Issue / Thoughts From The Editor-In-Chief: Unexpected Discoveries of Beauty

by Hina P. Ansari

Thoughts From The Editor-In-Chief: Unexpected Discoveries of Beauty

Feb 02, 2015

I recently posted on my Facebook page: “Even if you may not notice it at the time, unexpected positive life experiences can be just what the heart needs. The beauty of that discovery is immeasurable.” That thought occurred to me while I was on a post-vacation high. Having recently returned from a glorious two-week road trip through Morocco, which included spending New Year’s Eve camping in the Sahara, I was blissfully reminiscing the various moments throughout the trip that at the time seemed hectic to some, but in the clear light of a blistery Toronto winter morning, they were simply magical.

Morocco gifted me with so much: Its mesmerizing landscape, the spiritual people, the delicious food and the warm hospitality. The beauty of the Berber storekeeper who decided to dress me up as a traditional Berber bride at a local clothing store. The beauty of incredibly shy seven-year-old Omar, who trekked up the sand dunes in the Sahara, as we were catching the sunrise, to show us the trinkets (handmade by his sister) he was selling. The beauty of cozying my nose into the mint-filled tea glass for my umpteenth cup of heavenly Moroccan tea. The beauty of having my driver and guide pull over to the side of the road for an impromptu dance party when his favorite Moroccan tune came on the radio. The beauty of having a complete stranger pull me up to dance to the beats of traditional street musicians at Jemma el-Fnaa, the main square in Marrakech. Beauty was everywhere and I was determined to stay in the present to absorb it all.

However, life is not a movie where you can press pause at any given moment and take it all in. Sometimes you don’t recognize beauty when it’s sharing its presence with you. Sometimes it takes a reflective pause for you to realize how truly beautiful that moment was, how beautiful that person, that child or that spirit was. Sometimes it’s only when you reminisce on the day you’ve had, be it at the office, at a party, with your family or camel-trekking through the desert, that you acknowledge with all of your heart that it was a truly beautiful moment, and that discovery itself, is truly immeasurable.

So with that spirit of beauty we bring you The Beauty Issue. Here we relish in all things beauty from the hottest lip and nail colours (Beauty Counter, page 41), to the hottest looks from the runways (Beauty Trend Report, page 36) to our exclusive Beauty Q&A with M.A.C’s Gordon Espinet. We also celebrate all forms of beauty with our feature article Love the Skin You’re In (page 44).

Of course we continue with our hottest runway reports from South Asia (Black Reigns, page 30) and we list the hottest films hitting your local Cineplex (Get Reel, page 18). And art house film heroine Kalki Koechlin chats with us about her unique rise to fame (The Fun of Being Kalki, page 16).

Get your vanity done up right with tips on how to create your own beauty station (Vanity Insanity, page 56). And, just in time for Valentine’s Day, our sex and relationship experts share their insights (Rebecca’s Hot & Heavy Sex Tips, page 50 and Create The Love You Want, page 48).

So here we are, with our Beauty Issue just for you. Tap, swipe and take in the beauty of all things. Right here, right now.

Best,

Hina P. Ansari
Editor-In-Chief

Hina P. Ansari

Author

Hina P. Ansari is a graduate from The University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario). Since then she has carved a successful career in Canada's national fashion-publishing world as the Entertainment/Photo Editor at FLARE Magazine, Canada's national fashion magazine. She was the first South Asian in...