Winged eyeliner inspired by Halima (Fashionicide)

I have been following Halima's blog - Fashionicide - religiously for a few years now back when it was called DesignerSpray and Halima didn't have such bright hair ;) 

If you are looking for a refreshing change from the 'blogosphere' check out Halima's blog, her makeup and outfits leave me in awe, inspiring me to be as bold as her - she is a true gem! 

Today after having a little trawl through Halima's Instagram I decided to re-create a look. (I have to admit, I tried re-creating a look a while ago but failed miserably, today I had a little more luck!) A steady hand and a lot of patience is required, a lot of cotton buds were also harmed in the process.. =/

I used the Maybelline gel eyeliner with a Mac 209 eyeliner brush et voila... 

It's not perfect but I am pretty happy with the end result

I've cut half of my face as I had tried a different look on the other eye which didn't turn out as good! 

Please excuse that other eyelid.. :P 

Your hand will probably end up looking a little like this at the end of it! 

Eyes: Maybelline Black Gel liner

Eyeshadow: Mac All That Glitters

Lips: Mac Hot Tahiti

I know I don't have many followers here on my blog but for all my friends who are reading this do check out Halima because I am pretty certain she will blow you away too! 

x

Makeup: Smokey brown with a slight twist

Digging out my Mac palette today I decided to create an impromptu look - not sure what I was doing. 

My Mac palette has been neglected recently and using it today reminded me how incredible the quality is, they are by far my favourite from my collection, the texture is amazing and they blend so easily creating a seamless, flawless look. 

Makeup: 

Eyeshadows: 

Mulch - swept across the whole eyelid 

Club - Lower lash line and outer V

Sumptuous Olive - Inner corner (used as highlight!)

Woodwinked - swept very lightly across the first half of my eyelid

Black tied - used as an alternative to eyeliner on the upper lash line 

and then blended out lightly to create smokiness! 

Mascara: YSL Babydoll

On my waterline I'm wearing a MAC fluid line in Siahi (unfortunately

it was a limited edition piece from a collection many moons ago!)

Above pictures: Without flash

Above pictures: With Flash 

I would never put an olive green colour in my inner corners but after experimenting today I think it looks pretty cool! What do you guys think?

I think it's time I experiment a little more...!

On a side note: You can probably tell theres one eyeshadow missing as I am yet to complete it, this palette has been in the making for around 2 years now! It'd be pretty expensive to buy all the eyeshadows in one go! =P

x

Lemon Drizzle Traybake

Hey guys! 

Saturday has finally rolled around *phew* it's been a long week. What better way to spend a Saturday than to bake a delicious lemon drizzle cake to welcome your father home! My last blog post was also about food to welcome my parents home, but this time my mum made some amazing rice/curry and left the dessert to me as it was just my father who had gone away on another business trip (so I didn't have to do as much cooking as last time *woo* =P)

The recipe I used came from the infamous Mary Berry. Boy, was it deliciously tangly, sweet and best of all, extremely easy to make. 

Here is the recipe: 

Ingredients:

225g softened butter

225g caster sugar

275 self raising flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

4 tablespoons of milk

4 large eggs (I used 5 medium sized) 

Finely grated rind of 2 lemons 

For the crunchy topping:

Juice of 2 lemons

175g granulated sugar

Preparation time: about 10 minutes

Cooking time: about 35-40 minutes

Cuts into about 30 squares

1. Cut a rectangle of non-stick baking parchment  to fit the base and sides of a traybake tin or roasting tin, 30 x 23 x 4 cm (12 x 9 x 1 ½ inches). Grease the tin and then line with the paper, pushing it neatly into the corners of the tin. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas 3.
   
   
2. Measure all the ingredients for the traybake into a large bowl and beat well for about 2 minutes until well blended, an electric mixer is best for this but of course you can also beat by hand with a wooden spoon. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula to remove all of the mixture. Level the top gently with the back of the spatula.
   
   
3. Bake in the middle of the pre-heated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the traybake springs back when pressed lightly with a finger in the centre and is beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin.
   
   
4. Allow the traybake to cool in the tin for a few minutes then lift the traybake out of the tin still in the lining paper. Carefully remove the paper and put the traybake onto a wire rack placed over a tray (to catch drips of the topping).
   
   
5. To make the crunchy topping, mix the lemon juice and granulated sugar in a small bowl to give a runny consistency. Spoon this mixture evenly over the traybake whilst it is still just warm. Cut into about squares when cold.

The batter itself is delicious, you'll want to lick the entire bowl not that I did... ; )

I hope you're having a lovely weekend, I had a nice relaxed Saturday re-watching Iron Man 3, baking and spending time with my dad who also gifted me with this super cute ring from Swarovski on his way back from Poland. Luurv it! 

Ciao for now! 

Maryam

Cooking it up Pakistani Style!

Hey guys, 

It was all blood sweat and tears in the kitchen last night.. Ok, no I joke, but it was a hectic and stressful 7 hours in the kitchen preparing and cooking food for my parents (and brothers) as they had returned from a business trip to Germany. To welcome them home, I  thought it would be great to surprise them with some traditional Pakistani food. It was worth it as it went down really well! 

What I made:

-Traditional Pakistani Chicken Curry
- Aloo Baingan (potatoes and aubergine)
- Fresh homemade naan
- Cardamom tea cake 

The recipes for the two curries and cake came from the lovely blog 

www.thespicespoon.com. Her blog is wonderful, each recipe comes with an enchanting story and all the recipes are great. There hasn't been one that I have tried and haven't liked. 

The naan recipe was easy, simple and so delicious. I love the fresh smell and taste of homemade naan - no shop can ever beat that! 

Traditional Pakistani chicken curry 

Fresh naan with butter 

Aloo Baingan - Potato and Aubergine (eggplant) cooked in 

a Pakistani way

Please excuse the background. Rolling out naan = floury worktops : )

 I was so intrigued to see what the cardamom tea cake would taste like. I did burn the outside 

a little and may have slightly overdid it with the cardamom but it was still delicious and I know what to do for next time. 

I'd highly recommend any of these recipes, they went down really well *sighs in relief* 

Let me know if you try any of them

Until next time...

Maryam 

New Years Resolutions..?!

Hi!Its been a long time since I last blogged! This I must apologise for as college has been my main priority. Upcoming mocks and coursework deadlines are looming so I have been busy prepping for those. I did have a couple of posts planned over the Christmas break but unfortunately technology failed me – yet again – and I lost all of my pictures *grumpy face*

Today we shall be discussing the oh-so controversial topic of New Year’s Resolutions. I am sorry I couldn't get this post up any quicker but I suppose better late than never! This is a completely random post, I just feel like I have a lot to talk about.. A new year has embraced us with its presence and with it come the endless tweets, Facebook statuses and YouTube videos addressing how we want to better ourselves in the new year and how they never last.

New Year’s resolutions are all about making a positive change whether you would like to become fitter, more organised or generally live your life in a more positive way.

MOTIVATION

Motivation is key if you want to achieve something – reach a certain weight? Achieve an A grade? Go to the gym more regularly? Whatever it may be you must be determined to work hard - think of the effect it will have on you. One of the best feelings in life is to achieve something excellent when you know you have worked so hard for it. You have to keep telling yourself I CAN DO IT. Motivation comes within so if you put yourself in a certain mind set and have the right attitude you can achieve anything you want, anything is possible. Think of that feeling when you’ll finally be able to fit in a size (whatever) pair of jeans.. Or whenever results day comes around. That relief and happiness knowing you are where you’ve wanted to be is so much better than lazing around and then being disappointed at the end, right?

Another tip is to not give yourself a time limit e.g.’ I must lose this amount of weight in a month’. When you put yourself in a time limit you are pressurising yourself. Take each day as it comes. When you want to make a change, it should be a change for life not just for a few weeks or months. It is all about quality, not quantity. Try to make your workouts fun, don’t think of them as a chore – go for a walk in the park, swim, whatever you think is fun and active at the same time (a sport you may enjoy - for me that's badminton). All this advice applies to me too; I’m writing this as a guide for myself but any of you out there who need a push to do change your lifestyle in a more positive way.

STAYING HAPPY :)

Life is too short to be unhappy. Life is brilliant when you are happy and to be happy you have to push all the negativity away. Surround yourself with people who you love and who care for you. Try to turn negatives in to positives, remember everything happens for a reason so if something doesn’t turn out how you wanted it to, just think something better is in store for me.  A great way to remain happy is to get yourself a nice jar (or a  box or anything) and every time something good happens write it on a piece of paper and put it in the jar. When the year ends or whenever you are feeling down you can look back and reminisce all of the amazing memories that will guarantee to make you smile. It’s a lovely way to keep your memories – preserve them in a jar! =P

DON'T WORK TOO HARD!

Don’t push yourself too hard, our bodies can only take so much. Keep everything in proportion, an overload leads to stress. Create a timetable or schedule for each day of the week and plan out what you will do. It’s a great feeling isn’t it when you plan to be productive and that sense of accomplishment when you have stuck to your routine. All work and no play is too harsh. Create time to relax with friends or family. If you’re trying to become more active, make time for it. Getting up early and working out is so hard yet so refreshing and makes you feel awake and ready for the day ahead.

I know this isn’t excellent advice, I’m no expert at all, but I just felt the need to write this up for all of you who feel you need that extra push to make 2014 a great year. It’s never too late to make a change, go out there and mould yourself in to the person you want to be! This year I want to become fitter, more active and organised.  Now that I have written this I know I have to stick to it! Don’t give up because you will regret it in the end. As the Chuckle Brothers would say: ‘No slacking!’

Let me know how it goes!

Maryam

Twitter: @dimples4evr

Instagram: @m4ryam 

Email: maryamfarooq18@gmail.com 

Date Night Makeup

So on one evening of one day of the week my parents go off on a 'date night' where they usually enjoy a coffee and a chat (I've tried to worm my way in a few times without success!)

My mum likes to glam herself up a little and has recently  employed me as her makeup artist. I thought as my new camera had come I would share with you all what makeup and what look I had created on my mother. 

Products used: 

Eyes: 

Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita Eye Quad 

Alexa Chung Eyeko Eyeliner 

D&G Black Lace Mascara 

Face: 

By Terry Foundation

Tom Ford Frantic Pink Blusher (you can probably tell how much my mum loves this)

Kevyn Aucoin highlighter

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer

I used the lightest shade on the first part of the eyelid, inner corner and brow bone

I then darkened the outer corners with the two darker shades (on the right)

The last stage was using the glittery shade and dabbing it on to the centre of the eyelids using my finger

Applying mascara 

The soppy ol' couple! 

That's the final look after my mum completed the face makeup herself. What a stunning lady, eh? ; )

Let me know if you liked this blog post and I will do another next week!

Maryam

Hello December + Current faves

Hi there! 

It has been a long time since I last blogged and this I must apologise for. College has been rather stressful lately so my main priority has been getting my head down and acing those essays ;)

Anyway, today I wanted to write about some of my current favourites. November has passed since I last wrote and December has graced us with it's humble and oh so cold presence. And this can only mean: cold weather, cosy jumpers, short days, Xmas and my birthday of course! 

Ok here go my favourites: 

Beauty: 

My first favourite is the Bourjois Colour Boost lip crayon in 06 'Plum Russian'. It's a beautiful deep but subtle berry colour, perfect for this time of year. If you are weary of a deep berry lip this is a great product to layer, a light first layer leaves a subtle pink wash of colour over the lips

The picture above shows one light layer, it leaves a subtle yet gorgeous pink sheen. Also please excuse my lips are horribly dry from the weather and being ill! 

I applied a couple more layers in the photo above :)

Swatched

Many of you will know how much I love my winged eyeliner and I still do, I don't go a day without it. This month I have been loving the YSL Shocking Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils. I actually 'borrowed' this off my lovely mother who doesn't seem to mind that it now resides in my room ; )

It's very similar to the Maybelline Master Precise liquid eyeliner, the shape of these are almost identical as you can tell, so if you are looking for a cheaper dupe you should definitely try the Maybelline, they are pretty much the same thing. 

Fashion:

A snood or any other cosy knit scarf is perfect for this time of year; my friend Tayyibah and I bought matching snoods from New Look. I luuurv the colour and it keeps me lovely and warm while I am out. 

I have been wearing these Dune Wege trainer boots every day! They are so comfortable.. I've had them for over a year now. This picture was taken from my Instagram which was posted 64 weeks ago and you can see they don't look much different (except a little battered) despited being loved and used very much : )

Also a thank you to my lovely friend Faisa for very kindly taking this shot :)

Random: 

The Mophie Juice Pack Helium for iPhone 5 has been a lifesaver recently. For long days at college, my battery seems to drain really quickly. (This was never a problem before I updated to iOS 7 :( )

But the Mophie Juice Pack has come to the rescue and kept my phone at a high battery perecentage. It does make my phone heavier and bulkier, I've also been told it looks like a landline! Nevertheless, I still love it for it's uses ; )

That is all for today folks.. I will be back VERY soon. You can follow me on Twitter: @Dimples4evr or Instagram: :@m4ryam

I am also expecting my new camera this week so gone are the days of the rubbish iPhone quality pictures! 

Take care :)

Maryam