by Amina Diakite
Our team at Nfm Magazine had the pleasure of talking to actress, model, and entrepreneur Maryam Basir last week about fashion, self-expression, and her newly launched beauty business. You may know the multi talented actress, Basir from hit TV shows like, “The Chi,” “Chicago PD,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,”“Holiday Heartbreak,” and more. Currently, the actress stars in her own series called "Lace," an ALLBLK production, as a rebel lawyer named Lacey McCullough, who’s willing to go to great lengths to satisfy her clients. A rebel both on-screen and in real life, model and entrepreneur Basir now owns her newly launched beauty line, Maryam Beauty aimed at brow beauty and care. To keep up with Basir, be sure to check out her Instagram @maryambasir_ and to check out her cosmetic line and beauty studio, visit MaryamBeautyShop.
A Q& A with Maryam Basir
Tell me a bit about yourself and what made you gravitate toward fashion.
I’m a rebel. Meaning I walk to the beat of my own drum. I love anything artistic and creative, that’s what made me gravitate toward fashion. The way you dress and present yourself is one of the first ways that you can outwardly express your creativity to the world. It gives you a certain power, to be able to say to everyone, this is who I am.
How would you define your style?
Edgy, baddie vibes, right now for me it’s all about the 90s and 2000s aesthetic, but it
changes over time. Sometimes it depends, it can even change by the day.
How has your style developed over time?
The more I discover who I am, and get a deeper understanding of that, the easier I can express it. So the way that it has developed has just been me getting to know myself more and more. My style, the vibe that I put out is usually an expression of how I feel about myself.
What is an item in your closet that would never wind up in the toss pile?
I have a few items like that, that’s the problem! My closet is literally over stuffed. I’m actually using today to clean out my closet, because there are so many staple items I have that I would never get rid of. The funny thing is, I may have only worn them once, but I will never get rid of them. But actually, never say never, because I had a few items like that, and I’ve given them to family members, or someone really close to me. I don’t mind giving stuff away, as long as I know it’s going to good hands and with somebody I can trust to rock it. The hard thing is to just throw it away; I never want to do it, because fashion is art.
Why is fashion important to you?
Fashion is self expression. As we walk around the world, it’s almost like a huge fashion show, and every single person gets to tell the world who they are by what they’re wearing. It’s that important. It tells everyone watching you who you are.
As an actress, costume design is essential when telling a story. Was there ever a moment where you were allowed to make costume decisions for the characters you played? If so, how did this elevate the character?
Usually, when I play a character, it is very collaborative, especially if it’s an ongoing role. Every time I play a new role, we have fittings for the various scenes. At the fittings, we almost always work together to find something that gets across what the costume designer wants to portray through the character, and they also take into consideration what I like. Sometimes, when they’re taking the Polaroids to send to the directors, I will smile while wearing the outfits that I like, and have a plain face while being photographed in the ones that I don’t like. I’ve heard that makes an impact for the director to choose which outfit they want you to wear. If you seem happy to be wearing it, they’re most likely to choose that. Just a little trick that I’ve learned.
Where does your inspiration come from when you’re coming up with a look?
I’ll look on Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, and I look at certain celebs whose style I like. Or even just every day people; street Fashion in New York is on a whole other level. Sometimes I look at that and it inspires me. But I’m almost always inspired by my mood.
What is one piece of advice you’d give someone looking to develop their own style?
Get to know yourself, don’t be afraid to take chances, try bold color combinations, wear items that flatter your body the most. You might find some things that are beautiful and amazing, but just not for you. I think I just recently learned that. It has to be your specific vibe or aesthetic. And if it’s not, you can just admire from a far. Or admire it on someone else. Be intentional about how you dress. Don’t just throw anything on. Details are everything!
You are the owner of Maryam Beauty! Why did you start your Hibrow Microblading company?
I started HiBROW because I realized while at a shoot how transformative microblading can be for someone’s look. I’ve always been into creativity and art, and when I started modeling and acting, I realized that art transformed to make up. So I started getting passionate about makeup, and eyebrows specifically, which frame the face. I started HiBROW because I was so fascinated by the process of microblading, and I just had to learn it. This was a few years ago. Just recently, I launched Maryam Beauty, which is a line of eyebrow cosmetics for anyone who wants perfect brows.
What is something you’d like people to know when they read this article?
CONFIDENCE = BEAUTY. Beauty comes from within. Maryam Beauty is dedicated to helping you unleash your inner beauty and shine, unapologetically. We believe that beauty is a state of mind, and that true confidence originates from within. We all have the power to shine brightly and embrace our unique qualities.
Through our products, we offer natural, innovative, and inclusive beauty solutions to help you express your beauty and celebrate diversity and individuality.
I want people to know that when buying Maryam Beauty products, they are buying into a brand, and a mission, they are supporting a self-made, hard-working, driven young black woman and her dream for a better future for her family and generations to come.
You can purchase Maryam Beauty products, or book microblading services, on the website MaryamBeauty.shop, or directly on Amazon. Thank you so much again!