Saudi Arabian makeup artist Waad Al-Turki has a huge fan following on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter thanks to her themed makeup transformations (from Jasmine in Aladdin to making a woman look exactly like Barbadian star Rihanna).
This week, she's been all over Twitter trends in Saudi Arabia thanks to both one of her makeup transformations, but also because of her incredibly expensive makeup brushes.
The transformation
Her latest makeup work sees a model shapeshift into legendary movie star Audrey Hepburn. The striking similarity (thanks to contouring, brows and perfectly applied eye makeup) has garnered nearly 100,000 likes on Instagram (far more than Al-Turki's average post), and has helped boost the hashtag #waadalturki (in Arabic), which was trending on Twitter on Saturday.
"What do you think of this look?" she asked her followers. "The look was really fun," she added, noting that the full tutorial can be found on her Snapchat account.
But then there's the price of her brushes...
Not all of the comments about Al-Turki on Instagram and Twitter this weekend have been positive however, with some fans bemused by the prices of one of her products.
She sold her makeup brush kits for SAR1,250 (Dh1,222) – and while makeup brushes are one of those things that cost more than you'd expect, more than a thousand dirhams is certainly unusual.
However, more than 5,000 boxes were bought in under two days according to Al-Turki, selling the product out, so there was clearly demand.
One Twitter user pointed out that Al-Turki would have pocketed more than 6 million Saudi riyal from the sale, saying "please let me be an influencer".
This Twitter user asked if, at more than Dh1,000, the brushes had some kind of magical power:
This Twitter account pointed out that most people use their hands to put on makeup anyway:
But many also pointed out that the brushes selling out meant there was demand, which ultimately means the price is right.
Here's an Instagram post from Al-Turki showing the boxes of the brushes ready to be shipped out (click to play):
Here are some of Al-Turki's most striking makeup looks and transformations, from Rihanna to Jasmine:
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
England squad
Joe Root (captain), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes (vice-captain), Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson, Toby Roland-Jones, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
