This Dubai girl has achieved what 100,000 others could not

Jacobs is a BA fashion honours graduate, Indian, has lived in Dubai all her life

Celebrities have been the mainstay for some of the biggest beauty brands that have relied heavily on A-listers to be the face of their seasonal campaigns. Be it Julia Roberts for Lancôme or Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for L'Oreal, celebrities have had a key role in influencing the beauty industry.
But gone are the days when women would pore over beauty magazines to get stylish tips. Today, people get their ideas from beauty bloggers or influencers who write about their purchases and people have turned to them for unbiased and truthful reviews of products. They have friendly personalities and many viewers feel like they are friends - and who wouldn't follow a friend's recommendation for a new lipstick?
But who is an influencer? They are digital natives who post, snap and tweet to their millions of followers. They have become social media celebrities who can influence opinions and their followers often rush out to buy the products they recommend. These beauty bloggers or video bloggers (vloggers) use social media to highlight trends, do tutorials, product reviews and more. Also, with buzzing social media accounts, there's less of a need for bloggers to even have a blog any more and most times a well-executed Instagram presence is all that's required.
This has also changed the approach of makeup companies and they are looking at increasingly getting influencers on board to promote their products. Tapping into the trend, fashion brand Marc Jacobs had a creative approach to enlist the help of influencers. The brand announced the #CastMeMarc competition last year where it was looking for beauty vloggers, who needed to post a video on Instagram about what inspires them in beauty and fashion. The competition accepted submissions from all over the world and the finalists were flown to New York to record a makeup video.
One of the five winners of the competition was 23-year-old Dubai girl Rhea Jacobs, who was up against over 100,000 applicants, but her individuality ensured she secured the top spot.
Jacobs is a BA fashion honours graduate, Indian, has lived in Dubai all her life. "I owe a lot of my creative inspiration and motivation to this iconic city. The idea of reaching for the impossible and fuelling it with determination is something I learned from the leaders of this trail blazing country."
Her love affair with beauty started at the tender age of five when she used to see her mum dress up for work. "I used to watch mum brush her long black hair, and apply maroon lipstick and the most beautiful black eyeliner ever. I was so amazed by the power of colours and strokes and the idea of how strong and yet feminine it made her look," she adds.
She graduated from university in November last year and shares that she needed a creative outlet to express her art in a visual form.
Jacobs says, "I'm basically an artist and love to incorporate this creativity in every- day life. Whether it's the clothes I wear or even the way I apply my eyeliner, it has to creatively define who I am. I wanted to share this with the world and thus blogging became my immediate outlet. It's been a positive creative journey since then."
The process of participating in the competition involved submitting an application with a three-minute video. "The video was a reflection of who I was. I spoke of the importance of individuality and being yourself when it comes to fashion and beauty. I also spoke about creative expression and aesthetics in fashion. I was up against some of the best talents globally," she shares.
A few months later, Jacobs got a notification congratulating her for being one amongst the top 10 shortlisted people worldwide. "I was truly overwhelmed and felt immensely grateful. I was flown down to New York and the process involved a series of interviews and shoots," says Jacobs. "The team there introduced me to a whole new world of experimentation when it comes to makeup."
In New York, Jacobs also had the opportunity to meet the man behind the label. "Meeting Marc Jacobs was a dream I had since I knew what fashion truly meant. All of us were so nervous before our meeting with Marc at his headquarters. I was so apprehensive before the meeting but was truly floored by the humility shown by Marc to all of us," she adds.
As one of the winners of the competition, Jacobs, who coincidentally shares her surname with the brand, gets to be one of the faces for Marc Jacobs Beauty on a global scale. She will be offering beauty tips and will be participating in activities right from tutorials to photo shoots.
When asked about her future plans she says, "My plans for the future can be summarised in three words: work, work and work, until I no longer have to introduce myself to the world. I just want every young boy or girl reading this to know that any dream is achievable, no matter where you are from or who you are. Believe and work towards your dream and it will manifest into reality."
PERSONAL FAVES
Jacobs shares her top three must have products. Plus bonus tip:
The Re(marc)able Foundation: You get maximum coverage with minimal amount of product.
Coconut Primer: This primer is incredibly hydrating and is a perfect base for your makeup; it's like a holiday for your face!
Velvet Noir Mascara: The best mascara I've used till date. It gives the effect of false lashes and lasts all day!
Tip: The best tip is to hydrate, cleanse and moisturise regularly.
Deepa is a proud geek and an unabashed Harry Potter fan
deepa@khaleejtimes.com