End of October.. Means Halloween

Wow October is almost at its end, we're almost ready to welcome the month of November in which we prepare ourselves to get ready for Winter.

Before we can say 'Tata Bye Bye' to October we have to face Halloween!

Ooops rewind....because 'HALLO..October hasn't passed by as yet!' Before we can say 'Tata Bye Bye' to October we have to face the spectacular day called All Hallows' Eve globally known as Halloween!

31 October is also famous as the day lots of people celebrate Halloween. It's sad that we don't celebrate this fun day here in the Netherlands. Halloween is mainly celebrated in the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland. On the night of Halloween kids go in costumes house by house through the neighbour to call their famous trick and treat which referes to a little mischief or a little treat like candy or sometimes money. The neighbour is mostly decorated by lights and carved pumpkins to give this day it's scary mood. 

Back in the Netherlands we have such a similar thing we call Sint Maarten, where the kids go door by door, sing a little song and get a treat in form of candy. However despite the similarity, the 2 festivities have nothing to do with each other.

I've learned that on Halloween many people also attend costumes party's, go to haunted houses, tell scary stories and/or play pranks. Which sounds like so much fun! ( Still on my bucket list.. spend a Halloween in USA..hihi).

So back here in the Netherlands there are some costume parties but very little in compared to countries celebrating. However the theme park 'Walibi' has their 'Fright Night's ' going on, on weekends of the Halloween month. They transform the park in a horror park with professionals walking around in there getup scaring the crap out of everyone and of course there are 5 haunted houses where fear is on the highest level, even if you don't want to be scared..you actually do LOL! 

As a make-up artist I was stunned year by year to see all those other incredibly talented make-up artists creating these stunning and scary looks. So last year I helped my little sister and her boyfriend out with the make-up for their costume party, he wanted to be Mr Dracula and she needed to be the vampy witch! 

Now this year I first gave it a thought... But quickly thought 'Why not.. just give it a try and by time you will get better!' So I created some looks on myself, one is a 'Sugar Skull' and the other a 'half skull'.

Hope you beauties like my creations! 

Speak to you pretty people in my next blog! 

Xoxo

Lippies by NYX

So since a year now I' ve grown to be a fan of NYX Cosmetics, especially some of there lip glosses and lipsticks.

My Creation with my NYX lippies

It first started with my sudden obsession with Matte Lipstick. I only discovered that most of the budget brands don't offer Matte lipsticks, most of them always have that Glow and shine on them.

''Matte lips gives you that extra fierce look that all girls need once in a while''

Of course I do love the shiny lipsticks as well, but I feel Matte lips gives you that extra fierce look that all girls need once in a while! And for all the ladies that are blessed with full lips that's a "HELL YEAH" to Matte !

So as my daily routine I scrolled down on Instagram to check out all the dope looks posted by these incredible beautiful ladies and of course some pretty talented gents as well! And I came across the brand NYX! Quickly I googled where I could buy NYX goodies in the Netherlands and ( smile ear to ear LOL) it happened to be available at Douglas! I was so happy and as you guessed I rushed to Douglas.

I love NYX

However here in the Netherlands we only have a limited amount of NYX make-up ( yeah I know sad),  I hope they extend the collection here as soon as possible.

So back to my story I came across NYX Matte lipsticks for a very reasonable price, and the great thing is; if you are a holder of the Douglas card you get a extra 10% discount, so that was a extra treat!

I love the structure of these Matte NYX lipsticks and even the normal NYX lipsticks. The NYX Matte line stays put almost a whole day and doesn't dry out my lips like other Matte Lipsticks tend to do. It's sad to say as I am a huge fan of MAC cosmetics, but for instance Ruby Woo. The lipstick starts drying out my lips at the end of the day, sometimes it even happens that my lips start breaking ( I have no clue how to explain but I guess you know what I mean hihi)!

My NYX Matte Collection

The other lipsticks beside the Matte collections by NYX are superb as well. They are creamy and the pigment is incredible! 

Non Matte Nyx Lipsticks

My newest addiction is the NYX Matte lip gloss. I used to hate glosses. My hate for it goes way back to my college years. Back than I traveled with the bus and the bus stop was on a walking distance. Even than most of the year it often got stormy or windy ( what to expect more of the Netherlands haha). I would apply lots of lip gloss back than and step outside, and (YES you guessed it)  my hair would fly around my face and get stuck to my shiny mouth and before I knew my whole face was covered in lip gloss URRGGHH. That's when I decided no more shiny lip glosses for this young lady!

As I heared and seen the new Matte lip glosses on Instagram I quickly checked online with Douglas about the availability.  Pity me, no Matte glosses by NYX for the dutchies. So as you read in my previous post I went to Dubai, so I checked it out there, and YIPPY I was lucky to buy 2 colors. I bought a red and a pink color as most of the stock was empty for the Matte Gloss collection ( but HEY better something than nothing at all).

My Matte Lip Gloss / Lip Creams

I love to wear these Matte glosses, it's absolutely NOT sticky, texture is great when you put it on. It looks like a lipstick actually, and believe it or not it gives a pretty good amount of pigment given it's only a gloss. The not so good thing is,  the build-up throughout the day! If you re-apply it more than three times it gives a weird feeling on the lips and a creasy lip look.

But I would definitely recommend this brand to pamper and color up your lips, it has great quality for a budget price!

On the below picture I have made a swatch of all the NYX lip colours I have. From the left to the right:

- Hot Pink 

- Tea Rose

- Eros

- Cacao

- Bloody Mary ( Matte)

- Alabama ( Matte)

- Indie Flick ( Matte)

- Aria ( Matte)

- Addis Ababa ( Soft Matte Lip Cream)

- Antwerp ( Soft Matte Lip Cream)

- Amsterdam ( Soft Matte Lip Cream)

NYX Lippies Swatch

Let me know what your favorite lipstick brand is and what colors of NYX lipsticks you like?!

Till next time my beauties!

Xoxo,
Son

High Life Dubai...

So another beauty in my life is the passion for traveling! I love capturing memories and bring them back home to cherish it forever! Now one place I keep going back each year for the past years is this magical city in the UAE called Dubai! 

Why do I keep going back there? Well...lots of reasons but to name a few..it's always summer, the food is cheap and tasty, nice beaches, lots of shopping opportunities and well this city never bores! So let me take you on a small journey of my visit during a city trip to Dubai!

 ''I love capturing memories and bring them back home to cherish it forever''

So last week was that time of the year again! I went to bed early Wednesday and on midnight the alarm went off ( YES the alarm was set on 2AM but ahum I overslept uuughhh 'I hate early morning flights') as I needed to check in at 4AM Thursday morning to catch my flight to Dubai on 7AM!

Ready to leave the cold and embrace the heat of Dubai

As soon as we landed we took the Metro instead of a taxi, we were with a group of 6 people and a taxi would cost us 90 EUR in total for the distance to the hotel which was located at the end of Jumeirah Beach. The Metro saved us 80 EUR and it was a great experience, so please if you go to Dubai, Metro is a must to try out as it saves you lots of money.

Dubai Metro

So as we arrived and freshened up ( and got over the shock how big and luxurious our apartment or better say Penthouse at Hilton Double Tree was haha) we went to the ' The Walk' which is a boulevard where locals and tourist come to enjoy. You can find a string of luxurious cars driving around, of course lots of shopping opportunities and the possibility of a long beach walk is always great after having a nice meal! Great thing about this place is that the restaurant are open till 1AM and the shops are all open till 3AM and of course a beach walk is up to you! Most shops and lots of restaurants are American brands ( like 80%) for an instance the place we dined 'The Cheesecake Factory'! Upon return to our hotel we paid a quick visit to the private beach and the the pool. The night view was exceptional!

Pool at our Double tree by Hilton hotel

So next day was a early morning wake-up as we were headed to Atlantis Aquaventure Water Park located at centre of the Palm Islands, pity there is no Metro that brings you there so there is no other option than a car or a taxi. 

I love this water park as I crave for it during summer ( yeah as if it is chocolate LOL)! The park has several The park has some amazing torrents and pretty bad-ass slides, to name a few: 'The leap of faith', 'Aquaconda' and 'Shark Attack'! This actually is a hotel which has a huge water park with a private beach and a huge aquarium( you'll be entertained throughout the day)! We were not so fond of the private beach of the park as it had lots of Jelly Fish around the area.

Atlantis Aquaventure / Torrent Side

So Next day was Shopping day! Dubai is famous for lots of things, but one of the main things is ' Shopping'. This really is the best place in the world for shopaholics! You can go cheap, by shopping Chinese imported stuff in the Dragon Mart to high and middle class shopping at ( just naming my favorites) Dubai Mall, Mall of Emirates or IBN Batutta Mall! 

Burj al Khalifa ( tallest building in the world) is located in the front of the Dubai Mall, and with the Dubai Fountain next to it you can sit there for hours watching the water dance to a beautiful tune! This As if this is not enough in the centre of the mall ( yep inside!!) there is a huge tank of water with tropical fishes swimming around while you do some shopping! I don't even want to know how it got there but the view is quite amazing. If you are not in the mood of shopping no worries, there is a huge skating rink build inside the mall where you can do some ice skating!

Burj Al Khalifa in Day and Night

Skating Rink in Dubai

Beside this main mall, my 2 other favorite malls are the IBN Batutta mall, great thing about this mall is that it's split in parts and each part has a interior designing of another country. So beautifully done! Than you have Mall of the Emirates, another great mall. What's the special thing about this one AHUM... it has Ski Dubai! Ski Dubai is an indoor ski resort, can't explain you have to see it with your own eyes!

Ski Dubai

Sunday, more Water activities yeeey! Beside the water park there a lots of other water activities around Dubai. Due to the perfect location of our hotel ( very end of Jumeirah Beach) it was very easy to reach out to some other water activities. We enjoyed the day by swimming in the warm waters of the Arabian Gulf so warm and delightful. Later on we decided to have a Banana Boat experience which was very fun as we raced through the sea screaming how much we loved Dubai. Funny thing about it was, not so later on we fell of the boat ( thank god we had swimming vests on) the impact was so high that we had a moment of shock and were silence for the next minute when we got up on the boat again haha, but all by all we loved it...uuh at least I did! We took another boat after to sail through the high Skyscrapers at the Marina Bay.

Jumeirah Beach Hilton Private Beach

Banana Boat Experiece Whoop Whoop LOL

The day ended at the Gold and Spice souk located at Deira. I was stunned of the amount of Gold the Gold Souk had it was so unreal! This part of Dubai is mostly inhabited by the working crowd of Dubai and some of the locals. It's really fascinating to see the contrast between Luxurious and Cultural after seeing this part of Dubai.

Spice Souk 

Small part of the Gold at the Gold Souk

Monday was the bye-bye Dubai day. It was all about packing and saying goodbye to this fun city that actually never sleeps! 

Last look at the Beach of Dubai

After being there for the 6th time, I am already looking forward to go back soon for some relaxing days with some other activities and things to do! 

See you soon Dubai.

Hope you beauties liked this Travel Blog. Travel is my passion in life so whenever I travel I am glad to be able to use this platform to share my experience with you.

xoxo,

Son

Vacay Fashion. Top and Pants from 'New Look"

Vacay Make-up Look using the Amrezy Palette

Samer Khouzami.. A Beauty Experience

So as some of you might already know I was one of the lucky people here in the Netherlands to attend a Masterclass held by one of the biggest names in the Make-up industry especially in the middle east 

'Samer Khouzami'!

Note book and the personal Entry Pass 

Proudly holding my Certificate with the Master himself ' Samer Khouzami' ( Photo by DutchBeautyAcademy)

Few months back I went all crazy when my little sister called me on my phone and uttered the words 'OMG Samer Khouzami is coming to the Netherlands for a Masterclass you have to join!'

Within 10 minutes I had applied the form for joining the class and quickly received a confirmation that I gained a spot for the masterclass of Samer Khouzami on the 28th September 2014 ( I couldn't believe it I was not only going to meet him but also learn his way of applying make-up OMG OMG OMG!)

So last Sunday was the day and I wanted to share my experience with you beauties!

Samer is not only known for his application of beautiful make-up, but he is also (as I like to call him) the 'King of Highlighting & Contouring!' 

The story of his journey was so inspiring. A young boy in a not so rich family with a passion growing inside of him,  a passion for make-up!  This passion was just the beginning of what became a dream come true. A successful celebrity make-up Artist, and one of the first make-up artists to go on a world tour to share his knowledge and experience with those who are inspired by his work! 

Face Charts with my drawing notes

"It was a face which he beautifully transformed into this piece of art "

The masterclass started off with the his signature transformation for photo make-up. He showed the tricks,  the inns and the outs of Highlighting and Contouring. His own way to study the face, transform and enhance the most beautiful features of the face. And an incredible look was created! Only this time I felt it wasn't just a look that was created by the master himself,  it was a face which he beautifully transformed into this piece of art! LIVE, with this knowledge that he shared with it! And above all I was part of it!

Photo after the first part of the Class ( sorry of the bad light this was shot with my Sony Z1)

But that was only the beginning of so much more to come.

After the lunch all the students were asked to have a look at the new model on the stage, as he picked some of the students who volunteered to replicate all the steps for the photo make-up as he explained and demonstrated on the previous model before lunch. Few students, 1 for each step. Of course we were aloud to assist and ask questions during the second part of the class. Humble as he is, he explained the wrong, showed how to correct, and even cheered for those who did well! This second part of the class ended with a look created by Samer and the students together.

Before and After of the 2nd part of the Class ( Photo by Samer Khouzami)

Last but not the least part of the class, was all about Bridal make-up! Great thing about this part was that not only we got a step by step creating this look, which was a softer version in regards of highlighting and contouring of the first 2 creations but we also got tips for Bridal Make-up beside the application of itself. To name a few:

- Sit and talk ahead of the Job

- What does the Bride wants?

- How does the bride wants it, what is her vision?

- Where is the wedding to be held

Bridal Make-up in vision of Samer Khouzami is all about helping a bride making her special day a historical one! Not only should she be stunning in person but also making sure that the she is captured beautifully on photo's.

Before and after of the last part of the Class ( Photo by Samer Khouzami)

''Make Up is Magic''

For me this was a unforgettable experience. I learned so much about highlighting and contouring which I had no knowledge of whatsoever. And my respects for they way he puts on eye shadows without any fall out! Another thing that I can't forget which was so beautiful, it was the way he addresses the face while he puts make-up on it, he calls it ' the Canvas' which expresses how passionate he is with his work.

If I had to explain my experience and knowledge that he passed on in one sentence it would be ''Make Up is Magic''!

 I would like to thank The Dutch Beauty Academy for making it possible for me to attend the ''Ultimate Beauty Tour'' Masterclass by Samer Khouzami.

For the die hard fans among us, there will be a Samer Khouzami Brushes collection launching in December 2014!

Hope you beauties enjoyed my little journey of this educational beauty day.

xoxo

Samer Khouzami with his Dolled up Models ( Photo By DutchBeatuyAcademy)

Photo moment at the End of the Masterclass with all the models

Photo Moment after the 2nd part of the Class

The Magical Beauty Chair

With Ozge, a sweet co-student which I spend the class with

With Urmila, One of the kind hearted persons I met during the Masterclass