RUBINA’S RADAR
The Beyoncé of the beauty business is celebrity makeup lines. Everyone’s got one or wants one, not Bey of course. Lip Kits, Kyshadows, Kylighters and what have you for that Calabassas glow-up by the 21-year-old billionairess on the block, Kylie Jenner and her company, Kylie Cosmetics, founded in 2016 to Kim Kardashian West’s KKW Beauty and fragrances that launched in June 2017 to Jennifer Lopez’s 70-piece limited edition collaboration with Inglot in April 2018 to Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty line that dropped in September 2017 – every girl in the world is obsessed with these race, gender and colour inclusive beauty products that make you look like the glam goddesses pushing them. Not only do they make you look and feel beautiful, they’re selling out in seconds globally with every new collection drop! It seems like everyone wakes up to makeup with these celebrity lines!
It’s taken India a while to get on the collaborative beauty carousel aside from the passé promotional posts on Instagram where everybody’s an advertorial beauty advisor, trying to Kontour like a Kardashian. As if! Lakmé India’s stepped up its beauty game by dropping its first ever celebrity makeup line with Bollywood’s most original and enviable pout – Kareena Kapoor Khan in August 2018. Taimur Ali Khan’s haute mom’s limited edition collection – Shades Of A Diva, the Kareena Kapoor Khan Signature Lakmé Absolute Range celebrates Indian skin tones and beauty vivacity with Pout Definers (duh!), Face and Cheek Contours, Waterproof Lip Definers and the works. What’s missing though is a definitive Khan Kajal for our beauteous Indian eyes. At least some of those ghastly makeup video wanna shines can now Kontour like Kareena or Pout like Poo, with a makeup range designed for Indian skin tones, curated and endorsed by a Bollywood star, the biggest magnet of all. Let’s see if this celebrity collection is a blockbuster in the beauty market and the kind of numbers it pulls in with her name.
Kareena Kapoor Khan | Lakme
India’s grand couturier Rohit Bal’s giving “Are you wearing Rohit” a whole new essence ever since he dropped his own fragrance line for men and women in February this year. Bal launched an Arab essential, Oudh and Aab for men and Vana and Oas for women. Bal is known to experiment with his inherent talents, having collaborated on an exquisite home decor line with Good Earth in November 2016, an extension of his 2015 Husn-E-Taairat couture collection. In keeping with his indomitable spirit for artistic excellence, Bal’s velvety, luxurious fragrances add another dimension to his creative pursuits marking an impressive debut in the beauty business. Bal’s Oudh is enchanting and as seductive as the Arabian originals in the Middle East. What’s a desert country like Dubai without the exotic Oudh wafting through its architectural modernisms anyway? Wearing Rohit Bal apparel and couture is de rigueur, but the fragrance line has taken Bal to another level of luxe altogether. What’s next? A makeup collaboration?
Whilst on all things glamorous, flying to exotic locales is quintessential to fashion forwards worldwide. The Wadia Group’s domestic airline, Go Air, is all set to go international come October 2018 with direct flights to two of the world’s most fashionable and luxe destinations – Male, Maldives and Phuket, Thailand from Mumbai and New Delhi. Go Air’s direct flights to both Male and Phuket from Mumbai will definitely put an end to the stretched nights spent at the Mumbai airport flying into Male via Colombo at unearthly hours on SriLankan Airlines. In this demonetised Indian economy, I had to read the tempting introductory fares twice over to believe them. The Wadia Group launched Go Air in November 2005 as a low-fare domestic airline operating over 230 daily flights across 23 destinations. Taking flight as an international airline in October 2018 after 14 years of domestic operations, is a great move forward for the company and one of great pride for India.
Go Air | Photo: Rubina A Khan
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As the breeze sprays you with the salty, ocean water, you cannot help but wonder if partying in a nightclub in the Maldivian archipelago is really happening, that too one that has a dress code. From flip-flops and cut-offs and sunscreen, it’s quite the departure for the party on board to evening dresses, heels and makeup! After all, the islands are best known for their pristine, sunny beaches, crystal blue waters, spectacular spas, world-class cuisine and wines, state-of-the-art water sports and incredibly stunning vistas. Of course, all these relaxing activities are limited largely to the island resort you are visiting. In other words, all the action is on the island. So, naturally, one simply cannot fathom the very idea of a nightclub in the Maldives. Sure, there’s dancing and music in beach bars, sunset view bars and even restaurants (if no one’s looking) on the island resorts, but an actual nightclub? Sounds absolutely incredulous and unbelievable! But Niyama by Per Aquum, seems to have changed the game globally, by offering the world a getaway on its vast island playground with Subsix. As the boat approaches Edge, the over water bar and restaurant, swathed in a fluorescent pink hue, near the landing jetty, everyone’s ready to get this party started!
After getting off the boat and sipping on some welcome cocktails, a wooden staircase to the left of Edge, takes you down under. A large door swings open and there it is – Subsix – the world’s first and only nightclub underwater! Nothing you have ever imagined can compare to what hits you when you are inside it, aside from gasps of sheer wonder and amazement. ‘You are in a nightclub underwater’ is a sentence that keeps whirling around in your head as you take in the interiors of the club. The club is built six feet under the surface of the Indian Ocean and spins the term ‘partying’ on its head, giving a whole new meaning to shaking things up under water. Floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides of the structure allow unparalleled views of the marine life that swim by from the inner depths of the blue – Manta Rays, Parrotfish, Turtles, Clown Fish and many more exotic underwater inhabitants. A myriad shades of blue bounce off the ocean, straight into the club, and seem to change colour by the minute, set off by the glimmering lights inside. Fishes and sea creatures swim up to the windows and it all seems like a very ethereal dream!
The design and décor of the club and the bar is on trend and no different from any hip nightclub anywhere in the world, except the fact that Subsix is underwater. The structure was built entirely on land, before being sunk into place, making sure no corals on the house reef were damaged. Niyama encourages people to adopt corals to protect and enrich the environment and since they started their Coral Regeneration Program in 2007, 3000 corals have been added to the house reef. Everyone soon turns into paparazzi mode, taking pictures of the fishes that even hold a pose sometimes! Imagine the delight of one guest who managed to score picture of a fish French-kissing her through the glass! Needless to add, that’s her Facebook profile picture for at least a week, if not more! Just sitting by one of the windows enjoying a signature cocktail, watching the fishes come up to the glass and blow kisses at you, is a sublime experience. It is almost as if you are one with the ocean and its colourful inhabitants. Dancing to the resident DJ’s tunes and burning up a dance floor six feet under water hits you harder than any cocktail made in any bar in the world! International rap star Tinie Tempah, was the first to perform at Subsix when it opened in the last quarter of 2012, followed by DJ Poet who is the official DJ of the band, Black Eyed Peas. Night divers and snorkellers, are often surprised when they see the glittering lights of Subsix on their explorations and feel the pulsating rhythms of the music, but the ocean life seems unperturbed by the humans dancing and swaying to the music. The underwater nightclub experience is definitely the reason Niyama’s residents swing by for a good time, but it is Subsix’s extraordinary view that is far more heady than any of the exotic cocktails on the expansive menu.
Such is the popularity of Subsix’s spectacular ocean life views, that Niyama has started a Prix Fixe lunch menu on Wednesdays and Saturdays to accommodate their guests’ requests. It is an exceptionally well-crafted menu that caters to a global palette, paired with some of the best wines from around the world. From the best grass-fed beef to the best seafood the ocean has to offer, the Subsix menu is created to entice the most discerning patron. The food is prepared by the chefs at the Edge kitchen above and brought down to the diners by the very congenial and charming staff on the days that Subsix hosts lunches.
“You are unique. And so in your skin, just like your fingerprints. The story of your life, whether biological or emotional, can be read on your skin,” reads the opening page of the spa menu. You can choose from a range of therapies of Indian origin to Asian to Tibetan. Not only does the spa offer bespoke massage treatments, it’s a full service salon with Manicures, Pedicures, Blow Dries, Hair Cuts and Styling, Epilation – the works. Velaa scores big with the ladies on this! And it’s not just about the adults; the spa has a Junior Menu too for the little ladies and little men on the resort! That is, if they haven’t tired themselves with all the fun and games at the Kid’s Play Zone whilst their parents enjoyed romantic lunches and walks on the beach. The Clarins team of therapists, as you’d expect from a brand that renowned, are exceptional. Your skin is in paradise as are you with pure harmony resonating within your mind, body and soul! And the treatment beds have a wonderful window into the lagoon below that gently lull you into an even more relaxed state.
Rubina A Khan 