'I love vanity'
In an interview with Ahmad Ali Butt, Nabila Maqsood shared how her upbringing influenced her career as a renowned beautician. Nabila, who has primarily lived in Karachi, began by speaking about her mixed descent. "My mother is from an Afghan-Persian background, and those people are very vain. They may not have money to eat, but they must have Yardley soap. That's the kind of background it was," she said.
Nabila grew up surrounded by up-do hair wigs, hooded hair dryers, and the smell of product mixed with the breeze of the air conditioner. She recalled that she frequented a Chinese beauty salon called Moon Palace in Karachi's Tariq Road during the 1970s. "As a kid, I remember going there on the weekends," she added. "I used to love the smell of hair spray. Even though the haircuts would be terrible, I'd still visit to take in the mixed aromas."
Making tough calls
The stylist was 11 years old when she got the chance to use a pair of scissors on someone else's hair. "The first haircut I did was for my mother's friend, though I had been cutting my own hair ever since I was a child," she shared, expressing surprise over the fact that the lady trusted a little girl with a task as delicate as a trim.
That led to a flourishing pursuit of haircutting, which Nabila did for friends, relatives, neighbours, and more. But it wasn't until she had become a mother of two that she realised she had a knack for the craft. Only 21 years old then, she invested her personal property to move to London and receive professional training at Vidal Sassoon's salon. Setting up shop sometime later, she began her business with a 75 rupees haircut in 1986.
But given social and cultural constraints, Nabila's journey wasn't easy. "I come from very humble and conservative backgrounds, so my family and in-laws both said that I had lost my mind," she said.
She shared that, naturally, her loved ones opposed her decision to sell off her jewellery and leave her kids behind for this new endeavour. "They all thought that this was a temporary hobby that I would soon lose interest in. But that hasn't happened yet, and it's been 40 years."
The stylist added that she went through phases of self-exploration before eventually finding her calling. "I knew that I wanted to do something. I dabbled in graphics, art, fashion and clothes, and then I realised hair is my métier because that's something I love. That's something I always had bad and had to fix it myself, and I thought I could do it better than others. So now there's no looking back."
Meeting the Queen of Melody
What began as a risky venture took Nabila and her styling business to great heights, earning her recognition from showbiz legends like Noor Jehan. "When she was in the hospital, I think Dilip Kumar was coming to Karachi. So at that time, she expressed her wish to her daughters that she wanted a haircut done from Nabila."
The beautician added that her close friend Hina linked the two up. "I don't do home visits, but you know, I was totally in awe. Out of respect, I went to Aga Khan Hospital at that age. And we hit it off so well because she was so vain, and I love vanity. I love people who are aware of hair, makeup, and fashion."
Nabila gushed over the actor-singer's passion for beauty, which helped make the visit an enjoyable experience for her. "She told me that she went to Paris, where someone bleached her hair before dyeing it again. Since she had very silky hair, that added volume to the texture. So they lightened it and brought it back to a darker shade."
Moving with the times
While Nabila can't speak for others in the game, she feels that she's still learning, and a part of that is keeping up with current business practices. "As we speak, I've hired someone who's going to groom me through AI because I feel that I should 100 per cent know what's happening in current times, whether it's developing products, trends, architecture, ingredients, or fabrics. I need to be up to date on what is happening."
This curiosity comes from the fact that the beautician doesn't believe in sticking to her forte. "Someone once asked me, 'You've done everything now, so what is left to do?' But I feel that I've just gotten started because now is when I'm bottling myself. Literally. Now with my 40 years of experience, you don't need to come to me. I'll be the one to send you my packages."
But Nabila's journey is proof that even the biggest success stories aren't free of past regrets. "Since my business was my priority, I think my kids didn't get the time and attention that they should've gotten then. When I realised this by the age of 35, they had already gone to boarding schools. Since then, I've been trying to mend what I lost in those years."
However, she's been putting her heart and soul into that part of her life as well. "I can happily say that for the past 15 years or so, my relationship with my family has been really good," she shared. "It's not easy to balance everything, so there's always a price to pay."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
8 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Oil up 1% at 7-week high on hopes of positive US-China trade talks
NEW YORK: Oil prices edged up 1% to a seven-week high on Tuesday on hopes trade talks between the U.S. and China - the world's two biggest economies - will result in a deal that could support global economic growth and boost oil demand. Brent crude futures rose 81 cents, or 1.2%, to $67.85 a barrel by 11:22 a.m. EDT (1522 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 83 cents, or 1.3%, to $66.12. Those gains pushed both crude benchmarks into technically overbought territory for the first time since early April and put Brent on track for its highest close since April 17 and WTI on track for its highest close since April 3. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said trade talks with China were going well as the two sides met for a second day in London, seeking a breakthrough on export controls that have threatened a fresh rupture between the superpowers. 'There's a sense of optimism around these trade talks; the market is waiting to see what this will produce, and that is supporting prices,' said Harry Tchilinguirian, group head of research at Onyx Capital. On the supply side, allocations to Chinese refiners showed that Saudi Arabia's state oil company Saudi Aramco will ship about 47 million barrels of oil to China in July, 1 million barrels less than June's allotted volume, Reuters reported. The Saudi allocations could be an early sign that the unwinding of OPEC+ production cuts might not result in much additional supply, Tchilinguirian said. Saudi Arabia cuts July oil prices to Asia to 4-year low after OPEC+ supply boost OPEC+, which pumps about half of the world's oil and includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies like Russia, put forward plans for an output increase of 411,000 barrels per day (bpd) for July as it looks to unwind production cuts for a fourth straight month. A Reuters survey found that OPEC's May increase to oil output was limited, with Iraq, the second biggest OPEC producer behind Saudi Arabia, pumping below target to compensate for earlier overproduction, and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates making smaller increases than agreed. Elsewhere, Iran said it would soon make a counter-proposal for a nuclear deal in response to a U.S. offer that Tehran deems 'unacceptable', while U.S. President Donald Trump made clear that the two sides remained at odds over whether Tehran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium on Iranian soil. Iran is the third-largest OPEC producer and any easing of U.S. sanctions on Tehran should allow Iran to export more oil, which should reduce crude prices. In Europe, meanwhile, the European Commission proposed an 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, aimed at Moscow's energy revenues, banks and military industry. Russia was the world's second biggest crude producer in 2024 behind the U.S., and any increase in sanctions will likely keep more of that oil out of global markets, which could support oil prices. US oil inventories and exports The American Petroleum Institute (API) trade group and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) are due to release U.S. oil inventory data on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Analysts forecast energy firms added about 0.1 million barrels of oil to U.S. stockpiles during the week ended June 6. If correct that would be the first storage increase in three weeks and compares with an increase of 3.7 million barrels during the same week last year and an average increase of 2.8 million barrels over the past five years (2020-2024).
Business Recorder
12 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Wheat and corn slip again on supply pressure, soybeans steady
PARIS/SINGAPORE: Chicago wheat and corn futures fell for a second session on Tuesday, with corn setting a new 2025 low, as favourable crop conditions in the United States and elsewhere maintained supply pressure on the cereal markets. Soybeans edged higher as ongoing trade talks between China, the world's No. 1 importer of the oilseed, and the United States, the second-largest exporter, fuelled optimism about a resolution of the countries' tariff battle. The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade was down 1.3% at $5.35 a bushel by 1135 GMT, retreating further from a seven-week peak struck during Monday's session. CBOT corn fell 0.7% to $4.30-1/2 a bushel. It earlier reached its weakest level since Dec. 5 at $4.30, below a previous six-month low hit last week. Wheat rallied last week as escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war and concerns over rain disrupting the U.S. harvest encouraged short-covering. But improved ratings for U.S. crops and a sharp upward revision by consultancy Sovecon to its forecast for Russia's 2025 wheat harvest put the focus back on the prospect of plentiful Northern Hemisphere harvests. In its weekly crop progress report released after Monday's market close, the U.S. Department of Agriculture increased its estimates for the share of U.S. winter and spring wheat in good/excellent condition by more than expected on average by analysts. Wheat flat-to-up 2 cents, corn down 1-3 cents, soy down 2-4 cents That took attention away from a rain-slowed start to the winter wheat harvest, with the USDA estimating 4% of the crop was harvested, lagging the five-year average of 7%. For corn, the agency increased its good-to-excellent score to above the average estimate by analysts surveyed by Reuters. 'U.S. weather forecasts remain favourable for corn development,' CM Navigator analyst Donatas Jankauskas said in a note. 'Concerns about the upcoming wheat crop are also not strong enough to support sustained rallies.' A slowdown in weekly U.S. wheat export inspections, also reported by the USDA on Monday, added to the bearish mood. U.S. corn export inspections topped trade expectations, but with Brazil's second-crop corn harvest getting started, the export window for U.S. corn sales may be narrowing, traders said. CBOT soybeans ticked up 0.1% to $10.57-1/4 a bushel. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Tuesday trade talks with China were going well as the two sides met for a second day in London. Chinese tit-for-tat tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods have curbed soybean trade, with Brazil dominating record Chinese soybean imports in May. After a bumper Brazilian harvest, a good start to the U.S. growing season was also hanging over the soybean market. The USDA rated 68% of the soybean crop as being in good to excellent condition, in line with expectations.
Business Recorder
13 hours ago
- Business Recorder
India, China seen aggressively buying palm oil in short term, industry expert says
JAKARTA: Demand for palm oil from India and China is expected to increase in coming months as recent price corrections provide attractive entry points for the big buyers, an industry expert said on Tuesday. Prices of palm oil in Malaysia gained nearly 20% last year, but shed around 12% so far this year as the high prices led to palm oil losing some competitive edge to rival oils such as soyoil. 'We feel in the short term, those markets will come back. We see heavy buying from India, China,' Julian McGill, managing director of advisory firm Glenauk Economics, said. 'We're not worried for the next year about a build up in stocks,' he told participants at a palm oil forum in Jakarta. He noted Indian buyers, who have been cutting palm oil imports since December, are coming back strongly with purchase for June to August as prices of palmolein are at a discount compared to rival oils. India's May palm oil imports jump to six-month high He said China's physical palm oil importers were also actively buying for June to August deliveries. 'The Chinese buyers may stock up quite a lot because their stocks are relatively low,' McGill said. The demand would help keep palm oil prices between 3,900 ringgit and 4,200 ringgit per metric ton in the coming six months, he said. The main palm oil contract in Malaysian bourse closed at 3,864 ringgit per ton on Tuesday. The sustainability of the demand would continue to depend on palm price competitiveness against other oils, with peak export volumes seen around August, McGill added.
