Beautiful in Abu Dhabi

This past weekend, I went to Al-Lulu Beauty Center opposite Abu Dhabi Mall to get a trim. The salon is run by very efficient, (empowered?!) Moroccan women and patronized by both locals and expats.

Under their abayas, veils and shaylas, local women are dressed in style. Some women also wear a clip-on claw attachment (with feathers or velvet bows) on their hair to give an illusion of volume (almost like a fake bun/head hump) and to keep the shayla in place (mystery solved ;)).

There were a couple of brides getting ready. I was fascinated... Arabic makeup is bold and dramatic: eyebrows (arched high above the eye and plucked thin), multiple shades of eyeshadow, lots and lots of black eyeliner and several coats of mascara, followed by peachy cheeks and full, pouty lips painted scarlet/fuchsia.

Nancy Ajram, a Lebanese pop star is considered an icon of a beauty in the Middle East. She appears on Pakistani tv too!