My Life in Beauty
Self-made beauty entrepreneurs Huda and Mona Kattan talk to HOLLY O’NEILL about their global beauty empire, and why you should embrace your weirdness.
MY TRAVEL BAG ALWAYS HAS a bottle of OUAI Dry Shampoo Foam, €30. I don’t know what I’d do without it in between washing my hair; it helps it appear clean, and gives volume. My ride or die foundation is our #FauxFilter in Brown Sugar, €36. It has changed my skin. Benefit Ka-Brow!, €26.50, is another must‐have for me. Shade 3 and 4 are my go‐to – I use it every single day. And I always have my Huda Beauty Lip Contour Pencil in Trendsetter, €18 – I couldn’t leave the house without it. – Huda THE BEST MAKE-UP ADVICE I HAVE IS... When it comes to lips, over‐lining can be just as effective as cosmetic procedures. – Huda THE BEAUTY APPOINTMENT I NEVER MISS is a trip to my dermatologist. Growing up with problem skin and acne wasn’t easy and made me a little paranoid, so this is an appointment I never miss. – Huda
THE WORST BEAUTY MISTAKE I EVER MADE was picking the wrong foundation colour! Store lighting is totally different to being out in natural light, and it’s important to test your foundation in both conditions before you buy. I always ask for a tester to try the foundation in daylight. – Huda WHEN IT COMES TO FRAGRANCE, I use different layering combinations depending on how I’m feeling that day – sometimes I layer up to 12 to 15 different scents. At the moment, one of my favourite KAYALI blends is to start with ELIXIR | 11 then add VANILLA | 28 and finish with MUSK | 12, €98.50 each. It creates the most gorgeous, complex, floral scent. – Mona I NEVER TRAVEL WITHOUT SKINCEUTICALS CE Ferulic, €150. I use it every night, and I noticed such an improvement to my skin tone, especially as I had quite bad acne scars and hyperpigmentation, and it evened it out so well. It’s pretty much erased my acne scars. – Huda MY CURRENT OBSESSION IS the Keto diet. You really have no choice but to be obsessed with it in order to get the results you’re looking for. I’ve been all about eating healthy and working out diligently, and I’ve never felt happier. – Mona HOW HUDA BEAUTY BEGAN… I knew there was a demand for false eyelashes before they became mainstream.
I used to create my own lashes by customising, shaving
and stacking them. Mona is super-entrepreneurial, so she suggested I start a lash line, and my older sister, Alya, lent me some money to get started, and I promised I’d pay her back. I told her that if nobody bought the lashes, I’d wear every single pair and pay her every time I wore them, and she agreed. After a million emails and business pitches, Sephora finally took me seriously and decided they would sell my lashes. Huda Beauty launched at Sephora in Dubai Mall in February 2013, starting with a small lash collection. – Huda I ALWAYS TRUST HINDASH TO DO MY MAKE-UP. He’s been using our Huda Beauty The New Nude Eyeshadow Palette, €65, recently since it has gorgeous pinks, mauves and shimmers, which are perfect for a soft, feminine eye. – Mona I’D LIKE TO TELL MY YOUNGER SELF that when you feel beautiful, you become beautiful. I encourage everyone to really embrace their weirdness or what makes them unique and to define beauty for themselves. Do what makes you feel beautiful and own it. – Huda
ONE OF THE BIGGEST BEAUTY MYTHS is that people with oily skin shouldn’t moisturise. Oily skin can be dehydrated, and if you don’t moisturise, you’ll cause your skin to produce more oil to compensate for lack of moisture. Use moisturiser that will replenish and hydrate without sitting heavily on the skin. A light gel- or water-based formula that’s non-comedogenic is ideal. – Huda