I didnt choose Make-Up, it chose me: Raheima Al Bloushi

Raheima Al Bloushi is one such person, who decided to make a thriving business out of her inborn talent and unstoppable passion. Raheima is a renowned Make-Up Artist in the UAE. Within a few months of stepping into the official arena, she has turned out to become one of the most coveted make-up artists in the region. Well, what’s her secret to this? To find an answer to this question, the Day of Dubai team sets out for a candid talk with Raheima.

Among a myriad of professions, what made you choose Make-Up?

Did I choose make-up?” Raheima ponders for a while and comes back saying, “Perhaps make-up chose me, I’d say.”

Before I took it up as a profession, I used to experiment with my make-up skills on my cousins, other family members and friends, and to my surprise, it came out that they loved it. Every time they attended parties, weddings and similar occasions donned in my make-up, they were often asked about the make-up artist behind it. They would come back and share with me the compliments they received regarding the make-up. This elated me highly, also it gave me the confidence to kick start something new and big. So, I’d rather say that make-up chose me and not the other way around.”

Has it come out purely out of talent or have you done a course in the same?

Yes, once I got serious about it, I registered myself for a number of courses, one being Layali’s Master Classes on make-up. I also attended a course ‘Make-Up Forever’ conducted by Global Academy for Training and Development in Dubai Mall.”

Who are your major customers? What are your specializations?

My customers include women from different age categories. I have done the job for a number of famous families in the UAE and a few celebrities as well. I also do Bridal Make-Up. However, I do not like the idea of only brides getting the make-up done. Isn’t it a nice thing to do? I want everybody to try make-up and enjoy it.

Once it happened that a client was in Oman, and she wanted me to do her Bridal Make-Up on her big day. And I travelled all the way to Oman and got the job done for her. Even though it demanded more effort from me, I was happy doing it. I was happy that my clients valued me, and chose me even on their weddings.”

Tell us your Favourite-Five in Make-Up.

If you mean brands, then I am confused and I can’t just point out a mere 5. In case of make-up products, if you insist I’d filter out my favourites to blusher, mascara, foundation, eye shadow and lipstick of course!”

How do you like your profession?

I love it. I am doing it for my passion, before money. The monetary income is only secondary. It is more about making people happy and confident. I find it really nice. I associate a lot of importance to communication in the profession. Also, I have no intentions to leave my clients bankrupt after a make-up session,” she laughs, “I ask only reasonable price from my clients. After all, why should it be so expensive? We aren’t rubbing gold on their faces. This doesn’t mean that I compromise on the quality either. I pick up the best brands and ensure that my customers are served with what they want.

I strongly believe in business etiquettes that all the parties involved in it have to follow. It creates a seamless connection between you and the clients. I consider my client’s demands and needs at first and I am ready to change the styling techniques to make them happy.

I have recently started taking my business into social media platforms, and the response has been overwhelmingly great. I have clients every week.”

Apart from a make-up artist, what else are you?

I am the mother of 3 kids. The elder one studies in grade 4 and the second one in grade 2. The youngest is in Kindergarten. I am a great fan of sports. I love playing volleyball. I encourage my kids for the same. All three of them play jiu-jitsu and are enrolled in the Al Ahli Club. I want them to think that sports is important as well. Apart from the physical gain, it also instills sportsman spirit in their minds. I want them to learn that winning and losing are part of the game and we have to strengthen ourselves to endure both. I want them to be patient, strong and stand for themselves.

In fact, my youngest one is to face a big match of jiu-jitsu next month.”

So, how do you manage to hold all this together in the 24hrs you have each day?

There’s nothing like running short of time. One thing I have realized is that when you love something, you will find time to do it. Otherwise, you’ll never find the time to do things. At times I also treat myself with a day off from the chaos, I relax and play with my kids in some beautiful place. It’s true that I grow tired at the end of a busy day, but it always comes with an even larger share of happiness.”

Follow her on Instagram @rbmakeup26