Has Ozempic Changed Fashion? Primark Hits Dubai & Red Light Therapy Recs | SLME Podcast

15 Dec 2025 · 38 min · 20 chapters

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In short

Dubai fashion and beauty news; store openings (Primark, Ulta Beauty, H&M); celebrity/health controversies (Ozempic and plus-size messaging); wellness recs (red light therapy, supplements, peptides); TV and culture chatter.

Guests

Hibah Baker and Talar Bilemjian are Sheer Luxe Middle East team members and co-hosts alongside Tamara Jabi. They discuss fashion finds, regional designers, retail openings, and lifestyle trends.

Key claims

Ozempic use by plus-size/body-positivity figures is seen as contradictory to their brand messaging; celebrity endorsements get criticized due to perceived conflicts (e.g., Serena Williams/industry ties). Meadow Lane (NY “Air One” style) is described as elitist with a bouncer and $100+ spend barrier.

Notable examples

Dubai Fashion Week highlights Alberto Ferretti (AW26) and designer Emergency Room (Beirut flea-market patchwork; collaboration with Timberland). Guests recommend COSAS concealer + color corrector, Symbiotica immunity sachets, and a portable Lumaderm red light panel; they also mention BC157 peptide injections and caution about cancer history.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

Tap a time to open that second in VO

Exciting Fashion Events

0:45 to 2:21

Discussion about new happenings in the fashion world, including Dubai Fashion Week.

“New brands, new events, new activations, new collaborations.”

Emerging Designers at Fashion Week

2:21 to 3:59

Chat about new collections and noteworthy designers showcased at recent fashion events.

“That's iconic to have a regional brand collaborate with an international.”

Primark and Ulta Beauty Openings

3:59 to 5:16

Hosts discuss the upcoming openings of Primark and Ulta Beauty in Dubai.

“Brands I also don't know of that are not at Sephora and they're now at Ulta.”

Portable ATMs and Convenience

5:16 to 8:07

Conversation about the introduction of portable ATMs in Dubai and its implications.

TV Shows and Recommendations

8:07 to 9:54

Hosts share their thoughts on current TV shows and personal viewing preferences.

Fashion Finds and Personal Style

9:54 to 10:51

Discussion about what each host is wearing and personal style finds.

“It's just easy to have on when I'm, again, what did you say?”

Elsa Hosk's New Collection

10:51 to 14:00

Exploring the impact of Elsa Hosk's new collection and her transition into fashion business.

“Glenn Close is in it, and I love Glenn Close.”

Elsa's Fashion Brand Success

14:00 to 14:34

Explore how Elsa has successfully transitioned from model to business owner.

Strategic Marketing in Fashion

14:34 to 15:03

Learn about effective strategies in fashion marketing, especially on social media.

Personal Style and Brand Identity

15:03 to 15:48

Discuss the importance of personal style in branding and consumer attraction.

Show all 20 chapters

Fashion Finds and Trends

15:48 to 18:16

Share exciting fashion finds and discuss the latest trends in clothing.

“According to HIPAA I can but it's just there's just beautiful pieces and I feel like I have a lot of coats that are sitting in one of my closets and I'm like I just want to wear them but maybe I can.”

Regional Fashion Designers

18:16 to 19:42

Highlighting emerging regional designers and their unique offerings.

New Store Openings and Beauty Trends

19:42 to 21:48

Discussing the excitement around new H&M stores and beauty trends in the region.

“I'm super excited for the new H &M store that's opening in Mall of the Emirates.”

Cultural Experiences in UAE

21:48 to 23:58

Delve into new cultural attractions and experiences in the UAE.

“because she's a huge advocate for being makeup free.”

Upcoming Events and Collaborations

23:58 to 25:06

Exciting news about events and collaborations with brands and influencers.

“I just, I think that's one of the most interesting buildings I've ever seen.”

Celebrity Gossip and Discussions

25:06 to 28:01

Engage in discussions about celebrity news and industry standards.

“Well, now you know, there's the new ones open.”

The Controversy of Celebrity Endorsements

28:01 to 30:00

Discussion about the ethics of celebrities endorsing weight loss drugs, particularly in relation to their brand identities.

Trendy New York Stores and Their Impact

30:01 to 32:26

Exploration of the elitism surrounding a new upscale grocery store in Tribeca and its comparison to LA's Erewhon.

“And it was opened by a guy who used to live in LA.”

Skincare Products and Beauty Hacks

32:27 to 34:29

A conversation about favorite skincare products, including a new red light therapy panel and effective concealers.

“But yeah, I mean, that's something that I saw, which I thought was quite funny.”

Discussion on Supplements and Peptide Injections

34:30 to 37:16

Discussion on various health supplements, including peptide injections and their implications for health and skin.

“They have different options for supplements.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:05Hebah Baker:Hello and welcome to the Sheer Luxe Middle East podcast. I'm your host Tamara Jabi and I'm joined by my lovely team members Hibah Baker and Talar Bilemjian. Hello. Hi. Good morning. Good morning. Our last Sheer Luxe Middle East podcast of the year. But it's been a great year. Yeah, it's been a beautiful, beautiful year. yeah so much so much is happening with sheer lux that i'm so grateful to be a part of and obviously being a part of the team no honestly it's been such a pleasure like what a great year we've had on to our first topic new and noteworthy i feel like there's a lot of new stuff happening Yes, there is a lot.

0:51New brands, new events, new activations, new collaborations. I just saw that Dubai Fashion Week is actually having a guest designer, Alberto Ferretti, coming to the AW26 fashion show. So I'm really excited for them.

1:07Hebah Baker:Yeah, they always bring that one international designer. And this is going to be a nice one to see, I feel like. Yeah, I think because even Riyadh's Fashion Week got really good talent. They opened with Vivian Westwood, which was amazing. So good. They had archival pieces and then pieces from the new season. And it was just chef's kiss. And for them to also close with Stella McCartney was insane. Iconic. And she was there and it was amazing. Yeah. So I'm really happy that they're doing that now in Dubai. And I'm really excited for where they're taking Dubai Fashion Week as well. It's getting bigger and bigger.

1:42I mean, even this year, it was so fun to go and see all the shows together.

1:47Hebah Baker:The coverage that you guys did. I loved it. I love seeing you guys together. I feel like our audience also loves seeing you. We're always together. It's so fun. It's just a really fun time. We try our best. It's like you're tired, but at least you're together and you're enjoying it. And at the end of the day, you're seeing fashion, you're seeing new collections, and also seeing so many new designers because they're trying to introduce new designers as well. Not just from the region. No, no. It was pretty international this year. So that's why I always find it intriguing. because like again you always see the same collections usually from like her fashion week Milan fashion week so it's always interesting to see just new designers like one that I love specifically was emergency room yes oh yes emergency room they they they present at Dubai fashion week quite a bit actually but I've never heard of them and honestly it was such a beautiful collection yeah Eric the head the creative director he's so talented I mean I don't know how he makes he goes to the flea markets in Beirut and all these vintage markets and he basically creates the pieces from that and they were yeah yeah it's like patchwork but like very feminine I didn't know that background story that's amazing so I guess you can say eco-friendly yeah absolutely but he still makes it look like a corset dress like with that that kind of work wearable very wearable so beautiful the details of it and I love that they even had a collaboration with Simberland.

3:15Yeah, that was nice. It was so cool. That's iconic to have a regional brand

3:18Hebah Baker:collaborate with an international. I love when that happens. I know. When they merge the two because it brings up so much attention to the brand. Anything for you, new noteworthy? So I've been going to the mall a lot, obviously. And Primark and Ulta Beauty billboards have been catching my attention. They are both going to be opening in the early quarter, I think first month of 2026. So January Ulta is opening in Maldemaritz. Yes. Oh, and that's going to be really exciting because I love Ulta. It's, it's a great store in the US. So I've actually only been to Ulta once in the US, but their selection is massive.

4:01Hebah Baker:Brands I also don't know of that are not at Sephora and they're now at Ulta. I found it really interesting that Elf launched here with sephora yeah when in the u.s they're exclusive and ulta i didn't even think of that yeah no but i think they definitely stock at ulta they do they do and like target and oh right so they're not exclusive yeah but it's definitely it's like a pharmacy and sephora combined which is why i love it so it's kind of like a boots kind of yeah oh yeah i would think that they sell hair things like hair utensils body stuff makeup i mean like with more affordable price it's more affordable yeah I mean you wouldn't there are some brands that you can't find there that they would have in Sephora yeah yeah but I'm excited I'm excited especially beauty in the region is just huge and it's growing and I feel obviously everyone's always been dead set on Sephora so it's good to see some healthy competition yeah it's the biggest you know I wonder how they're gonna do it's gonna be exciting to see and yeah my sister my sister's been talking about also because she lives in the u.s for the longest time uh but i've yet to go yeah you're like what's what's this hype because they don't only have it at mall the embers they also have it at dubai mall like it's gonna be huge and the location in dubai mall to secure that location is unheard of it's right above the fashion atrium catch a block atrium which is where zara home massimo anthropology that circle upstairs right literally right there i mean it's right across LV as well also the whole so that location is prime prime location and speaking of prime prime mark speaking of prime mark yeah I'm excited to see how that's gonna work here I think it'll do well yeah yeah so it's in Meredith city center yeah it's at Meredith city center so the location is an interesting one because Meredith city center is known for getting like the Emirati clientele yes most mostly so it'll be an interesting yeah it's interesting to look at and Dubai goes well I'm not sure maybe they're opening I think two locations you're right the Murdeth one is the first one it's the first one have you guys heard of the portable ATMs yes I am so excited for that but I like the sound of that isn't that insane so basically you know how we have Cafu which is the portable gas in Dubai we can get gas on demand it's like Uber if we're parked at a place outdoors we can get a guy to come and fill up our gas it's the same price as the petrol station now you can get portable atms delivered to wherever you are to pull out cash but does someone fit like bring you a it's a car it's a car yeah i think it's a mission it's an actual vehicle okay it's a vehicle because i mean i don't know how everything is going cashless right yeah like that's the direction of the future because i go do my nails and they're like you don't accept cash so that's the direction of where we're going at that it's actually i know it's a dubai thing but it's very inconvenient to go find a atm an atm a hundred percent like the amount of times they're like oh sorry delivery well we know this delivery but cash only for your delivery and i'm like i don't where do i i don't even what is an atm what is an atm it's amazing yeah so i i'm so excited for that because i've been in situations i told her i always get the aramex delivery guy to come to my house and aramex for some reason doesn't accept credit cards really yeah they don't send payment links like a dhl would send a payment link yeah exactly sometimes but i mean sometimes other delivery guys don't accept don't accept card so me and him kept chasing each other he's like i'm coming you have a it was like a tender delivery fee and i kept saying I'm sorry I don't have cash I don't have cash and every time I go out I forget to get cash and at some point I was telling Tamara I'm like they should have an ATM delivered to your door because I just can't pay you should you should make three wishes because clearly that one of your wishes are granted oh yeah that's so that's exciting it's really convenient yeah I think it will do great and they're gonna have so many cars that they're gonna maybe Kareem will introduce it as a feature which i'm sure they will maybe they will because they should actually over just the markets in general it's insane the convenience level that's why i'll never move because the convenience we're too spoiled for choice yeah we're too spoiled everyone's talking about pluribus and for me it's just not doing it like i cannot understand the hype with the show are you watching it at all i didn't and i won't you won't watch it no because i i just from the ad I just was like I think I'm gonna get bored I mean I know it's from the same creators as Breaking Bad I don't mind snow burns but it needs to be like really captivating and I just I going to storyline is it not funny it's meant to be funny maybe there's a there's a there's a reason why it's it's portrayed in this way because it just sounds like a woman with privilege you know white woman privilege that's like screaming all the time and it's angry all the time and it's just it's just chaotic and i'm not a fan of it everyone else around her is happy is that the storyline exactly and i just i don't i just don't get it i don't get it i'll check it out i mean we have a long weekend there's so many shows to catch up on yes there's also all her fault oh all her fault that is one of the most talked about shows i didn't watch it i'm i'm i'm waiting to save it for this weekend so i can watch it so all her fault and the beast in me is another show you should watch yeah netflix there's a lot of new shows that are out i feel like apple tv nine at times out of ten produced really great shows like i love severance one of my favorites but also very slow i was close to giving and that's a prime example of i can handle a slow burn but pluribus i just i just don't get it god god bless you severance i watched five minutes and i'm like i'm done yeah i put all's fair back on yeah but you know that now they're producing shows where they know that you are double screening so they produce storylines that are even more easy to understand that's like a new thing that they're doing with shows and i'm like please don't because that just ruins like the art of cinema and the art of slow burns well you can go back to all's fair if you want to my tv taste is just but how is all's fair is that a good show i know it's horrible I heard it's the worst show ever.

10:20No, it's not a good show. It's rated like 0 % on Rotten Tomatoes. It's just easy to have on when I'm, again, what did you say? Double screening? But I do love the outfits. I heard. I mean, they are so over the top. You would never wear these like a day in your life. I mean, I watch the Housewives religiously for them. Yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah.

10:41Hebah Baker:Don't come to us for good show recommendations. Kim K talks about how she pulls out like archival pieces from big designers. Whatever she pulls out, I just, I don't think anything looks good on her. I'm so sorry. Hot take, hot take. Glenn Close is in it, and I love Glenn Close. I mean, the cast is great. No, the cast is insane. The cast is insane, but the show, not so good. The storyline is just, yeah, you don't need to pay that much attention.

11:12Hebah Baker:Okay, on to fashion finds. Actually, let's talk about what we're all wearing today. Hippam, we'll start with you, Miss Blue. this is from the frankie shop i found it on the altnet which is honestly such uh i don't know if people go on the altnet as much you i know we spoke about it a bit but they have such great finds yeah for a fraction of prices 100 cents so i mean i always get targeted ads so it's like i see things the perfect target and then you just click on it and it keeps finding you so i got is from there skirts is from top shop and my heels are from zara nice you guys are matching today because you're both in a shirt skirt just pointy toters literally i love that um so today my shirt is from it's a shirt that's the name of the store all right you spoke about this before yes i got it when i was in athens they only make collar shirts and they ship worldwide um the skirt is from reserved and the shoes are old Zara and my earrings are from Unas.

12:17Lovely. Matching. And what about you?

12:20Hebah Baker:I look very corporate today. I feel like I should be part of Olds Fair. Yes, team. But the realistic version. Yeah. The actual lawyers. I'm wearing a top by Lime. favorite mine oh my god the hunch belt i think these are old zara and then my shoes are tony bianco nice we all got the pointy toe yeah pointy shoe him though corporate corporate corporate you could never go wrong with the earrings i love them i saw jane wearing them yesterday is it the similar i think they're similar these are actually h &m really they're beautiful face of james so yeah i don't know what jane's brand what she had talking to me about it yesterday the brand yeah she was like i really want you guys to be in on it because like her her jewelry her jewelry yesterday was amazing so jane is a founder of we are most so which is an agent nice and uh yeah she was wearing really cool jewelry yes but these are h &m i found them in london and i get the most compliments on they're really beautiful so jane also has the hunch as a as a client oh amazing your belt love yeah their belts honestly their belts are to die for the whole shirak's office is obsessed with the hunch i mean we found a dupe on massimo we did i might get that yeah honestly it's a very good dupe it's a very good i was i was quite i was so happy when you sent it i was like like there you go i mean honestly come to me if you want any dupe of anything yes hiba is your girl like literally it could be like i want to match this with this i need to find this within minutes it's there oh fine i just saw on tiktok elsa husk's new collection oh my god fabulous she can do no wrong honestly those pieces are really nice and the styling of the campaign is amazing yeah really gorgeous pieces there's already a lot of pieces sold out so she posted she was like oh my god how incredible what is that because the price points are so good for what they are like just the construction of it I love like how she accentuates a woman's body as well like she has the shoulder pads which obviously we talk about a lot the cinched waist everything that you need in an item yes with a good contemporary price point like she nails it down and I think she's doing such a great job because it's really hard to transition from a model to like a business owner absolutely obviously with Victoria Beckham show on basically how she transitions in the struggle like i think elsa did an exceptional she did she did she's talking to an audience that is social first so she gets it she understands the strategy of how to launch her brand i think the way that she lets fashion influencers on tiktok especially in on her collection ahead of time and lets them educate their audiences about it is really smart yeah but i also what i appreciate about her is you know how all these brands now are doing like brands destination events so like they do a takeover and that's how they basically promote their brands she is the brand so all of her campaigns all of her imagery she doesn't ask influencers as much to do things it's just her being captured in Tokyo and it's just the way she styles it and dresses it that that's what people are buying into it's like her style and her brand and she is the brand that puffer jacket with the faux fur is so cool like it's a bubble puffer jacket and it has faux fur and I think all that her connection has a bunch of faux fur accents and I really wish we could wear it here more often.

15:48Hebah Baker:You can! Ask HIPAA! According to HIPAA I can but it's just there's just beautiful pieces and I feel like I have a lot of coats that are sitting in one of my closets and I'm like I just want to wear them but maybe I can. You can! Tal any fashion finds? Yes I found two things that I definitely am adding to cart this week. One is a jacket from a really cool brand called Elio okay and it is a khaki kind of uh I guess you can say half trench and they have embellished diamantes and shells all over the jacket so it looks like it's just a simple trench but if you add it to anything a pair of pants jeans it instantly will elevate your look nice and I think it's perfect for this region's climate like it's not a heavy coat sorry I know you just talked about a puffer but it's easy to wear you can just like add a little glam to any look and the second piece is from a Lebanese brand she is called Yara Hey Dud and I don't know if you saw her necklaces it's like a gold chair no it looks like a plastic you know the chairs you see in babies the classic ones the classic ones the white ones yeah but made from silver and gold oh my god I love that Yeah.

17:06I would love that. And it's just like very cool. And it's just a chair and she does it as a ring. That is awesome. I would love that. Right? That reminds me of my childhood. So original. Yeah.

17:16Hebah Baker:That is like our childhood. That is our upbringing. The chair. That white plastic chair at every single like function. With some old man sitting on it smoking. Literally at Sporting Beach Club in Lebanon. Right? I'm done. Oh my goodness. So I thought that was very unique and fun. And just can add again some fun to your outfit. If you're just wearing like a black or white t-shirt. absolutely and i love that it's in like silver and gold so yeah as a basis yeah it's like it's like i'm classic but also chic yes exactly love that i think we're obsessed with jackets clearly i just bought a jacket from jessica k they had a pop-up here last month i saw and she has this amazing it's called the roman jacket and it has this like quilt detail with zebra lining and it is stunning i just i literally can't wait to wear it like you'll see me in the next yeah wearing it i don't care if it's not the right weather i'm wearing this jacket of course i can't wait to see it she's amazing she has great products and her jewelry accessories are gorgeous as well i need to check her website yeah i wanted to go to the pop-up but i didn't have enough that because it was over two days two days yeah it was a quick one but i'm sure she'll come back to dubai more often she's always in the region she's amazing what about you hiba i came across a lebanese brand as well uh tala sammak she's new and she does such beautiful just like cocktail wear or evening wear that's simple but timeless and i think it's so cool if you want something for like the upcoming festive season for christmas um but she has this bordeaux sequence just like very plain and clean dress that's like on the body a column dress and it's like fatless and it's so beautiful stunning honestly you can wear it in so many different occasions and she has in different colors um and then she also has this corset strapless uh top and column skirt so very you can wear it in different ways and i like how sometimes things get so over complicated but you just want a simple look that you can wear time and time again yeah and accessorize in different ways as well like you said and then also there's another regional designer called elevens which is a sunglass brand um she's actually a friend of mine that just launched and she has this you know how i'm very much into green now um and she launched these aviators which are so cool that are like a khaki green color that i have on my wish list so i'm excited to get great with your outfit love that's really nice a lot of great regional eyewear brands yes sun suns from bahrain yes karen was and obviously is amazing they're doing eyewear pretty well here i feel like yeah It's nice that the region is coming out with so many.

19:58Hebah Baker:Khwab. Khwab is another one. Yeah.

20:06Hebah Baker:On to Mustn't Miss. Anything you guys want to talk about? I'm super excited for the new H &M store that's opening in Mall of the Emirates. Obviously, the Dubai Mall opening was so successful. It was huge. The activations, fitting room, the whole layout is insane. so I'm super excited to see what they're going to do with Mall of the Emirates as well. Yeah, and the location at Mall of the Emirates is changing. So before it was on the other side next to Victoria's Secret, next to Marks and Spencer, and now it's right dead in the center. It's huge. It's a huge space. Honestly, location is key, so I think that's definitely going to help.

20:46But I'm also noticing that the collection is so good now.

20:50Hebah Baker:The collections are insane. I mean, I literally just bought a jacket that looks like an Isabel Marant dupe. It is a denim funnel neck, which is my new favorite. Everyone's favorite jacket. Like it is just so cool. I wore it to Sephora. I will say I advise not to do that ever again. It was so hot on the first day, at least I was like boiling, but I committed to the look. I love that jacket. I will be wearing it again. So it will be on repeat in our next videos. Yeah, it looks amazing. So, so good. But H &M have been killing it. And the fact that they have a beauty section with regional brands. Yes.

21:28Which I think they're trying, they're seeing, I think everyone's seeing that beauty is like taking over. And obviously with the amount of new brands that are launching now, especially also Noor Arita just launched her skincare brand.

21:41Hebah Baker:Skincare brands. She's starting off with lips and then she's going to build that collection over time. But I love that. I actually think Noor Arita is doing a great job because she's a huge advocate for being makeup free. She sometimes wears two events to kind of build a statement of like, yes, I'm comfortable in my skin. I think that's a really strong message to portray to the younger audience. And she also is launching her own reality show. Yes. Oh, really? She is. She's killing it. She's doing really well. What about you? Anything to must and miss? Yes. So I'm very excited. I really am dying to go to the newly opened Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi.

22:18Yes. The architecture looks phenomenal. my friend went last week and she said it's actually so fun and it's so interesting they have so many artifacts and like dinosaur skeletons they have a meteorite piece in the museum yeah wow and um they have like what the they have a futuristic section too and I just think it's such

22:42Hebah Baker:an immersive new thing to go and see a family day out I think that's really amazing for the younger generation the new generation of uae residents because obviously when we were growing up in the city we didn't have all these amazing things we would travel and see them and it's amazing to go and explore those cultural things when you travel but to have it here is yeah maybe you should do a group trip we absolutely should i would love to because i also love that not everyone like not everyone's in the art scene so obviously usually museums are like curated for artists and people who are like born to conceptualize things.

23:19So I like that you can actually go and see not just the history, but also the future. Because that's what they're also showcasing as well.

23:26Hebah Baker:Have you guys been to the Museum of the Future in Dubai? I haven't, no. You know, we as a group have not been, but everyone that has come to visit... Oh, you've been? I haven't been. You haven't been. Okay, so cultural day out. Which is crazy because we should go and all the tourists go and we need to make a trip. I mean, the Shear Ducks UK team have been, so we need to go. Yeah, I think we do. because when something's here dedicated, I don't know, is it dedicated for the tourists? Because I just don't think to go. I think, I mean, I know tourists love to go, but I know a few friends that live here that have been.

23:58And they say it's really fun. I just, I think that's one of the most interesting buildings I've ever seen. And at night, the architecture of it with the lighting, everything just is so beautiful at night. It's beautiful. It brings the whole place together.

24:12Hebah Baker:So Sarah Jessica Parker is the new creative director of a jewelry brand called Astria. I don't know if you guys have heard of it. No, never. But they have a new boutique at the Mandarin Oriental in Jumeirah. And so she's coming to Dubai. And we're going to do a little segment with her. That is exciting. I know. But I'm so excited because we're going to go through like what she's packing and what she's wearing for the trip in Dubai. So that's a really exciting thing that's coming up. I also think Mandarin in general as a brand is killing it because they've opened up Mandarin Oriental downtown, which is another location.

24:43Hebah Baker:Oh, as we know, Oh my goodness. So Hiba had an event to go to for the Astri skincare launch event. I was so excited to go because it's a Saudi skincare brand. Oh, amazing. Yeah, they just launched their skincare line. They have makeup, but they just launched skincare. And I put in Hiba's calendar to go to the Mandarin. But I had put Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah instead of downtown. So she went all the way to Jumeirah. It's okay. But it's fine. I'm sorry. It's fine. That was on me. Well, now you know, there's the new ones open. Yeah, so Mandarin Oriental downtown. And there's also a Mandarin Oriental opening in Shetta as well.

25:21Oh, interesting.

25:22Hebah Baker:So there are a lot of new things happening.

25:28Hebah Baker:On to hot topic, celebrity gossip. Guys, I'm chronically on TikTok. Yes. And I don't know if you've seen this, but the beef between Ashley Graham and her sister, Maddie Graham, I don't know if you've seen this. Did not see it, no. So Ashley Graham, as we know, is the, you know, famous Victoria's Secret plus size model. She's been in a lot of different campaigns, including one with Dima Ayad as well. Really? Yeah, so she's been featured in Dima Ayad's clothing. That's amazing. And, you know, she's very well loved in the industry. But her sister, Maddie, is coming out with tell-all stories about her history with Ashley.

26:08Hebah Baker:And it's very ugly. It's very savage. You don't really know which side to pick. I mean, if you have obviously deep-rooted trauma, like why would you lie about it? I mean, you could lie about it, but I feel like it's a very, the way that she's talking about her family issues is really intense on TikTok. That's really, that's so sad, right? You never know what side to pick because even the whole Meghan and Harry situation, you know how Meghan's family got so involved with the whole drama of it. I find that it just gets really ugly. Meghan Markle? Yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah, it's very, very interesting.

26:41Hebah Baker:And now my whole feed on TikTok is girls sharing their like traumas, all their traumas of like how their family have disowned them. Like a lot of things. Tamara, that's so sad. I don't know what I'm curating on my TikTok. Let's talk about food and fun stuff. So your algorithm should give us the trauma. I know, I know. I find it interesting actually on the whole point of the plus size model industry. So obviously everyone's promoting plus size models and body positivity and just embracing your body. But I find it very interesting how those women who became known for the plus size model industry are now taking a Zampik.

27:25And becoming very skinny. And becoming skinny and saying you've actually helped women accept their body and accept themselves. and then now you're taking Ozampic which is your way to like lose weight so was it that you accepted your body but now it's just easier and then you just went to what you're more comfortable that

27:45Hebah Baker:discourse is really popular online because even Meghan Trainor who sings all about that base and all about the base is about her body and having you know extra curves she's now lost a lot of weight and has she yeah and people are slamming her because they're like hello all about that base like you're supposed to be embracing your curves and her argument is that she was really young at the time I think she was 19 when that clung came out so she's like I grew up I learned about how to take care of my body I learned that I was close to having diabetes and I wanted to get fit and I wanted to do it for myself so it's it's okay for people to change but it's so true that people are really slamming especially the Hollywood industry for not accepting their bodies because they that's what their money maker is brand identity exactly is selling that to women and then now all of a sudden you're taking a drug that's basically helping you lose weight um so i kind of feel like it's a bit contradicting because even for me serena williams going on authentic for me is the most sorry but like bizarre thing that i've ever seen but there you go the spokesperson for it or something she's yeah she's like a brand ambassador but it's because her husband has stakes in in that in that company so it's it's kind of it's a very gray area it's a very interesting way because it's like you we know that you have stakes and you make profit off selling this drug so for you to now be the brand ambassador and saying that i use this drug when you know that your husband makes the money like it's very interesting yeah it's very tangled web especially but for me it's like having her background as being like an athlete and and her being so successful and she worked so hard for her for her career and her success and she has so many eyes on her as a role model so I just feel like it paints a very different picture of her in my eyes because she's done so well and then for her to do this just kind of for me at least like discredits a bit of her what she's promoting as like a yeah the other side of the argument is that perhaps sometimes you do need you get to a point where you do need a little extra assistance just like you would other drugs to lose weight to lose weight so it's a really interesting gray area it falls on ethics as well like it's a not it's not a clear cut yes or no it's kind of like very interesting topic to talk about yeah so recently I was on TikTok and I saw this kind of new controversy of a store called Meadow Lane it just opened in New York in Tribeca and it's like quoted as the New York's air one.

30:19And it was opened by a guy who used to live in LA. I don't think he's from LA, but he opened the store and some people love it, whereas some people are saying it's horrible. It's like so elitist. There's a bouncer outside. There's a bouncer outside? Yeah, you have to wait in line to get into the market. And it's like they're showing videos of the supermarket and it just looks like it looks like a boutique. I mean, it's like just perfectly lined products. Apparently, their to-go food is really good, which is why people are going. Okay. But some people said like they got their famous gluten-free chicken nuggets and it was like raw inside.

31:00No. So and you can't go in. It's like Air One. You can't go in without spending$100.

31:05Hebah Baker:I mean, yeah. Where is it located? Prime Real Estate? Like, yeah, it's in Tribeca. So it's like and I was just watching everyone and what they bought and I was thinking to myself hmm would I go probably yeah just to see and maybe buy some things and check it out but it's just like it's so funny how your brain works I mean I love air one I am a victim of air one yeah but um the whole bouncer outside the door thing is just like it's a bit much a bit much but I feel like it's a spectacle to go see once maybe take a photo and then that's it would you actually shop there and then someone commented everyone waiting in line shopping there is not actually from new york no way probably not it's like a tourist attraction yeah but i'm sure new yorkers are like if i mean if it was the equivalent of air one they'd be so excited because i mean i love that yeah but anyone can just label themselves as something right exactly i can just come here and say okay i want to open an air one yeah and i can just jump on the bandwagon of doing it but i I can so see Erewhon coming to Dubai.

32:07Yes.

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32:08Hebah Baker:It is such a city for it. People would eat that. Yeah, 100%. It's a great spot. Exhibit A. Wearing aloe and like with a matcha, waiting in line. Going to Pilates the next. And probably Tal doing her foods market dash. Definitely. We would love to actually love to see that. I would need a five-hour market dash in there. But yeah, I mean, that's something that I saw, which I thought was quite funny. It is really funny. I find it hilarious that when you see the products that are in these stores, like especially air one it is it's comical to me yeah and the prices are comical strawberries for like 40 or like what is raw organic uh almonds like what is what is the difference with just normal i won't lie i am the perfect victim yeah she's like oh sign me up to that 20 smoothie

33:02Hebah Baker:okay guys what is a product that you can't live without I'm currently obsessed with the COSAS Extra Brightening Concealer. I didn't know that they had two different types. Obviously, it's always helpful to go to the masterclass because they have the regular concealer, but then they have the color corrector, which makes such a big difference. Obviously, we're not sleeping as much these days from all the events, all the work that we've been doing. So it really makes a difference to put that under the concealer. Absolutely. Like you need to correct the color before you apply the concealer on top.

33:36Hebah Baker:I don't, to be fair, I love it too. I'm obsessed with the Reveader Concealer especially, but I don't always do it, but I think it does make a massive difference. I'm wearing it today. Are you? Yeah. That's really good. We woke up early today for this podcast. We need that color corrector. Yeah. What about you, Tal? So I actually, I currently bought a Lumaderm red light panel. It's about this big. It's super easy. You can also take it when you go traveling it is a red light it's basically a huge red light and it's boosts collagen helps inflammation and it just feels really nice on the skin so i'll plug it in in the morning i can drink my coffee you can even do a little scroll amazing and you just sit on top of sit in front of it yeah you can put it on your desk and it's just really i don't know i love it it's highly beneficial it's probably less claustrophobic than having a mask i didn't like the face mask because you can't really do much with it on so and they were all a bit big for my face so this one is perfect and it's it's just easy and anyone can use it it's portable too yeah what about you i am obsessed with this brand called symbiotica i think i've told you guys about it it is the supplements brand they have these sachets immunity boosting sachets which carried me through fashion week carried me through my summer in ibiza carries me through event season in Dubai.

34:59Hebah Baker:It is an amazing brand. They have different options for supplements. They also have mushroom complex supplements as well. What I love about it is that there's sachets so you could just like sip it so you don't have to put it in water. This is the biggest thing for me because sometimes with hydration sachets, you get kind of lazy by putting it, adding it to a water bottle. You have to actually get a water bottle. This should just like have, which is great. And they have a glutathione one, which I swear by other people that I've spoken to swear by because it actually makes a difference for your skin and it really brightens your skin and helps with your gut yeah i need to try that sachet i do the elderberry one yes which i love i think i tried that one the purple one is amazing so good uh ever well the first time i discovered that brand was that air one actually yeah someone just gives a contract um but it is very convenient and it's just it tastes good too i mean no i'm not you don't like it i like the very one i find it a bit too sweet it's always the case i mean if you're if you're a candy lover i feel like you'd like it yeah but i'm more of a chocolate person make a chocolate flavor yeah there you go i will absolutely eat that up i'll have like 10 i might overdose on it actually but also guys i've if you heard about peptides injections i follow this tiktoker whose name is rachel niche i think she's based in the u.s and she does this series which is things my pilates clients have talked about today and it's a really funny it's such a funny series because she just like brings the audience in and i think it's a really smart way i'm not sure if they always talk about the things that she actually says but i think it's a really interesting thing she said that the people in her pilates class are talking about peptide injections and they're called bc they're called bc 157 injections and these peptide injections are meant to be extremely anti-inflammatory they're meant to help with your gut health people are swearing by it but there is a there is a disclaimer in the comments of people saying if you have a history of cancer in your family like do not take these oh yeah that's a big yeah it's a massive disclaimer so i feel like this is like all the rage now people are talking about peptides peptides injections but it's really important to talk to your medical professional about it because if you have history and also everyone's experimenting with skincare now right there's like the salmon dna and there's also so many different variations of it that people are putting in their face but we don't know the side effects of it just yet especially if they're new yeah and also even with all these like nuts milks like you have the oat milk and then you have the soy milk and you have all of these different variations and now slowly people are coming out saying like no actually oats milk spikes up your insulin levels like soy is not that great for you so there's so many things that we're trialing and erring right now so it's like i don't want to be the guinea pig for different things i know all right guys that wraps up today's podcast thank you so much for being on today and if you like today's podcast please like comment and subscribe and we'll see you guys next time

From the publisher

Welcome back to the SheerLuxe Middle East Podcast – and to our final episode of the year. Hebah Baker and Talar Bilemjian join Tamara Jabi. The three get into the region’s fashion momentum – from Dubai Fashion Week’s guest designer Alberta Ferretti to Riyadh Fashion Week opening with Vivienne Westwood and closing with Stella McCartney – before spotlighting the emerging names they’re loving, including Dubai favourite Emergency Room and its new Timberland collab. They also unpack the retail launches set to shake up 2026, from Ulta Beauty and Primark landing in the region to a clever “portable ATM” service that feels peak-Dubai convenient. There’s chat about what they’re watching (and avoiding), what they’re wearing, and the fashion finds heading straight into their carts. They also run through the cultural openings you can’t miss – including Abu Dhabi’s Natural History Museum – the latest celebrity chatter, and the broader Ozempic/body-positivity conversation. Finally, they share the products they can’t live without right now, from Kosas’s colour-correcting concealer to a portable red-light panel and Cymbiotika’s supplement sachets.


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