All Or Nothing - Saudi Arabia

“There are only two types of Saudi women,” Lena, a Lebanese makeup artist tells us. “Those who wear so much makeup that it’s like a mask … and those who wear none.”

It seems that here in Jeddah you either wear foundation, concealer, liner, mascara, three shades of shadow under your carefully plucked brows, lipstick and gloss … or nothing at all. We have met more of the former than of the latter.

Makeup is a pleasure for the women here. They love talking about it They love buying it. They love applying it. And most importantly they love showing it off.

They carry full kits in their handbags and reapply frequently throughout the day, transforming
their look from morning to evening as each layer is applied and colors become more dramatic.



I made the mistake of commenting over coffee, early on our first day in Jeddah, that I didn’t really know how to apply makeup. Elena, sitting next to me, bluntly asked me “are you a woman?” She wasn’t trying to insult me, she was simply shocked.

To her, makeup is something every woman is born knowing how to do. They are not afraid. They are not careful. They are not reserved. They pick up the brushes, pull out the compact, and go.



To many of the women we spoke to beauty is not something to be afraid of. Not something to hide. But something to fulfill.

Opportunity: Forget the middle ground. Go Bare or go Glam.