RAANA REZAEI, 25, FLIGHT ATTENDANT AIR CANADA

Ottawa, Ontario

ON HER FIRST INTERACTIONS WITH “I was, and still am, the ultimate girly girl. As soon as I discovered my mom’s makeup, I constantly created looks for all my dolls and was always experimenting on my younger sister and cousins – no one was safe! I remember using fuchsia lipstick and glitter eyeshadow to create the most dramatic, elongated cat eye known to mankind. I think my makeup skills have since gotten better, but that’s just my opinion [laughs].

ON THE BEST BEAUTY ADVICE

My mom is the queen of good skin. From a very young age, she drilled it into my brain to never sleep with makeup on. The best time for your skin to breathe and repair is when you’re asleep, so no matter how lazy or tired you may be, you wash that stuff off! It’s such an essential step in any beauty routine if you want fresh, healthy skin.

ON WHAT SHE LOVES THE MOST ABOUT MAKEUP

Makeup is so fun! I love playing around with new makeup; you never know when you’ll find your next favorite product. I could spend hours, and countless amount of dollars, in Sephora. I also really enjoy watching YouTube or Instagram videos by famous makeup artists as well as talking to my girlfriends and other women about their go-to beauty products. There is something really unifying about being a part of the beauty community.

My Nyx Highlight & Contour Pro Palette is everything. My girlfriend and I were getting ready one night and I had my Anastasia Contour Kit out and beside it was her Nyx Contour Kit. I was shocked to see how similar all the colors were in both kits. I used to swear by the Anastasia Beverly Hills one, but once it ran out I decided to go with Nyx’s version. It’s almost half the price and it works exactly the same – it’s insane! Contouring is one of my last and most favourite steps in getting ready. After you do it, all of a sudden you have amazing cheekbones! You have a slimmer face! You have a cute button nose! This kit honestly couldn’t be easier to use. You have your browns, which are perfect for contouring and I occasionally double them as eyeshadows as well. Then you have your lighter shades, which are amazing for highlighting and creating brightness and wakefulness in the face. There is also a lighter, shimmery shade that you can use to create a nice glow on your cheekbones. I also like to use a little of that shade on the arch of my eyebrows to create a lift. This kit gives you your contour, your highlight, and your glow, plus at the fraction of the price of an Anastasia Contour Kit. What else could a girl ask for?

I use Anastasia Beverly Hill’s Dip Brow in the shade ‘dark brown’ to create perfect Instagram-worthy brows. I find some parts of my eyebrows aren’t as full as others so it allows me smoothly and easily fill in those gaps to give me a better shape and fuller looking eyebrows. I came across this product after making a trip to Sephora one day to replace my beloved ABH Brow Wiz. The girl who was helping me started to tell me all about her obsession with Dip Brow but I was hesitant to try it since I’m definitely an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ type of girl. With a bit of convincing, I let her do one eyebrow with the Dip Brow and the other with the Brow Wiz. I ran around the store like a mad woman surveying customers and employees on which eyebrow they liked better. Sure enough, the eyebrow created with the Dip Brow won! So I purchased it and I have never gone back. Best, decision, ever. This product may look intimidating at first but it is really easy to use. I take my Anastasia Eyebrow Brush in #14 and lightly dip it into the product. Beware: you only need a tiny bit. I make sure to then remove any excess product on the brush off on my hand. From there I simply follow my eyebrows natural shape and begin to fill in wherever necessary. I get amazing value for the price with this product. The container may look tiny but it usually lasts me a year and I use it practically every day. It costs around 30$ and you only need the smallest amount to create your dream brows. Did I mention its waterproof? It stays on literally through anything. This stuff does not budge!

I rely on my NARS Sheer Glow Foundation if I’m going to an event or somewhere special that requires flawless skin. I’m lucky I don’t need heavy coverage because I really hate the way foundation feels. I get light to moderate coverage with the NARS Sheer Glow and find it is the perfect product for anyone who has pretty stable skin but wants to create an even, glowing skin tone. This foundation is liquid so I use it by pouring a little bit of it on my hand and then dabbing the product all over my face and neck with my Beauty Blender until it is properly blended. It definitely requires a setting powder in order to properly lock it in place. Doing so creates a flawless matte look that is a great base for the rest of your makeup. I love that I don’t need to apply a lot of this product to get my desired look as well as the fact that it has never creased or cracked on me. I might use this foundation once a week and it typically lasts me around 6 months.

After stumbling across Natalie Taseska’s Instagram and watching all of her YouTube videos in which she swears by NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, I knew I had to try it. I’ve been using it for a few months now and can honestly say I am wholly addicted. This concealer is so great at covering up my dark circles. Thanks to my genetics my under eyes are naturally dark so it has been quite the hunt to find a good concealer to hide them. To use this product I start by applying the concealer with its wand applicator and then blend it in with my Beauty Blender. Once it is properly blended I use my Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder to ‘bake’. [Bake](v.); the act of dipping your beauty blender into your setting powder, putting the powder all over your concealed under eyes and letting it set for about 10 minutes before brushing off the powder. This technique holds my makeup in place and does not allow it to crease – I swear by this! I have tried countless amounts of concealers and the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer gives me the best coverage by far and is so long lasting. I use the shade “custard” which, FYI is always sold out at Sephora so if you find it and you love it, stock up, and then let me know so I can stock up too! The tube is quite small and costs around $50, but if you have problem areas that need to be concealed flawlessly then it is well worth the money. There is nothing like it out there!

I discovered Urban Decay’s Vice Lipstick in the shade ‘oblivion’ while playing around in Sephora one day and instantly became obsessed. I like to wear lipstick whenever I go out and this particular lipstick has been in high rotation these days. I find a lot of matte lipsticks either start to crack after a couple hours of wear or come off really easily. Amazingly, this matte Urban Decay lipstick goes on super smooth, is hydrating, and looks the same at the end of the night as it did at the beginning. It doesn’t shift, it doesn’t crack but it also doesn’t feel like it’s super-glued to your lips. It’s definitely a lasting lipstick; I typically only have to reapply it once or twice throughout the night. I prefer using lip liners with my lipsticks as I find it helps creates a nice outline for your lips but you could definitely use this one without a liner.”

– As told to the GRR

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