JEDDAH: Saudi women are no strangers to fashion, glamour and sophistication. Many of them work as designers, makeup artists and models. And those good looks were not missed by Rea Ann Silva, creator and CEO of Beauty Blender makeup application sponge, when she gave her first beauty masterclass in the Kingdom, hosted by Sephora at Local Studio in Jeddah, as part of the celebrations for Saudi National Day. “The women here are so gorgeous and sophisticated and have so much knowledge about beauty and makeup. It was such a pleasure because they already knew so much,” she told Arab News. Silva said she admired the different skin tones and facial features of the people she saw in the audience. The women here are so gorgeous and sophisticated and have so much knowledge about beauty and makeup. It was such a pleasure because they already knew so much. Rea Ann Silva , Creator and CEO of Beauty Blender makeup application sponge “I was so surprised to see such a variety of beauty; different skin tones, different facial shapes, amazing eyebrows, beautiful eyes, amazing lips — it really is so stunning to be able to see the beautiful faces and just the variety of looks that you have with different women here,” she said. During the masterclass, Silva taught the participants about application techniques and introduced some of her new products, including Bounce Foundation, Always On Radiant Skin Tint and a pH bronzer. “It was about me sharing a little bit about my journey and my background, and how I created Beauty Blender along with my newest journey into the complexion category,” she said. While the masterclass was new, this was not Silva’s first visit to the Kingdom, as she attended a wedding here 12 years ago. “When I came to that wedding, it was so over-the-top gorgeous between the fashion and the hair and the makeup. And the makeup was ahead of its time,” she said. “Makeup was worn a lot heavier than at the time we were wearing makeup in the States. So coming to Saudi Arabia and just seeing really beautifully painted, expertly applied makeup was not something I was used to seeing and it was just so mind-blowing.” Sudanese model Hatoon Al-Rifaai, who is the face of Sephora, said it was refreshing for her to be able to attend the masterclass as a student rather than a professional. “I used to always attend masterclasses as a model, but I am so happy today to attend as one of the people who are seated and are learning from it,” she said.