Naveed is our bubbly (dare we say sassy?) firecracker of a cousin. Whether you’re shopping for beauty products, a car, dinner plates, or just looking for a good place to grab a bite, she always seems to have done her homework and is ready to offer up a tip. We recently caught up with our favorite chatterbox to find out how she always looks so darn cute.
Must-Have Monday: Naveed’s Top 5
Top Pick: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette
Our cousin Naveed introduced us to this palette of cool neutrals, shimmering champagne golds, and soft, smoky hues. A longtime fan of Urban Decay’s original Naked palette, she tipped us off to this new release, which features some of the brand’s greatest hits as well as 5 new shades. They wear really well and the shades are buildable, so you can go for a light, natural wash or layer for more intensity.
Colors, left to right: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, and Blackout.It also comes with a double-ended shadow and crease brush, as well as a mini Lip Junkie gloss in Naked.
Image: www.urbandecay.com
Must-Have Monday: Farayha’s Top 5
Every time we see lovely Farayha, she is always the picture of polished beauty. Her look is very “professional glam” — gorgeous and perfectly finished, but in a way that allows her intelligence to shine through. Her makeup isn’t distracting, and never screams, “look at me.” We made her spill her go-to essentials to achieve a pretty, pulled together look and still be taken seriously. Young (and aspiring) professionals take note.
Top Pick: The Balm Shady Lady Eyeshadows
We love the buttery texture of The Balm’s Shady Lady shimmering powder shadows. They’re supremely blendable yet have major staying power. The shimmer doesn’t contain large specks of glitter, so you’re guaranteed to get a beautiful sheen sans tacky factor. Though almost all of the shades are lovely on South Asian skintones, we’re partial to two that we find ourselves constantly reaching for.
Mischievous Marissa (named after Founder & CEO Marissa Shipman) is quite possibly the most perfect champagne gold we’ve ever used. The color is a bit more golden in person than indicated in the swatch. It’s great as an allover lid color, and sometimes we like to add a touch along the inner corners and bottom lashline for a pretty sheen that really wakes up the eyes (avoid this step if you have fine lines, however — it may emphasize them more).
Jealous Jordana is a gorgeous, shimmering emerald green that can be used in combination with Mischievous Marisa to create a smoldering smoky eye (a winning combo on desi skin), but we often find ourselves using it as a liner. We especially love using it just along the waterline for an unexpected contrast that always gets compliments.
Images: http://www.sephora.com
Must-Have Monday: Shireen’s Top 5
The demands of nursing school keep our cousin Shireen quite busy. When she’s not busy hitting the books, this pretty lady can often be found baking up a storm (if you’re really nice to her she’ll make you a to-die-for red velvet cake). Though she keeps her makeup look pretty low-key, she’s very discerning when it comes to the contents of her makeup bag, never settling for anything that’s less than just right. We asked her to share which beauty products made the cut:
Top Pick: Nars Outremer Eyeshadow (as Eyeliner)
Maleeha’s pick.
I love winged eyeliner. Especially when that winged eyeliner is a vivid shade of electric blue. Since discovering Nars’ Outremer this past summer, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been approached on the street by total strangers, begging to know what it is. It lets me shake up my everyday look with an unexpected pop of color, without getting too circus clown. Here’s my how-to:
Whether or not you wear eyeshadow (I often go without as I don’t want anything competing with the bright, matte cobalt hue), make sure to prep lids with an eyeshadow base or primer. I’m a fan of the Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. Then curl lashes and apply mascara — this will help you see the contour of your eye and act as a guide for lining.
I find using a wet method makes the line sharper and the color bolder, with the added bonus of giving it staying power. Once mascara is set, take an angled eyeliner brush (I’m partial to Trish McEvoy’s #50) and run it through a tiny bit of warm water — the idea is to wet it slightly, rather than drench it. When you drag the end of brush through the shadow pan, the consistency should be more like wet chalk than a runny liquid. If there’s too much water on it, press out the excess.
I like to begin at the end of the upper lashline and work my way in. To start, make the wing: gently press the loaded brush onto the end of the lashline at an upward angle, as if you were aiming it towards the end of your eyebrow. Try not to shake or wiggle the brush — the line needs to be clear, sharp and defined. The length of one brush tip is usually the extent of my wing, but you can experiment to determine what suits your eye shape. Then work inward, pressing the brush in as close to the lashline as you can get so there’s no space between the liner and the lash. Make the line progressively thinner as you work your way in until it virtually disappears into the lashline, stopping once you get to the inner edge of the iris.
The hardest parts are getting the angle of the wing right, keeping the line thin, and making sure both eyes are symmetrical, but you’ll get the hang of it after a few tries.
Extra Tips:
- When using a bright hue on the eyes, keep the rest of the makeup clean and minimal, and make sure brows are well-groomed.
- Complement the look with clothing in a solid, non-competing color. It looks great against bright white, all black, or my personal fave, navy blue, which really makes the color pop.
Desi Betty 