Flawless



It is any girl’s dream to be offered free make up lessons by beauty experts. Glam was invited to partake in a personal session with Bobbi Brown’s Regional make up artist, Diana Kohvtova. The Serbian make up magician as I nicknamed her, has been with the international brand for close to a decade. She offers make up lessons to customers and faithful clients who want to learn the art of wearing their make up correctly.

Over the past month the brand has introduced highly customised complimentary makeup lessons to show women that makeup should be simple, real and accessible. At all Bobbi Brown counters, expertly trained artists are available to teach women how to find the right colours to accentuate the eyes with a “Classic Eyes” lesson or how to easily create standout eyes with a “Smokey Eyes” tutorial, using new Sheer Brights Eye Shadows. Every lesson concludes with the creation of a personalised face chart to help women recreate the look at home.

In order to render the entire Bobbi Brown experience, we were first invited to a one hour yoga session. This is in keeping with Bobbi’s keenness on healthy living. Her philosophy is one where she believes that women should look and feel their overall best, inside and out. The yoga class, held at Urban Yoga in Dubai’s Business Bay, felt like something out of a travel brochure. The two-floored space had natural sunlight pouring in from all corners. Perched on the 37th floor of the building, and decorated with stunning images of people in various yoga poses, instructor Kate, who knew there were first timers among us, didn’t rush any of her new students. It was an hour of immense satisfaction as a big spread was soon set for the attendees who got a chance to get to know the Bobbi Brown team over dinner.

The next morning we were at Bobbi Brown headquarters in Dubai Mall, where a one hour personal session was selected to carefully understand the art of make up application. Diana spent a few moments analysing my skin and informed me that I need to drink more water. Now that is not something I didn’t know. She adds that it would be pointless to use any amount of moisturising lotion, if I didn’t back them up by keeping myself hydrated. As we discussed make up techniques, I tried to pin point the common concerns women have when it comes to their make up
egiments.

“What is your make up routine,” asked a smiling Diana. I had no well-constructed answer. Most mornings I’m too busy running out the door and dabbing on lipstick while I’m stuck at the traffic light. Of course I didn’t admit that to her. I did mention that my routine on most days, was rather informal and ad-hoc in nature. I find it easier to take care of my skin at night using a toner and moisturiser. The one thing I try to avoid is sleeping with make up on. After a few pats on the back for the right answer it was almost as if Diana opened up a candy store of colours and brushes. She explained how each brush is made for a specific purpose. Thanks to Bobbi’s vast knowledge of not just creating pretty products, but actually going a step further to promote a feeling of wellness, each product is made with a clear attention to the wearer’s satisfaction. For example, the brand has just reintroduced the iconic foundation stick with a fresh and modern take on nude skin. When it debuted in 1992, Bobbi’s Foundation Stick revolutionised the beauty industry as the first-ever skin tone correct foundation on the market. 22 years later, the new formula features a multi-layered transparent base that allows for optimal skin matching with skin-tone correct shades.
What is particularly appealing about the brand is that it doesn’t appear to cater to just the celebrities and super models out there. The products have been tried and tested by all kinds of women who are its biggest supporters.

As Diana carefully selects colours that she knows will appeal to me, I understand that she too imbibes the same philosophy. She uses the Smokey Eye technique to offer a day look that is suitable for a day at the office or an evening outdoors.

“The brand is not just about make up, but also has revitalising skin care using natural ingredients,” explains Diana. After using a face serum, she applies

a hydrating face cream to my skin. This is then matt-ified (or given a less strong effect) using a brush. The hydrating cream boosts the collagen in the skin. It is mixed with cleansing oil which helps get rid of dryness. I am told this is the basic skin care regime. “Of course you must not forget to use lip balm which is perfect to apply before using lipstick or going out in the sun.”

She then checks my skin tone to offer the right foundation which should not appear too bright or too off balanced. It’s the perfect time for me to understand how women who don’t have the luxury of time can
go about looking their radiant best. She says, “Once you’ve learnt a few techniques, it doesn’t take too
long to apply make up.”

To my utter disbelief she uses a ‘golden’ shade foundation for my skin. It is not a shade I would have
selected on any given day. Remarkably it blends into my skin. I mention that a lot of people are
looking for a one stop solution when it comes to a foundation. They prefer one that has a reasonable
sun protecting factor or SPF. Another eye opener is that the eyebrows and not just eye palettes play as
much a part in the overall look and need to match the hair roots. These are enhanced with an eye shadow palette. She ends by selecting a Rouge a Levres lip colour which is outlined with a lip pencil.

As Mariah Carey’s ‘Beautiful,’ plays in the background, I can’t help feel a transition in not just how I look but also how I feel.


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