I seem to be sporting a very fashion-forward face at the moment. This is completely by accident. With a hectic work schedule, I have skipped my usual brow taming and tinting sessions. Since I’m almost albino, my eyebrows have retreated into my forehead and I look a little like Lara Stone – without the supermodel proportions – but this eyebrowless look is surprisingly cool. If you’re blonde it is easy to sport; in most cases, you just need to stop darkening your brows. But for the raven-haired among us, it will take some work.
Some argue that without any brow colour, you can look a little alien and unnatural, while others look otherworldy and ethereal – such as the girl with a pearl earring in the Vermeer painting by the same name. Whatever your thoughts, there's no doubt the trend is starting to take hold, though possibly not yet in the mainstream. However, sales of that favourite staple Jolen Crème Bleach have risen in the past 12 months, thanks to models sporting the look at catwalk shows and in ad campaigns.
The rise in statement beauty – think a jolt of grey nail polish, or removal of one's brows – is apparently the norm in a recession. If you can't be fashion forward with the latest buy, then this will update your look for less than Dh50 – infinitely cheaper than the Chloé Marcie bag.
All this in mind, I'm finding whitewashed brows a bit hard to get used to. I don't think being surrounded by Emiratis helps: if there were beauty awards for a particular facial feature, they would win trophies for "best in brows". I mean, local women tend to have precision arches, as if they've been formed with a mathematical instrument. They are dark, curved and are worn with not a hair out of place. This no-brow is the antithesis of traditional Arabian ideals of beauty.
While I'm feeling a little naked in the forehead area, I do try to keep my brows neat and tidy, as mine can quickly grow into two duelling colourless caterpillars. A DIY trim with the Japonesque Brow Groomer Scissor/Comb keeps them in check. I just tip the ends of the middle upper extremeties to give some shape, and then remove the few strays underneath the arch with an appropriate pair of tweezers. I like Laura Mercier's version, as they have a fat body and are easier to grasp. Once I've got my brows groomed, I coat them with Bobbi Brown's Natural Brow Shaper.
If you do fancy going for gold, or white, play it safe and first try using your bleaching cream for the shortest time recommended for your hair type. Better still, pay a professional to do the job – Sisters Beauty Lounge (www.sistersbeautylounge.com) in Abu Dhabi and Dubai does a bang-up job.
REVLON GROW LUSCIOUS
We are all about mascara at the moment. We just can’t get enough of it. The latest one we’re mad about is Revlon’s Grow Luscious. The brush is gorgeously thick and the mascara goes on clump-free. Even after just one coat you end up with lashes that could compete with the most impressive spider’s legs – perfect for Halloween.
Dh51 at outlets throughout the UAE
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
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