Hello, my beautiful readers. I hope you’ve had a lovely start to the year. For me, it wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned. After taking all necessary precautions over the last two years, I came down with COVID-19 and my family members also caught it. I felt quite sick but thankfully, the rest of my family experienced mild symptoms. Please be careful and avoid stepping out if you feel even remotely unwell, so that you can protect the elderly and the vulnerable.

Thank God that we’re all COVID-free now. This year, I decided to go back to work and I can’t wait to share all the amazing projects I’ll be associated with. As we’re now resuming normalcy in our routines, I always like to put my best look forward. I’m sure that you can relate. But it’s not easy to find the right hair dresser and makeup routine that work for you, so I thought I’d share some that are my top choices and for good reason.

When it comes to hair dressers, I’ve recently discovered Nicolas Salon. Nicolas, the man behind the brand, has magic in his fingers. He’s a color specialist and stylist and can transform anyone’s hair and style to perfection. His staff is amazing and professional, and has received training in New York, London, Paris and Amsterdam. The sumptuous salon reminds me of the ones in Soho, New York. My hair color and style are the best I’ve had in a long time. You can see his work on Instagram @Nicolas.salon.

My hair has never looked better since I started using the magical Olaplex hair mask. It’s truly out of this world. I use it every second week and my hair looks so thick, shiny and damage-free. I highly recommend this product.

In terms of makeup products, I ‘ve recently fallen in love with the Charlotte Tilbury range, especially the primer. It makes my skin look flawless. When it comes to the perfect foundation, the brand’s Airbrush Flawless foundation is a class apart. You wouldn’t require any social media filter if you use it. To finish it up, I use the skin-perfecting powder.

My favorite mascara that I have been using for years is the Lancôme Grandiôse Extrême. It makes your eyelashes luscious, long and beautiful.

If I don’t want to use mascara for a while, I get my eyelash extensions done. My place of choice in the UAE is Wish Lash. They have a salon but also have an at-home service. You can see their work on Instagram @Wishlash. When I’m come to the perfect eyebrows, I don’t trust anyone else but Maris. The aesthetic clinic has some of the best eyebrow specialists in the Middle East. They do micro-blading and shadowing among other techniques. My eyebrows have never looked better.

Last but not the least, I’d like to reveal the body lotion I’ve used most of my life. People always comment on my skin and the secret is the simple Nivea Firming lotion. I can’t live without it.

I hope this short guide helps you with your daily beauty routines. Wishing you all a lovely week ahead!

Love,

N

Nina Zandnia is a Persian-Swedish luxury lifestyle icon and a media maven who is based in Dubai. She has worked for major global media networks for over 20 years. She’s the founder of one of the first lifestyle online TV channels in the Middle East called Lifestyle-Dubai.com. She’s also a fashion designer and has housed her collections at Galeries Lafayette. Among her many accolades is bagging a prize at the Great Woman Awards 2016 Middle East. With a following of over 415k on Instagram, Nina has been a key voice in the luxury lifestyle landscape of the UAE and beyond. Follow her @Ninazandnia on Instagram.