What does empowerment mean to you? Do you think the beauty industry gets it right, or is there still work to be done in how we talk about beauty, health and wellness?

I still see BIG brands talking about anti-ageing – but I want us to embrace ageing because it’s inevitable. Language matters and “anti” makes it sound like it’s something terrible… defining ageing as something to combat and makes women as young as in their 20s feel like it’s something to fight.

Empowerment means taking the reigns of the decision making process, but taking a balanced or objective view of your own ideas and opinions, and being open to changing them.

You've spent your career working with some of the most recognisable faces in the world. Looking back, what did those early days behind the chair teach you about women, confidence and the power of makeup?

What it taught me was that sometimes makeup has nothing to do with it. It’s about embodiment.

Makeup is powerful, you can actually use it to reveal or create a character. Maybe today the character is your most confident self, or your playful self, or your sultry self. But if you don't feel like that person, the makeup wears you.

Back to the idea of a crutch. It pains me to hear people say they can’t or won’t leave the house without it. Your beauty is not defined by the products on your face, but by the love and kindness you share. Like the Roald Dahl quote!

You've since stepped away from the world of celebrity makeup art. What prompted that transition, and what did you discover about yourself on the other side of it?

I was complete, and I like Poorna Bell’s new book. I wanted more. I had spent from the age of 19 in salons and on set and I’ve always been a personal development junkie. I realized in my early 40s that one of my gifts was to make my clients feel good being THEMSELVES, empowered as the amazing humans they are. And I wanted to facilitate that more.

What does community mean to you, and have you found or built one that feels truly yours since leaving that chapter behind?

I am constantly in and out of communities and I am creating them wherever I go. I love people; they are fascinating. In school I was the person who was friends with all of the cliques, and that has always continued. Community is the family you choose. People who get you, who see you, and who you can share with in different ways.

Who are the women – mentors, peers or figures from history – who have most influenced how you move through the world and approach your work?

Georgia O'Keeffe was a first influence; I had her watercolours all over my wall, soft and beautiful but I also had posters of Sinead O’Connor, shaven head with ripped jeans.

That kind of sums me up in a nutshell, contradictions and paradoxes. I also love women like Katherine Hepburn, Cleopatra and I used to ADORE Janet Jackson in her Kevyn Aucoin days.

Wellness looks very different across generations. How has your understanding of what it means to truly care for yourself evolved — and who, across different stages of your life, has shaped that?

I draw a big distinction between self care and self caring. Self care is bubble baths and a massage. But self caring is boundaries, aligned noes and whole-hearted ‘yeses’. It’s self exploration, it’s tough conversations… with yourself. And I have to say, this exploration comes mainly from lots and lots and lots of reading. And Brené Brown.

What's next for you? Is there a community, project or vision you're working toward that you're excited to share?

My mission is to be a ray of light for women in their 40s and beyond – a source of energy that reminds them who they truly are beneath the roles they play.

So many brilliant women have spent decades defining themselves by what they do: their careers, responsibilities, achievements, and expectations. But midlife often brings an invitation to something deeper, a return to self.

I founded The Radiate Room to support women in that moment of expansion. It’s a space for women navigating powerful uplevels in midlife — founders, leaders, and visionary change-makers who feel the call to step into a new chapter. It’s a space for more joy, peace, and self confidence.

Through the integration of psychology, energetics, and heart intelligence, I help women clear what no longer serves them so they can lead, create, and live from a place of authentic power.

Because confidence in midlife isn’t about doing more. It’s about remembering who you are and radiating that truth from the inside out.

Tahira x