Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's new beauty show, About Face, has landed on Quibi, and the second episode features the model flying to Dubai to interview beauty mogul Huda Kattan, who lives and runs her business in the emirate.
“I am here in Dubai and I am really excited, because I am going to be meeting up with a friend of mine, Huda Kattan,” Huntington-Whiteley says as an introduction to Kattan on the show.
“Huda is arguably one of the most famous and iconic YouTube make-up artists in the world … I am going to hear all about what it takes to run a $1.2 billion (Dh4.4bn) beauty brand from the Middle East.”
Running Huda Beauty from the UAE
Kattan is the Iraqi-American make-up artist and entrepreneur behind cosmetics giant Huda Beauty. She has lived in Dubai for 12 years.
At the beginning of the six-minute episode, Huntington-Whiteley is seen walking into the Five Palm Jumeirah Hotel, where she meets Kattan.
“I am so happy to be here!” the model exclaims as she greets Kattan, then she describes Dubai as: “This is heaven.”
“What is it like to run this billion-dollar beauty business in the Middle East?” she asks the entrepreneur, whose business began on Instagram.
We're lucky because we're in Dubai and Dubai is super progressive ... and they love beauty here, so that is great
“We are lucky because we are in Dubai, and Dubai is super progressive, especially compared to other parts of the Middle East. And they love beauty here, [so] that is great,” Kattan says.
“But it is challenging as a woman. When we first started, people treated me, constantly, like it was a hobby, objectifying [me], not making [me] feel like [I'am] capable of it, that was a hard thing, to be honest,” she says. “They would constantly make eye contact with my husband [and ask], ‘How do we do this?’ and my husband would be like, ‘Ask the big boss’.”
Kattan has been married to Christopher Goncalo since 2008; the couple met at high school. They have a daughter, Nour, 9.
Huntington-Whiteley asks Kattan about where she works in Dubai, and she describes “a big, tall, black building”, saying it’s “crazy because I always looked at New York City as, you know, the goal, and we have a building that looks like it is out of New York".
The Huda Beauty headquarters is located in Jumeirah Lakes Towers.
Huda Kattan on feeling like an 'outsider' as a child
Kattan moved to the UAE from Nashville, Tennessee.
I just looked very different from everyone I was at school with. Being Middle Eastern and being also a westerner, I always felt like an outsider
"I just looked very different from everyone I was at school with. People would find reasons to say, 'You are super weird' or just be really mean. Being Middle Eastern and also a westerner, I always felt like an outsider ... at the time, I wanted to be appreciated by everyone else," Kattan says.
She later says that perspective is key, and any issues she had "stemmed from my childhood, of never feeling good enough, never feeling accepted".
“Now I have a lot of love for myself, I’m not going to stress [about] how people feel,” says Kattan.
The episode is peppered with footage of Dubai, from Palm Jumeirah to Downtown, the Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab and Dubai Marina.
During the show, Kattan reflects on her sister, Alya Kattan, as being her early make-up inspiration; her humble origins as a make-up artist who could not find paid work; the “scrappy” beginnings of Huda Beauty; her loyal following of more than 40 million on Instagram and the “game changing” 60-second tutorials that made her a name on the platform.
The show also features issues of Cosmopolitan Middle East and Vogue Arabia with Kattan on the cover.
Towards the end of the conversation, the pair are joined by Huda’s younger sister, Mona Kattan, with whom she runs Huda Beauty. Huntington-Whiteley describes Mona as Huda’s “driving force, to see her own potential [and] talent”.
How to watch 'About Face' on Quibi
To watch the episode, download the Quibi app. You have to sign up for a subscription, which costs Dh29.99 per month – on international app stores it costs $4.99. The series can be watched on phones or tablets.
In the six-part series, Huntington-Whiteley will also be joined by Kylie Jenner, Glossier chief executive Emily Weiss, South Korean beauty influencer Park Hye-min – known as Pony – celebrity make-up artist Sir John and Jen Atkin, hairstylist to the stars and founder of Ouai hair products. All episodes are available to stream now.
Quibi is an American short-form streaming platform, which launched in April this year. All of the shows on the mobile-first platform are less than 10 minutes for an episode. Quibi is also home to content by Chrissy Teigen, Idris Elba, Joe Jonas, Reese Witherspoon and Kevin Hart.
Watch Huda Kattan talking about growing up in the US in an Iraqi immigrant family:
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
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Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Jetour T1 specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
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TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
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The specs: 2017 Dodge Viper SRT
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Engine 8.4L V10
Transmission Six-speed manual
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Fuel economy, combined 16.8L / 100km
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
