Nabila’s show on the do’s and don’ts of bridal makeup
We live in a changing world. Rhetoric is increasingly socially conscientious, dialogues tilt towards making impact and beauty is diverse, all-inclusive and beyond skin deep. To title an event revolving round beauty as ‘Beyond Beautiful’ is quite clever, really. Frieha Altaf, when she came up with the idea for the event and decided to make it her passion project, certainly thought things through. She came up with a title that hinted at glamour but also what lay beyond it: fitness, nutrition, mental health, self-confidence and ambition, among them.
But did the maiden outing of Beyond Beautiful live up to all that it was promising to be? Bolstered quite visibly by corporate sponsors, did it pack in a socially aware, game-changing punch? It tried.
The schedule kicked off well with an awards gala night recognising individuals who have been instrumental in bringing about social change. Entertainment wasn’t much of a priority here, although Wahab Shah and Sohai Abro did take to the stage with creative performances. Instead, the focus was on a very well-conceived list of winners; among them, Generation’s Khadija Rahman, Shehzad Roy, Sana Mir, Ayesha Chundrigar, Kami Sid, Adnan Sarwar and Asim Abbasi.
Following up was a two day event which included exercise shows, hair and make-up presentations, flash mobs, lectures, talks and master classes by renowned stylists. The shows took place on an illuminated platform, center stage in a ballroom within a reputed hotel, and thronged round it were kiosks of a small smattering of corporate brands and make-up heavyweights offering freebie massages, blow-dries, skin tests, goody bags and (naturally the least interesting of all) pamphlets.
Propelled by well-conceived ideas and some of the country’s most successful and talented personalities, Beyond Beautiful underlined the need to move beyond beauty
And Frieha Altaf, with decades of experience at helming some of local entertainment’s most prestigious events, made sure that things remained lively. Between segments, Wahab Shah’s troupe of dancers would step in for flash mob performances. They would later move about the venue with forms, asking people if they would like to sign up for their dance and fitness regimes. Drawing in crowds for the make-up and hair shows were two of the country’s most renowned stylists, Nabila and Saba Ansari of Sabs Salon. The talks that took place on the second day featured a handful of renowned celebrities: Mawra Hocane, Adnan Malik, Shaniera Akram and Ali Gul Pir among them.