Ahead of the UK royal wedding, hair stylists in London have never been busier. The blow-dry to launch a thousand rollers, Kate Middleton's "do" is being done to death. The same applies, albeit to a lesser degree in the UAE with one top salon handling an arm-aching 15 royal wedding-related appointments in a single day.
"There's such excitement around the wedding, nearly all our bookings in the days leading up to it are for blow-dries and up-dos. Every second client has excitedly told us about their tea-party plans for the day, with quite a few of them making a real occasion of it, asking how best to wear their hair with fascinators and hats," says stylist Beccy Ramnought of the Ted Morgan Hair Group in Dubai.
"We are a very cosmopolitan salon, and we've definitely noticed an increase in 'Kate fever' from our European clientele. There are so many photos of her in all the magazines at the moment - people are really loving the understated elegance of her style and asking us to replicate it." she adds.
Low maintenance and high impact are the appeal of Kate's look, and even those with short hair needn't feel short-changed, says Ramnought.
"The only thing is that you need thick hair, but this can be achieved with the help of extensions. This luxurious style suits all the different colours of hair as well as brunettes. The long, layered look is a hairstyle that naturally suits a lot of face shapes; if you have a rounder face you could ask for layers starting around the jaw line to frame your face."
So is the "Kate" the new "Rachel" or "Pob"? According to the region's leading stylists, the style will be a big hit with ladies this summer mainly because there's little or no cutting required.
That said, competition comes in the form of US celebrity Kim Kardashian, whose glam and glossy raven locks are very popular with American clients, says Ted Morgan. Equally, the warm chestnut tones and tumbling curls of Queen Rania of Jordan are commonly requested by Dubai residents, says Ramnought.
So who's on back-combing duty on the big day? Tending to Kate Middleton's tresses will be James Pryce, a stylist at Richard Ward's top-end salon in London. Pryce was responsible for creating the bouncy, rich-brown mane we saw in Kate's engagement photos, but might a formal up-do be more fitting for her big day?
"She's a natural girl, and I think the style that will suit her best will be half up, half down with some curls," says Muneer Yassin, senior stylist and manager of Franck Provost UAE. "It's a little more old-fashioned for royal brides to wear their hair up and I've recently seen styles become more relaxed from the UK to Jordan. However, if Kate's dress has a high-collar or closed neckline, her hair would probably be better up. It really has a lot to do with the dress."
For more information, contact Ted Morgan Hair Group at 04 430 8190 or visit Unit GF05, Al Nafura Clubhouse, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE, www.tedmorganhair.com. For Franck Provost, call 04 362 9865 or visit Level 2, Mall of the Emirates, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE, www.franckprovost.com.
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Engine: 5-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 520hp
Torque: 625Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km
england euro squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
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Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
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When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)
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Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
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Number of employees: 8
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End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
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