The first wave of celebrity guests has been announced for the 2016 Dubai Shopping Festival.
DSF is an annual, month-long event, which has become synonymous with packed malls and sparse parking spaces. Until February 1, DSF will run discounts at malls, family activities, live entertainment shows, raffles, workshops and fashion shows.
The schedule and exactly what the celebrity events are hasn’t been announced, but we know Bollywood star Nagris Fakhri and Cheerleader singer Omi will make appearances, amidst a throng of beauty bloggers.
tabloid! breaks down the who’s who of famous faces popping into town.
OMI
OMI is a Jamaican-American singer who shot to fame with his 2014 earworm single, Cheerleader. The song was released off of his debut album, M 4 U, and became a worldwide hit in 2015. It nabbed the No. 1 spot in 20 countries, including America, the UK, Canada, Australia, France and Germany. The song was first released in 2012 and topped the charts in Jamaica, as well as receiving air play from Dubai to Hawaii.
Nargis Fakhri
Nargis Fakhri, 36, is a model and actress. Fakhri was born in Queens, New York, to a Pakistani father and a Czech mother, and was introduced to the public in 2004 on the talent competition America’s Next Top Model. She was a semi-finalist two seasons in a row. In 2011, Fakhri made her acting debut in the Bollywood musical drama, Rockstar!!, followed by Madras Cafe and Main Tera Hero. She made her Hollywood debut earlier this year, with a small supporting role in the film Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham.
Maya Mia
At 32, Maya Mia — born Maya Janeska — is a self-taught Tanzanian beauty blogger and make-up artist. She began her YouTube channel in 2012. Her first video was titled “Secret to Long Beautiful Hair.” Since then, she’s become known for her step-by-step make-up tutorials. On Instagram, she has 1.7 million followers; on Youtube, she has over 930,000 subscribers. Early on in Mia’s career, she was noticed by Anastasia Soare, creator of popular make-up brand Anastasia Beverly Hills, and collaborated with her. This resulted in one of Mia’s biggest milestones: the Anastasia Maya Mia eyeshadow palette.
Mona Kattan
Mona Kattan is an Iraqi-American beauty blogger, who moved from America to the UAE in 2002. She currently runs MasterMind PR and co-manages The Dollhouse Salon. She’s also sister to Huda Kattan, the make-up artist behind the false lash brand Huda Beauty.
Pernia Qureshi
Pernia Qureshi, born to a Pakistani father and an Indian mother, is a dancer-turned-designer. As a stylist, has worked with fashion heavyweights such as Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and Conde Nast. In 2010, she designed costumes for the Bollywood film, Aisha. Since then, she started up Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop, a website that features several exclusive collections from Indian designers and ships worldwide. The online portal calls itself “India’s first true fashion website”. In 2013, Qureshi released a book titled, “Be Stylish with Pernia Qureshi.”
Hrush Achemyan
Hrush Achemyan is a make-up artists to the celebs, and her most notable clients are the Kardashians and Jenners. Achemyan has glammed up Khloe, Kylie and Kendall with sun-kissed looks, often going heavy on the contouring and soft on the matte nude lips. Achemyan is also a beauty blogger, since launching her website Styled by Hrush in 2013, where she posts how-to tutorials and product reviews.
Buthaina Al Raisi
Buthaina Al Raisi, 32, is an Omani actress. She has a large online following, with over 3.2 million on Instagram.
Lilly Ghalichi
Lilly Ghalichi is a lawyer-turned-reality TV star-turned beauty blogger. She first gained popularity in 2012 after being on the television show Shahs of Sunset, which followed a group of Persian friends around Los Angeles. Ghalichi, 32, now owns the company Ghalichi Glam, and has become known primarily for her fake lash line, Lilly Lashes, as well as her online make-up school. Ghalichi considers herself a businesswoman and entrepreneur; she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business before becoming a lawyer.
