Debbie Dhillon may not have won Holland’s Next Top Model, but she did land a contract with Touché Models and is now rocking the Indian fashion world. And the fact that the Indian fashion world is not a quiet little world is evident from her brand new diary.

I didn’t have time to recover from fashion week. The day after fashion week, I was picked up at 07:10 to shoot the campaign for Gehna Jewellery. It was a super job.
The first photo of the campaign is already out; in total, there are 6 different campaign photos, with one released each season. Two days after the shoot, I was already featured on a full page in the Bombay Times. Super cool.

The next day was a full schedule. It started with a meeting at Kaya Skin Clinic, a skincare line. Right after the meeting, I had a fitting at a jeans brand and then another casting for Vodafone. After this busy day, I went to dinner with Siporra, my Dutch friend. We made couscous salad together, and I definitely don’t want to withhold the recipe from you.

You prepare the couscous according to the package with boiled water, after which you let it cool down.
In a pan, you add zucchini, yellow and red bell pepper, and garlic, which you sauté in olive oil and then let cool down. Cut the cucumber (without skin!) into pieces. Also, place some cherry tomatoes in a bowl. Then, roast three handfuls of almonds, which you let cool down afterward. You can make a sauce from honey, mustard, and fresh lemon juice. Determine the quantities yourself, depending on how you like it best. Chop the fresh coriander into pieces. Finally, take a large bowl and add the couscous. Mix in the cooled vegetable mix, the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, coriander, and almonds. Then mix everything and pour the sauce over it. Sprinkle with pepper and salt, and the couscous salad is ready! It’s quick to make and super healthy and tasty. We ordered falafel and pita bread with hummus salad alongside the couscous salad, and that was a really nice combination!

After dinner at the end of the day, we went for a nice swim to cool off. Unfortunately, you have to wear a swimming cap here in India due to hygiene. Very silly. Of course, we took a selfie with our speedy heads.

While grocery shopping, I spotted this panda bear backpack, it’s my sister’s favorite animal, so I couldn’t resist taking a photo and sending it to her. What a little kid I am, right, haha.

After the busy day yesterday, I had to get up early again today. I was picked up at 07:10 for a shoot. However, I was fresh and lively enough to take a car selfie. When I arrived there, I ordered a delicious Java Chip Chocolate Frappuccino at Starbucks to get an energy boost. Good morning!

The shoot was for a magazine that comes out next week. The result will be visible very soon. After the shoot, I took a taxi home with the stylist from Femina, who was also at the shoot. He lives in the same neighborhood, what a joker he is. Always nice to work with such spontaneous and fun people!

The day after the magazine shoot, I had a day off. Very relaxed. Because of that, I could look forward to a long day today. I had a meeting with a photographer for a catalog shoot. After that, I did a TV casting for a toothpaste brand and ended with a fitting for a jeans brand. So, a long day!

The next day, I went to the gym in the morning and afterward had a TV commercial casting for Candyman. In the evening, my roommate and I went out to dinner with one of the models from our agency and had a fun girls' night.

After working for a few days, I finally had a day off. I went to the gym, and in the evening, my roommate and I went out to dinner with Frank and Eva. They are my cousin and his girlfriend from the Netherlands, and they were here on vacation for a week. I definitely had to see them. We went out to eat at Suzette, the restaurant I had mentioned before. After that, we walked to the seaside and got ice cream somewhere. In short, a super fun evening.

Furthermore, I had a meeting at Elle magazine this week. A meeting means you just drop by. They also call it a ‘go see’. You show your portfolio and leave a set card. That’s a kind of large business card with your measurements, agency, and some photos on it. If they need a model at some point, they go through the set cards to choose a sample. The main thing about a go see is that they see you in real life. Everyone looks different in photos.

That was my week again. A week of days off along with a few very long days full of fun assignments. I’ll see you next week.

Much love, Debbie xx

P.S.: For more photos and updates, you can follow me on Instagram: @debbiedhillon