Sisters Huda and Mona Kattan, co-founders of make-up and perfume brand Huda Beauty, organised a beach clean-up in Dubai on Wednesday, to celebrate World Oceans Day.
The pair took over a beach in Al Sufouh for two hours, accompanied by friends, fans and followers to tidy rubbish from the sand.
Huda tells The National she was spurred by a recent event she hosted for her brand at a hotel in Dubai.
“Once it was over, the team were discussing how to better it. We got talking about how everyone is doing events, everything is so fancy, so can’t we do something special? The team came up with this idea [of beach cleaning] and I said: 'OK, you are going to regret saying that, as now nothing else sounds as good.'”
To put this into action, the team reached out to the UAE environmental and conservation organisation Goumbook for advice and know-how.
Attended by dozens of people, who braved the heat to clean one end of the beach, the event was rather unconventional by beach clean-up standards, with people handing out chilled coconut mocktails, while women dressed as mermaids cheered the crowd along.
Yet, by any metric, it was far removed from the slick image of the beauty industry.
Huda Beauty has drawn a huge following (52.9 million on Instagram alone) garnered largely by its founder's down-to-earth and inclusive approach.
Huda started her beauty blog in 2010 and launched her namesake beauty brand in 2013. Now, it seems, she is using her platform to deliver a wider message. The aim of the clean-up, she explains, was to do something that everyone can get involved in and that everyone will benefit from.
“It's amazing, it's genuine, it's important,” Kattan explains. “This is the real stuff.”
With volunteers wearing tees by Wishful, the cruelty-free skincare line Huda launched in 2020, the crowd cleared several rubbish sacks and seemingly endless cigarette butts.
Tatiana Antonelli, founder of Goumbook, was also at the event to spread awareness. Since 2009, the organisation has been outlining the importance of safeguarding the environment. Last year, Antonelli began doubling down on the hazard of cigarette butts, which can take up to 10 years to decompose, leaching arsenic, benzene and hydrogen cyanide into the soil and waterways.
Hearing Antonelli explain the need to keep cigarette butts off the beaches was an eye-opener, Huda explains. “Tatiana brought a lot of awareness. My husband and I had no idea. We always clean the beach, but leave the butts because I thought they disintegrated.”
This level of honesty is one reason for Huda's global appeal, with millions identifying with her openness about her own struggles and insecurities. Not having all the answers is very much part of that, she explains, and that it is not about being the expert, but rather about being involved.
Given her reach, Huda hopes that her staging a beach clean-up will inspire others to follow suit.
“I believe in the ripple effect in the creative industry, so I hope this brings more awareness and other beauty brands see this and think not just about fancy events, but the cool stuff. I think this is the cool stuff.”
Interestingly, for a woman who built her career on social media, today Huda has a different view of life online. “I think social media is a bit dangerous right now. The way it's being used, the algorithms, it’s hacking your dopamine cycle ... it really worries me.
“I have a 12-year-old daughter, but I don’t allow her to go on social media. She doesn’t even have a phone right now. She doesn’t think I am cool, she is embarrassed by me.
“I also have a screen limit for social platforms – an hour a day across all of them.” she adds. “I limit it because all we ever do is compare ourselves. We get our worth based on what we see on the internet. But it’s all rubbish.”
It's hard not to be charmed by the beauty mogul. Despite her success – Forbes magazine recently pegged her wealth at $400 million – she is all smiles, very chatty and disarmingly self-effacing. While she sits atop a growing beauty and skincare empire, she admits to days when she feels out of her depth.
“It still feels like it's day one, I am not going to lie. On the internet, we are supposed to make it look like everything is perfect, but the more you look like you have it together, the more you don’t.
“l am like that duck. All swan on the surface and underneath the feet are going crazy.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
