Virtual Sensation: Huda Kattan

Thanks to relatable videos and tips, and now her own line of colour cosmetics, Huda Beauty, flawless skin is within reach for every woman. Kattan feels she owes her beauty perspective to her middle-eastern genes and her mum’s DIY book that inspired her to make flawless complexion an accessible goal. Because of her passion for lashes and highlighters and the courage to swim against the ramp trends, she is an idol amongst millennials. In a freewheeling conversation, social media’s most influential beauty blogger (with more than 23 million followers) talks about all things beautiful. Excerpts from a conversation….

On Indian Women
Due to their amazing features, women in India wear more make-up to enhance their big beautiful eyes and bold brows. They’ve always loved make-up, being very glam and over the top. It’s as though it’s in your blood to love beauty if you are from India. What I love about Indian women is that they tend to have strong features which they play up rather than mute — so instead of a nude lip and neutral eye, you’ll see them with gorgeous red lips and dark, smoky eyes. No matter what decade or culture you’re from, you can appreciate Indian make-up and beauty.

Wish List Essentials
The Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Eyeshadow Palette is a definite must-have for getting dramatic and mysterious looks which are really popular with Indian women. False lashes are another! Our Liquid Matte Heartbreaker is really popular and it’s a shade that complements darker skin tones really well. I would also recommend our #FauxFilter Foundation which gives the most amazing matte complexion with an airbrushed finish. All these products will be available in India, exclusively on nykaa.com!

Desk to Dance Floor
Definitely some good false lashes — these take any look to the next level! Eyeshadow — even just a quick slick across the lid and along the bottom lash line can really help define the eye. Finally, I am obsessed with highlighter as this is literally like cheek bling.

The Brow Guide
I’m all about perfect brows, and symmetry is super important to me when it comes to acquiring them. I swear by a caliper, a tool used to measure the dimensions between the opposite sides of an object, to map them out. That and a good pair of tweezers! I have been using Tweezerman tweezers since I was in high school — there are genuinely no tweezers like them!

Dark Circles Woes
If you’re looking for a natural treatment then Sweet Almond Oil or Potatoes (the juice) will help with this. If you’re looking for a treatment with immediate results, then definitely try Carboxy Therapy. Carboxy Therapy isn’t for the squeamish, but it’s super effective! Using small syringes of carbon dioxide, a doctor will inject the gas into the superficial layer of your eyelids. Your body reacts to what it believes is an oxygen deficiency, causing blood to rush to this area, increasing the blood flow and removing the build-up of blood, thereby diminishing dark circles. If I need to fake an eight-hour sleep, I use loads of concealer and a good pair of lashes to distract from the tiredness!

Mum’s DIY Book
I remember growing up; she had a DIY book that she would refer to for everything. Some of my favourite remedies include using garlic to treat nail fungus, coconut oil for dry hair, turmeric, honey and coconut oil to make a great face mask, and potatoes or lemons to lighten dark underarms, knees and elbows — so my heritage has definitely helped define my beauty perspective.

Milestone Moment
Sephora stocking our lashes for the first time was a really surreal moment for me — I literally had to pinch myself!

Words of Wisdom
Be ready to sacrifice a lot and that sometimes means passing up on awesome opportunities. When you really want something you have to work for it. You need to push through and never give up. Keep focused, and only do it if you are 100 per cent passionate about it.