In Dubai, The Eyes Have It
Where our far-flung friend, professor, and More Lovely correspondent explores her students’ cosmetics fancies.
In the land of luxury, otherwise known as Dubai, young women don’t shy away from luxuriating, whether it’s shopping, hitting the salon, or studying for the future.
Like most women their age in this desert realm, looking their best is a must, and recently they shared their preferences with morelovely.me.
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Someone once said the eyes are the windows to the soul. And for the students of the American University, the windows are lined with thick liner. Most women choose jet-black liquid to emphasize their already large, dark eyes. For senior Hala Abulhawa, 21, a journalism major hoping to write for a newspaper, eyeliner is a must. “I don’t leave the house without it,” she said.
“Just eyeliner?!” Her classmate was incredulous. “Concealer, bronzer, and lipstick!” Hoor Elshafei, 20, said she couldn’t live without the vital three.
The desire for concealer is not unusual for older women, but these students say they need it, citing all-nighters and general academic stress. Junior Lara Obeidat, 20, agreed that anti-cerne is necessary. “I really need it.”
Still others embrace the simple look. Noor Kandiel, 20, said she gets away with Benefit’s lip and cheek stain. “It looks really natural,” she said.
The young women are so lovely that they don’t need any makeup at all, their male classmate, Hadi Ayedh, 20, said. “I prefer the natural look.”
Sure, guys usually say that. But we all know they readily check out the women in makeup. “I first notice the eyes,” Hadi said. Of course he does -- the ones with the thick kohl.
For this reason, young men’s preferences for the natural look doesn’t stop young women from spending a good part of the morning applying makeup.
Aisha Abdullahi Buhari, 20, said it takes her about 25 minutes to put on her makeup. “I travel with a 10-kilo box of cosmetics,” she said. She has no real brand loyalty; she buys whatever works. “It takes up space in my luggage.”
Another student disagreed. Rana Al Salem, 21, a senior who already writes for Al-Hayat newspaper, says she doesn’t leave the house without her Max Factor kohl, blusher, and lip gloss.
Whether they rely on specific brands or let the spirit move them, the women of the United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country of nearly 6 million people, don’t shy away from cosmetics. According the the Khaleej Times, last year shoppers spent $1.64 billion on beauty products. That’s a lot of eyeliner.
Whatever makeup they wear, though, they couldn’t look more lovely.
From Left to Right: Hadi Ayedh, Lara Obeidat, Hoor Elshafei, Aisha Abdullah Buhari, and Rana Al Salem
Yasmine Bahrani is a journalism professor at the American University in Dubai.
