Creative Director Demna Gvasalia displayed a compelling collection of dramatic frames in shades of red and black.

With flickering lights and dramatic music, there was something unnerving about the opening of Balenciaga’s Paris Fashion Week runway show. And that sense of being of mystery and concealment – or being left in the dark, if you will – was reiterated in the Autumn/Winter 2019 collection.

As the models – who were to Balenciaga’s credit a diverse selection – took to the catwalk, they donned silky black suits that hanged off their frames, roll necks that disguised their bodies, and billowing capes the added to the sense of mystery.

The first two models emerged wearing all black with piercing red eye contacts lenses, playing into the unnerving atmosphere. Later in the show, disguises came in the form of exaggeratedly oversized quilted coats and wet look jackets that only exposed the models’ eyes.

While reds and blacks were the dominant shades, to begin with, other hues were introduced in the form of a striking aqua blazer dress and a green shirt with the forearm fabric dangling behind rather than on this part of model’s body.

Elsewhere, Balenciaga turned the trend of smart wear with casual shoes on its head, dressing male models in motif tees and sports trouser with high-shine loafers shoes.

Accessories came in the form of chunky chains branding the letter ‘B’ with single earrings to match. Handbags mimicked shopping bands, from crossbody bags reading ‘Balenciaga’ to tote-style bags printed with a sad face.

While extending out the shoulders has been a key look across the fashion weeks so far, this Spanish fashion house presented a new take by protruding the shoulders upwards from the back, creating an almost shielding effect.

Likewise, Balenciaga’s individual take on the widespread check trend was to mix the timeless print with denim fabrics.

READ: Hermès At Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside the Autumn/Winter Ready-To-Wear Collection

READ: Elie Saab at Paris Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 19

READ: Balmain At Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside The Ready-To-Wear AW19 Collection

Mui Miu took to the runway on the last day of Paris Fashion Week 2019 showcasing floor-length capes and clashing army camo prints.

As Paris Fashion Week prepares to wrap up for another season, Miu Miu made its unique marks on the upcoming Autumn/Winter trend just in time.

Skipping the exaggerated trend, the Italian fashion house decided to free the shoulders of any rigidity with heavy capes – which appeared more like sleeveless jackets – being a key look across the collection.

Miu Miu clashes florals with army camo print at its Autumn/Winter show

Again playing to her own rules, Miuccia Prada tapped into the clashing prints trend by draping a camo scarf over models’ looks, pairing the earthy-green print with tartan jackets and camel-hued capes. Going all-in with the print, it was also worn on cropped jumpers, cardigan and shorts duos and ankle-length coats.

While that aesthetic served as cosy daywear, nightwear took a different turn. Models donned sheer dresses with floral embroidery over black slips and likewise-embroidered knee high socks.

Miu Miu’s stand out print was a classic green camo print

Velvet was another fabric favoured by Miu Miu for Autumn, as black velvet was fashioned into two-piece short suits, cropped trousers and billowing capes.

Miu Miu’s evening wear saw sheers fabric over black slips and knee-high socks

READ: Chanel at Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside Karl Lagerfeld’s Chalet Inspired Final Collection

READ: Alexander McQueen at Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside Sarah Burton’s AW19 Collection

READ: Giambattista Valli at Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside the Autumn/Winter Collection

If you’re after a fresh look when it comes to your hair,  check out these styles that are going to be big for Spring/Summer 2019.

As a new season approaches, it feels appropriate to shed our skin of the months gone by in the form of an updated look. But while switching up your wardrobe can be both time and wallet consuming, updating your ‘do need not to be.

Whether it’s a completely new hair cut you’re after or just a refresh, here are the best emerging grooming trends for SS19 that will have you feeling fresh in no time. The hardest step towards the new you will be the barbershop small talk…

Texture-up-top

Kenzo SS19

From Kenzo to Polo Ralph Lauren, embracing men’s natural volume and texture was a key look this season. This style works best on men with thick, wavy hair as the purpose of the style is to work with (not against) the natural consistency of one’s hair. Taking the style from shabby to suave, volume is reduced at the sides to offer a more groomed, sophisticated finish.

While Polo Ralph Lauren pulled the hair in an upwards direction to achieve the look, Kenzo followed the strands natural direction downwards when styling. The latter, textured-crop option is not only the more wearable and universal of the two but easier to manage and style.

Middle-part sleek

Berluti SS19

Over the last few years, more and more men have grown out their locks and experimented with different styles, from the slicked-back wet look to the man bun. Now it’s time for the long-haired men to experiment with a slick middle parting. And the way to wear it for 2019 is to pull the hair back behind the ears, smoothing down, not using the length to disguise your complexion, but to expose it.

Berluti demonstrated this most dramatically, smoothing and tucking hair down. Polo Ralph Lauren followed a similar style while allowing for a little more natural body. The key is to actively style the look. While long hair has been the emblem of a gentleman that’s nonchalant about his grooming habits, now it’s being claimed as something that can be more of a considered style, too.

Dramatic side sweep

Balmain SS19

Men with short hair that lacks bountiful body or curl might take better to this SS19 hairstyle, as it’s all about that illusion of volume created by sweeping hair into one direction. Balmain and Hermès championed the look in a wearable way during its SS19 show while Dior took it to the extreme.

Carefully combing and parting the hair is required to make like Dior’s models, using products and brush strokes to force locks into place. The former take on the dramatic side sweep lends more to guiding hair in one direction with your hands, creating a roughly-styled texture. Again, the key with this look is to push the hair in a downward direction rather than defy gravity with your dramatic split.

Unruly fringe

Balmain SS19

Whether you’re going for an outgrown, messy-hair-don’t-care look or just aiming to break up a sharper, more considered bowl cut, an unruly fringe is the way to do it this season. Balmain, Hermès and Todd Synder all joined in the look.

The key is to keep hairs orderly at the back and as you traced hair downwards towards the forehead, for an overall neat’ feel. Then using your fingers to pull apart strands, pinch or twist sections together for that disorderly finish. 

Square buzz

Hermès SS19

Here’s the option for the guy that wants a minimal effort hairstyle with maximum effect. A classic military cut, this ‘do taps into the military and utility trend that has been seen on the runway over the last two seasons. On the SS19 catwalks, buzz cuts were given more depth with a square cut framing the face. Hermes offered a dramatically sharp take on the classic cut while Dior drew just outside the lines when creating the squareshape.

Polo Ralph Lauren SS19

READ: Skeleton Watches Are Making A Comeback In 2019

READ: a&e Editorial: Dior Men SS19

READ: New Shirting: Palmer // Harding Relaunches Menswear With A Capsule

Dior reveals Artistic Director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s inspiration behind the slogan tee that opened her show at Paris Fashion Week this February.

From the get-go of her Autumn/Winter 2019 show, Maria Grazia Chiuri made it very clear she’s set out to make a statement with her latest Dior collection.

Through no mistake, the Italian designer sent her first model onto the runway in a simple T-shirt that read the slogan: “Sisterhood is Global.”

Now, Dior’s Artistic Director has given a little more insight into the meaning behind the garment and the wider collection at large.

Taking to Instagram, Dior explained that feminist poet Robin Morgan was a major inspiration for the line, and the slogan paid homage to her literary works and feminist think-tank.

Morgan recalls how she received an email from Maria that she initially thought was a hoax. It read: “I am very interested and committed to feminism and I love your work and I would like to do these T-shirts.”

After the two met in Paris, Morgan recalls how: “When we actually met, we just fell into each other’s arms and said ‘ma sœur, ma sœur!’ [my sister] and spoke as women and political beings and as artists.”

On teaming up with the first woman to head up the house of Dior, she added: “The influence of clothes these days, in this world, is enormous, whether one likes it or not. It trickles out and trickles down. And when she said she wanted to do the three anthology titles I thought… ‘Well okay, a t-shirt is better than a button.”

Money from the slogans tees will be going to the Sisterhood Is Global Institute, which was founded by Morgan and the late Simone de Beauvoir along with women from 80 other countries in 1984. The SIGI is an international nonprofit orgnaiisation that has functioned for three decades as the world’s first feminist think-tank.

The think-tank took its name from Morgan’s book released the same year titled Sisterhood Is Global: The International Women’s Movement Anthology.

Before the show unfolded on February 26, Dior also explained that the collection took inspiration from a poem by Tomaso Binga about a woman who chooses a masculine pseudonym to parody the privileges reserved to men. A sentiment that was clearly portrayed throughout the collection.

READ: Christian Dior At Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside Dior’s AW19 Runway Show

And here are some of our favourites from brands such as Cartier and Bulgari.

With more and more people switching out traditional watches for fitness versions, true timepiece enthusiasts are yearning simpler times.

Which is perhaps why in an act of protest against the sleek, seamless modern fitness watch, the exact opposite to the likes of Apples Watches and Fitbits are seeing a revival.

Skeleton watches – a mechanical watch of which wearers can see all the moving parts – are back in 2019. While they will surely fascinate the avid collector and even casual watch wearers can appreciate the intricate details on display.

Check out some of our favourite designs here:

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic

Maybe more known for its luxury jewellery collections, Bulgari is making conscious effort to be just as recognisable for its expert watch, too. Just take the model pictured above; not only has the Italian brand tapped into the mechanics-exposing trend, but the designers have done so in a record-breaking way. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic is the thinnest automatic watch on the market right now.

Tissot T-Complication Squelette

The Swiss watchmakers master the art of marrying a sleek design with an intricate dial with this wristwear. The gold details over the silver face add another dimension to the watch dial, while the black leather strap ensures its wearability and versatility.

Cartier Santos De Cartier Skeleton Noctambule

As a tribute to the Parisian night sky, this watch name translates to ‘night out.’ Meaning as well as a streamlined design that still reveals it’s inner working, the design by the French jewellery house has another added edge. The Cartier design features Super-Luminova – a brand of material that illuminates watches for an in-the-dark glow – bringing the nightly-design to life.

READ: Breitling Presents New Iconic Pilot Watches

READ: CEO Of Zenith Is Using The History Of The Brand To Fuel It’s Future Growth

READ: SIHH Still Matters, Record Attendance Indicates

The Ready-To-Wear collection presented by Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski for Hermès re-explored leather across cuts and colour.

From its equestrian routes in the early 1800s, Hermès has always been revered for its luxury leather goods. And as Creative Director Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski presented her Autumn/Winter 2019 Ready-To-Wear collection at Paris Fashion Week, she took the French fashion house back to these early roots.

From lamb skin micro shorts in chocolate brown to black leather skirts and honey-toned calf skin, the tough fabric ruled the runway show. The most extreme looks came in the form of biker jackets and pencil skirt combinations, and the most subtle in coat pocket and collar detailing.

Adding more depth, however, Vanhee-Cybulski worked the leather look across a range of colour palettes. Midnight black, chocolate brown, sandy beige and burnt orange leather was put to work.

Elsewhere in the collection, oversized pockets, thigh high boots, and stud-embellished details played into the looks. Dresses were modest in cut, incorporating silk textures to balance out the tougher fabrics.

READ: Celine At Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside The Ready-To-Wear AW19 Collection

READ: Elie Saab at Paris Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 19

READ: Balmain At Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside The Ready-To-Wear AW19 Collection

Creative Director Hedi Slimane designs a collection that’s a far cry from his debut line for the French fashion house, this time sensible tweeds and pleated skirts rule.

As Celine took to the runway for Paris Fashion Week 2019, the fashion crowd was full of anticipation over what the new Creative Director would do next.

As controversial designer Hedi Slimane moved from Saint Laurent to take over from Phoebe Philo, the consensus of his first collection was that it echoed his previous work as a very contrasting brand. But it seems for Autumn/Winter 2019, he’s changed direction to take Celine back to its core.

The Ready-To-Wear collection featured cosy ponchos and tweed skirts, culottes and jackets for a very classic, traditional and most importantly wearable feel. Check dresses and jackets were chic and attainable.

Accesories came in the form on tan, aubergine and black leather boots finihsed over the knee with a shearling finish.

READ: Loewe At Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside The AW19 Show

READ: Isabel Marant at Paris Fashion Week: Autumn/Winter 2019 Show

READ: Saint Laurent at Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside Anthony Vaccarello’s AW19 collection

The Creative Director of the Dubai-based fashion brand chats her professional motto and what makes the industry in the Middle East so unique.

Opening her fashion brand in 2001, Noora Al Alawi has been a big player in the local fashion scene for nearly two decades now. And while she’s achieved plenty to date, she’s still has a lot more goals and ambitions for her career and herself going forwards.

Taking some time out of her busy day, the Emirati entrepreneur stopped by for Morning Coffee with the A&E team to chat through her routine and share her words of wisdom.

Watch the full interview with Noora above, and see the five things we learned talking to the founder below.

Five Things We Learned Talking To Noora Al Alawi Over Morning Coffee

Comfy is the new luxury

Chatting through what makes the fashion scene in the Middle East particularly interesting, Nuna Atelier’s founder explained that as the people in the region have changed, so has the fashion scene at a rapid rate. And one of the changes she’s most thrilled about? The love of sneakers.

She said: “There is this huge sneaker culture that has taken the scene by storm, everybody is wearing sneakers. You know you could be wearing a dress and going to an event and be wearing sneakers, but it actually works as a fashion statement, and I think it’s incredible how comfy is the new luxury.”

Build a business with purpose

Noora’s advice for starting your own business? Think about your real motivations first. “Whatever you decide to do, make sure you tie it to a purpose because that going to fuel you and keep you going,” she stated.

Being your own boss comes with challenges

And Noora’s biggest professional challenge is the notion of making something from nothing. The Nuna Atelier Founder said: “You know it’s always easier when you walk into an office and you receive instructions. You receive indication and direction, everything is ready and the work is just delegated to you. When you are your own boss, you constantly have to make something out of nothing and that’s really challenging.”

Sportsmanship is key, whatever you do

The Creative Director’s professional motto? “Take everything that’s thrown at you with sportsmanship.” She adds: “To fail is not to fall, really. I think to fail is to fall and never get back up again.”

Find people who ‘charge’ your energy

Noora opened up about the advice she’d give her younger self – and it’s all too relatable to the most of us. She professed: “Just be really selective with who you allow into your life. If you think about your energy as 100 percent, whoever you allow in needs to be charging you and not draining you. So just take your time in choosing whose energy you want to entertain.”

READ: Morning Coffee With Designer Noora Hefzi

READ: Morning Coffee With Sabrina Sadiq, Founder And CEO of Luxury Promise

READ: Morning Coffee With Latifa Al Gurg, Founder And Designer Of Twisted Roots

The French fashion house displayed a sparkling collection with excessive studs, wet looks and exposing cut out designs.

Trying to capture the Balmain woman, Olivier Rousteing’s Autumn/Winter 2019 collection featured tough designs that ooze attitude, but contradicted that with the sweet side underneath with flower blooms.

Opening the Ready-To-Wear runway at Paris Fashion Week was the stud-covered garments in shades of black. These were worn on everything from tough leather jackets with sheer cut out details and structured skirts protruding from the hips down to the models’ footwear.

The exposing cut out ran through the collection from stomach-exposing latex panels on fur dresses to sheer details on jackets and dresses.

Colour came into the mix with soft tones of lilac and blue, hightlighter that sweeter side of the Balmain woman that Creative Director Rousteing tried to capture.

Softer elements of the collection included feminine Alice bands, glamorous glittered garments and ruched floral details.

READ: Loewe At Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside The AW19 Show

READ: Isabel Marant at Paris Fashion Week: Autumn/Winter 2019 Show

READ: Saint Laurent at Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside Anthony Vaccarello’s AW19 collection

Jonathan Anderson layered contrasting fabrics in muted, natural shades for Loewe’s Autumn/Winter 2019 collection.

As the Spanish fashion house took to the runway, there was a somewhat calming feel to the collection presented at Paris Fashion Week.

The hues were mixes of creams, khaki and beige shades, giving an earthy feel, while monochrome also featured heavily. Splashes of colour came in olive green and pillar box red.

These shades were layered onto one another, as the looks saw tough, resilient designs worn over delicate fabrics such as silk and lace that balanced it out with a floaty presence.

Chunky, heavy coats overlay wide-leg silk trousers and tight blazers featured bell sleeves with lace details.

Elsewhere, accessories came in the form of dramatic three-pronged hats and chunky-strap bags were held low.

Loewe will take to the runway for Paris Fashion Week 2019 at 12:30pm Gulf Standard Time on March 1.

Here’s how to effectively apply dry shampoo and get the best from the essential hair product.

Whether you live life on the go or you’re trying to cut back on weekly hair washes, dry shampoo is a beauty essential.

First released commercially in the 1940s – different takes on a dry shampoo have existed all over the world for several centuries – the hair product has seen a revival over the last decade.

But while many of us refer to dry shampoo as one of our beauty must-haves, not all of us are using the product most effectively or even correctly.

To ensure you’re left with tresses that are neither chalky nor greasy, here are our dos and don’ts to live by.

DO… Invest in a good product

The market is oversaturated when it comes to dry shampoo nowadays, and deciphering which one(s) to buy can be tricky.

But our advice is to invest in a product with hair-boosting ingredients and that is tailored to your hair type rather than the store’s default option.

You can now buy dry shampoo for dry hair, to add volume, and for brunette, red or blonde hues and so on.

Some of our favourites include Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk which soothes hair, Living Proof PhD Dry Shampoo especially for those with particularly greasy hair and MorroncalOil Dry Shampoo which comes in light and dark options and conditions tresses.

DON’T… Apply to hair in the morning

It might sound against the laws of nature, but applying dry shampoo to your roots the night before will actually yield greater results. And that’s down to the classic prevention not cure philosophy.

For those mornings when you know you’re going to be rushing out the door to that conference, or those evenings when you want your incredible blow dry to survive one more day, using the wonder-product before bed will help absorb grease as it develops overnight. When applied to already-greasy hair, it has to work harder to soak-up and disguise the shine.

DO… Blow dry out any excess

Whether you stick to your usual morning routine or switch up to applying dry shampoo overnight, one tip to avoid a powdery finish either way is to take a blow dryer to your hair.

At least ten minutes after spritzing it through, blast cold air over your head for ten seconds or so to blow out any excess.

You’ll be left with a more natural finish.

DON’T… Spray directly along your parting

Yes, this is where the grease you want to disguise might be most visible, but it’s also where your getting-ready cheat will be exposed.

Instead, lift sections and apply to the roots underneath. Team this with the above, and you can’t go wrong.

DO… Spray from a distance

Don’t let your scalp and your dry shampoo nozzle get too up-close and personal.

Spray at approximately ten inches away for a more even distribution.

Not only will this make for a more seamless finish, but it means your product will last longer, too.

READ: Fix Your Mistakes With These Makeup Expert Tips

READ: Frizz At Ease: How To Manage Fluffy Hair

READ: 10 Hair And Makeup Takeway’s From Couture SS19

The Creative Director displayed her politically charged Ready-To-Wear collection without holding back.

A concept that is turning into a common theme throughout multiple fashion houses’ Autumn/Winter 2019 collections, Chloé took an abruptly political stance when presenting its runway show during Paris Fashion Week.

With dramatic music creating a sense of panic and urgency, an omnipresent voice stated as the show began that the collection will explore the relationship between sentiment and political involvement.

Throughout the show, phrases such as ‘domestication of the mind’, ‘coalition over conflict’ and ‘reason over madness’ were uttered as models strutted along the catwalk.

And this conflict was reflected in both the garments and accessories. Structured shapes were broken up by flowing fabrics that created an impression of trying to escape or break free from the core of the garment.

Check trousers flared out at the last minute at the ankle, and tightly structured blazers faded down into flowing fabrics at the hips.

Elsewhere, overused pockets featured heavily on everything from trousers to skirts and denim dresses, adding a utility element across the line.

Oversized necklaces and earrings with a playful element overlapped the smart wear and gold cuff bracelets were worn over shirts and jackets. Dresses and skirts were designed to mimic a jumper wrapped around and tied at the waist, mixing the formal and the casual.

Colour wise, burnt oranges and beiges were worn together while indigo and pale yellow hues complimented one another.

READ: Saint Laurent at Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside Anthony Vaccarello’s AW19 collection

READ: Christian Dior At Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside Dior’s AW19 Runway Show

Dubai will be the first city to date to hold a second annual edition of Modest Fashion Week.

As Paris Fashion Week winds down, there’s another calendar event approaching that’s making waves much closer to home.

Because from March 7-9 2019, Modest Fashion Week will take place right here in Dubai.

Three days of runway shows will occur at the miX Alain Ducasse restaurant located within the Emerald Palace Kempinski.

Despite still being in its infancy having launched in March 2016, the event is already being hailed as the global platform for modest fashion. To date, shows have run in cities such as London, Jakarta, Istanbul, and New York.

But Dubai will be the first to hold the second edition of the show, nodding to its particular appeal to the region.

The three-day event will bring together over 100 designers from 20 countries, bringing together a shared passion and bridging gaps in the cultures.

As well as the UAE, designers from Austria and Australia to Indonesia and The Netherlands will display their work.

While the concept of dressing in a non-revealing manner is not necessarily new (both globally and within this region), coining it in such a way and bringing together brands, ideas and trends from across the world on such a scale certainly is.

The scale of the event is even more impressive considering it was masterminded by just two women, founders Ozlem Sahin and Franka Soeria – watch our upcoming Morning Coffee conversion with the fashion entrepreneurs.

Franka said: “We never imagined that we will reach this amazing milestone’.

And added: “Modest Fashion Week was started as a concept, a labour of love. With non-stop effort, infinite energy and by channelling a wealth of collaborative spirit, we have transformed it into a recognised global movement.’

Media members, designers, buyers, influencers and general visitors are invited to register to attend, and guests can shop the modest clothing lines both on the day and online, too.

READ: Major Muslim Fashion Exhibit Opens In San Francisco

READ: How Ghizlan Guenez Is Changing The Face Of Modest Fashion

From packing Beautyblenders in her mum’s garage to travelling the world to promote the brand’s latest launch, Erica Dickerson has been involved with the iconic makeup tool from the beginning.

Now a mum of her own, Erica Dickerson understands just how much her own mother – aka Beautyblender CEO Rea Ann Silva – had to work to build up a beauty empire and raise a family simultaneously.

And now, 17 years after the invent of the tiny sponge that so many makeup artists can’t live without, Erica is helping her mum fulfil one of her earlier dreams; launching her own makeup line.

From her involvement with the empire from the get-go to her beauty tips and advice for her younger self, Erica opens up over Morning Coffee.

Describe your morning routine.

The first thing I do in the morning is I wash my face and then wake up my three-year-old daughter. I get her ready for school, and as we have an office in New York they are usually ahead of me so I have conference calls, cook breakfast… I’m always later dropping her off at school, so I have a very hit-the-street and go kind of morning. 

Tell us about your role in Beautyblender.

I’ve been a part of Beautyblender from the very beginning. My mum Rea Ann Silva founded Beautyblender 17 years ago – a lot of people don’t realise how long we’ve actually been around. I was actually the first Beautyblender assembler, we started packaging our product in our garage so my mum would always make deals with me; ‘If you want to go out, you have to package 20 or 40 Beautyblenders’. 

Then my mum needed a model, so I was free, and then I joined our social presence and helped it grow, and now I moved into our broadcast business, so I think I’ve always been a brand ambassador. I wear many different hats.

How has this tiny little sponge created such a huge beauty buzz?

I think really it comes down to the fact that it actually works. It’s not a gimmick. People use it and immediately get results and makeup is such a personal experience. It can be intimidating if you’ve never tried it before, and Beautyblender takes the fear out of makeup. It’s easy to use, it’s fool-proof and we came onto the scene at the perfect time when YouTube was blowing up and makeup influencers were using our product and it’s so recognisable and it just caught on.

So social media played a major role?

It’s been an incredible tool. We are one of a few brands that really hasn’t had to do much as far as pushing it socially, it’s been very organic from the beginning. People just gravitate towards it and also I think our colour is so iconic, it just stands out. My mum is a professional makeup artist, so everything begins from a professional perspective. Sometimes that can be intimidating, but I think with Beautyblender we really bridged that gap where the consumer can feel like a professional makeup artist but not be intimidated by the products that they’re using.

What can you tell us about ‘Bounce’ foundation?

So Bounce is our liquid whip long-wear velvety matte foundation. There’s nothing like it on the market, I’m so proud of this product. The liquid whip formula is very light on the skin, but our foundation is medium to full coverage, so even if you are a woman who likes the full coverage look or a lighter application, Bounce can be sheered out or it can be buildable. It allows you to play with it. 

The velvety matte finish is very unique as well. Traditionally matte can be very flat and drying, our foundation is matte but it has dimension. I love where you can see it in the sun, you still have a glow. The long-lasting effect is incredible as well. I was on a boat in Miami all day and I was wearing Bounce and it did not budge. It really does last. It lasts through heat, it lasts through the day, I can definitely proudly say that there isn’t anything out there like our foundation. I’m so excited that we can bring it out here.

Why foundation?

My mum being a professional makeup artist, she always had a dream to have her own makeup line. Beautyblender actually happened first by accident, so when Beautyblender took off her plans to put out a makeup line took a back seat as she focused on growing her business. Once we solidified our position as the first and the original Beautyblender, she was ready to fulfil this dream. It made sense to start with complexion as that’s what a Beautyblender is used for and we really took our time creating a formula that works beautifully with our product. Our packaging has a built-in palette, where you can ‘bounce’ you blender so no more dispensing your makeup on the back of your hand, you use the foundation bottle as your makeup palette which is super innovative. Our brand is all about innovation and creating new ways of applying makeup. I’m so excited to see how we build out our line. 

What can we always find in your beauty bag?

Obviously Beautyblender. Definitely Bounce. I also like our Power Puff which is our powdering tool, I’m obsessed with Fenty Beauty Glass Bomp lip gloss, and then mascara. Mascara can just brighten any look, even if you don’t have foundation on it can make you look awake.

What is your definition of beauty?

I think there are definitely a lot of definitions of beauty, but for me it’s confidence. I think self-confidence, whether you’re wearing sweat pants, makeup, no makeup, designer, thrift, if you have confidence when you walk into a room, people feel that, people see that. I think also being kind, humble, all those things define beauty for me. 

Best beauty tip you can share?

Wear sunscreen. That’s what my mum has pushed into my brain since I was a kid, I’ve been wearing sunscreen since birth. 

What beauty trends do you love at the moment?

Just beautiful skin. A lot of that starts with skincare, what you put into your body. Beautiful glowing skin. Obviously, I like highlighters, glossy highlights, that natural glow. Then I would also say, really beautiful ingredients. Skincare is becoming so important to so many brands and women and just having really amazing ingredients in our products.

For example, Bounce has birch water extract which is great for plumping the skin, and hyaluronic acid which has amazing qualities for the skin as well. So I think, ingredients and really pushing forward with skincare and colour in foundation, and bridging that gap.

If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

To be kind to yourself. It’s very hard in the time that we live in. I don’t envy teenagers growing up in this time of social media. But I think to be kind to yourself, understanding that everyone’s version of beauty is different and to not put so much importance of what other people’s definition of beauty. What matters is what you think is beautiful, which starts with being nice and kind to yourself. 

Describe your personal style in one word.

Mood. 

What book are you reading at the moment?

I’m reading The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It’s a book on how to find true happiness and it also translates into business for me. The Four Agreements are to be impeccable with your work, don’t make assumptions do your best and don’t take anything personally. All those things really translate into life and business. As far as Podcasts go, I like This American Life. I also love murder mysteries and crime, it takes me away, it’s like going to the movies.

How do you want the world to remember you?

As a woman who empowered other people. When they were around me felt that I was lifting them up, and we lifted each other up. I think it’s so important in the time that we’re in right now to support one another and to push people forward and not backwards. 

READ: Morning Coffee With Asma Lootah, Makeup Artist And Image Consultant

READ: Episode 13: Morning Coffee With Fashion Designer Zaid Farouki

READ: Episode 13: Morning Coffee With Fashion Designer Zaid Farouki

We could all use a little more ‘calm’ in our lives, and now we can intertwine that with an artistic culture-fix, too.

Life in the city can be stressful. From working hard to achieve our career goals to ensuring we give our family and friends all the attention they need when we’re not at our desks, our schedules are often hectic.

Which means our minds are often pretty busy, too. But thanks to this new art exhibition that’s made it’s way to Dubai, we’ve got even more reason to take some time out to relax.

Arriving at Habtoor Palace for the new season of Art Perspective is the Palette Tranquility collection.

Showcasing the work of four artists – Karine Roche, Annabelle Smith Bigno, Leila Barakat Mukhaimer and Anneke Bester – the exhibition aims to relax spectators and melt away their daily stresses.

Roche is a French artist based in the UAE who takes inspiration from urban and natural landscapes alike. Bester is a South African sculptor who has previously worked as a prop maker on movies such as The Hobbit. Bigno, who is from the UK and France, takes energy and flow as her muse while Mukhaimer names natural phenomena seen within life as inspiration.

The exhibition will run until April 6, 2019 and entry is free.

READ: You’re Going To Want To Be In Dubai This March

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READ: Textbooks At The Ready: Art Dubai Reveals 2019 Global Art Forum Theme

Addressing the legacy of YSL at large, Saint Laurent’s PFW’s runway both followed suit of what we might expect from the Parisian fashion house, and gave the audience an unexpected twist.

Watching the models take to the runway, there were two clear takeaways from Anthony Vaccarello’s Autumn/Winter 2019 collection. While everything remained daringly short on the lower half, shoulders were expanded out with padded shoulders and masculine tailoring up top.

Strong shoulder coats were worn over thigh-revealing dresses and low cut sheer tops. Elsewhere in the Creative Director’s collection, the shoulders protruded out on dresses and blazer jackets, too.

Feathered boots, jewel-embellished swim caps and polka dot tights were the go-to accessories of the Saint Laurent show.

But things took an unexpected turn as the lights dropped, and the neon collection began with a show of fluorescents. There were striped jackets over polka dot shirts, mini dresses with dramatic shoulder details and ostrich feather ruffle dress finished with a belt.

READ: Christian Dior At Paris Fashion Week 2019: Inside Dior’s AW19 Runway Show

READ: Milan Fashion Week 2019: Highlights From Roberto Cavalli, Giorgio Armani And More

From waiting for catalogues to be delivered to her door in Edinburgh to styling the stars and penning her own book, Kelly Lundberg shares her incredible fashion story and insights.

Describe your morning routine.

I love mornings. Mornings are my thing and I’m pretty ritual about what I do in the morning. I wake up any time between 5.30am and 6am, and I will have a hot water with lemon, always, that’s my morning get start.

Then it will be followed by reading my ‘desire statement’ which is my intentions that I’m going to be going through, my affirmations. I will do exercise, I’ll have a green juice and then I’ll get on with my day. I feel if I get a really strong start in the morning, then it sets me up for the day.

What is your first fashion memory?

My first fashion memory I think was in the early days. I’m originally from Edinburgh in Scotland in the Eighties, so my earliest fashion memory would’ve been waiting for those big catalogues being delivered. It used to be the best time because I would flick through it, no pocket money, but make my shopping list.

I guess now with access to the internet people are filling up their shopping carts, mine was going through and tearing out the bits of the magazine, picking out what I want to buy with my pocket money.

What can we expect from you second book?

The first book was about entrepreneurship in the Middle East, I was 29 when I released it and it was self-published. It was an idea that I had about sharing stories of other successful entrepreneurs in the region because I found that other entrepreneurs have inspired me in my business so I wanted to share their stories. So that was easier in a way of telling other people’s stories in my own words where is this book called Deseed the Lemon is about 60 to 70 percent autobiography.  Deseed the Lemon is really a metaphor in life for raising standards and paying attention to detail, so it’s how you can shop up as the best version of yourself.

It’s really an experience going through, sharing my story on how you can show up as the best version of yourself through style, health, morning rituals and just choosing to pursue your dreams which is the thing that I’ve done and something I share with the girls at the academy, and really inspire them to take action. That’s the big goal for the book.

What style rules do you like to break?

Ask me five years ago and I would never break the style rules of wearing sneakers, but now I don’t even know if it’s a rule as they go with everything. I never thought I would be the person to do ankle socks and open toe shoes but it looks so cute and I really like it, so I’ve broken that style rule. Old school would be ‘you can’t wear navy with black’ but I actually really like that as a combination as well. One style rule I’d never break is that you will never ever find me in a pair of Crocs. 

What are your ‘smart shopping’ tips?

With my clients, it really is constructive and also specific. When it comes to shopping rules I always say to start with the basics. Before you go shopping to buy things, make sure you’ve gone through your wardrobe because then you identify the gaps that you have, what to look for and get inspiration.

You wouldn’t go and just buy the first car you see, okay there is a massive price difference, but when you’re investing in a wardrobe and buying things that are meant to last, then you want to think about how you can mix and match them, and often it’s not that we don’t have enough clothes, it’s that we don’t have enough inspiration on how we can wear them. So look at what you have, look online for ideas of what’s missing and then see how you can pull it all together. If you have that list it makes it more specific. 

How can we edit our wardrobe?

You can edit as often or as little as you like. I always say have a really good tidy of your wardrobe every six months. So that might not throw away lots of things but just editing. Maybe a hem has come down on your trousers, maybe you lost a button, maybe that’s looking a bit tired. Tidy your closet, stuff goes everywhere.

You might have bought some new pieces that you can mix and match with existing pieces but you didn’t think about them because they’re in different parts of the wardrobe. By organising you have clarity, you know what’s missing. I don’t believe in throwing something away if you haven’t worn it for six months, because in this climate you might not wear something for 18 months. Does it make you feel good? Is it relevant? 

How do you think sustainability has effected our shopping habits?

I have to say for me, it has not had a massive effect because I’m helping clients re-invent themselves when it comes to styling. It’s not something that clients would come to me. It’s not something that’s at the forefront, yet. 

What do you consider your biggest career success to date?

I think there’s been a few. I started my business young so I had a lot of time to get things right, and wrong. I’d say starting a business and still being in business for 10 years. I won my first business award when I was 26, it was a foundation of other people believing in me as well, it gave me a sense of confidence.

Then I released my first book when I was 29. Then building a business to coming to seven figure which started from scratch, idea on a napkin, to now inspiring a new generation of stylists through the S Academy. To even more recently to getting a book deal in the US, I never did it through a publisher. So there’s been a few.

What’s is the motto you live by professionally?

My goal every day is to inspire a minimum of five people to take action. Whether that’s through my social media account, or doing a key note or one of my stylists or business owners I’m mentoring. By inspiring others to action it has more of a ripple effect so that’s what I live by.  

What has been the biggest challenge?

In the early days it was finances as with all small business. How to get finances. You will always find a way if it’s something that you’re passionate about. And I would probably say lately it’s been identity. So moving from being a stylist for 12 years to now having an online business where the skill are quiet different to marketing. I’m learning about all digital platforms and how I can market to the world basically. So really stepping into those shoes of a business owner with a business that’s much bigger. 

What do you still want to achieve?

I really want to inspire people to take massive action. Whether it’s to pursue their dreams or pursue a career in fashion styling or starting a business that makes them feel fulfilled. I would say something along those lines, potentially through the book it’s going to have a bigger impact where it inspires people to action. Whether it’s changing their daily routine, or looking at their wardrobe differently, just feel different. When you feel different, you show up different, when you show up different you attract different energy and good things happen.

Who has influenced you the most?

Without a doubt it’s been Blake [Sergeant]. Blake has been my friend for many years through our love of personal development, and then I would say when he moved back and launched his business here it made it much easier that we could communicate from a business to business perspective. So I would say without a doubt someone without a doubt who has seen my potential and nurtured me through it to get me to where I am today. 

Describe your personal style?

I had to Google this! Because I don’t know how to describe my personal style. My style is very mood dependent. Is my style undefined or is my style a mix? It would be one of those ones because it really depends on which hat I’m wearing. Sometimes if I’m at home and I’m mentoring, it could be quiet casual, if I’m going to be in the mall and meeting people or I’m doing a key note in front of 100 to 200 people it would be different. So that might be quite classic, so question mark? A mix, mood dependent.

What do you say ‘no’ to?

I wonder in which context you meant that? And how I took that is, ‘what do I say no to’? I say no to a lot of work now. People will ask me to do things and I got a lot better at saying ‘I’m afraid I can’t do that’. Where certainly in my journey in my first 11-12 years I’m like ‘yes I can do that.’ I think in the early days it’s really important that you do say yes to find your feet, but it does get to a point where people would ask me where people would ask me every day ‘could you come to this restaurant and try this out’ or ‘can you come and speak here’ or ‘can you come and do this’ and I really got to pick things wisely in order to have a better impact.

What book are you reading at the moment?

I’ve got a couple on the go. I listen to a lot of Audibooks and the one I was really excited about was Robin Sharma The 5am Club – I don’t know if it lived up to my expectations. And then at night time I read an actual book to disconnect from social media and my phone and I’m reading Own Your Day by Aubrey Marcus.

How do you want the world to remember you?

To have had an impact on other people. To have got them to do something that was maybe out of their comfort zone. 

READ: Morning Coffee With Heidi Armstrong, Founder Of Wear That

READ: Episode 13: Morning Coffee With Fashion Designer Zaid Farouki

READ: Morning Coffee With Balsam Al Khalil, Etiquette And Protocol Expert And Image Consultant

Maria Grazia Chiuri’s show for Dior during PFW features clashing check prints, leather looks and boyish bucket hats, evoking a grunge-glamour aesthetic.

With the vocals of Amy Winehouse ringing through the room and the slogan ‘Sisterhood Global’ displayed on the first look, it’s clear Maria Grazia Chiuri is making a statement with her latest Christian Dior show.

Dior explained before the PFW show began that the collection took inspiration from a poem by Tomaso Binga about a woman who choses a masculine pseudonym to parody the privileges reserved to men. A sentiment that was clearly portrayed throughout the collection.

Within Dior’s Autumn/Winter 2019 line, traditionally male garments and shades were mixed with feminine shapes. While the oversized jackets and bucket hats hid the models’ womanly features, oversized waist-clinching belts accentuated their feminine form.

Models even adopted a somewhat-masculine march as they sported dark-hued workwear and leather-look shirts down the catwalk.

Elsewhere, Dior clashed and layered check prints in shades of khaki green, mahogany red and monochrome. The grungy looks were balanced with a touch of glamour via pearl necklaces.

Nodding to the recent loss to the fashion world, Dior paid tribute to Karl Lagerfeld within the show, too. The invite stated: “In homage to the alchemist of elegances and beauty, Kark Lagerfeld.“

READ: Dolce And Gabbana At Milan Fashion Week AW19: Inside D&G’s Eleganza Runway

READ: Dior Couture Circus Is Coming To Dubai

Saint Laurent will take to the runway on February 26 at precisely 11pm Dubai time.

And if your keen to stay on the pulse as the catwalk action unfolds, now you can as A&E TV will live stream the highly-anticipated event just below

While the show will unfold at 8pm in France, the Gulf Mean Time of the show will be at 11pm.

Stay tuned for our review of the show.

Lamise is the latest edition to the beauty scene in Dubai, and it’s serving up plenty of Korean skincare delights.

Anyone who knows a thing or two about the industry knows that Korean beauty has captured the attention of the rest of the world over the last five or so years.

We have sheet masks, the 10 step skincare routine and ‘glass’ skin beauty looks to show for it. Which is why we’re excited that a new Korean beauty store has landed in Dubai.

Situated in The Greens, Lamise Beauty – which is actually a home-grown brand – opened up shop in late 2018. And if you haven’t had a chance to visit yet, here are three things to look out for.

Huxley

This South Korean beauty brand is loved by beauty editors and dermatologists alike within the region. Prickly pear seed oil is the hero ingredient across the line, and it’s praised for moisture-boosting and anti-inflammation properties. The top of our list? The Secret of Sahara Grab Water, Dhs152, that revitalises skin for that sought-after ‘glass’ complexion.

Mediheal

If you make your way to the opulent store, do not leave without a serum-doused sheet mask. One of the most popular skincare trends over the last few years, placing one over your face for 20 minutes before a big event will transform tired, lacklustre skin. Try the firming mask that strengthens the barrier of the skin to keep it healthy and bright.

Laneige

While you can find plenty of worthy make-up brands within the Korean market, skincare is still at the forefront. Take this primer from Laniege – a brand that specialises in water science – that merges the two. What’s essentially a primer, the Skin Veil Base works to even skin out in texture and tone for those with yellow undertones as well as keep make-up in place.

READ: The Power Of Korean Beauty

READ: Three-Step Routine To Perfect Skin

READ: The Best Sheet Masks To Try Now

Blake Sergeant is a man on a mission to bring personal development to the masses. And from one-on-one coaching sessions and group seminars to his business that supports entrepreneurs, The Faculty, it seems he is well on his way.

Speaking to Blake during one of our Morning Coffee sessions, he let us in on how he got to where he is now, and where he’s heading next.

Hi Blake. Start by walking us through your morning routine…

My morning routine starts the night before. I’m religious about [getting] seven hours of sleep. I’m more religious about that than exactly what time I wake up in the morning. So I normally wake up around six, six-thirty. Sometimes earlier if I’ve got a cycle, but I’ve got to have seven hours sleep.

Then I’ll meditate for twenty minutes and I’ll visualise for five minutes. I do all of this in bed. I wake up, prop the pillows up, meditate, [do] five minutes of visualisation, and then it’s black coffee while I read something called a vision statement. To be clear as to how I want my year to end and who I want to show up as on a daily basis, and I have that written up on a vision statement that only takes a few minutes to read, but gets me set and reconnects me with my bigger purpose every morning. And that’s how I start.

Talk us through what being a Performance Coach really entails.

In its simplest form, performance coaching is to help people live their potential. Which sounds quite ‘big picture’, but it depends on who I’m working with. Sometimes I work with people who have no clue about their purpose yet. In their early phase, they’re trying to find purpose and they’re trying to creating a vision for that, and how the next twelve months of their lives are going to turn out.

But then I work with some CEOs and businesses where I help them create a business. And their [goals are] much clearer, so we work out what they need to do consistently to show the best version of themselves. [We look at] what part of their psychology we need to work on with them. What are the limiting believes or fears that are holding them back?

Sometimes I work with Olympic athletes that have a pretty clear picture of what they want, but we’ve got to help them to operate at the highest possible levels.

Tell us a little bit about your philosophy.

For me when growing up, I guess success was thought of as wealth and money, and that never quite sat with me. There’s nothing wrong with having money but it’s not the be all and end all. There are lots of people that have money and they’re completely miserable. So for me, my definition of success is to a fulfil-ionaire; that’s somebody who is rich in all areas of their life. That’s ultimately what I help people to achieve for themselves.

How is performance coaching different from life coaching?

I guess life coaching is a big term. You can be 18 years old and do a two-day course and call yourself a life coach, so that one end of the spectrum. [And then there’s] Tony Robbins who arguably created the coaching industry. He, in a way, was a life coach as well. So life coach is very much a massive umbrella term for everything that helps you perform better at life.

But all I’d say is that just because somebody calls themselves a coach that doesn’t necessarily mean they know what they are doing. If you’re ever going to look into getting yourself a coach, the most important thing to look at is results and testimonials of people they’ve worked with before. Go and find results. Now, there are so many coaches out there with the ability to work with people from different parts of the world. Probably whatever you’re needing helping with, there is probably a niche coach that’s particularly great at doing that. So go and find the coach who is the best in the world at what they do.

What tips can you give for being happier in the work place?

The first tip to being happy at work is to make sure you’re happy outside of work. We put so much focus nowadays on our career and we think that it defines us. We forget that although we might feel like we spend all our time at work, we actually don’t. We have weekends, we have evenings. So if we look at the wheel of life and we look at career and business as being a part of that, there is also socialising, family, relationships, personal growth, health…. There are so many other areas of life. So, first look after all that so that the focus doesn’t go so much on work

And then I guess a bit more of a hard-nosed performance coach in me would say that regardless of who pays your salary, you’ve got to be the CEO of you’re own life. There’s no point sitting at work complaining because at some stage you applied for the job. You wanted to go there and they said ‘Okay we’ll have you,’ and you went, ‘Yes I’ve finally got the job.’ So don’t complain sitting in the seat that you’re in.

You may find that the environment isn’t perfect for you. But if you move, you have to take yourself with you so make sure you’ve done everything you possibly can. We’ve all at times had bad bosses and colleagues… I mean, so what? Focus on things that you can focus on and understand that, this chapter of your life is paired with the company you’re working with at the time.

It doesn’t always have to be like that. If you want to get happy at work, get clear on what you want as a person. Be the CEO of your own life, squeeze as much as you can from that opportunity, even if it’s imperfect and don’t be afraid to move. If you’ve outgrown your position in the company you’re working in, [you’d be] happier if you] moved rather than getting caught in the comfort zone where you then get negative going ‘oh I don’t like it’. You know you’re not a tree, you can move. So those would be my tips.

What’s the motto that you live by?

I think of it more like a mission, if you will. I work like a three-part mission, which I didn’t always have. In fact, they never taught me in school how to find a purpose in life.

You know that you want fulfillment, you want meaning and you want to be happy — and that ultimately comes from contributing and growing. Being a part of something that’s bigger than myself, being a part of a mission is where I find my happiness. So my three-part mission is to live my potential by helping others to live theirs.

The second part is to help bring personal development to the masses. Because when I uncovered the industry, the knowledge in there I was like… Why isn’t this taught in schools? It was incredible. It’s not really out there, but it’s getting better.

The third part is to help change the education curriculum. Yes, I think a lot of what I do as a performance coach is fixing bits the could have been avoided where people picked up limiting beliefs, fears or un-empowering beliefs. So I have to then work with their psychology to get rid of that stuff. When actually, if they got it right in the first place within the curriculum and actually showed them how to become successful and fulfilled, then I might be out of a job. But that would be okay.

What has been your biggest challenge?

When my bullet proof plan for success — which was school, to uni, to millionaire by 30 — fell hard at the first hurdle. It’s just what I was lead to believe. Go to school, get good grades — well I didn’t get good grades but, you know — go to uni and then be a millionaire by 30. But I found myself at uni realising that I’m never going to use any of this stuff and this is a waste of time. So I dropped out of uni. And at that point, that’s it all camel crashing down. 

That’s when I hit ground zero, had a meltdown, felt sorry for myself for about two years and then started reading books and looking for success, and that’s what put me on the journey that I’m on today. And that’s what I uncovered over the course of that decade really, and now I share that with people.

What do you still want to achieve?

I still want to bring personal development to the masses. I still want to help change the education system. I’ve worked with some pro athletes but I’d like to work with an international team, that’s on my list still.

Who has been your professional mentor or inspiration?

It’s a tough one because there have been so many, so I almost wouldn’t want to pick one out. Although I would say that the most important person at the most important time was when I wanted to go full time in coaching and I’d read hundreds of books, autobiograhies and books on psychology, but I wanted to go work with somebody who as doing it at the highest level.

So Australia’s top business coach is a guy called Andrew Roberts – or Robbo as I know him – and I pestered him for about three moons until he finally said: “Okay. come out and work with me.” I went and worked with him for 18 months. I shadowed him and helped him put a program together and learnt a huge amount there. He would probably be my most important mentor. But then I’ve found other mentors to help me with different bits along the way, too.

If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Be patient, success takes time. You don’t have to defer happiness, you can be happy along the journey. Not ‘I’ll be happy when I’ve got this or that.’

If you could tell yourself something ten years from now, what would that be?

Keep doing the basics. Success is a daily habit. Stay committed to your mission and pay attention to details.

Complete this sentence: ‘I am happy when….

I am happy when I’m with others. I’ve very happy by myself as well, but I’ve very happy when I’m playing sports, football… When I’m active. When I’m working with clients, especially like a group of clients or when I’m running an event or doing some sort of change work with people. Really happy when around friends and family. Yeh, the simple things really. I don’t have a sports car.

When do you think it’s necessary to compromise?

I think it’s good to compromise with the way you achieve your goals, but never on your mission. If you’re committed to achieving an outcome, then that’s amazing. If there’s something that’s truly important to you, that’s part of your mission, something you really really want that isn’t linked to ego, right… Ego should be left at the door when creating goals.

If you’ve got something really important, if you’ve got a mission, don’t compromise on that, but be really flexible and compromise on how you’ll get there. It’s a little bit like an ant. When it goes somewhere and it comes across an obstacle, it finds a way around it, compromising on the route. But ultimately it gets to where it wants to go.

What book are you reading at the moment?

I’m reading The New Psycho-Cybernetics by Dr Maxwell Maltz. He originally wrote it in 1960 and he was a plastic surgeon. Basically, all of us in the coaching industry owe him a debt of gratitude in some way shape or form, it’s just that most people don’t know that the knowledge we have now came from all the way back then. 

People would come to him and say: “Look, I feel under-confident, I’ve got this scar on my face, I’ve got this hook nose, my ears stick out… Can you do something? Because if you were to fix this then I would be more confident then I’d be more successful in life.’

So then he’d fix people and what he’d find was that, with some people, he’d fix their nose and they’d be a new person. They’re like: ‘I look amazing.’ Their confidence would go back up and they’re like: ‘I’m fixed!’

But with half of the people he’d operate on, there would be no change. Even though everyone else would tell them they look incredible, they would say: ‘No, no I don’t feel any different.’

So what he discovered was the absolute core of anyone’s success is their self-image. It’s their identity, and basically, that’s a lot of work that I do with people. You can give people strategy all day long but if they don’t have the self-image, the self-belief, they’ll never be able to get those goals because their unconscious brain will not allow them to act out of congruence with how they see themselves. Which is why a lot of people can’t lose weight, they can’t get the promotion, because until their unconscious brain believes it, their conscious brain can’t achieve it. Anyway, that was in 1960 and we’re still not teaching it in schools.

How would you like the world to remember you?

As someone who helped bring personal development to the masses and helped changes the educational curriculum.

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During the Haute Couture shows for Spring/Summer 2019, natural beauty took a backseat as models stepped into the dramatic, even fantastical, power of makeup.

Chanel

As Karl Lagerfeld presented a collection inspired by merchants supplying wealthy eighteenth-century Parisians with luxury goods for Chanel earlier this year, the world didn’t know it would be one of the last marks he would leave on the fashion world. The collection featured ornate floral details, embellished swimsuits and full skirts with shades of aqua and pink blossoming.

And the beauty looks from Chanel’s Global Creative Make-up And Colour Designer, Lucia Pica, followed a similar colour palette and exaggerated tone, breaking a key make-up rule along the way with both heavy eyes and lips.

Bold eyes came in the form of olive-tones applied from under the brow bone, and again on the lower lids. To avoid closing eyes in, the eyeshadow didn’t meet along the outside of the eye, and white liner was traced along the waterline for a brightening effect. Meanwhile, lips were accentuated with matte crimson red hues extending the lipline slightly outside of its natural end, filling out the model’s pout.

Matching the up-standing beehive hair, brows were brushed upwards in the same direction, too.

Valentino

The show that brought Paris’ Haute Couture season to an end was one of the most moving yet, and the beauty looks were as beautiful as the elaborate collection by Pierpaolo Piccioli.

Backstage, Makeup Artist Pat McGrath used feathers to represent Valentino’s mission statement to demonstrate that everything turns, rotates, evolves, repeats, changes. Feathers represent flight and movement in their origin and fluttering effect. In matching tones to the garments, dramatic feather extensions were delicately applied over black liner. With brows lightened and adorned with feathers too, the overall effect was graphic.

It’s not the most wearable of runway beauty looks, but it’s certainly striking. To tap into the collection’s merging of fantasy and reality, elsewhere beauty looks on the runway were minimal, just focusing on glossy skin that radiates from the inside out. The minimal beauty look as complimented by toned-done hair flattened in a side parting and tied back.

Dior

Once again, Creative and Image Director of Christian Dior Makeup, Peter Philip, went for statement eyes backstage during the SS19 show, even if his noir-encased lids would be hidden under a netted cap in Maria Grazia Chiuri ’s circus-themed collection. Playing into the show – which featured whimsical and theatrical garments such ringmaster jackets and ruffled neck ruffs – Peter curled the lashed and framed the eyes with thick coats of black liner.

In alignment with the models’ pupils, he then drew a vertical line that goes down to create like a pierrot effect, smudging any lines that were too sharp for a softer, worn-in feel to the circus look.

To ensure this was the focus point – with so much going on within the theatrics of the catwalk show – skin was simply complimented with light foundation coverage and concealer top-ups, with a faded natural pink shade on the lips.

Armani Privé

True to form, Armani Privé’s collection took inspiration from the world of art, the 1920’s era of Art Deco being the muse of choice this time around. Tapping into this exuberance, the beauty aesthetic very much aligned with the clothing collection – jacquard suiting, sashaying dresses and beaded cloches in hues of blood red and electric blue – with a signature stroke of crimson eyeshadow on the lower lids.

From encasing the tear ducts, the powered texture was drawn heavily across the lids, slanting ever so slightly downwards towards the outer eye. This did all the talking as lashes were only granted thin coats of black mascara. To balance out the striking look, the rest of the models’ make-up was modest.

International makeup artist for Giorgio Armani Beauty Linda Cantello coated lips in a sheer lipstick that served a toned-down version of the bold eye colour, while the complexion was minimal with just a touch of shine where the temples and cheekbones meet.

READ: Dior Beauty: Makeup Artist Peter Philips Reveals How To Recreate Teddy Girl Eyes

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READ: 10 Hair And Makeup Takeaways From Couture SS19