Lebanese Makeup Artist Maya Ahmad Reveals Her Beauty Routine

“The first thing I do in the morning is jump into the shower, where I scrub my skin every day. It may sound a bit much, but it’s essential for glowing skin. Just don’t overdo it! I’ve used every scrub on the market, but this one from Soap & Glory is so far the best I’ve tried. When I get out of the shower, I dry my skin and apply Vaseline ‘Cocoa Glow’ body lotion all over my body. It’s really important to moisturize your skin, especially here in Dubai due to the heat which causes you to sweat more.  [This leads to you] losing lots of water and minerals. This adds a really nice glow that’s healthy and not super shimmery. I then add Johnson’s ‘24hour Moisture Oil Spray,’ which also gives my skin a glow. It’s a dry oil, so it doesn’t stain your clothes or make your hair oily.”

“I prepare my skin and scrub it with my Clarisonic every evening, never in the morning because I know that ten minutes later I’m going to be applying makeup. I use the Clarisonic with its own ‘Sonic Radiance’ face wash at night.  In the morning, the first thing I do is wipe my face with Bioderma’s ‘Make-Up Removing Micelle Solution’ to tone and cleanse.”

“After I’ve cleansed, I use Lancôme‘s ‘Absolue L’Extrait’ cream. I only use a tiny drop of it in the day as I also use it at night when I apply more. It’s quite rich and really revives the skin! Every morning, I use  GlamGlow‘s ‘Brightmud Eye Treatment’ for the under-eye area. It’s a two-minute mask that’s pure magic as it removes your under-eye bags — a definite morning favorite!”

“To prepare my skin before applying makeup, I use the Lancôme ‘Absolue L’Extrait’ spray. It’s from the same range as my skincare creams and it’s just a simple rosewater spray that has all the vitamins your skin needs. All you need to do is spray it and then apply your makeup!”

“Sometimes, I use a face mask before bed but I do so only once a week. I don’t think it’s necessary to use them a lot if you’re using the right products every day.  When I do, I use the ones from GlamGlow. I also use the under-eye cream from the Lancôme ‘Absolue L’Extrait’ range. As you can tell, I was really impressed by the whole collection!”

“I do my hair everyday; I can’t go out without doing it! It’s bad, because it hurts my hair a lot, but I use what I think are the best hair products available from Kérastase. They’re quite pricey, but they’re worth it. I often use the ‘Chronologiste’ range, but I’m trying this one now. I use the ‘Elixir Ultime Conditioner’ for ten minutes after shampooing and then I use the spray after I’ve washed my hair and before I dry it. It really makes it look fuller and more volumized. I always blowdry my own hair and I’m pretty boring when it comes to styling it — it’s always this style and I never go to salons. I use clip-in extensions every day just to add some thickness, as my hair is very fine.”

“These are the makeup products I use every single day. I’ve tried everything on the market and they’re my must-haves! Working in the makeup industry means I also know that they work on everyone, no matter [the] skin type or tone. To prepare my face, I use the BECCA cream highlighter, which I buy in the US. It adds a glow to skin [even visible] under foundation, like a glowy primer. Then I use my favorite foundation of all time, the ‘Luminous Silk’ from Giorgio Armani. It’s the best! I use it with a beauty blender. If I want to add more coverage, I mix it with the ‘HD Forever Foundation’ from Make Up For Ever. I used to use MAC’s pro concealer [until I] I discovered Kevin Aucoin. It’s a professional brand, so if you want full coverage, use this. It’s the only concealer that can cover even really dark, black circles while looking clean and without creasing. [That] is exactly what I need! Then, to set my makeup, I use the Laura Mercier ‘Translucent Powder’.”

“I contour with Benefit’s ‘Hoola’ bronzer in the morning, because products [specifically] for contouring tend to look a bit more gray so I use them at night when I focus more on the contour. They’re especially good if you’re going to have your photo taken and there’s lots of flash! I love ‘Hoola’ because it’s taupey and matte. I focus a lot on highlighting my face — you can probably tell by now that I love to look glowing! If you want to add a bit of color too, then the new spring palette from Lancôme is perfect. You can take these mini highlighting cubes of color with you everywhere and they highlight your skin in a really clean way. I don’t have a specific favorite blush, but the ‘Pastel Pink’  from Bobbi Brown is great as it’s slightly peachy and looks good on both light and dark skin tones.”

“During the day, I like natural eye makeup and [I] stay away from color, but I go dramatic with my lashes. My favorite lashes right now are by Glossy Makeup; they look so full and thick, but you don’t feel like you’re wearing anything. I take the new ‘Gwen Stefani for Urban Decay Eye Shadow Palette’ with me everywhere I go. It has all the colors that I need; I can go smoky, I can go natural, I can use colors if I want. It’s the best palette to take traveling and will save you loads of space! I use the brown, beige and golden shades. Because I have small brown eyes, I always highlight my tear duct and I use MAC’s ‘Vanilla Pigment’ for that. You can also use it to highlight your face; it’s the perfect pigment! Urban Decay’s eyeshadow primer is the best in the world and it’s my favorite because it’s not too pigmented. It lifts your lids and there’s no creasing.”

“I always wear false lashes, but I’d never get extensions – I don’t think they’re good for your lashes. I always tell people that the easiest way to apply lashes is to use a zoomed-in mirror and both hands to apply them with tweezers. Apply the glue and let it get tacky (so wait at least 30 seconds) then apply the lashes, first in the middle and then stick down the edges.”

“My favorite lash glue is definitely PinkyGoat’s, as it was the first brand to create one that doesn’t hurt your lashes and it’s made of really beneficial oils. I use the Anastasia Beverly Hills ‘Brow Wiz’ on my brows. I don’t cut them, even though they’re very long.  This just keeps them in place and I use the brow pencil lightly too. I just tidy up my brows, nothing else. I love them full and thick. Then there’s my Lancôme ‘Hypnôse Mascara’ – I don’t even need to explain that one as it’s so famous! The NYX ‘Matte Liquid Liner’ is a really good and cheap eyeliner. It’s matte, long lasting, really black and easy to apply because the brush is easy to manage.”

“When it comes to lips, nude [color] is my thing! Sometimes, for a big occasion, I wear a red or a dark color. [However], for my everyday makeup I always go for nudes. I also like mauvey nudes, as they make your teeth look whiter! These three products are the ones I use most. My ultimate favorite is the ‘Naked’ gloss from Urban Decay – it’s what I’m wearing today. It’s glossy, but it’s not shimmery. I hate shimmer on the lips. With this gloss, you feel like you’re not wearing anything and your hair doesn’t stick to it. The lip liner I use is MAC‘s ‘Subculture Lip Pencil’. I literally wear it every single day!”

“I am so into perfumes right now that I’m actually going to a perfumery school in Paris soon, because I want to be a nose! My signature scent is the original Roberto Cavalli, but I recently discovered Paco Rabanne’s ‘Olympea’ and I get so many compliments when I wear it. I have the cream too and it also adds a great glow.”