Mariam Khairallah: Moisturizing is essential for good makeup

Mariam Khairallah, MAC resident senior artist, urges women to take cake of their skin to provide the perfect base for their makeup. She says if the base is damaged, the makeup will obviously look bad on the face.
“Every woman should have her own beauty routine, and they should always remove their makeup before going to sleep,” she said. “MAC has the entire essential beauty regime. Women should try our products and judge the before and after look — with and without makeup.”
Khairallah has been working with MAC for eight years and started as a makeup artist before she became a trainer for other MAC makeup artists. “I have studied in beauty schools in Lebanon, and I have worked with various makeup brands. My lifetime goal was to work with MAC, because as I was growing up I always saw that makeup at fashion shows was done by them,” she said. “I wanted my name to be related to this huge makeup industry. I have finally reached my goal, and I am happy with that.”
Women from the Gulf area are very fashionable and know exactly how to show off their beauty. “One of the reasons I moved to Dubai is that I love women’s choice of makeup. It is very dramatic, and they use a large variety of colors,” she said. “It’s completely different from what I’m used to in Lebanon, where women use nude makeup and light colors. Working here makes me get creative with smoky colors and designs.”
Foundation is a very tricky product. It can help you get a beautiful skin tone, or it can make you look like a joke. “Women should pay close attention to the color they choose for a base foundation. They should look at their neck and ears and try to choose a color that is close to that tone. When they apply it they have to cover face, neck, chest and ears, so it looks natural,” said Khairallah. “Never exaggerate with the colors; you can only go one shade darker or lighter, but not more. I highly recommend you try the foundation and walk around the mall. Look at yourself right before you leave. If you look good, buy the product; if you don’t, look for something else.”
MAC has a large variety of foundations to match all colors, weathers and seasons. “We have a category that was made especially for hot and humid weather, called Pro Long Wear. This is what I highly recommend to women in the Gulf,” said Khairallah. “This collection has foundations, concealer, eye shadow, eye pencils, and blushers. It is all made to give good matte coverage, and it matches all kinds of skins with the liquid foundation base that lasts a long time.”
She continued, “The best way to apply foundation is to start from the middle of the face, which is the T-zone. Start from there, and then spread the makeup all over the face and the neck with the rest of the foundation on the brush.”
A primer is one of the essential products the makeup artist recommends every woman to use. “It is very important for women to apply a primer right after they moisturize and before they apply their foundation. It is the main reason makeup stays longer, and it protects the skin from soaking up the makeup.” Khairallah explained there are many kinds of primer, from face primer, eye primer to mascara primer and lips primer. “Get them all and you wont regret using them.”
Liquid eyeliner and gel liner are completely different, but they are equally good and professional. “It depends on the look you are looking for. The gel liner is matt and creamy, and the liquid is shiny and watery. So, if you are looking for something more natural, go with the gel, and at night use the liquid,” said Khairallah. “I sometimes use both at the same time. I draw my eye with the gel and draw the cat eye with the liquid. I have to say it looks amazing.”
Dark colors and dramatic tones are in this autumn and winter season for fashion as well as in makeup. “The main focus when it comes to makeup is dark lips and comprises all colors from red and cherry to maroon and purple. Women should put a little makeup on the eyes and apply those colors on the lips to say in trend,” said Khairallah. “For the eyes, metallic is in this season. It is perfect, because it gives a great glow, and when light hits it gives a 3D effect. It is perfect for parties and night events.”

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