< Previous80 February 2020 Follow us on InstagramFollow us on Instagram @CosmoMiddleEast @CosmoMiddleEast READ read THOUGHTS, IDEAS, STORIES Like , Comment, Subscribe Let the great, big, giant mood board that is Instagram inspire you this 2020, from sartorial exploration to the new spots to explore The rising stars of social media IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK, INSTAGRAM. COMPILED BY NIMOTALAI OKI, SARA ALHUMIRI AND YASMIN REDAFebruary 2020 81 Follow us on InstagramFollow us on Instagram @CosmoMiddleEast @CosmoMiddleEast READ style Fashion-forward girls for all the chicness Follow these trendsetters for top tips on keeping it cool and casual These under-the- radar fashion bloggers are people you didn’t even know you needed to follow on Instagram. Follow now and thank us later @NIEDSANO If you thought a Russian-Italian background wasn’t interesting enough, head over to this page of a plethora of eclectic outfits @NEVEENJANINI A Jordanian in Germany, Neveen makes modest fashion go international @STYLISHDUBAIANS Why follow one fashionista when you can follow three? This account is run by stylish sisters, Reem, Dana @NAZZFIRAS Think urban street style with plenty of sophistication @MERIHAN.DOBIEA Not only can Merihan rock a six inch heel, she can also bend it like Beckham. Fashion and football may just be our new fave combo. p tips ual Jordanian-born Germany-based fashion blogger Neveen schools us all in the art of preppy-chic. Think plenty of Lagerfeld- like tweed and Blair Waldorf-approved headbands Nazly’s chic city style has attracted over 41,000 followers on Instagram. She has become known for her stylish streetwear and her love of labels like Adidas, Puma and Nike82 February 2020 Follow us on InstagramFollow us on Instagram @CosmoMiddleEast @CosmoMiddleEast READ tik tok Follow us at TikTok/CosmoMiddleEast Since debuting two years ago, this app has been downloaded over 1.2 billion times. 2020 is TikTok’s world and we’re all just living in it @HIBAALHADIDI This 19-year-old Lebanese-Palestinian Hiba puts together the funniest Arab skits which are all too #relatable @PINKYFRANCIS Pakistani-born Dubai-based TikTok star is basically the kween of lip syncs @NEKO_CHANNN 18 y/o Layla cracks us up with her meme-able TikTok’s, (plus) we’ve fallen in love with her signature eye-liner look @GINAISCRACKED Our ‘local habibi’ is all about comedic skits and tbh we’re here for it @MODELROZ The Saudi model is our go-to for all the fashion and beauty inspo. Oh, and snaps of her adorable dog Milano are a total plus There are few things we love more than regional faces reppin’ the region abroad. This Palestianian-born TikToker is based in the States and brings all the Middle Eastern lols @MOROKISTAN She’s a wifey, a yummy mummy and basically total goalsFebruary 2020 83 Follow us on InstagramFollow us on Instagram @CosmoMiddleEast @CosmoMiddleEast READ beauty The make-up maestros who really know their stuff Whether crowned in curls or sleek tresses, whether popping with colour or keeping it natural, these ladies will give you all the beauty know how you’ll ever need! Get to know some of the on-the-rise accounts that are feeding the imaginations of the beauty world right now Wh with @HALA.OWAIS Those brows...Those lashes...That mani... We have so many questions @MAKEUPBYSHROUK Shrouk is a multi-talented make-up artist whose page is a total joy to follow @TOUCHOFFARAH Dental student by day, beauty enthusiast whenever she has a chance! The hustle is real! @NOVEMBERUS Can we all just take a moment to appreciate that eyeshadow... Th e now @CAREN.WI Flitting between Dubai and Egypt, Caren makes beauty-on-the-go look effortless. Tell us your secrets! Luscious lashes, glowing skin, the perfect pout... Hala, honey, can we just take your masterclass already? Never a met a red lip, a bold brow or a luminous lid we didn’t like. Follow these five fearless females on Insta RN for endless amounts of beauty inspo84 February 2020 Follow us on InstagramFollow us on Instagram @CosmoMiddleEast @CosmoMiddleEast READ STARS OF travel The influencers are carving out their own creative niches in every nook and cranny of the world All ou need is a passport and a sense of adventure... ok, and a tube of sunscreen. The world is yours to explore - grab it! February2020 OF @DAMSELINDESERT If this account doesn’t make you round up some friends an grab your passport, we don’t know what will @MELISSAELHACHEM If you’re unsure about the best spots to visit in the region, look no further @DANNIELLELILY If you’re not sure what you want to be when you grow up, travelling is just as good an activity as any other @SAUDI_WANDERLUST The only thing wrong with following this doctor and wilderness survivalist is that you’ll want to chuck it all and join her @MAYELKHAYAT_ Need to chase the perfect sunset? You’re sorted! Honestly, we are sorely tempted to grab a backpack and explore the world. Maybe 2020 will be the year we decide to escape and recharge our batteries... We live in the perfect age of balancing life, study, work and travel. So why not be inspired by these women who have boldly set out to do it all? mak e n g rab your passp what wilFebruary 2020 85 Follow us on InstagramFollow us on Instagram @CosmoMiddleEast @CosmoMiddleEast READ food Because your Insta feed can never have enough receipe inspo We’re predicting big things for these foodie bloggers. Because the world could do with dribbling a bit more... never have enoug @THEGOURMETGIRLS Three great friends with even greater restaurant recommendations @ONEARABVEGAN Nada will help you live your best plant-based life @NOREENWASTI Recipes that are so good you’ll want to keep that ‘cook more’ New Year’s resolution @STRAIGHTUPBANANS An account with a feed as colourful as the dishes are flavoursome @THESCRUMPTIOSSCAVENGERS Yes, that is a waffle freak shake. Yes, we will be ordering one as well. It does not get more drool-worthy than this. Noreen has a penchant for cookies, croissants and good old fashioned comfort food Looking for the best vegan spots in Abu Dhabi? Nada–aka One Arab Vegan–has a page that’ll convince you to continue veganuary for the rest of 2020 86 February 2020 Follow us on InstagramFollow us on Instagram @CosmoMiddleEast @CosmoMiddleEast READ T he indignant look pelleted at me by my mum when I asked her why we didn’t have a driver like everyone else, is still seared front of mind. Six-year-old head-case me couldn’t understand why I wasn’t being chauffeured from swim practice to piano lessons by a surrogate, behind-the-wheel parent. “Because we are not like that. You don’t need one. Who do you think you are?” My mum is Greek, there- fore please feel free to read the above with theatrical anger, accompanied by hand gestures similar to a washing machine’s spin-cycle. Silenced into a rock- hard corner of her 1996 Ford Thunderbird (remember those?), I muttered out a miffed, “but we have Mala at home (our beloved full-time maid who I preferred to my mum from the hours of 7-8:30am and 1:30-8:00pm on weekdays and 7:00am- 8:00pm on weekends) why can’t we have a dri…” “ENOUGH.” Yep, I’m nodding along with you – this reeks of expat brat – the pejorative catch-all term for ‘spoilt and entitled’. I do hope I haven’t lost you already. If it helps, this anecdote still sits in my stomach like a bullet. But I can tell you, my sentiments sit staunchly similar to my mum’s now, post coming- of-age and well, better sense. My expat child experience happened in Bahrain. My whole life (bar birth) was spent on the island in a verdant compound replete with In her inaugural column, GEORGIE BRADLEY celebrates the home truths of the most normal if at times uninspiring state of being: adulthood smug face of someone who has paid her rent way in advance. Cheque her out... ThihisisisThiThiisisisthe thetht smugsmugssmugsmugggfacfafafaffff The Ex - ult The considered rambles of an adult expatFebruary 2020 87 Follow us on InstagramFollow us on Instagram @CosmoMiddleEast @CosmoMiddleEast READ the promise of parental pleasantries for good. Again, I can see your eyes rolling. What makes my ascent into adulthood any different to everyone else’s wobble? I am a product of easy living. Expat kids – especially those who come back to the region with their families still here and frequenting the same (if now dilapidated) haunts – tend to have the expectation of a sure-fi re safety net. It’s all relative to every individual but our struggles in the face of the rest of the world, are #dubaiproblems – cut to the oh so satirical Instagram @ dubaiproblems. I defy anyone who doesn’t crease from laughter at the litany of Jumeirah Jane posts. We are too quick to freak out and get frazzled. We don’t know actual, Western hardship. My mum always ironed me straight (literally – remember, Greek) whenever I performed a sinfully expat brat act, but even she couldn’t resist the region’s toasty tendrils and oft battles to assimilate to the “system” – drag the ’sys’ and you’ll feel her disdain. Cut to present day Dubai and I am still here on my fantastic lonesome. I bought a freelancer visa and I am offi cially my own life raft. I proudly hold my breath from one end of the month to the other till my next line up of payments come through. I don’t have an (un)limited access to the bank of mum and dad and I adore this autonomy. I just moved apartments. From scratch. All I had were the bare bones of an apartment with cavernous pits for domestic appliances, having had a fully furnished arrangement before. For two months I was sledgehammering my bank balance, furiously freelancing atop a full- time gig to pay for media consoles, poufs and elegant shelving units. And just when I thought my bank balance was relieved of bottomless payments, a traffi c fi ne fl ew into my WhatsApp for ‘failing to adhere to lane discipline’. I was later on the fl oor of my empty apartment with friends, up against it all. But in an exchange of profound bonding and epiphany, I took the beating of relentless reality as a ‘it is what it is’ situation and the more you fi ght it, the more it fi ghts you. With deposits done and dusted, I am now sitting in my Pinterest board realised, smug at the fact that this was all done by me, for me. I’m dreaming of dinner parties, anticipating leakages from some pre- existing shoddy plumbing and keeping a watchful eye on my plant babies. I guess, in the fi rst instance of this column, this is a slap-on-the-thigh, well done you, you’ve done what has been written into societal scripture for yonks. You are a grown-up – the kind who does avocado toast on a porcelain Maison du Monde dish, pays rent in advance of post-dated cheques and knows how to tackle limescale like a bawse. This is adulting at its most fi st-pumping and free. Jumeirah Janeshelving units. diplomatic-style security. I was however raised on a strict diet of discipline with a humble helping of luxe living as opposed to the other way round. “Just wait till you’re living in Europe,” side-eyed my mum years later, closer to my fl eeing the proverbial nest. At 18 years old, reality’s heavy-duty bricks did a rude free-fall on my head when I landed in the UK. For six years I was a pseudo-adult with a fi rmly fi xed monthly stipend which went towards responsible home-made omelettes, the occasional trip to Thorpe Park (during non-reading week) and a highly rationed wardrobe from Primani (if you know, you know). I was good at it though. My parents never got that call asking for more funds for fun. My aptitude for adulthood is learnt behaviour. I saw my parents as careful and unwavering – leaving plenty of margin for predictable unpredictability. Those six years extended to another three when I lived at home again in my mid twenties (full time job, paid for everything except rent) until I fi nally landed smack bang on SZR almost three years ago. That was when I shed and shook off fam an th di – ex sur net to e but in th rest are # – cut satiri dubai anyon crease “For months I was sledgehammering my bank balance. I was furiously freelancing atop a full-time gig to pay for media consoles, poufs and elegant shelving units” Georgie with her mum, Maria, who very much approves of her life choices rn88 February 2020 Follow us on InstagramFollow us on Instagram @CosmoMiddleEast @CosmoMiddleEast READ Game VITAMIN In a world full of over-hyped and not-so-effective skincare products, retinol (a derivative of vitamin A) is the one ingredient that can legitimately do a Cher and turn back time. But it does more than just anti-ageing: vitamin A is the heavyweight of the beauty world, here to save you from all your most annoying skin issues. Looking to smooth your lines? Retinol. Want a bright complexion and smaller-looking pores? Oh, hi retinol. Need to clear up your breakouts? Retinol again. Retinol increases cell turnover (AKA your skin’s natural renewal process), signals collagen and elastin production (two proteins responsible for your skin’s firmness and plumpness) and regulates oil production, explains dermatologist Dr Kenneth Howe. But as with all good things, there’s a catch: retinol can be confusing as hell to use, and there’s an adjustment period during which your skin can turn red and flaky. Before you dive in at the deep end, here’s everything you need to know… › Retinol (which hails from vitamin A) can be a legitimate miracle worker that erases fine lines, brightens your complexion and clears up acne. But: use it wrong and you’re in for a fright. Here’s our guide to getting it right first time UpYour readFebruary 2020 89 WORDS LAURA CAPON, AMA KWARTENGNext >