Huda Kattan, the founder of Huda Beauty, has recently discussed undergoing plastic surgery as well as the insecurities she has dealt with since she was a child. With 32 million Instagram followers, who look to her for beauty advice, Kattan tells Cosmopolitan that her rise to the top of the beauty industry has not been a walk in the park.
The 35-year-old makeup artist, beauty blogger, and entrepreneur says that she felt “like an outsider” growing up but credits the obstacles she faced with helping her find success. “From the beginning, I didn’t feel as though I fitted in. Some kids went out of their way to make me feel like an outsider,” she says. “They didn’t invite me to things and made fun of me for being hairy ‘like a monkey’. I didn’t know how to react because I just wanted to be liked.”
Kattan, who was born in Oklahoma City to Iraqi parents, attended the University of Michigan–Dearborn, but moved to Dubai after college with her parents. After returning to the US, she says she “felt like an Arab in America” when she was younger. “It was a feeling of not belonging anywhere. I had this sense of not being good enough…I’m happy I went through it, because honestly it’s shaped me,” she says. “People don’t realize I’m dealing with so many insecurities all the time; that part of my drive comes from all of these ridiculous insecurities that I’ve had since I was a child.”
The beauty mogul is not ashamed to admit that she’s had plastic surgery, saying she had rhinoplasty and breast augmentation before launching Huda Beauty. Though she was initially frightened to go under the knife, she’s happy with the results. Kattan also says she recently decided to dissolve the cosmetic fillers she had in her cheeks, face and lips because she wanted a “more natural” look. “I think it’s really important to celebrate flaws. But first our goal is to create a look. Then hopefully we’ll get people to embrace more and more of who they are, slowly but surely.”
Kattan says the lip fillers ruined her lips and recognized they were a mistake after visiting a doctor who told her that the filler made her look "old, plastic and fake." She says that fillers may look good in the beginning but eventually begin to move. Now, she achieves the illusion of fuller lips by over lining her lips with liner. Last year, the beauty entrepreneur recommended that social media users not depend so much on Factune since it tends to distort people’s natural features. Though she still uses Facetune for minor retouches, she avoids overusing the photo editing app.
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As for future beauty trends, Kattan believes that 2019 will be the year of rosy cheeks. She says that although blusher failed to take off in 2018, she believes it’s going to be big this year. She recommends using a bright blusher on the apples of the cheeks and on the nose for a more flushed look.
