From an early age, Shadia anticipated she would have to struggle to achieve her dreams. She was born into an Arabian-African family and raised in a strict Muslim environment in the Sudan. Her passion for the arts, fashion, and media were considered taboo. Nonetheless, she knew she had to follow her dreams. As a teenager, she was drawn to the fascinating drama of Bollywood movies and watched as many Indian and Western movies she could find. The films influenced her desire to become an actress and model. She admired elegant fashion styles and designed her own clothing using fabrics such as, silk, satin, and lace. Her creative and stylish mother inspired her to be innovative in the world of beauty, while her father, a major in the Army, taught her the power of discipline and perseverance. She stepped out into the world with the lessons she learned from her parents.
Shadia knew she wanted to make a place for herself in the fields of fashion and beauty. Her unique heritage made her an uncommon beauty. As a teenager, she had photos taken and published in America. This prompted the Sudanese police to confiscate the photographs. She quickly learned that in the Sudan, it was illegal for women to pursue a career in the fashion, beauty, and media industries. Women who did so, risked imprisonment. In order to follow her dreams, Shadia had to leave her country. She moved to London, where she began modeling. Soon, photographers from all around the world offered her opportunities as a print and runway model.
After she turned twenty-two, she relocated to the United States, where she worked as a model and actress. Simultaneously, she went to school to earn her cosmetologist and esthetician licenses. She became a highly respected Seasonal Color Analyst and Total Image Consultant. Her many interests have allowed her to work with companies including Elizabeth Arden, Estée Lauder In New York, Harrods, Selfridges In London, and the Paris Gallery in Dubai. She is an image consultant for some of the world’s most sophisticated individuals, including Princess Alsheika Wadima, the daughter of the founder of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan.
Currently, Shadia is living in New York City. In addition to taking classes in film, production, screenwriting, and directing, she is writing a memoir and a screenplay focusing on the extraordinary challenges she had faced while growing up in the Sudan, and the adventures that lead her to find her second home in the United States. Despite being so far from the Sudan, Shadia still shares her mother’s holistic and imaginative approach to skin care. In 2008, she founded her own perfume and cosmetics company called, Shadia Elamin International LLC. As a successful actress, model, and businesswoman, Shadia continues to inspire some of the world’s greatest film and television directors, photographers, actors, and designers, while maintaining a global clientele for her cosmetic services and products.
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