Asha D.

Asha is the proprietor of a well-known beauty salon in Dubai, having been associated with the beauty industry for the past 15 years. A former model, Asha has earned a reputation as a leading make-up artist in Dubai.

Asha is also an educational ambassador and master nail technician for a renowned nail company. As an ex-airline employee, Asha has utilised her expertise as an internationally trained make-up artist to be associated with film premiers, theatre, and fashion shoots, magazine and portfolio shoots.

She has also been instrumental in advising and grooming aspiring beauty queen contestants and has done make-up for international celebrities, including supermodels, Ms India, and Ms Universe. Having a forte in all types of make-up, Asha has been involved in training and grooming cabin crew for Emirates Airline and is also the make-up sponsor for Sony TV's Highlife Dubai programme.

Her cosmopolitan clientele range from prominent UAE nationals, Europeans to Indians, amongst other nationalities on her regular client list. She has earned several awards in her field of work.

Asha, along with two other top UAE educational ambassadors, was amongst the 250 educators worldwide who had the privilege of attending the 3-day global nail event in Frankfurt, Germany. The event was held to celebrate 25 years of Creative Nail Design in the industry and to introduce their new range of nail enhancement products, including the gel, Brisa, as well as to keep the educators on the cutting edge of nail technology.

Regularly, Asha has also been part of the creative team that styles the nails backstage of international models at the Dubai Fashion 2004 event, complimenting fashions created by leading designers such as Christian Dior, Ungaro, Christian La Croix, and Givenchy. The enthusiastic creative team fashioned and painted over 1000 nails, with the tips and toes of the 20 top models sashaying down the Dubai catwalk accessorising most harmoniously with their attire.

Asha, dubbed the "queen of colours" by Jan Arnold, founder of Creative Nail Design, conceived the novel idea of moving a step beyond the traditional French look by mixing mosaic and metro powders and creating enhancements not only to complement different skin tones but also match the clients' make-up tones/lipstick. This idea has inspired the creative team for their future product innovation, as quoted by Jan Arnold, CEO and Creative Director, Creative Nail Design.

Asha, who has bagged several awards over the past few years, is the recipient of three awards, including "Educator of the Year 2005", at the recently concluded Creative Institute held in Dubai. Asha educates at Momentum Beauty Products, the distributors of Creative Nail Design in the UAE.

Regarding nails, Asha had this to say:

• Your hand is one of your power tools that we constantly use and abuse. Understanding the hand is an important step towards maintaining its health.
• Without proper maintenance, hands can look unkempt and much older. Treat hands as delicately as we treat our face.
• Nails are the most important part of grooming; it reflects on your personality, self-image, and the attention you pay to details. Well-groomed nails and hands are a fundamental part of looking and feeling your best.

Today's beauty mantra indicates that "Looking Good is all about Feeling Good". It lifts your spirits and leads you to success. Nail care is not only a beauty and grooming essential - it's a must. Nails are an interesting and amazing part of the human body; they are small mirrors of the general health of the body. Healthy nails are smooth, shiny, and translucent pink. Nails need to be given the care they deserve; nail care is indispensable, with nails being the most highlighting feature of oneself. Asha says, "Attractive nails can be as good as a well-groomed face. The first thing I would notice in a person is the hands." Well-manicured nails can make the stud on the ring worth its true shine!

At the recently held Middle East Nail and Catwalk competition, her beauty salon won prizes in the professional nail and make-up categories.