My Secret Riyadh: Samra Osama

Samra Osama is a 22-year-old influencer who lives in the capital. Born in Pakistan, she moved to Riyadh at just two months old and proudly calls it her home. She recalls,
“I was raised here, and it’s my home. I don’t like travelling too much, as I start missing Riyadh a lot. I want to stay here forever and I really don’t want to leave.”

Today, she spends her time working as a make-up artist and giving her Samra Muffin Insta-followers (more than 48,000 and counting) advice on their eye shadow skills.

She explains, “Living here in Riyadh actually helped me a lot because when I started my page three years ago there weren’t many influencers doing make-up and specifically focusing on eye make-up in the Middle East or in Riyadh.”

So, when she’s not teaching the world a cat eye, here’s where she hangs out.

The one thing I take everywhere with me from Riyadh is… Oud perfumes
You can never find the true oud scent anywhere else. I love Arabian Oud’s perfumes – the only black and only white range is my favourite. I took them to Maldives with me, because they smell absolutely divine. The scent is just so different from all the other perfumes, it reminds of Riyadh. I tell everyone, wherever I go, that this from my hometown. It’s like taking my culture with me wherever I go.

A restaurant I rate is… La Casa Pasta
I have to admit, I used to love McDonald’s. I used to eat McDonald’s two or three times a week, and that’s not at all healthy. So when I got married, my husband said you should try something else and he made me try La Casa Pasta. I had the Cajun pasta, and it was so yummy that it replaced McDonald’s.

My favourite store is… Stradivarius
I’m into Stradivarius, as they have amazing jeans. The high-waisted jeans are comfortable, and the denim material is soft. They are the most comfortable jeans I’ve ever worn. It also has trendy clothes and cute tops, which have great square and sweetheart necklines.

You’ll find me chilling at… MammaBunz Cafe
I go to MammaBunz, and get the cappuccino, and the buns are super tasty. They’re so crispy on the outside and on the inside the texture is just like cotton candy. They are so soft, and warmed to perfection. My favourite bun is the Lotus bun, I just love Lotus. The environment is awesome, as they have sofas where you can just lie down and fully relax.

The most annoying myth about Riyadh is that… it’s boring
I have heard from people, especially from my family in Pakistan, that Riyadh is only a desert. That’s absolutely false. There’s Riyadh Season, shopping is fun for me and the malls are amazing. There was MDLBeast Soundstorm, a music festival that I never even imagined happening here – it’s just awesome.
@samramuffin