Arwa Beig, an Indian American living in Dubai, turns 20 on September 16. Instead of throwing a birthday party to celebrate with her friends, she decided to launch #ArwasBeautyBelief, where the young girl gives beautiful makeovers to women on the frontline who have dedicated themselves to saving lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beig took a make-up course at the Glauca Rossi College of London in 2019. Her initiative combines her love for beauty with the ability to make women feel celebrated and empowered through these makeovers.

The young girl’s journey began when her mother, Zoha Beig, was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Arwa was 17 years old then. When she saw how uplifted her mother felt after getting her make-up done right after chemotherapy, she understood the power that a little makeover can do to make someone smile.

“In today’s day and age, doctors and nurses are the true living heroes. They work timelessly and selflessly helping others. I want to celebrate them,” says Beig. She was able to get in touch with a few health care frontline workers to give them a total beauty makeover and make them feel special for a day.

Health care workers elated

Dr. Kadambari Ramani from Aster Clinic Dubai was one of the several women who participated in the makeover initiative. She says, “It was art, with a purpose, executed amazingly well, and steeped in your love and passion for it. The makeover was so gorgeously done that I felt like I jumped right out of a fairy tale.”

The women were then treated to a luxurious dinner. Nurse Ivy Blanco Hortilano from Aster Clinic Dubai said, “This is the first time in 4 years of being in Dubai, that I felt special and appreciated for what I’m doing as a Nurse. The day that [Arwa Beig] invited us was a magical and memorable moment for me.”

Beig also gifted each woman with an open ticket to their home country to be able to see their loved ones that they have been away from during this pandemic.

Dreams of growth

Arwa’s Beauty Beliefs initiative will continue to inspire Beig every day and she dreams to empower women and grow her initiative to be an added value to the community of beauty.

Currently, Beig is in her second year of university studying Business management and marketing in a UK university while taking her classes online in Dubai. She tells Gulf News, “I want to keep this initiative going every month. For October, I would like to find people who have recovered from COVID-19 and give them a makeover as well. I hope to make this a monthly initiative.”