beauty

By Gisel Habibnejad   To outsiders, she may just look like the ideal “Persian Barbie.” But, to those who know her and what she stands for, Lilly Ghalichi is much more than meets the eye. Already established as a highly sought after TV personality, starring in Bravo’s Shahs of Sunset, she has been busy becoming successful in the industries of fashion and beauty. Lilly made her television debut on the reality TV show, Shahs of Sunset. The show follows the lives, romances, careers, and family events of a group of Iranian friends living in Los Angeles – which sometimes ends up with drama. While Lilly has decided to no longer be part of the show, she is still grateful for the experience. “I found myself channeling all my energy to things that weren’t benefiting my life, and engaging in behavior I wasn’t proud of, so I decided to make a change. I don’t regret doing the show, it was an incredible experience, but it wasn’t for me.” However, when asked if she would ever return to reality TV, she provided a major cliff hanger, “I would never say never.”                                 Meanwhile, Lilly has blossomed in the world of business. She has her hands dipped in fashion and beauty – every girl’s dream! She started off with designing bikinis for her Femme Noir Swimgerie and soon after joined forces with Jennifer Stano, a swimwear designer, to create Have Faith Swimgerie. The designs are a hybrid of bikini and lingerie resulting in flattering pieces to make any woman feel confident when adorned in these fabulous suits. From the 2015 collection, fashionistas can expect “sexy, sassy, chic” styles. “We will be releasing an all new ‘Swimgerie’ collection where we push the limits with swimwear, creating really provocative, edgy, high fashion styles. The Have-Faith collection will have a lot of beautiful hardwear incorporated into the suits, and we are releasing the largest collection of cover-ups that we have ever had,” says the 31-year old. Of all her businesses, Lilly describes WantMyLook as the hardest to build from scratch. The clothing label is inspired by celebrity looks for less. “Every day we need to design and produce styles – every, single day.” Fashion is always changing and evolving, and she strives to make sure her styles are up-to-date. She came up with the idea through her social media outlets. As her following grew, more and more questions came pouring in asking where she bought her clothes. “I wanted to promote that everyone can look fashionable, you don’t need to spend a lot to look great.” And with that, Lilly shares her favorite spring looks consisting of highwaisted pants and crop tops with a sophisticated and chic edge. Her fashion influences don’t stop there, she also designed a jewelry collection with Avitan, called LG, which consists of beautiful diamond rings ranging in styles from everyday to special occasions. The collection proves to be timeless and is sure to make any woman feel powerful and à la mode. It oozes simplicity with elegance, class with uniqueness. In the beauty hemisphere, Lilly wanted to lend her famously luscious lashes to those who craved to give their eyes that extra oomph. Lilly Lashes provides various styles of faux lashes made with human hair to naturally blend in. Whether you want to go sexy and sleek with “LA,” or simple and demure with “Saint-Tropez” – this brand has every look you’re in the mood for. As for Lilly’s favorite style? She exclusively shared her favorite is “Venice,” and rightfully so the style has grown in popularity. Lilly has also been making waves with her Lilly Hair extensions by Bellami, which uses human hair for that natural and wholesome look varying in different styles and colors, too. Growing up in a Persian family, most raise their children to become doctors, lawyers, or dentists. For Lilly, she made her family proud when she completed her law degree. But, still she felt she needed more. When she decided to transition from law to the fashion business, it was no easy task. It took some time until her family fully accepted her career change. “It was very difficult. In the Persian community you aren’t respected if you don’t have one of those careers. In fact, you won’t be a suitable wife/husband, and you won’t make your parents proud if you aren’t one of those things. I decided it was my life to live, and I would do what made me happy and proud.” Lilly’s unconventional career choice has helped pave a path for those who come after her, especially Persians who wish to follow unconventional dreams. Today, Lilly’s parents are extremely proud of her success and the woman she has become. Even for someone who has it all, it doesn’t guarantee a free-pass from Iranian discrimination. Still, she doesn’t let that get in the way. She advises, “I have always let my success speak for me. Ignore the discrimination, don’t fight back, instead work harder to prove them wrong.” Although Lilly makes it look effortless, don’t be fooled! Breaking into the business world isn’t. Aside from familial issues, parting from her profession as an attorney to pursue a career in the field of glamour still had its complications. “Practicing is a great career, but for me, it felt like ‘work.’ I wasn’t excited about waking up and going to the office, I wasn’t passionate about what I did. Today, I work a thousand times harder, longer hours, and more strenuously, but I love what I do, so I don’t really work at all,” says the avid fashion and beauty lover. She knew she could always fall back on her law degree, but fortunately she doesn’t have to! She encourages women who are hesitant to follow their dreams to trust their intuition, and assures after the first few stages everything will fall into place. Lilly also expressed her love for Miami,