Indian women have the most expressive eyes: Huda Kattan

A self-made beauty guru, Huda Kattan’s every move is closely watched and followed by her over 23.9 million Instagram followers. Though she started off with a career in finance, it was make-up that was her calling. After completing her training, there was no looking back for the blogger who has created an internationally-loved cosmetics empire. In 2013, she launched Huda Beauty with her classic false lashes that instantly became a cult product. Now, she has a range of items under her belt from foundation to liquid lipsticks, highlighter palettes, and false nails. With followers around the globe including the United States, UAE, United Kingdom, India and Canada, her appeal transcends women of all cultures, race and religion and it’s no wonder that she topped the 2017 Influencer Instagram Rich List. As the beauty maven gets ready to release her line in India on Nykaa.com this week, she indulges in a tête-à-tête with After Hrs.

How does it feel to be one of Instagram’s most influential and successful women?

I feel so honoured. It’s a role I take very seriously. I think a title like that comes with great responsibility not only to share my knowledge of beauty products but also as a brand owner, to create products that will help shape the beauty industry.

What do you think of Indian women and their make-up techniques?

Indian women are naturally beautiful! What I love about them is that they tend to have strong features, which they play up rather than mute it down — so instead of a nude lip and neutral eyes, you’ll see them with gorgeous red lips and a dark, smokey eye. They are very striking. No matter what decade or culture you’re from, you can appreciate Indian make-up and beauty. Indian women have the most expressive eyes, so those should definitely be highlighted. They can do this with dark eyeshadow, cat-eye liner, false lashes and full brows for a really striking look.

You’ve always been honest about doing fillers...

I’m honest about fillers and other treatments because I know there are so many people who look up to me. I don’t want to give an unrealistic expectation of what can be achieved with beauty products alone. It’s only fair for my followers to know if something’s not completely natural. I pride myself on giving honest advice.

What do you think is the appeal of your blog?

I’ve always had a very global perspective. When I touch my computer, I’m connected to the entire world. Because of that, I really feel like I’m a global citizen. When it comes to what I share on social media, I try to make beauty as fun and accessible as possible. My mission when I created the Huda Beauty blog was to create a platform for everyone to share beauty, and we’ve done that through the blog and through social media. Our values have never changed and we genuinely use our platforms to share our love for beauty, and support other artists. I always try to be as real as possible on social media and pride myself in only supporting brands I love and truly believe in.

Any make-up trends that you see catching on for 2018?  

Individuality is a trend that I love –— embracing your uniqueness and feeling confident enough not to correct ‘imperfections’. I love when I see a trend that allows people to be comfortable in their own skin. I’m obsessed with using bright colours right now. I’m trying to experiment with them on my lower lash line and playing with smoked-out liner looks. It’s so eye-catching because it’s just so different! It can be intimidating to try vibrant shades but I often find that the hues I was most nervous about trying have actually become staples in my make-up bag. Being a bit more daring has definitely helped me to evolve my make-up routine.

What is your personal beauty routine like?

I don’t wash my face in the morning. I just splash it with water and dab it dry with a bamboo cloth. I then use the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with aloe, herbs and rosewater, followed by the Aerin Rose Oil, and then the SkinCeuticals Skin Firming Cream. I also love the Anne Semonin Super Active Contour Serum for my eye area. At night, I remove my make-up with Organic Extra Virgin Coconut oil, warm it in my hands, and then just massage it all over my face. Then I just wipe off the excess with a couple of cotton pads. I cleanse my face with the Bioderma Sébium Gel moussant cleanser; it gets rid of everything, and it’s super gentle on my skin. I can’t live without my Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2; I get really bad acne, and if I don’t use this I break out. I’m really into face oils too. I start with the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Vitamin C Serum; it’s like a massive burst of vitamins and antioxidants that work magic on your skin. Then I follow it with the Ren Rose O12 Moisture Defence Oil, which is so hydrating. Finally, I apply a quick coat of Revitalash to my brows and eyelashes to keep them moisturised and boost growth.

Which are your favourite products from your collection?

The Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Eyeshadow Palette is a good bet for a dramatic and mysterious look which is really popular with Indian women. False lashes are a definite must-have. The Farah #12 are my go-to lashes for getting a super dramatic look. They can be re-worn up to 15 times if they are cared for properly. Our liquid matte lipcolour in Heartbreaker is really popular and it’s a shade that complements darker skin tones really well. I would also recommend our new foundation which gives a great finish. The one product I always have with me is our Lip Contour in Trendsetter.

Any advice to beginners who are just starting out with make-up?

Definitely, experiment until you find what works best for your skin tone and features. What works for your best friend won’t necessarily do the trick for you, so just play around a bit.