PESHAWAR, May 29: Although the day began with a bomb blast in front of the Peshawar High Court, the city’s more liberal face was also in evidence on Tuesday. A bridal makeup competition, organised by beauty parlour owner Shahida Mazhar in collaboration with a German firm, brought together beauticians from across the city, Nowshera and Mardan.

The competition provided participants with an exciting opportunity to learn and to get to know each other. Women took great interest in and volunteered for a hair-products demonstration by the technical adviser of the firm, Ms Afshan, who introduced an instant hair repair serum which she called “a revolutionary product”. She gave practical advice on dyeing hair, the best products to use, and other useful tips such as not using ‘two-in-one shampoo/conditioners’ every day and using circular massage while washing the hair.

“Such activities should be held more often since housewives need to get away from the monotony of their lives,” said sisters Bushra and Rubina, who run a beauty parlour in Mardan. “It also taught us many new techniques.”

“Women in the Frontier province need opportunities to indulge in healthy entertainment,” said Ms Mazhar. “We also want to teach inexperienced beauticians the importance of using branded and quality products.”

She pointed out that there was a great need to organise such activities in the NWFP since the province’s conservatism means that many women remain unaware of fashion and beauty trends. “Two years ago, I advertised in a local daily for models to participate in a fashion show,” she said. “I had to abandon the idea because I received many threatening phone calls.”