Nour Arida is the Beirut-based style maven behind luxury blog N For Nour. We caught up with her while she was in town to talk fashion, beauty and what she has on the horizon.
Motto to live by: Simplicity is king | Best advice: Be yourself no matter what | People who have taught you the most: My parents | What inspires you: Travel | Most cherished possession: My wedding band | Your personality in three words: Sensitive, cold, loyal | What makes you laugh: When my husband imitates someone | Goals for the year: Another cover story in a big magazine | Something we don’t know: I’m VERY disorganised | What’s your fascination with tattoos: For me, each tattoo reminds you of a certain period in your life (an accomplishment, a person, an event) and that is amazing | What does family mean to you: The world | Last book that you read: The Guardian. I love Nicholas Sparks books | Song on repeat: Skinny Love by Birdy | Favourite food: Everything! But mostly sushi, Italian and Lebanese | Favourite beach destination: Santorini | Ideal holiday: Argentina – for the food, the architecture and most importantly to discover some young fashion talent. They have some really cool emerging designers | Favourite place in the world to visit: South America | Favourite travel partner: My husband | Where you will travel to this summer: Greece | Travel essentials: A book, hydrating cream and lipstick | Favourite thing about summertime: Having all of my friends around | Favourite restaurants in Beirut: Emm Sherif and Meat The Fish.
Favourite local designer: Rami Kadi and Thyme | Heels or flats: Flats | Style icon: Kate Moss | Favourite fashion blogs: Rocky Barnes, Caroline Daur and Chiara Ferragni | Signature style: Simple, raw and edgy | Best denim brand: Levis, R13, Alexander Wang and J Brand will always be the perfect pair of classics | Bag of the moment: Céline clasp bag | Favourite city to shop: New York! I’m in love with the stores in Soho, I also love the flagship stores of brands such as Alexander Wang, Theory, Vince and Helmut Lang. I’m also into arts so it's an excellent spot to discover rising artists | Trend to covet for spring/summer: Statement sleeves, big shoulder and pink (shhh… It's a secret! I never thought that I would like pink) | Blow-dry or au-natural: Au-natural | Best hair-treatment: Kerastase Nutritive | Favourite beauty brand: Lancôme and Chanel | Your new beauty look for spring/summer? Colourful eyeshadows | Biggest beauty faux pas? Fake lashes | Staple lipstick shade: Red | Nail colour for May: Blue and nude | Time to get ready in the morning: About an hour | Signature scent: L'Heure de Nuit by Guerlain | Signature beauty look: A general rule I follow is to always make sure my makeup doesn't change my features. I'm all for natural looks, but with red lips, always | How you achieve the natural look: I make sure that my concealer and foundation are extremely well blended in with my skin in terms of texture and colour. Then I add just a tinge of earth-coloured eye shadow on my eye-lids and some mascara to highlight the eyes. I'm also into coloured mascaras. I finish with a bit of bronzer and some bold red lips | Daily beauty regime: First and foremost, I always wear sunscreen to protect my skin. I try to keep it hydrated with Korean Hydration masks or Chanel’s Hydra Beauty Micro Crème, and use cleansing lotions morning and night. Ensuring my makeup is removed before I sleep is very important, and I use Lancôme products for this | How you stay in shape: I never follow a regime but I balance my food a lot | Best workout: Walking through nature | At-sea or inland: This is the dilemma of my life! I really don't know; it depends on my mood.
Photographed by Julia at TheFactory ME
