Iranian-Inspired Makeup Look

Iran is a country in South Central Asia. With a population of almost 77 million people, it remains to be the 18^th largest country in the world today. Despite Iran's dynamic and very refined culture, it is a country that is filled with a very significant amount of turmoil. Regardless of the harsh conditions that Iran endures on a daily basis, the vast majority of status quo society in Iran tend to exercise their rights.

Despite the adversity Iranian women tend to face, Iranian women always manage to look exquisite, as a result. Iranian women are known for their dramatic, yet exotic and highly visible makeup, as they are known for possessing a natural beauty that is unique and incredibly striking. One thing is certain, Iranian women tend to create a beauty that is relatively vibrant and full of life, using the quintessence of color. As an Iranian, I have decided to create an Iranian Inspired Makeup look. Let's get started!

One of the best beauty essentials ever invented is definitely foundation primer. Foundation primer is a product that is used as a base for your skin. Not only does it protect your skin from clogged pores and parabens, that are in different brands of makeup, but it works to prevent makeup from fading or creasing throughout the day. You want to begin by applying your foundation primer all over your face. One of my favorite foundation primers is definitely Hourglass's Veil Mineral Primer with SPF 15.

Some people like to apply their foundation and concealer (optional) after they apply their eye shadow, however; I am a traditional girl, so I tend to apply my foundation before I do anything else. After you let the foundation primer set into your skin, you want to apply your foundation. Using a foundation brush, for this look, I am using Dior's Diorskin Forever Extreme Foundation with SPF 25 in "Honey Beige 040". The concealer is optional, however; if you want a little more coverage of certain problematic areas of your skin, I truly recommend it. For this look, I am going to refrain from using concealer and apply a simple translucent matte powder. One of my favorites is definitely Urban Decay's De-Slick Mattifying Powder.

As you continue, you want to use a bronzer, followed by a luminzer and blush. For the Iranian Inspired Makeup look, my goal is to keep this as natural as possible. For the bronzer, you want a bronzing product that is about two shades darker than your skin tone. You also want to make sure that the bronzing product you use is a matte (meaning no shimmer). For this inspired look, I am going to use Dior Bronze Matte Sunshine Bronzer with SPF 20 in "Amber Matte 003" which is a nice dark tan matte.

The Iranian Inspired Makeup look involves a natural glow that is subtle, yet visible and in order to achieve such, you definitely need to use a great luminizing product. It really doesn't matter what you use, however; you want to find one that collaborates well with your natural skin's undertone. If you possess a pink undertone, you want to use a luminizing product that possesses a pink tone rather than a gold or yellow tone. One of my favorite luminizing products that I am going to use for this look is Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick in "Bronze". If you know anything about Shimmer Bricks, they come in an array of different colors and each brick possesses five distinctive pearl shades that work together to create the ultimate glow.

The blush is a moderately relevant to this look because it creates an astounding contour to the face. For this inspired makeup look, I want to keep the blush more natural, yet subtle rather than dramatic. The blush should be coordinated with the lip gloss. So with this look, I am going to use a pink/nude. Today, I am going to use "Tenderling" by Mac Cosmetics, which is a sheer toned pink, nude blush. There are numerous alternatives for this blush, so you don't have to use this.

The most important feature to produce is definitely the eyes. In fact, this is where the Iranian Inspired Makeup look comes to life. Your goal in this makeup look is to garner attention to your eyes more than any other feature on your face. In order to prevent fall out, I truly do recommend adding a generous amount of powder under your eyes, so you won't make a mess.

Lets start by priming the eye. I love primer because it allows my makeup to last more than it would if I didn't use it. For this look, I am going to use Urban Decay's Eye Shadow Primer Potion in "Sin" which is a stunning champagne shade. For the Iranian Inspired Makeup look, I am going to use two main shades which are matte black and silver shimmer, followed by a pink colored beige matte and pale blue shimmer shade. The matte black eye shadow that I am going to use is Urban Decay's eye shadow in "Perversion" which is a nice matte black. The silver shimmer shade that I am going to use to complete this look is Yves Saint Laurent Ombre Solo Lasting Radiance eye shadow in "14 Satin Silver" which is a gorgeous light silver shimmer with white pearl reflects. The pink colored beige matte eye shadow that I am going to use is "Bisque" which is a lovely, understated, yet subdued pink beige matte eye shadow by Mac Cosmetics. For the pale blue shimmer shade, I am going to use Bobbi Brown's Metallic Eye Shadow in "Iced Blue" which is a very light blue pearl.

Once you have applied your primer, you want to begin by applying the main shade all over the lid. The main shade I am going to use is the matte pink colored beige shade. In this case, it will be the "Bisque". Remember that any basic, yet ordinary eye shadow brush will do. You want to add a fairly large amount. It is important to go into the crease, passing it, but not up near the eyebrow area. Do not blend.

As you continue, you want to apply the very light blue pearl shade. This is going to be the "Iced Blue" eye shadow shade. You want to apply this all over the lid. Do not go into the crease. The key is to apply it liberally all over the lid. Do not blend.

The darkest shade is the most prevalent because it is the most visible. It is also very important when defining this the Iranian Inspired Makeup look because it defies the sensational look it possesses. You want to apply the black matte, which in this case is "Perversion" on the outer corner of the lids. You want to go about 1/4^th in on the lid and stop. Then you want to take an eye shadow brush and simply blend the black into the light blue shade. You want to continue by applying up a little passed the crease towards the outer corners of your eye. Using a crease brush, you want to blending that black shade into it.

Lastly, you want to apply your lightest shade. This will be the highlight in the Iranian Inspired Makeup look and this will be the "14 Satin Shimmer". Using an eye liner brush, you want to apply the "Iced Blue" as well as, the "14 Satin Shimmer" on the bottom part of the eye.

For the liner, I used a Kaja liner. This liner works amazingly to create a very distinctive, yet original shape. Not only can you line your eyes perfectly with this liner, but you can also liner your waterlines, including your top waterline. Today I am going to use Afshar Beauty's Kaja liner. You want to begin by lining the top part of the lid with the Kaja liner and you want to line around the tear duct all the way across the bottom. Once you have accomplished this, you want to line the bottom waterline, followed by the top (also known as tight lining).

Mascara is very important to this look, as it contributes highly to the look. You want to begin by priming your lashes using a lash primer. One of my favorite lash priming products is definitely Dior's Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum. Lash primer works as a sealer, which allows your mascara to last a long time without flaking and basically making a mess. For this look, I am going to use Bobbi Brown's No Smudge mascara in "Black". Once the primer sets into your lashes, you can begin by applying your mascara.

When it comes to the eyebrows and their involvement in the Iranian Inspired Makeup look, it is very important that the eyebrows are dramatic. If your hair is blonde, go with brown. If your hair is dark brown, go with black. For this look, I am going to use Illamasqua's Eye Brow Cake in "Vehement" which is a soft black shade. There are many alternatives to this shade, that work just as good.

The lips tend to stand out, but not as much as the eyes, so for this look you want to stick to your pink/nude colors more so than any bright or dark shades. So, using red lip liner and red lipstick is definitely not a must for the Iranian Inspired Makeup look. Today, I am going to use Sephora's Nano Lip liner in "05 Native Nude" which is a nice, simple nude shade. As for the lipstick, I am going to use NARS lipstick in "Cruising" which is a nice nude pink shade. Once I allow my lipstick to set, I am going to finish it off with Too Faced Glamour Gloss in "Barely Legal" which is a subtle yet dazzling pink pearl.

Whether you are African American, Caucasian, Hispanic/Latina, European, Asian, or Native American, you too, can create the Iranian Inspired Makeup look. Congratulations, you have just completed the Iranian Inspired Makeup look. Man asheghe kosher hastam! Bedoone naaz che kar mikardim? Omidvaram rooze khoobi dashte bashid.