Holy Grail Flash Case Review!

Hey Guys!

I'm currently reviewing the Holy Grail Flash Case by the awesome online beauty store Swiitch Beauty. 

I was lucky enough to have been gifted this cool product and couldn't be more excited to try it out. So, to give my honest review I wanted to use most of the colours in the pallet mainly the shimmers, basic and bright colours to create a full make-up look.

The look I opted for was  bold  lips, brows, summer time bronzed dewy skin and chiseled ckeekbones.

As a on-the-go makeup-up artist I really found this pallet client worthy, the colour payoff is insane and is very versatile for different make-up application uses to create your own unique shade. 

(even if you aren't a MUA this pallet is totally worth getting!) 

 I have used the brown and black colours from the pallet to fill in and shape my brows, the gold for that subtle yet, dewy glow on my cheekbones, eyelids, nose and cupids bow.

Again using the brown shade to give myself a slay contour! 

I also used the black shade to line my upper waterline and lash line. Now, for that gorgeous custom lip colour I have mixed the coral, red, hot pink and white to achieve that pinky, coral lip.

So... 

My verdict: A definite MUST have! 

  

Products I have used to achieve this look:

Holy Grail Flash case 

Sphere Brush Set (foundation)

G31 Contour Brush (blending the contour)

All from SwiichBeauty  

Foundation; MAC face and body 

Lashes: Huda Beauty 'LANA'

Mascara: L'Oreal Mega Volume Collagen (current fav)

xoxo 

Maryam Karodia

EID OOTD

Hey guys!

To everyone who celebrated Eid, I hope you had a blessed day of fun, family and food :) and to those who didn't I hope you had an amazing day too!

Apart from being sad that the holy month of Ramadan has come to an end I always get excited for Eid.
So, Eid... the day that us girls are most excited about adorning henna and of course getting glammed up for that perfect #eidselfie.

About picking my outfit...
Well I'm a very particular shopper, I know that sounds quite cliche` as most girls are particular. I always imagine an outfit in my head before hitting the stores if I don't do this then, well, I'm obviously going to come home with empty shopping bags (which gives my husband anxiety knowing we need to look again).

This year I decided to wear normal clothes instead of wearing the traditional abaya (which I love). I based my entire look on my shoes! Crazy I know. I've been obsessing over those perspex heels and couldn't find them anywhere so I decided to get them online Shop Here .
Murphy's law after purchasing my amazing boots I saw them at Zara! Thank God I like my ones more ;)
After getting my boots I could finally go proper 'Eid shopping' by then I had already imagined a million outfits in my head (including jewelry) so I had to find something. Surprisingly I found almost everything at one store.

I knew I wanted all black, with fur and something wine/burgundy to complement my nude boots
 (like a cheetah chasing a gazelle I attacked the stores) I also wanted to wear a turban since I've been wearing my scarf the whole Ramadan that way and I feel super sophisticated wearing it.

As for my make-up I went for something natural with a wine lip(which I had also imagined in my head haha!).

I'm wearing:

Fur gilet, wine bodysuit | Forever New 

Leggings | Zara 

Nude Boots | Ego http://ego.co.uk/

Pashmina Scarf  | Eid Festival

Earrings, bangle | Lovisa 

Watch | Tag Heuer

Make-up:

Armani Luminous Silk foundation

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Pallet

Huda Beauty Lip Contour 'trophy wife'

See you in my next post!
xoxo
Maryam Karodia

Fall/Winter Grungy Glam!

Hey guys!

I've been getting a few requests on my Snapchat to do a winter make-up look using the Morphe 35T pallet.

I've been testing out all my new products that I have purchased this weekend and i'm loving them so far.

About this make-up look:

Well, I have been quite inspired by my YouTube subscription feed and a few of my favourite beauty guru's have been posting 'Grungy Glam' make-up looks so, I thought I'd give it a go.

This look is warm and perfect for winter.


Lets get started!

Primer:

I used the infamous Farsali rose gold elixir to give my skin that youthful glow.
I'm really loving this beauty oil for the winter to keep my skin hydrated even underneath all that foundation.

It's literally infused with 24k gold!
Why I like this? The formula melts into your skin without it looking greasy. Oh, it also has a heavenly scent!

Foundation:

I've mixed my trusty old NARS Sheer Glow Foundation together with the All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation to give me a flawless base, I also added a few drops of the Farsali Rose Gold Elixir for a dewy finish.

I applied my foundation using the Swiitch Beauty oval brush and can I tell you, this brush is amazing! It blends like a dream  does the job in no time!

Eyes:

I'm absolutely loving this pallet, especially for winter. There's a mix of warm, cool and shimmery tones which I love. 

for my eyes I've used more of the maroons and browns to intensify the crease of my eye. I have used a black just to add more depth to my eyes and to also give it a grungy look. 

Added a tiny bit of the burgundy shimmer to the inner part of my eyelids and I have highlighted my brow bone with a gold shimmer but very lightly.

To complete my grungy glam look I  used the Huda Beauty Mink Lashes in Raquel and coated my bottom lashes a few times with the Benefit They're Real Mascara. To finish off my eyes I added a dramatic winged liner with the Artist Of Make-Up Extreme Art Liner Pen. 

  

Lips

I have used two different lip colours, a super dark one that befits the grunge glam and a pale nude one for the not so daring lady... like myself ;) 

 Dark Lip:

Huda Beauy Lip Contour in Cheerleader together with the Colour Pop satin liquid lipstick in Toolips

Light Lip:

Huda Beauty Lip Contour in Bombshell mixed with Kat Von D matte liquid lipstick in  Loilita and Colour Pop Liquid lipstick in Littlestitious.

Brushes

 

PS:

Beauty products available from Muse.Sa 

Oval Brushes available from Swiitch Beauty 

(check them both on Instagram)

Here's the finished look!

xoxo 

Maryam Karodia

Photo without flash 

Photo with flash

Camera: NIKON D5000

Snapchat: maryam_karodia
Instagram: Long Live The Classy

All Black Everything!

Hey Guys!

Winter's slowly creeping in and I'm excited... About the fashion of course! 

This quote epitomizes my thoughts on winter: 

Image

This is why Winter will always be my favorite season. Every year there are new fashion trends, it's always the things that were in style previously that are now trending. Winter fashion to me, is just so classy and sophisticated I mean, when else can you wear that fur coat with your best leather boots and rock a red lip...during the day!?

 Ponchos have been a major fashion statement for the past two years and i'm loving them! 

You can literally wear them with anything and you'll look effortlessly chic.


For all you winter loathers, let fashion inspire you to love it...
All black everything with statement accessories is always a good idea.

About this look:

I opted for a statement necklace to make my outfit pop. Gold accents and black are a match made in fashion heaven! I am obsessed with this poncho that I stole from my Mom ;)
 (Happy Mothers day Mom)

 

I'm wearing:

Turtle Neck | H&M 

Poncho| Mom's 

Pants | Cotton On

Boots | Woolworths 

Handbag | Nine West 

Necklace,Earrings and Hat | Woolworths 

Watch | Tag Heuer 

Photography by my amazing husband check out his Instagram Umar Daya 

xoxo 

Maryam Karodia

How To Apply Foundation Like a Pro!

Hey guys!

I've  decided to enlighten you on a few foundation tips and tricks that I learnt to get a flawless base. 

Many of us think it's just slapping foundation on your face and you're good to go, well it's not if you want your foundation to last all day. Lets start off with the basics in 5 easy steps

Step 1

EXFOLIATE , I have learnt this game-changing tip from the Huda Beauty Masterclass I've attended last December and I can tell you, It's amazing.

Don't you hate when you apply your foundation, powder and all of a sudden there's a dry patch on your face? Well that's why one should exfoliate for a smooth canvas.

You can also use exfoliating wipes if you're a make-up artist that's always on the go.

Step 2

MOISTURIZE. 

Hydrating your face is key in any foundation routine, I like to use a sunblock during the day. 

Step 3

PRIME.

Many people tend to skip this important step. Priming your face allows the foundation to stick to your skin so that it can last all day. 

You get different types of primers. I like to use primers that give me a dewy glow on my skin, I sometimes like to use a pore filling primer just on the T-zone.

Step 4

TRANSLUCENT POWDER 

This sounds pretty crazy but applying translucent powder will keep your foundation in place all day and also fill in fine lines and minimize pores.  

Step 5

FOUNDATION 

Finally, apply your foundation with a buffing brush and buff all over your skin, then lightly pounce a Beauty Blender to get rid of any lines caused by the foundation. 

After that you can apply your concealer where needed and set your face with a spray. I like using rose water. (diy setting spray coming soon)

xoxo
Maryam Karodia 

LONDON 2015

When in London...Red door snaps are mandatory.

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in London with Gramps, I have to say, I've yet to visit a more vibrant city than this one. I was there for only three days but boy, oh boy did I shop.

The City was just as lovely as I had imagined it to be.

Here are some highlights from my trip:

Let's start from...

SHOPPING!

Before I left I had a list written of all the make-up and clothing I wanted to acquire and researched on where to find them.

Strolling down the High Streets, I found myself in Selfridges, *in love emoji*, where I primarily wanted to get myself some make-up as this was the best place to get them. 

I have been obsessing over NARS products since forever, seeing as so many of my favorite Youtubers  had only good things to say about them. 

I was already in love with the NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation so thought that I needed to try the Sheer Glow as well. Of course what is foundation without concealer? So I got the Radiant Creamy concealer too. 

The Dual Intensity pallet was one of my best buys, the colours are so beautiful and is also highly pigmented.

To complete my NARS 'collection' I had to thow in a blush, Low and behold the Dual Intensity blush in 'frenzy' 

Ps I will be doing a full review on these products soon

Getting a little carried away in Selfridges, I decided to splurge on this gorgeous Tom Ford lipstick.

HARRODS 

In the heart of  Knightsbridge Station, lies the infamous HARRODS Department store. You can literally find anything and everything here, it's so big that to do justice to this shopping mecca I need to visit again ;)

Sunnies: Ray Ban
Turtle Neck: Forever New
Pants: Forever 21
Handbag: Prada
Shoes: Cotton On

HIGH TEA IN HARRODS  

Gramps and I decided to take a few moments off shopping and indulge in some high tea, just as the Queen would. We treated ourselves at 'The Tea Room'

Need I say more?

After the most amazing and expensive cuppa tea, I had to get myself some Harrods souvenirs.

'A Harrods handbag and purse should do'
There were so many to choose from but this one really spoke out to me as I've seen and done everything on the bag!

BUS CITY TOUR

Gramps and I decided to take a city tour so we could see London in motion. We drove past the Big Ben, historical buildings and Buckingham Palace.
(I couldn't get a picture with those funky haired palace guards because it was closed off for a Royal family rehearsal.)

Covent Garden 

Buckingham Palace

Big Ben

Piccadilly Circus 

THE LONDON EYE 

I had the most beautiful view of the River Thames and the London Bridge. You get a dynamic view of the Big Ben too. The wheel rotates for 30 minutes and can carry about 25 people. If you're going to London I would definitely recommend you visiting the London Eye. 

LONDON THEATRE SHOW 

You haven't visited  London unless you've been to a theatre show. We went to see Micheal Jackson's 'Thriller' to cap off our last night in London.
(We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so this is all I could get.)

What a staggering stay in the city of the Queens...
I cannot wait to visit this amazing city again, you know what they say, "If you're tired of London you're tired of life"

xoxo
Maryam Karodia