Determined, entrepreneurial, and passionate about their craft, these talented makeup artists are representing their Arab roots globally.

AYA TARIQ
New York’s best-kept secret

After years working behind the scenes and backstage at upwards of 80 fashion shows, Saudi-Moroccan makeup artist Aya Tariq is making her mark in New York. As a child in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Tariq recreated dramatic music video looks seen on Nancy Ajram, Elissa, and Britney Spears. A few decades later, Tariq’s clients now include stars like her Met Gala client Imman Hammam, Lily Allen, Summer Walker, and Aweng Chuol. Citing working backstage with McQueen as one of her career highlights, Tariq has also led teams, heading her first New York Fashion Week show last season for Jasper Studios. But it was her viral work with artist Rama Duwaji for New York’s election night and the inauguration of her husband, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, that took Tariq’s career from backstage visionary to the main feed.

“I love working with Rama; I love her art and her vision,” gushes Tariq. “I wanted the look to be rooted in our culture; we love to emphasize the eyes back home! When she saw herself in the mirror, she looked at me and said, “You slayed this makeup.” The first lady of New York’s elegant yet nostalgic kohl liner and glowing skin were representative of not just Tariq’s flattering artistry but also the philosophy that drives her. “It’s always been my calling to try to bring attention to Arab representation. I think it’s important to not only represent but also invest in these talents. I want to show the world that Arab women aren’t just the stereotype they have in mind, [that] we have talent and taste.” Working in the US during a tumultuous period isn’t lost on Tariq, who points out the inequality in how Arab women are portrayed. “It’s easy to point to an Arab woman and say she has no rights because the news in the West only airs the worst of the worst,” she notes. “Many people in the industry want to hear a sad story about how I came here and escaped a horrible situation, but it’s far from the truth. I remember telling someone I’m from Saudi, and they responded with, ‘Congratulations on being here!’ ’. I was like, ‘You mean on-set?’ and they said, ‘In America. ‘I chuckled.”

Despite her international achievements, Tariq envisions an eventual homecoming as the major marker of her success. Following a visit to Jeddah to collaborate with MAC for Makram, she hopes to book designers like Ashi Studio and Eman AlAjlan. “I miss home so much,” she muses. “I’d go back to Saudi in a heartbeat if the industry had the same opportunities I get here. I’d love for fashion houses to hire me when they shoot in the Middle East. If they’re targeting Arab markets, I think Arabs should be part of the creation.”

ZEINA MECHAALANY
from student to master

A spur-of-the-moment move to Dubai was the catalyst for Zeina Mechaalany, who relocated from Lebanon after what was meant to be a quick visit. “I saw a version of my future there, along with opportunities that felt much bigger,” she reminisces. Once landed in the UAE, she took a chance and reached out to iconic makeup artist and brand owner Mohammad Hindash. Taken under his wing as his assistant, Mechaalany developed her skills with A-listers and princesses. “Beyond working with clients, collaborating alongside Hindash felt like attending a masterclass every day,” she says with a smile. “Zeina was my first assistant, the best assistant I could ask for… she’s become my little sister,” shares Hindash. “What I love about Zeina is that she has a fresh perspective on things, creating a beautiful dynamic that always felt collaborative and where we were both not afraid to critique.”

Mechaalany now works with some of the region’s best-known faces, including Zeina Makki, Mona Zaki, Elyanna, and Karen Wazen, and dabbles in the future frontiers of digital makeup, creating ultra-creative looks that go beyond earthly limits. Her style leans to the darkly editorial, with lashings of smoked-out eyes, bleached brows, and latex lips and motifs that recall iconic Lebanese looks with a futuristic sheen. “I’m drawn to editorial, artistic looks that feel expressive and intentional, and I love working with sharp, precise lines and blending colors in a way that creates movement and dimension across the eye,” she shares. “I love building characters and translating emotion or narrative into a visual identity.” Now back in Beirut, Mechaalany is championing local projects in a time where Lebanese creatives need more support than ever. With some releases postponed during her country’s time of distress, she’s pushing herself to persevere. “Even in moments where I feel proud of my work, there’s always an inner voice pushing me to go further, to dig deeper,” she emphasizes. “What I am truly proud of is the journey itself, the resilience it has built in me, the self-awareness it has forced me to develop, and the person I’m continuously becoming through it.”

YASMIN ISTANBOULI
the It girl go-to

Yasmin Istanbouli’s makeup career has come full circle, with the Jeddah-raised 28-year-old dedicating herself to beauty following a three-day course with Rihanna’s artist, Priscilla Ono. With a touch of serendipity, she would go on to assist Ono on-stage months later for that same course. After spending the majority of 2025 on tour with brat-era Charli XCX, the Palestinian-Korean is living her LA dreams. “My first ever Met Gala with Charli in 2025 was one of the biggest achievements of my career; I broke down crying once she walked the carpet,” she shares. Istanbouli’s client list now reads like the Billboard charts, working with Katseye, Camila Cabello, Gracie Abrams, Madison Beer, Maria Zardoya, Hilary Duff, and Justine Skye, and recently getting Olivia Rodrigo stage-ready for her viral Coachella set.

She’s also glammed Amelia Grey, Nara Smith, Amelia Dimoldenberg, and Simi and Haze Khadra, with her looks spanning on-tour drama to red carpet glow. Istanbouli cites Bella Hadid as her dream client. “Whenever I have a chance to work with an Arab client or colleague, it feels special. I always mention where I’m from because I want people to know,” she explains. Noticing Arab women are still typecast, she’s made it her mission to set them straight. “When people in the US meet me and find out I’m from Saudi, they’re always so shocked, because of how I look and dress and my tattoos,” she laughs. “I definitely don’t fit the stereotype of an Arab girl, but that’s what I feel like I’m proving to them: that their stereotypes are stereotypes. It’s important to make ourselves seen and known, to speak for ourselves and make space in these environments that people in the West may typically not see us in.”

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