics. For this week only, Hautelook is doing a sale on NYX palettes and makeup sets. The prices have been cut up to 75% off!!! Here's the link and happy shopping!!!  http://www.hautelook.com/event/5478

Wearing my Cartouche Isis earrings. Why? Cuz I stand with Egypt...

that is my first and last political statement ;)

And my lipstick is MAC amplified creme in Warm Me Up

The Purrfect Cat-Eye

Salut les filles :))

After a two day hiatus, I'm back with a very simple and classic look: the Cat-eye. Forget what you've heard, I'm setting the record straight--Cat eyeliner flatters every single eye shape and is extremely wearable. This look is great for beginners and masters alike and can be as simple or as dramatic as your heart desires. It also happens to be my go-to makeup look for every day and is my favorite easy "glam-me-up". So, if you haven't already tried it, I will walk you through it and together we shall embrace the power of the meow!!! Without further adieu, I present to you the Cat-eye, purrfect for every day--school, work, play, whatever. Enjoy!!!

bisous,

Maryam Maquillage

THE LOOK: To achieve the Cat eye is easiest with a gel or cream liner, though the look is often enhanced with eyeshadow. For the sake of simplicity, I'll focus just on the liner for today's post :)) The "Cat" qualities of this look have to do with the angle that the eyeliner wing extends outwards and the precision of the line. If you look at the eyes of the kitty in my pictures, his bottom "lashline" goes up at a 45 degree angle, so basically, in recreating this look, we're trying to "lift" the outer corners of our eyes up to 45 degrees. Sounds easy?? it is :))

Degree of DRAMA: Here are some celebrity examples of how the cat eye look can range in terms of drama. Like I said, this look is extremely versatile and can be kept at its minimum or taken to the maximum :)))

The Quintessential Cat Eye:
Adding some drama to every day makeup

The Classic Cat Eye: A bit more drama fo' yo' mama

The Mama Drama of Cat Eyes:
Bold, Graphic, and Fierce!!!

I love all three looks, but my favorite look for every day is the Quintessential, worn by Angie... I wear this cat style liner practically every day, pairing it with nude lips and a coat of mascara over my lashes... or sometimes nothing at all!! The quintessential cat eye is the easiest to achieve and I'm gonna show you how to recreate it!!!

Excuse my sleepy eyes, this was before my coffee. 

THE TOOLS: Black cream or gel liner and an angled liner brush. As always, I use my Clinique cream liner in True Black. It comes with a tiny brush, but I don't recommend using it for application... I use it for touchups only. For beginners, you might also need a gray or light brown pencil or shadow, just for guiding.

THE STEPS: Because my lids are super oily, I use a dab of Primer Potion even for an eyeliner application. I put two dots--one on the outer corner and another on the middle of my top lash line and spread it across and under the eye with my finger. If your lids are normal to dry, you can go ahead and skip this preliminary step.

1. With your gray or light brown pencil or shadow, draw a light thin line from the middle of your bottom lash line to the outer corner and extending the line at the same angle. If your bottom lash line does not naturally curve up, this is where you will have to fake the angle :)
2. Take some black liner onto your brush (not too much--this look is buildable) and trace or "sharpen" just the outer wing you drew with the pencil. Keep the line fine, and stop about 3-8 mm from the outer corner. My outer wing is usually about 5 mm, but yours can be longer if your eyes are bigger.
3. Take some more color on your brush and draw a very thin line from the center of your top lash line to the start of your outer wing. If you're using a fine brush, you can just dab the color into your lashes. 
4. The line has to be thinnest in the center of your eye (at the start of the eyeliner) and gradually get thicker towards the wing. If you're not comfortable drawing it freehand, take an index card (or an envelope--put those bills to good use!!) and place it slightly above your lash line, connecting the center to the edge of the outer wing. Fill it in and you're done!!!

Add some mascara to your top lashes :))

Rim the bottom waterline with a nude or beige pencil

Take a cotton swap and clean the line if you have to

Again, before coffee...

After coffee and blowout, wearing my new favorite vest, hand-made by my mama, with all the love in her mama heart ♥♥♥

LOVE YA MAMA!!!

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!!!