HUDA KATTAN

Huda Beauty founder

Beloved for her high-glam style,

Kattan has redefined what it means to be a modern makeup artist. After a meteoric rise on YouTube, she’s gone on to build a billion-dollar beauty empire. WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE YOUR SUCCESS TO?

The first three years before we launched the brand, I was just blogging 24/7 from 2010–2013. After listening to the makeup community, I felt like I had my [finger on the] pulse of what they were going to like. I was lucky enough to get my foot in enough doors and beg somebody to give me a chance. My first launch of eyelashes was extremely special and scary. It was a really dramatic and surreal moment because we didn’t expect the brand to be successful, let alone become the conglomerate it is. HOW HAVE YOU NAVIGATED THE EVER-CHANGING SOCIAL MEDIA LANDSCAPE?

It’s extremely challenging because there’s always new platforms, new rules, and the platform that you’re “winning” in will all of a sudden change. I still enjoy the “Get Ready With Me” [video format] and consider it my me-time. I’ve been doing them for so long, over 10 years! WHAT ARE YOUR DESERT ISLAND BEAUTY PICKS?

Definitely our

Color Corrector in Cherry Blossom, #FauxFilter Concealer in Graham Cracker and Easy Bake Powder in Peach Pie. Then I would add in a non-Huda Beauty product like K18; my hair would not survive without it. But then I would also want to take our lip stain, lip liner and maybe a facial cream? I would need at least 100 products on a desert island! HAVE YOU TRIED ANY SKIN GAME CHANGERS?

I’m obsessed with at-home radiofrequency machines. They can help lift and tighten the skin. ARE THERE ANY BEAUTY TRENDS YOU’RE PREDICTING THIS YEAR?

I’m really excited for bronzers. I feel like that trend needs to come back, right? I love that blushes are having a moment, but I need a bronzer. Everybody wants a beautiful bronzer.

The most attractive thing you can do is just smile. People will gravitate towards you. My mum told me this and it sounds so cheesy but I really believe it.

“I would need at least 100 products on a desert island!”

THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE HAD?

Huda Kattan. Her beauty line is stocked in more than 1500 stores around the world. FROM TOP Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Powder in Peach Pie, $66, #FauxFilter Color Corrector in Cherry Blossom, $50, and Liquid Matte UltraComfort Transfer-Proof Lipsticks in Venus and Bombshell, $40, at sephora.com.au.