It’s hard to put into words a multicultural influencer who grew up everywhere around the world and does not fall into a clear spectrum of “influence”. The only way to describe rising creator, Celine Lilas Safadi, is by using her own words to unearth her journey of self-discovery as an influencer in the making. In an exclusive interview, Celine sits down to candidly talk to ITP Live, unearthing her personality, passions, and influential ambitions.
“I am just a third culture kid, sharing my experiences to fill a ‘big sister’ void to so many impressionable men, women, boys, and girls.”
Syrian-Lebanese descent, Parisian born and bred, and currently based in Dubai, Celine Safadi is fast on the rise of becoming the relatable figure most mixed-raced and multi-cultural raised youth of today are looking for in influencers.
Celine fills the gap most younger generations are looking for when scrolling through their social pages; a fun, ambitious, and creative influencer who relates to the mash-up of identities from living in different places around the world, taking bits and bobs of cultures to make it their own to form a hybrid of intertwined cultures to formulating one identity.
From growing up in Paris and Dubai, moving to LA and NYC for university, and coming back to make Dubai her home, Celine shares everything from travel, beauty, and work tips to creative sessions, advice to even having fun with her famous ‘Baba’, Celine is positioning herself as the relatable big sister people can look towards for guidance.
What did you study and specialise in for you to be able to give big sister advice to your many followers?
I went to UCLA and studied Communications and Psychology – after 2.5 years (6 months away from graduating early) I decided to transfer to Parsons School of Design in NYC and get a Business degree in Strategic Design and Management with a minor in Fashion Communications. Not only did my education give me the means to provide some great advice – but the experience I had to make the difficult decision to change universities so close to graduating to truly follow my passion gives me the right to speak about having the courage to go after what you want and what you know is right for you. It’s not in school that we receive the true lessons in life, rather, it comes from our lived experiences.
The “big sister” advice of course applies to those younger than me, with tips on what universities to apply to, how PR works, and what to expect from a job. However, it also applies to those who are the same age or older, reaching an audience who wants relationship advice, beauty/makeup tips, my nose job experience, the best places to eat in Dubai, fun creative experiences in Dubai, and travel tips around the world. I used to refer to my role as a friendship between me and my followers until I realized that it is a deeper relationship between me and them. The advice I give and the tips I have are those I would share with my family.
How did you discover your passion for makeup?
My passion for makeup started long after my passion for fashion. Growing up in Paris not many people prioritize wearing makeup actually and it was not the tradition in my family either – my mom only wore lipstick and she was a painter. However, it was when I was in this period of self-expression through clothing, makeup, and painting that I had fun creating art on the self. My passion for makeup probably started in classes where I would draw on my hands/arms and those of my friends. The transformative nature of makeup is fascinating – the way shadows, tones, and light create optical illusions I’m still not perfect at.
Do you have a signature makeup look and what would you say are your go-to brands?
My signature look would definitely have feathered brows, glowy skin, healthy blush (because my cheeks are naturally pink), and some brown eyeliner + mascara “the clean girl” look. My go-to brand has to be Charlotte Tilbury for face, Hourglass for concealer, Huda Beauty for contour, Hindash for eyes, and By Mina Sheikhly for mascara!
What industry experience do you have to be able to tell people what to expect from a job?
I have worked in Paris, LA, NYC, and Dubai – that in itself has given me so much awareness and experience among different work cultures. I have styled shoots, been a model, volunteered back of the house at NY Fashion week, worked in PR, content creation, and talent handling, and now I am in a FinTech start-up doing branding and marketing. Every job I had required interacting with a lot of people and times of extreme pressure – so even if the experience was short I always learned a lot.
What would be the top 3 career tips you would give your followers?
- Be willing to be taught, don’t come in expecting you need to prove how much you know, you don’t gain anything from that. It will show when the time is right.
- Listen more than you speak. To be able to make the best decisions, you need to have the most information. This can be interpreted in many ways – and it should be applied to all of them.
- Every job is hard. You won’t always love what you do, or there may be parts of the job you don’t love to do. It’s okay. As long as you are passionate about most of what you do then you are on the right path.
In my personal life, I have many ambitious goals. I’m on a journey to start working for myself; becoming an entrepreneur. Instead of following paths that have already been taken, I’m taking my unique experience of the world and translating it into services and hopefully products that will evoke just that – something unique.
What role does your ‘baba’ play as part of your influence?
There is no short way to describe Baba! He is the smartest man I will ever know, with a PhD in Econometrics from Georgetown University straight out of Lebanon during a civil war. He has beaten the odds against him through his absolute hunger for knowledge and resilience. More than that he is the father of 3 girls who he calls his “3 pearls” and everyone knows not to mess with. He is an Alpha male in all senses of the word and possesses the charisma of a Hollywood star – when he speaks everyone in the room is listening. I incorporated him into my content because our relationship has always been extremely close, but never this honest. I want people to know that there are fathers who can be pushed to grow and change and become understanding and open-minded – and also laugh at his silly jokes at the same time. I know not everyone has a great experience with an Arab father figure – so I volunteer mine to fill that void for them.
@celinelilas i think i need to keep making these w baba
♬ Easy 2000s songs – Amber Fares
As Celine Safadi takes on a new role in her follower’s life she reminds us of her passions and how he intends to take everyone along for the journey, “I truly enjoy content creation, I really always have – to think that I can actually help people while doing it is what makes it truly amazing.”
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