3 0 QSThey say life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.
For me, life didn’t just happen. It moved quickly, beautifully, and sometimes in ways that felt too overwhelming to fully understand at the time.
I’m Manal Ashraf. And if you’ve only seen me behind the clinic chair as your “Beauty Guru,” then you’ve only seen a small part of my story. What you see today was built through years that were not always easy, not always graceful, but deeply transformative, shaped by a motherhood shift I didn’t see coming.
The Teenage Bride No One Talks About
My story didn’t begin with skincare. Instead, it began with a 17-year-old girl who was still trying to understand herself.
Before I even stepped into the English Commerce department at Alexandria University, I was already engaged. While my friends were thinking about university life, new beginnings, and small freedoms, I was quietly stepping into a completely different reality.
Soon after graduation, I moved straight into marriage. There wasn’t much pause in between, no space to reflect or even process the transition. Then, by the age of 24, I became a mother.
And somewhere in all of that, I slowly began to lose myself, without realizing I was going through a quiet motherhood shift I didn’t yet understand.
I remember standing in front of the mirror and feeling disconnected from the woman looking back at me. I had gained 35 kilos, but the weight was only part of the story. It was the exhaustion, the emotional heaviness, and the constant feeling of being needed without having space to need anything myself.
The phrase “a baby holding a baby” wasn’t just something I heard. It was exactly how I felt.
At the same time, I was navigating breastfeeding depression and a quiet sadness that stayed with me longer than I expected. It wasn’t that I didn’t love my life. It was that I didn’t recognize myself within it.
Deep down, it felt like a part of me had been left behind too early, before I had the chance to fully become her.
The Moment I Found Myself Again
It didn’t happen all at once. In fact, it was slow, almost unnoticeable at first.
Day by day, I showed up for myself, even when I didn’t feel ready. Over three years, I worked in a demanding job at a bank while trying to rebuild my strength, both physically and emotionally.
Eventually, things began to shift.
I reached my goal weight. My daughter, Loulia, was growing, and for the first time in a long while, I felt like I could breathe again. I wasn’t fully there yet, but I was closer to myself than I had been in years.
And then, just as I was finding my rhythm again, life surprised me.
Two pink lines.
I remember that moment clearly. The silence. The shock. The fear followed almost immediately.
I broke down. Not because I wasn’t grateful, but because I was scared. I had just started to feel like myself again, and the idea of starting over felt heavier than I was prepared for.
However, in that moment, something else held me together.
My husband.
He didn’t try to fix my feelings or rush me through them. Instead, he stayed. He listened. He reminded me, gently, that I wasn’t alone in this.
And sometimes, that kind of support is exactly what you need to keep going, especially during a life-changing motherhood shift.
From Survival Mode to Self-Discovery
During my pregnancy with Carla, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life. I left my job at the bank.
At first, it felt like another loss. Another part of my identity slipping away.
However, over time, something unexpected began to grow in that space.
I started to feel a strong desire to reconnect with myself. Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. I wanted to feel confident again. I wanted to look in the mirror and feel present in my own life.
That desire slowly turned into curiosity. Then, that curiosity became passion.
I began learning about skincare on a deeper level. I took courses, explored clinical-grade products, and invested time in understanding the science behind skin health.
It wasn’t just about appearance anymore. It was about rebuilding something within me that had been quiet for too long, and learning to embrace my motherhood shift instead of resisting it.
Through that journey, I realized something important.
Beauty is not about perfection. It is not about vanity.
Instead, it is about confidence. It is about feeling comfortable in your own skin and showing up fully in your own life.
Becoming the Beauty Guru I Needed
Today, I stand in a place I once couldn’t imagine.
I moved from the bank floor to the clinic floor. Now, I work as a Skincare Specialist, PMU Artist, and Educator at Glow Beauty and Well-being Clinics.
But more importantly, I see transformation every single day.
I see women walk in carrying exhaustion, self-doubt, and everything life has placed on their shoulders. And sometimes, after just one session, something shifts.
Not just in how they look, but in how they carry themselves.
There is a quiet confidence that returns. A softness. A sense of coming back to themselves.
And every time I witness that, I am reminded of my own journey.
My Mission: Women Empowering Women
To my Madinat Mom community, this is personal.
I know what it feels like to lose yourself in motherhood. I know what it means to put everyone else first, to delay your own needs, and to forget what it feels like to feel like you.
That is why I want to give back in a meaningful way.
I am offering an unlimited, no-expiry discount voucher for consultations and beauty sessions. Not as a luxury, but as a reminder.
A reminder that you matter too and that taking care of yourself is not selfish.
A reminder that you are allowed to reconnect with who you are!
A Love Letter to My Generation
To my fellow millennials
We have lived through constant change. We built families while the world kept shifting around us. We adapted, we carried, and we kept going, even when things felt uncertain.
And still, here we are.
Growing. Learning. Becoming.
From One Mother to Another
I am not just here to fix skin.
I am here to gently remind you of something you may have forgotten along the way.
You are still there.
And no matter how much life has changed you, every motherhood shift still holds space for you to find your way back to yourself.
Have advice for moms or a personal story to tell? We’d love to feature your voice on our blog! Share your experiences with us here! We’re always excited to welcome new perspectives and stories from moms like you!
