Tête-à-Tête With Budding Makeup Artist Marium Chapra!

We love discovering new talents – and now with Halloween at our heels, we are excited to have discovered a new make-up artist in Karachi! 

Marium Chapra gave us her time with tips and tricks, do’s and don’ts with make up in general and trends she recommends for the rest of the year – and – Halloween!

What are your favorite Halloween makeup ideas for 2019?

My current favorite Halloween makeup ideas mostly stem from childhood favorites, like Morticia Adams or Jessica rabbit but right now I really feel like the current trends have swayed my opinion for example, I’m in love with the euphoria makeup trend and you can never go wrong with a classic such as a skull, but now that skull makeup has so many renditions the idea of creating more from something basic is so exciting, so 2019 skull makeup wins for me but – with a twist.

Have you done any Halloween looks recently that you’ve enjoyed?

I enjoyed doing skull makeup on DJ Hussain Dossa and tailoring a look for someone who has a beard because it was new for me, but I love a challenge. I walked away as a  happy makeup artist with an even happier client!

 What are the makeup trends you foresee this year?

The no-makeup makeup look and people embracing more natural looks – like glossy skin, bb creams, nude eye shadows and looks that enhance your already existing beauty. I see a heavy influence of K- beauty and now out of nowhere I see French beauty coming into play and to my surprise the French love embracing flaws – for instance, they love a red lip but don’t mind their wrinkles, and that is truly inspiring.

Your ideal skin routine?

Firstly, be aware of your skin type & accept that what works for others may not work for you, but it’s all about trial, error and learning. Secondly, exfoliating is key – and not just scrubs. If anything, avoid scrubs with granules because they cause more damage than do good! Instead you should opt for gel skin peelers. I personally start off by washing my face with a cleanser, patting my skin dry and applying the peeling gel which takes 2-3 mins to completely exfoliate the dead skin, then wash off. While my skin is wet, I apply a mixture of multani mitti and clay mask so any oil in my pores can be extracted without having dead skin in the way and after it dries, clean that off and tone and moisturize. I do this routine about 3 times a week because it’s so tedious but because I barely get black/white heads, on normal days I just wash my face and tone and moisturize.

What would be the perfect makeup look for a night out?

Light on the eyes and heavy on the lips, so a flirty winged eyeliner and lots of mascara, well-groomed brows and a blended out red lip and blush/highlighter – this is embarrassing to say as a makeup artist, but I barely wear foundation and opt for a mixture of toner and sunscreen and a little BB cream to equal out my skin tone and concealer to just fix those problem spots.

Skin products you swear by?

This is a bit of an odd one but I really like face wash for men, especially the Garnier acne fight face wash, I feel that men’s face washes are stronger and have a cooling after effect which is so refreshing! I also adore the tony moly gel skin peeler and have to mention is again, the multani mittti which is great for firming the skin. Lastly, sunscreen.

You’re top lipstick for a day event?

Miss rose in the shade #33 orchid it’s the perfect muted pink which is must have for me and the best part : incredibly affordable!

How do you keep up to date with makeup trends and techniques?

Instagram – it’s one of the greatest portals to keep up to date, also following a few accounts like Makeup by Mario, Patrick Ta -who I had the pleasure of meeting when I was studying makeup in Dubai, Priscilla Ono – the global makeup artist for Fenty beauty, and Alex box who is a pioneer is artistic makeup but to me it’s not just about following trends you really have to make it your own

Looking at your Instagram, you don’t stick to conventional makeup looks all the time. how did you learn how to do special effects makeup?

After taking Art in o-levels and having to give up the subject up during my A-levels, makeup became a new outlet to release my creativity & my face became my canvas where I didn’t shy away from experimenting with gluing my eyebrows down, hiding them, painting over my face with makeup…. It was just a way for me to release my artistic flair.

 Do you get nervous working with new clients?

YES, I’m a Virgo so I tend to want a lot of control in any situation. when I’m faced with a new client I always ask for a picture of their face then I take a while to study their features and see what I can do, I ask a lot of questions even before meeting them, for example, if they have any skin type allergies and what event they’re looking to get make up done for, then often having a conversation on what to settle on and what will suit them best. Communication is key. I give my 110% and I’m okay with being nervous it keeps me on my toes, overconfidence is something to avoid in this field.

Your top 3 makeup Dos and Don’ts?

Top 3 DON’TS

First – cake faced makeup – if you feel like your face is cakey apply a generous layer of a dewy face mist,

Second – apply proper lashes which are according to your eye shape

Third – wearing the wrong foundation shade!

An honorary don’t – eyebrows done too darkly!

Top 3 DO’S

First – never stop experimenting with looks, if you see it online try it!

Second – never limit yourself with edgy lip colors and eye shadows because of fear of how it will look! Its only makeup, it’ll wash off

Third – have fun! Makeup has the power of making anyone feeling confident, so own it!

Any advice for how to prep skin before applying makeup?

Prepping is key when it comes to wanting a great outcome for your makeup, and that includes having exfoliated your skin, and applying a moisturizer, with people with especially dry skin I do a face toner mask or sheet mask and then skip primer and instead opt for a gel based eye cream and apply it to the skin like I would a primer so the foundation goes on flawlessly and its gives more of a glowy finish!

Marium can be contacted for appointments via Her Instagram handle @mariumchhapra and her work number: 03332399966