On a truly British weekday morning, (it was raining as usual) Zukreat arrived at White Rabbit Studios in Shoreditch for a photoshoot of a lifetime! Not only was this photoshoot with ELLE magazine but it was also in collaboration with other beauty influencers Dina Tokio, Manal Chinutay and Amena Khan.
The purpose of the photoshoot was to break stereotypes that surround Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab; I think it is amazing that a huge magazine such as ELLE can see the importance of being inclusive in what can sometimes be an exclusive society (If you don’t support ELLE, I definitely think you should…#justsaying). Another amazing thing about the campaign was that they didn’t hire models to do this shoot but they hired everyday women, like Zukreat, to represent the everyday woman.
The bloggers were captured with both natural and full glam makeup looks; the natural looks were done by beauty gurus themselves, whilst the full glam look was done by a makeup artist. As expected, Zukreat used the Artist of Makeup products to get her desired look and she looked stunning! As a makeup artist it must have been very hard to allow someone else to do your makeup, especially when you are used to doing it in a certain way, but Annabel Callum (the makeup artist) did so well and all the ladies looked absolutely amazing! Their hijabs were also styled in different ways by the incredibly creative and talented Humaira Waza who classically and exotically styled the bloggers hijabs. Zukreat was a complete natural in front of the camera, giving the right balance between quirky, sassy and candid.
Zukreat was super excited to be a part of the ELLE shoot and she was so honoured to have been chosen to help empower hijabi women and share her achievements with everyone (because ELLE is kinda a big deal lol). The purpose of the shoot was to show beauty in diverse forms and that modernity, modesty and beauty can all work together. It is very sad to see that the beauty industry does not always seek to represent all types of women; however, this shoot proved that women do not have to be jealous of another woman’s success and that beauty comes in varying forms. Zukreat really wanted to be a part of this photoshoot because she wanted to show everyone that she is more than just the makeup she wears or the hijab she chooses to cover her hair with but she is an independent, working, Muslim mum and she wants her story to inspire thousands of other women to follow their dreams and create the life they love; if she can succeed, so can you!
In my opinion, the shoot was well executed not only because the pictures looked great but because the message and the purpose behind the shoot shone through and were portrayed very well.
Why don’t you check out Zukreat’s vlog of the ELLE shoot? And whilst you’re there, check out some of her other videos too!
