AM to PM Beauty – Nora Ramadhan, CEO of Apotheca Beauty

COMPILED BY: OLIVIA MORRIS

AM TO PM BEAUTY

Nora Al Ramadhan, Co-Founder & CEO of Apotheca Beauty, talks us through her skincare routine

Talk us through your morning routine. Typically, in the mornings I start with the Lancer Cleanser for Sensitive/Dehydrated Skin, followed by Dr. Barbara Sturm Balancing Toner to restore my skin’s pH level. After applying eye cream, I move on to Dr. Barbara Sturm Super Anti-Aging Serum and layer with a Vitamin C serum. Currently, I am alternating between Summer Friday CC Me Serum and Glo Skin Beauty C-Shield Anti-Pollution Drops. If I wake up with some redness or irritation, I then add a layer of Dr. Barbara Sturm Calming Drops. Next, I apply an oil such as Furtuna Skin Biphase Moisturizing Oil and spend 5-8min using my CryoGlobe to get rid of puffiness and stimulate healthy blood flow. I absolutely love doing this in the morning as the cold, rolling action really wakes me up and gets me going. Finally, I apply a moisturizer and always end with SPF 50. How does your evening routine differ? During the evenings, I cleanse with a cleansing balm to effectively remove makeup and bacteria in a single go. I then follow with a toner as always to rebalance my skin’s pH before laying on the serums. In the evening, I use my NuFace device and about three times a week I do red and infra-red LED. I end my routine with a repairing moisturizer for the night, such as Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair, and when at home I believe it is much more beneficial for your skin to sleep on a silk pillowcase. Sleeping on silk makes a massive difference in your skin’s ability to absorb your skincare products and reduces friction, thus reducing breakouts and stretching of your skin while you sleep. What are your go-to skincare products? My go-to skincare products depend on what I feel my skin needs, the time of year, and especially the country I am in. I find my skin gets quite dry when I am in Kuwait and therefore use Dr. Barbara Sturm Calming Drops, Furtuna Skin Replenishing Balm and Dr. Barbara Sturm Face Mask or SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Mask daily. I always use eye cream, eye gel or an eye balm and right now I am loving OSKIA CityLife Anti-Pollution I-Zone Balm. I also love a

Clockwise from top left: Face Mask 50ml Dhs427 Dr. Barbara Sturm available at NET-A-PORTER; Unlocked Mascara Dhs170 Hourglass available at sephora.ae; Forest Lungs Dhs438 The Nue Co. available at Apotheca Beauty; Trinity Facial Toning Device Dhs1,440 NuFace available at Apotheca Beauty; Phyto Corrective Gel Serum Dhs331 SkinCeuticals available at Apotheca Beauty; Dark Rum Eau de Parfum 100ml Dhs1,580 Malin+Goetz available at FARFETCH

IMAGES: SUPPLIED dewy moisturizer and have been using Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream since it launched. Are you a fan of masks? I am a massive fan of masks! I love to keep them in the fridge so that they are nice and cooling when applied on my skin. My go-to masks for ageing and hydration are Dr. Lancer Lift & Plump Sheet Mask and Barbara Sturm Face Mask. When I need a brightening boost and some cleansing of my pores, I love using OSKIA Renaissance Mask and Tatcha Vitamin C Radiance Mask. How do you would you describe your relationship with makeup? Less is more. I love bronze and neutral looks that work to enhance existing features, paired with a bright lip. I tend to use the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer on its own with some concealer, if needed, and a cream blush such as Stila Convertible Color in shade “Lilium”. I also love a good mascara in the evenings – my go-to is the Hourglass Unlocked Mascara. What fragrance is your current favourite? The Nue Co. has gotten me hooked on functional fragrances that not only smell beautiful but support various cognitive functions, such as calmness and anti-stress or mental energy and focus. The Nue Co. fragrances Forest Lungs and Mind Energy are ones I cannot live without! For evening, I tend to go for woody and smoky scents such as Malin+Goetz dark rum Eau de Parfum. Talk us through your hair routine? Unlike my skincare routine, my hair routine is quite basic. My hair is naturally very straight, making it difficult for me to build in some volume and texture. Since I do quite a bit of cardio, I wash my hair every day but use a gentle shampoo such as Philp B Scent of Santa Fe. While my hair is damp, I then use a product to add texture such as Oribe Feather Balm Weightless Styler. What is the most unusual item in your makeup bag? Perhaps the most unusual item in my bag would be my SPF spray. During the day, I carry around SPF in the form of a mist or spray to top up throughout the day. As I have olive skin tone, I am prone to pigmentation and simply do what I can to avoid it.