The Icon Edit: A Dubai-based podcast for, about, and with women
Episode 21 - Marina Polta| Cosmetologist
Published: 09 July 2026 · Episode 201
In this episode we talk about
-
Why beauty is such an emotional topic for women
-
The pressure to look perfect on social media
-
What really makes a woman look fresh and confident
-
Skincare basics and why less can sometimes be more
-
The importance of protecting your skin barrier
-
SPF, pigmentation, melasma, and Dubai sun damage
-
Fillers, Botox, microneedling, exosomes, salmon DNA, and beauty trends
-
Why natural results are becoming more desirable again
-
The difference between looking refreshed and looking “done”
-
Vulnerability, therapy, confidence, and self-worth
-
Dating, femininity, provider energy, and why Marina does not believe in 50/50
-
Why women should put themselves back at the center of their lives
Prefer audio only? Listen on...
Read Transcript
You need to love yourself and you need to stop putting a man in the center of your life. Put yourself in the center of your life, and you will start create your own happiness inside.
Welcome back to the Icon Edit. This is episode 21. I'm your host, Iwona. Today, I'm joined by Marina, a Dubai-based cosmetologist who works closely with women on beauty, skin, and confidence. Interestingly, I first discovered Marina on Instagram and started following her because of her honest and relatable content about womanhood, relationships, confidence, and life. Only later did I realize she was also a cosmetologist, and it all made so much sense. So today's conversation is not just about skincare treatments or looking younger. We will talk about how women feel in their own skin, what beauty really means today, and how to navigate beauty trends. We will cover skin health, aging, treatments that actually make sense, and what might just be clever marketing, and why beauty is never just about the face. Marina, welcome to the podcast. Thank you for being here.
Thank you so much, Iwona. I'm really happy to be here, to be honest.
Marina, before we go into skin and beauty trends, how did you become a cosmetologist, and was beauty always a part of your life, even growing up?
Well, it started actually with my mother. My mother is a very beautiful woman, and then she was always taking care of herself. So when I was young, I was looking at her, how always she was a perfection of a woman for me, and I always wanted to be her. And after that, I started to become a cosmetologist already in Belgium. So I was studying there, then we opened a salon in Belgium. And then I decided that I don't want to pay that amount of taxes anymore. And I need to move to a country where 50% is not taken by the government.
That sounds very relatable. When women come to you, and I mean, it's not only women that come to you, also men, but in general, what do they usually say they want? And what do you think they actually want underneath that?
Well, I'm going to be honest with you. When women come to me, first of all, I would ask them what is bothering them. So depending, of course, on the patient, it would be pigmentation, acne, always tightening, rejuvenation. They won't see, they want to look really young and beautiful, as we all do. But most of the time, underneath that, we are trying to fix the inner image of ourselves and the inner pressure of society. And, of course, it's not always easy.
Do you feel that most women want to look younger, as you said, or do they simply want to look fresher, or less tired, and more like themselves again?
It depends where they're coming from. Western women accept their view on themselves much faster and they are maybe less... they are less concentrated on their beauty. So they're concentrated more on their family. But then when we have Eastern women, where from when we were kids, you were forced to be the most beautiful, the skinniest, the educated one, great mother, and everything has to be in one package. And you are not allowed to age because after 30 you are damaged goods, if you were single.
Oh, my god. We always hear the phrase to "age gracefully," but what does that even mean today to you personally? And are we still allowed to age, or are we all supposed to look like 32?
Again, where we live in Dubai, the population of Dubai is much younger than anywhere in Europe. Even if you go to Greece, you go to Italy, you are actually seeing older people. But over here, of course, we have a younger generation and everyone is successful, everyone wants to be the best, not only at work, but also they want to look the best. So, of course, we start to understand that it's quite difficult to keep up with these standards when you are aging. For example, I will be 41 this year, and of course, I don't want to age because it's in my brain. I'm also in the field, so I'm always looking at young, beautiful women. So gracefully aging? Yes, the trend is changing like before. Before we were more implementing fillers, nowadays it's more keeping the skin tight and hydrated.
Yeah, that would have been my next question. What do you think personally makes a woman look fresh and young, youthful? Is it like boosting the collagen production and like, you know, looking, tight skin or less wrinkles or what is it that makes a young face?
So the biggest problem in UAE, for example, is the sun, pigmentation. Most of the time pigmentation on certain spots. For example, melasma, which I have. I don't have it now because I'm treating it all the time. But for example, melasma is forced by the heat, too. So what's happening when women have certain marks on their face, it ages them too. Acne. They want skin tight, rejuvenated, without wrinkles, without pigmentation, clear skin, hydrated. So, obviously, amino acids, machines...
What do you... what is your skin care like routine? And and what should women think about before even thinking about advanced treatments?
Well, obviously home care is very important. I do not like 50 different creams at home. I'm not this type, because most of my patients are coming with a completely destroyed skin barrier. And I always say, what my personal advice is to all women, to have a good cleansing, so double cleansing. I always use micellar water from certain brands, I will use obviously a face wash. I like Uzo Lab, it's a very good brand. Then after that, I will apply cream and SPF. That's it.
Really? You don't use any retinol?
I don't use any retinol because if we are living here and you're using retinol daily, you are actually creating more pigmentation. But I'm talking about melasma, patients with pigmented skin.
Yeah. Is there any age where you think women should start doing more preventative skincare or treatments?
It's depending on the skin first of all, because we're all aging differently. Women in the West are aging faster somehow than, for example... Yes, yes. Then women in the Middle East, because it has to do with our type of aging. So it's a deformational type of aging where the skin is heavy, it's oily, and it's actually sagging in. So you start to have this undefined lines and it just... it just crawls down. And then, for example, women in the Middle East, it's a very different topic. They have a thicker skin because they are grown here. So because of the sun, it's genetics that they're producing more oil to protect the skin and they're aging completely different. So it depends.
What are nowadays like things that you can recommend or say to people that they can do it without any hesitation? Like, because lasers, let's say like fractional lasers and stuff like this.
I'm not a fan in UAE to do a fractional laser because the downtime is at least a week, and after for three weeks you cannot go in the sun. I mean, we leave 24/7 in the sun. Yeah. I would recommend radiofrequency RF lifting, microneedling. It's very good. Depends how it's used. 'Cause a lot of people go too deep with the radio waves, too strong. So I don't recommend that. So it needs to be used in a proper way. Then amino acids, bioboosters, exosomes... Incredible products to hydrate your skin, to stimulate collagen and elastin.
Collagen, yeah, that's, that's, I think, the biggest issue, right? Why we also produce wrinkles, especially around the eyes... That's one of my biggest problem areas, to be honest. And maybe I am laughing too much. I don't know. What are the biggest trends right now that you are seeing, and which of those are just, would you say, marketing, and maybe a little overhyped?
Well, we can see that a lot of treatments, a lot of machines are hyped because it's the new generation, and they are explaining to all the people, "Oh, it's a new thing, you have to do it." So, in my opinion, you should never follow the hype. You should see what is good for you. For example, everyone is doing salmon DNA right now. But we need to understand that if we are women after 40, salmon DNA stays only one month in the skin.
Wow, I didn't know that.
Of course. It breaks off very fast. There are a lot of great products, but there are also a lot of products and machines that I would never recommend.
So what would you recommend for, let's say, a woman after 40?
Okay, let's say, let's take you for example. I would recommend you radiofrequency microneedling, together with exosomes, which is a brand called Purasomes, it's from bovine colostrum. So it's a double microneedling, and it helps pretty well to tighten the skin, to make your skin less saggy, so it tightens the pores. Yeah. Your production of oil is much less. So this is what, for example, is the first thing I would recommend to you.
Okay. So how often do you need to do that?
So I do it... in my case, for example, for myself, I do it every four months, before the botox.
Okay, that's reasonable.
That's reasonable. It's not like every month or so.
Okay, that's good. What is underrated, do you feel? You said SPF, like when we are talking about living in Dubai, you think that this could prevent a lot of damage and...?
Listen, depending on SPF. SPF should be with a color, so for example, when you applying SPF and after you apply something tinted, then the sun is not absorbed and you are not creating pigmentation. If it's just SPF, then we have an issue. Depends on SPF. A lot of SPF from Korean brands. The only one that I like is Uzo Lab. The rest of the brands that are using Korean... they're actually not regulated. So even if they say SPF 50, it could be SPF 15.
But I mean, the Koreans, they are very strict about, you know, not about what they put in their products because I think they are very liberal when it comes to that. But I mean, being white is very important to Korean people.
Yeah, absolutely. But there are a lot of treatments. It's more treatments than any skin care.
Okay, that's interesting. When we look on social media and we see people like you who are cosmetologists or even dermatologists, or people in the beauty industry, there are a lot of these before and after videos, you know, where you see this amazing results. What should women be careful about when they see stuff like this?
Well, absolutely. I would definitely check filters, how the light is installed. And most of the time, it's recommendation through others. Hmm. Don't really trust just pictures. It should be videos, it should be an account that... and when it's too good to be true, then probably it is.
Do you think that social media, when we are talking now about social media, do you think that social media has made women more educated about beauty or more confused? Because there is so much happening.
I think there is a lot of confusion. Also, we all understand that when distributors are coming to the clinic, sometimes, you know, they're saying like, 'Oh, this product is really good.' So it depends, if you can really trust the cosmetologist or a doctor, if you can really trust them, then if they're not overselling to you. But we need to understand there are a lot of bloggers who are getting paid to promote certain things. And there is always a boom. For example, with Ordinary, now no one talks about Ordinary, now it's Medicube.
Yeah, I'm still using them.
Fair enough. For example, I had a really bad rash. Medicube, the same thing. And some people like it, but I am more of a person where 90% of my patients should not have any side effects. Yeah. And if I have it, I would never use it.
Yeah, sure, yeah, absolutely, that makes sense. Where is the line you feel between looking young and refreshed and looking obviously done? Because, you know, some people, you see it, like they had so much done in their face. Does this... this is considered, is this even trendy, because I mean, for some time this was okay. But I feel now people want to look more natural.
Listen, a lot of people are shifting from this. So we see a lot of dissolving of fillers. So now it's a trend not to put fillers anymore. Because it used to... they used to tell us that you put a filler and then it's gone after 12 months, which is not the case, and they were adding more and more. Created a pillow face effect, puffiness, where you feel, where you see that you are actually having water retention in your face. So nowadays, people are going more natural, where someone looks at you and they're like, 'Oh, you look great,' but they have no idea what you've done, or if you've done anything. I think this is the new trend.
Yeah, yeah, I love that. I discovered, as I said, you first through your Instagram content. Let's talk a little bit about that. Was it a conscious decision to share both sides of your self online? Because you have this one, like, I would say professional account where you share a lot about what you do as a cosmetologist, and then the private account. Did you want to separate these? Because they intertwine a little bit sometimes, right?
Yes, but I definitely wanted to separate my private life with my professionalism at work. Because at work I'm very diplomatic. I'm very reserved. I help my patients. I'm very kind. But then in my private life, of course, it's my Slavic personality that comes out, and I'm very opinionated about things. So I didn't want to mix it up.
Yeah, and this is why I think I loved the content, because it was opinionated, and I watched your reels all the time, and I loved them. And recently you said something that really stuck with me. You said that men are obsessed with you because you... not because you are beautiful and educated, but because you open up and let people into your inner world. What does that mean to you?
I'm not afraid to be vulnerable. I'm not afraid to make a fool of myself. I'm not afraid to talk about my fears, about my dreams, about my past experiences. I am not afraid to be judged by people. Because I believe whatever I've been through, this made me who I am.
That's so true. And you said that being vulnerable, you become a unique experience, that was your your your wording. And this is also why you are being very open about being in therapy, which I love because still, it is a little bit of a taboo. I mean obviously not in our generation anymore as much, but still it is. Was it difficult in the beginning to speak about that?
Yes, it was also difficult to actually open up about this. And it was not even about therapy, but that I am actually taking antidepressants. And I was very against it. And then I decided, you know what? I'm not going to cover this up anymore, and it is a lonely path because you are at home all the time, in therapy, and you are going through this alone, you cannot tell the people. So I was like, you know what? I'm just going to be open, so no one has questions.
Yeah, that's so good. And you also ask your followers very interesting questions all the time. And one of that was, what actually makes us feel deeper in love with someone? What is it for you? Is it, do you think it's grand gestures, consistency, emotional safety? What does make you fall in love with someone?
You see, I believe it's a complete circle, because when people meet me, they fall in love not just with the outside. Sometimes it's the outside, but the inside too. So for me, first of all, they are all next to each other. So it's kindness, generosity, being funny, being successful as a man, being a provider, and also it's very important that we are on the same page in life, because if we are not, I cannot be with this person.
I always say you have to have the same vision of the future, right? Let's talk about, let's go back to your reels and your opinions. I don't think they are so controversial. You are just very honest. But why do you think people react so strongly sometimes to your, to your content? Is it because women that are confident and making themselves visible and vulnerable, as you say, are triggering something in people?
To be honest, I'm sure that if I would look different, probably less expressive in my beauty, I would get less views, absolutely. But also the things I'm saying, a lot of people are afraid. So for example, a lot of people are scared to smoke a cigarette because now it's not socially accepted anymore, and I, I don't care. I don't care. Yeah. Yeah, I mean it's, it's maybe more about being a role model. But you are not claiming to be a role model, right? I don't want to be a role model. It's not written anywhere. This is my little block where I go crazy.
Yeah. Do you think that some people just don't like confident women?
Of course. Because then it reflects what's broken inside of them.
Yeah. We were talking before we started recording, we were talking about love and relationships. And if I can say, you are single. But we were talking about what you want in a relationship, and you said you want someone that is successful obviously, because you are successful yourself. Is this something... sometimes in the movies, you know when you look at movies like Pretty Woman, obviously it was very bad example, yes... It was the other way around. You know, obviously the woman was coming from a poor environment, and you know, the successful man that saved her... You don't need a man to save you, right? So that's why you need someone that is on the same level as you are, right?
Not on the same level. He has to be higher.
Okay.
He has to be higher because otherwise who is going to support this party? Because I am still Slavic, a man needs to be a provider. And I'm not scared to say this. Even if I grew up in Belgium, I don't believe in this 50-50 mentality. If you cannot afford me, you cannot afford the future family. That's it.
So you, you don't believe in the 50-50... But what would it mean if you, let's say, if you had children, just hypothetically, would that mean that you would just do the classic role as a stay-at-home mom and...
I would never be a stay-at-home mom. No. Because I love what I do. I would never be a stay-at-home mom.
Yeah, that's what I thought. There's a little feminist in you.
I don't think it's feminist. I think it's just certain roles are not applied anymore like before. But I would be a great mom, I would cook at home even if I'm working. I would not be working full time, but I would work at least three days because you need to keep yourself busy. Because I don't want to have only diapers in my head.
Yeah, and you, as from my own experience, you get a little crazy if the only person you can talk to is a two-year-old.
Plus I need at least two nannies, housewife, everything.
This is why Dubai is also so great. It makes it much more affordable for women to like have this careers and have a break because you can afford nannies and people who will help you with all the stuff that stresses out Western women. And this is probably why they are aging way faster than other people.
Absolutely.
What would you say to a woman who wants to share more of herself, because I always hear from people like, 'Yeah, I would also like to like have this like block like you are doing, but I am scared that to show too much of myself or scared of being judged.' What advice would you give women like this?
My question is, judged by who? By people who don't pay my bills? I'm sorry.
That's actually a good point.
That's it. That's it. Judge by who?
Let's get back a little bit to the, to the cosmetologist in you.
Yes.
What is a 'please stop doing this to your face' advice?
Well, there are many things that I would say. Please stop touching your face all the time with your hands because we're always sweating. Plus, stop buying all the things that are advertised by bloggers on Instagram because you're killing your skin barrier. Most of the time, this is what I'm dealing with on a daily basis.
I had a skincare chemist on this podcast and she basically said the same thing. She said the skin barrier, keeping up a good skin barrier is the most important thing. So what do you do when someone has a like damaged skin barrier? And how do you see it?
Well, you see it quite easily because most of the time it's... or you are having pimples, or the skin is dehydrated, and it's very rough, enlarged pores, it all depends on the skin, of course. So I always recommend to all my patients to stop everything directly, and they are always sending me what they're using at home. Most of the time they're some brands like Bioderma and it's a disaster. You cannot use micellar water because you are creating an inflammation that is building up under the skin and then you have really inflamed pustules. So I always say to them, stop everything, and then we're gonna start with this treatment, for example, bioboosters, which is anti-inflammatory. And then we're building up the barrier, sometimes we close it with exosomes... so it all depends on the problem, of course.
If someone doesn't have a big budget to spend on all these fancy treatments...
They shouldn't come to me! No, but I mean, even, even, I mean, with you, I guess there are more affordable things that you can do, right?
Well, I'm sure if people from outside of here starting to ask what is affordable and I would say 1000 dirham is the affordable treatment, they would be like, what? Yeah, but I mean... Yeah. So my the cheapest... most affordable one is 1000 dirham, yeah.
And what would that be?
So it's biobooster where we are actually stimulating collagen, but without microneedling or anything. So first, we are removing the protective barrier, and then we're applying different layers of bioboosters, which are helping you with pigmentation, which are creating a glass skin, or if you're having inflammation under the skin, it can also be treated. So yeah. But this is not injectable, right? It's a topical thing. Okay.
Finish this sentence. A beautiful woman is not a woman who looks perfect, but a woman who...
Who looks happy.
I loved it. Yeah. Of course. Yeah, because. You shine. Yeah. You shine from inside.
What is the one message you would love women to take away from this conversation? I think the most important, you need to love yourself and you need to stop putting a man in the center of your life. Put yourself in the center of your life, and you will start create your own happiness inside.
You are so full of advice! That's why I think I fell in love with your content because I saw it, and I was like, oh my god, she's so right! And I feel that you say sometimes things that many women think, but are afraid to say it, because as you said before, it's unpopular to say I want a man who can provide. Because nowadays it's, it looks like you're, you know, like dependent on someone, which is not the same thing.
I don't mind. I don't mind to be dependent on someone, but I'm still making my own money. But my money is my money. Yeah, but you run it! And his money is my money. That's what I mean. You are independent. So that's why maybe for you it's easier to say you want someone who can prepare. But everyone wants that. Everyone wants that. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Everyone wants it, but no one is saying it out loud, you know? Of course. Of course. And a lot of women are suffering. But I am very straightforward. So I want only men like that to be in my life. And whoever doesn't want that, it's fine. I'm not in your pool of fish. It's fine.
That's so true. And if someone now wants to come to you, not because of your content, but I mean obviously as a cosmetologist... Yeah, I mean I'm sure! But where can they come to you and what can they expect?
Well obviously, they can come... as I can give a little present from myself, so a free consultation in our clinic, in Beaute Concept, on Jumeirah 1. So they can come and they need to, of course, to book an appointment and then we will have a free consultation where I can recommend them what to do. And also, if they would like to have unrecommended from me the home care, also I would give them a discount from a company that I am using, and they can also do that. So they can also text me and ask you. They can do it through you and I will give them, but they need to be subscribed to you and me. Yeah! And then we will, we'll give them a promo code.
We can do that! That's a good idea. We will do that, and I will link everything in the show notes, so people can book an appointment or even see on Instagram what you are doing as a cosmetologist. I love the results, by the way, I should definitely do some microneedling. You know that I have never done microneedling?
But you look great. Thank you! You look great. Of course it is. And my 700-step skincare routine! No, but it's beautiful. Yes, you look beautiful. Thank you. Thank you.
Why do you think that beauty is such an emotional topic for women? Is it because nowadays because of social media we are so pressured to be in a certain standard of beauty?
I don't think it's only beauty. I think it's everything. You have to be perfect in everything. You are not only a woman, you have to have a tight body with a six-pack, you don't have cellulite, you are perfectly, perfect teeth, perfect eyes, you cannot have wrinkles, your breasts cannot sag, you cannot, even after pregnancy, you need to do a tummy tuck. We are pressured so much by this image that doesn't exist. I'm working with women every single day. And I'm seeing 10 to 12 patients women daily for the past 15 years. And whatever you see on Instagram, most of the time is only 1% that actually looks like that. Yeah, true. Especially when you meet people in real life that you have just seen online. You're like, okay, that's interesting. Filters! I hope this is not what people say about me when they see me. No, no, definitely not, definitely not. Do you think that sometimes people get too obsessed about it because even if we are conscious... so you and I, we both know that this is a thing, that people have this like beauty standard that is very unrealistic and everything. But do you not catch... so I do, but do you catch yourself sometimes like looking at someone and seeing like, 'Why does she not take care about this or that?' You know? Like, also being a little judgy? Because I am, and then I catch myself again. I'm like, why do I think like this, you know?
I don't. Because sometimes I have patients, imagine how many patients real women I see, and when they come to me, and for example, they're 45, they've never done Botox, and they have very deep wrinkles, they have pigmentation on their face... I always understand that probably there is so much more issues than just wrinkles. She didn't have time for herself. And then when they start telling their stories, I understand that most of her time and her life she actually spent with her family, dedicated to her kids and her husband, who became successful and after he decides to go for a younger woman. Oh my god! And this is the moment when they come to me. Yeah. For healing. Yeah. From outside to inside.
This is not good. This is life.
Yeah, that's so true.
Do you think that that women, when they see you on Instagram because of your content, they come especially to you because of that? Do you hear it often that patients tell you, 'I saw I follow you on Instagram. That's why I'm here?' Is it? So it's a marketing tool for you as well, right?
Absolutely. Everything is marketing. Everything is about showing women. Because my point of view, it's also connecting me to my patients. Because my patients come not only for the treatments, for rejuvenation of the skin, they come for the healing because I am in therapy. And I've been through life. I am already 41 this year. And I can feel every single pain of them because most of the stories are very similar to mine. So I know how to deal with it because I'm in therapy.
You have decided to also post a lot about your private life, like let's say relationships or your opinions about men. And you see which of the reels that you do gain the most like, say, views or...
What you see, this is funny. People think that I post about my private life. I post opinions. Opinions. Yes. Opinions, my opinions, my view on life. Not about what you're doing. But they will never see, I can tell them about a certain situation that happened in my life, but they will never see 'Oh, I went on a date with this guy, this happened.' No. No. Maybe sometimes I would, I wouldn't say...
Yeah, share something, but it will never be related... 'Oh, yesterday I did this and that.' No, no. It's a private life. And do you think that there are certain types of content that you share that hit like...
Oh no, I never plan anything. No, but I mean, you see that sometimes a post has more views than another one or more comments, gains more comments... Do you feel there is a certain topic that attracts people more when you post it?
Probably there is, but sometimes, for example, two days ago I had a really bad morning, and I start, and I was sitting there with a cigarette like I'm a ghetto Eastern European woman sitting in front of the store, and I started just to record this, and I was smoking, I'm like I didn't care, I didn't look good or anything. And this is where the real realness came out and people started to subscribe to me. And I'm like, okay, fair enough. But it was not the thing. I just wanted to say like 'Back off,' to everyone.
Because it was authentic. And I think this is what attracts people now.
You know, we have all these filters and all this fake stuff on Instagram. We had it for years and I think the trend is going more to like being really authentic and being yourself. Even in your ugliness and whatever, you know, like with no makeup and... Yeah, I mean, obviously you're not ugly, but what I want to say, you know, you didn't, it was not your best self. What do you think men misunderstand about women and beauty? Because I feel men think that we do it for them.
Sometimes we do. Yeah, but if you date younger men, of course, you're doing it not only for yourself, but because you are insecure next to a young man. We do. Of course. I'm not so sure if we really do.
Have you ever dated younger men? 10 years younger?
I did. I did. I did. So you think that this is the only reason we do it, all these beauty treatments and everything? No. Things that I do for myself, I do it for myself because I like to see my own reflection in the mirror. Yeah. But the thing is, when you are with a younger man, definitely there is more pressure. Yeah. That's true. But not everyone wants a younger man, you know. No, I had this disease where I was only choosing younger men. It's a disease! It's a disease. So until like 40, I was choosing only younger men, and sometimes they were 8, 10 years younger. Long relationship. So I was raising kids. I don't have any, but I was raising kids! I think I'm done with the mom figure.
And and they say that, I mean, I don't know if it's true, but they say that when it comes to emotional intelligence, men are 10 years behind women. So that means if you are dating a man who is 10 years younger, you are dating a man that is 20 years younger.
It depends on a man, because there are different personality types. So for example, people who work in IT, they are emotionally disconnected. Completely. It's not a joke. It's really proven. They're completely disconnected. So they are emotionally unavailable men. I dated a few of those, so that's why I'm talking out of experience, and I spoke about this with therapists. So it depends on a type of man you are choosing. So for example, if you have a rejection, you were rejected when you were a kid, so you have these attachment issues, you will choose emotionally unavailable men because this is where it hits the spot.
I mean, I'm sure in general that this is true because there are a lot of these women who fall into a trap with guys in IT that look perfectly well on paper, and then they figure out that they completely lack something inside... No, no! 99% they are like this nerds and they have like, you know, they don't have the social intelligence. Let's say it like this. No, no. It's emotionally... No, it's emotional intelligence. There is no deeper. Sometimes people, we as women, we are trying to dig deeper what's inside. Most of the time, nothing. And I mean emotionally. They're very intellectual. Their brain is working a completely different way. Nothing's wrong with it. They're just different. Some women are like that too. They cannot be with someone who is too emotional. Yeah. I need someone who is emotionally rich, so we are actually we can go deep and he will not break in pieces. Yeah. Something different now. Let's talk again a little bit about beauty, because you said that your mom was very beautiful and stuff. And I, I also grew up with an Eastern European mother and I know that my mom would not even go outside to throw the trash away without having makeup on. And she even said to us as we were like teenagers, my sister and I, that it's important to learn how to walk in high heels and stuff like this. Which may seem very superficial, but I think that how you present yourself on the outside, even as a woman, or especially as a woman, is very important. I talk to my son about this a lot. I said to him, 'You know, he has to learn that when we go to certain restaurants or events or, you know, certain spots even in Dubai or wherever, that you have to, you know, adapt to how you look and what he can wear, so he can learn to choose his own clothes and certain etiquette and that it's important that you don't go in jeans and t-shirt to like a, you know, brunch,' you know. And that there is something I would feel is called like a "pretty privilege." So when you look good, people will always treat you better than when you don't look good. Do you feel that something like this exists?
Of course. Except if you have a lot of money because then it doesn't matter anymore. It always matters. It always matters. For me personally, it always matters because you've been treated on the way you look and the way you're taking care of yourself. It's a certain status. Of course, if you arrive with your own boat in Saint-Tropez, and they know you're coming with... Different story. They saw the boat. They saw the boat first and they saw you, so it's a different thing. Yeah. That's like, I always joke, there is this one scene... But they always look good, but okay, they have a shirt and a t-shirt because he's arriving from a boat. Of course. It's a different thing. Yeah, but I mean, there are these videos of Kanye West where he gets out of a Lamborghini like in the most homeless-looking...
Yeah, but he's Kanye West. Yeah. He has the... the face is there. It doesn't matter. Yeah. That's true. Yeah. And he has the money, so I think this doesn't... He doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. But I like, for example, I like to dress up. What would you never spend money on? That's actually also an interesting question. I don't think there is anything existing that... You mean beauty-wise or any... No matter what. Where would you never spend money on?
I wouldn't say on a man because I like to give gifts. Yeah. I would...
Because I love to spend money on everything. But aren't there things where you say this is so overrated, I would never buy that stuff?
Oh, it's such a good question, but I have no idea because I buy everything. Yeah. I think that for me sometimes I feel it's crazy. I would never buy a Birkin bag even if I had the money.
Yeah, I'm not... I'm not in one of those... I have a friend, she said her goal in life is to buy, to be able to afford a Birkin bag. And I feel that's a legitimate thing for someone. It certainly is like a milestone when you achieve a certain success, you know. But I would just never buy it even if I had the money. I swear, I don't know why. It just, it's to me, it's an old woman's bag.
I don't like the bag itself. I don't like the bag.
And I don't like the... the bag is not worth the money. It's the Hermes... No, no, no. For me, it's the rules of Hermes. This is what I don't like. Yeah. That you need to go and beg for a bag. No. I would buy it from someone, but I don't like the bag. Yeah. I've been gifted it once, but I don't like the bag. I sold it. Tell me what treatments did you maybe even offer yourself in the clinic do you do on yourself?
So I have a whole protocol that I am doing. First of all, I am doing every single month exosomal liquid laser. It's a bioboosters together with exosomes. It's a procedure where we are removing the pigmentation, if you have any inflammation, tightening the pores, small wrinkles. It's one hour procedure. I do it every single month. That's why I don't have melasma. Because normally I have melasma. Then every single month, I am doing hair injections, which is hair purasomes. It's one of the best products on the market now.
But what does it do? Does it... is it for hair growth or...? It makes your hair grow. It multiplies the hair inside the hair follicle, so it multiplies the volume.
Okay. Every single month, I'm also doing salmon DNA under the eyes. Hmm. Every single month.
That's something.
Every single month, I'm doing sunecos. Sunecos is a biobooster that you put on the bone in different areas of your face that you are injecting it, and it goes up. Every single month. It only... it's only valid for one month. And then every three to four months, I am doing RF lifting. Okay. For my type of skin. Because if someone has a thick, very oily and big pores, they can do it every two months but on a low frequency. Okay. So, and every six months I do Botox, full face, neck.
Neck also. Okay, that's interesting. Yes. But okay, so if I may ask, you don't have to answer the question, how much money, I mean this is stupid because you... No, no, no, I will tell you, I will tell you. But yeah, how much money do you spend monthly like on average for these treatments?
10,000 dirham.
Okay, wow. That's a lot of money. So that's why you need a husband who can afford it. Now I'm joking, I mean that's actually really a lot of money, but... No, please don't joke, I need a husband who can support me. Yeah. Because this is the... this is the least expensive piece. This is the... yes, yes, you can! This is the least expensive thing that I do. Because my jewelry, my car, my house is much more expensive. Yeah, I mean, obviously, I would love to have that much money to spend on all these beauty treatments, I swear, but um...
But it's also my job, so I have to. Yeah, it is your job.
Yeah, because you are your... My own advertisement. Advertisement. Exactly. Yeah. So I guess this is the net worth of the things you do, but I hope for you that you get a discount or something on all these things... Of course, of course, of course, yeah. Because that would be crazy otherwise, yeah. That's good. So do you do also botox and injectables in your clinic?
No, I don't do injectables, but we do it in the clinic. In the clinic, yeah, we do. Yeah. Because as a cosmetologist you don't... You need a plastic surgeon, yes. We have everything. Okay, that's cool.
Oh wow, 10,000. This is a crazy amount. I will have to tell my husband when I get home. Are there any treatments that look good on Instagram but are not for every woman and don't make any sense? I mean, because botox, obviously everyone uses botox, right? There is no... this woman shouldn't use botox because obviously it's for everyone. So are there any like treatments where you would say, this... Fillers.
I would not recommend fillers in the face, lips, yes, but face, it's done.
Do you feel that these lip fillers, I have the feeling that it's also like getting to a point... It was like, to some point, very crazy. 2018, yes. Yeah, and now it's getting back to more like natural, like, of course a little plump, but not...
Yes, yes, absolutely. But obviously, you know, like they did it so much... duck lips, yes, they were. No, no, no. Now they want to have a natural lips. Yeah.
And I saw that you are also doing tattoo removals, right? Are a lot of people doing tattoo removals?
Yes, a lot of people, and I'm always recommending to all the women who have bad microblading, grey eyebrows, it adds at least 10 years to your face.
And so you don't... you are not a big fan of these permanent makeups?
No, it is, when it's done well, but you need to understand that there are not many good places where you can do that. So it needs to be natural. You are not allowed to see it. If you have grey eyebrows, or they're blue, or they're... The first thing that enters is your eyebrows, yes, something is off.
And lip blush, of course, absolutely. I have also a lot of local clients who are doing lip neutralization, if sometimes there is discoloration. Yeah, I do it also. So it's quite good. We were talking about skincare, and you said that you are not using like a 700-step skincare routine as I do obviously, but do you feel that skincare can prevent professional treatments, like or not maybe prevent, but when you do the right skincare, do you think that it can be done later on?
No. No. Okay. No. Yeah, because it will never reach the the skin regions that you need, right? The skin layers... No, deeper layers, absolutely not. No, it will never reach your dermis or hypodermis. Never.
Okay. Marina, thank you so much for being here. It was a lovely conversation. I hope that at least something could be taken away from this. For me it did. I love your confidence. I think many women could learn from you that the man is not the center of our life and we should build our own beauty and from within and not shy away from admitting that we sometimes need therapy or help. Yeah, and that we are women, we need to be taken care of.
Yeah. We are human, we are women, we need... we need a little clever pat on the back sometimes. Exactly. Yeah, thank you for being here, and it was a pleasure talking to you.
Mine too.