“Beauty can change the way a woman feels,
and an empowered woman is fearless; she’s unstoppable…
She can take on the world.”
For me, makeup has always been so much more than a way to look more beautiful, it’s completely transforming: it effects my mood, my confidence, and the way I feel. Ever since I picked up my first pair of tweezers I was transfixed, and by the time I was 14 I was wearing a full face of makeup – I loved it! I started plucking my sister’s friend’s eyebrows, doing my friend’s makeup, and I took on any opportunity I could to get involved with beauty, from doing makeup at school plays to university fashion shows. After university, I began sending out email blasts to my girlfriends with beauty tips, hacks and DIYs – I was blogging and I didn’t even know it. I consider myself beyond lucky that my love for makeup, after many long years of hard work, has turned into a thriving business and a platform for all of us to share beauty.
How it all began: Working in beauty was not what I grew up expecting to do. I was born and raised in the U.S. and I studied Finance at university. After moving to Dubai and starting a job in the industry, the recession hit and I was made redundant from my finance job. At the time, I felt a little lost, but in hindsight it was the best thing that ever happened to me. My sister Mona, knowing me better than I knew myself, encouraged me to pursue my passion for makeup. With resounding enthusiasm from my family, and of course myself, within days I was on a plane half way across the world to Los Angeles to study make-up at the Joe Blasco Makeup Artistry School. Incredible opportunities led me to work with world-class makeup artists, amazing brands, and some remarkable models and celebrities. After learning all the tricks of the trade and garnering a wealth of experience from some of the best experts in the industry, I decided I had to share this with other women who loved makeup the way I did. I started my blog in 2010 to be a place for women to explore and share beauty.
Being a beauty blogger: I am so grateful for all the beauty lovers that enjoy reading my blog, and I feel truly responsible for everything I share. Honesty is the one policy that I promised myself I would never compromise on, so every product I review, no matter the brand or the price tag, is 100% what I believe. This is one of the main reasons I believe my blog has become so well read, and that, coupled with the rise of social media has undoubtedly helped to launch it to become a globally recognized blog. The rise of social media and my early entry to Instagram also played a massive role, and with every new innovation, I was ready to embrace what it offered and the viral opportunities that went hand-in-hand with them. This is the digital age, and with every pioneering new platform lies a moment to seize.
Dreams coming true: I’ve always been a creative person (probably one reason finance just didn’t suit me), so when my sister Mona saw me customizing and designing my own false lashes, she convinced me we had to share them. In 2013, I joined forces with my wonderful sisters, Mona and Alya, to launch our brand Huda Beauty. Combining my years of experience testing products, my professional makeup skills, and my very picky eye, I am proud that I can create products that I believe are truly valuable for every makeup lover. Everything Huda Beauty releases are products I use daily, and products that I invest all my time and heart into. I hope you love them as much as I do.