At a time when reality is permeating through the world of fashion faster than ever, when photo shoots have become a medium of social and realistic expression and when the idea of ‘beautiful’ avec artifice is seen as a touch distasteful, model Nadia Hussain continues to stand tall (at 5 feet 10 inches) with her gloss, flamboyance and ‘ideal’ beauty. Just like her vibrant persona, her new business project, NH Salon, also exudes a sense of vivacity in shades of bright red and black juxtaposed with reflective glass around the interiors. Built on three-stories, the salon is a one-stop solution for all your grooming needs along with an aesthetics and cosmetology clinic and a prêt-a-porter boutique.

However, having ventured into the lucrative lawn sector, hosting shows on television, acting in various serials and even trying her hands at being a shoe designer while continuing modeling, it seems Nadia has too many fingers in the pie. Now, with a business that demands her full attention and her fourth child on its way, has she finally decided to walk tall towards the end of her modeling career?

"I will continue modeling for as long as I can but honestly, I am not too pushed for it. The excitement died down quite a while back when my whole ‘moving ahead’ ball started rolling and I stepped into the lawn business. But the offers keep coming and it becomes difficult to say no," confesses Nadia. "Luckily, I am pregnant so even now when offers come my way I can easily say no because I can’t do it, and focus all my time and energy on my salon. By next year I think I should be more settled to move on."

Pregnant? Yes, Nadia confirms that she is on the way to having her fourth child.

Meanwhile, the supermodel is confident that her new enterprise – NH Salon – is surely the beginning of her future, the next big step that she has taken solely for her own sake because "nobody in the media industry is permanent". Despite being part of the modeling industry for over a decade now, Nadia admits that models do have a shelf life. Yet we wonder why, while the fashion landscape has changed drastically, some of the faces remain the same unlike anywhere else in the world.

"Of course there is an expiry date on models world over. But here they do need us as personalities, as faces, as showstoppers, which is great for us because it means we are still wanted, still looked up to and among the highest paid," Nadia speaks to Instep. "Generally, whenever I am approached I am told that there is nobody else we can see because you always stand out and have that power on the audience. I think at this stage it is more about being a personality, a celebrity than just being a model."

However, fame and stature for senior models always comes at a price and in this case, a great deal of envy from emerging models. The modeling industry, particularly in Pakistan, has long been scrutinized for its low standards and rather questionable ethics and Nadia is among a handful of those who have gone from becoming a fashion model to a role model.

"At the time when I started my career there were girls coming from very thorough, decent backgrounds for example, ZQ who is a Masters in Literature, Tania Shafi, Iraj, Nadia Jamoola etc. They weren’t desperate to get somewhere just by being stamped with the label of a fashion model!" asserts Nadia. "Nowadays girls use modeling as a means, an avenue to explore other opportunities and earn easy cash. This huge influx of new models is also to be blamed at the advent of fashion weeks, where budgets are low and senior models aren’t too willing to work at that rate. So in order to fill in the demand, organizers started all of these model hunts and shows."

"They have introduced new faces but hardly any of them are even tall enough to qualify as a runway model," she continues. "Moreover, the newer lot tends to fight and crib over issues we cared less about during our time. We wouldn’t be bothered, initially, about how many outfits we were assigned, who was standing in front of us, who was opening the show, etc but these girls do and they are perhaps, giving the industry a bad name," she adds.

Having such knowledge on the intricacies of the modeling profession and long-standing experience on their CV, the senior models should certainly have a say and influence on how new models are recruited and trained but Nadia reveals that it is not the case.

"That’s the show organiser’s job and hasn’t got anything to do with us. However, what we end up doing, and that too with a bit of reservation, is to train these girls. But sometimes they are so rigid over their mindset and beliefs that they don’t want to listen to you. Just by watching Fashion TV or whatever else they do, they have this fixed ideas, which are very difficult to break away from and so we give up then," she shares.

That said, Nadia is not a model that is ready to give up on personal and professional ambition. With three kids, a well-settled family, a degree in dentistry and accreditation in aesthetics surgery from Singapore as well as in hair colour and cut from Pivot Point, Nadia truly stands out. With only 20 days since its opening, Nadia is already planning a future for her salon/clinic that is likely to include a dental wing and laser therapy a couple of months down the line.

As we reach the end of our conversation with the timeless runway diva, we refer back to her interest in aesthetics and cosmetology and ask her the much-debated question, is the knife really that necessary or does beauty look best when natural?

"This has become a trend more recently. It wasn’t the case when we stepped into the industry. However, considering that I administer it myself now, I feel that it’s fine if the purpose is only to enhance your overall look and it does increase your shelf life," clarifies Nadia. "However, there is a thin line between overdoing it and maintaining that perfect balance. Coming from a medical background, I know that there are certain limitations associated with fillers or botox, etc. So whenever I administer it on others or even on my self, I make sure I explain that there is a limit that one shouldn’t go beyond. Everybody wants to look a certain way but it cannot change how you look, it can only enhance your features," she concludes.