Who is Huda Kattan?
Huda Kattan is an Iraqi-American beauty vlogger and blogger, who is active on YouTube, Instagram and other social platforms. She was born on 2nd October 1983 in Oklahoma City to Iraqi parents. She has three siblings, and her family moved a lot when she was a child. At first, they moved to Tennessee and, after that, to Boston.
Huda's YouTube career
Huda got into makeup through her sister Alya, who is ten years older. As for school, Huda's studies had nothing to do with beauty; instead, she graduated as a finance major at the University of Michigan. In 2006, Huda moved to Dubai because of her father's job opportunity. She found a job there as well, in finance, but she was fired due to unfortunate circumstances. But since she had already thought of her career in the makeup industry, she moved to Los Angeles, where she studied makeup school. After finishing her studies, she moved back to Dubai and worked as a freelance makeup artist for a while. During that time, in 2010, she started to write on a blog that she called Huda Beauty, where she wrote many makeup tutorials and tips.
Since she was trained as a makeup artist, she made a great adviser in any parts involving makeup, and it was clear how passionate she was. What helped her was the fact that there weren't many beauty-oriented creators in Dubai or the Middle East, so she quickly found her audience. In addition to her blog, which was becoming very popular, she created her YouTube channel in 2007. She was posting makeup tutorials with an English voiceover, but since her audience was mainly from the middle east, many of them couldn't understand her completely. At their request, Huda tried to film some tutorials while speaking Arabic. She only made very few of those because she felt like her Arabic was on a child's level.
Since 2007 Huda's YouTube channel has gone through simple makeup tutorials, a few reviews and fashion trends. Her fans often describe her channel as controlled chaos, where no one knows what's coming next, which makes it so amusing. If there was something that stayed the same, it was Huda's passion for lip plumping. She tried every possible trend, no matter how obscure, and walked her audience through it. One may say that she takes one for the team. First of all, she tries the trend on herself and only if it's worth it, she encourages her audience to try it. She also mastered how to create an illusion of bigger lips only using primary makeup products.
Huda Beauty
In 2013 Huda created her own makeup company called no other than Huda Beauty. Her sister helped her out with the financing, but after a while, it was no longer needed. The first launched product was a collection of false lashes. She decided to throw it through Sephora stores in Dubai, but soon after, she was ready to conquer the world. Huda attributes the massive success to a gap in the market that she found. The first time she thought about creating her own false eyelashes was when she was searching for one but didn't find just the kind she wished for. On an overall scale, her prices were, from the very start, a little higher compared to other celebrity-invented companies. On the other hand, it showed that Huda believed from the very beginning that her products would reach farther than just her fans. She wanted to create something that would stay in the beauty industry rather than something cheaper and temporary.
Huda Beauty's false lashes were selling out all over the Middle East, so in 2015 they started selling products in the United States. Reportedly, one of the first happy customers was the Kardashians, which made Huda's lashes the hit. As of 2022, Huda Beauty is selling mascaras, false eyelashes, and liquid lipsticks in over 1500 stores worldwide.
Controversies
With success, there also comes risk. And Huda beauty, unfortunately, experienced a few controversies itself. In 2018, Huda Beauty made some enemies by publishing a blog post suggesting that women should consider lightening their genitalia. The post included some product recommendations from not-so-reliable sources.
In 2017, Huda Beauty appeared in a conflict with the customers of Rihanna's Fenty Beauty. It all started with Huda promoting their upcoming foundation release, implying that it will be one of the most inclusive launches regarding the number of shades. Fenty Beauty's fans perceived it as a competition since Fenty Beauty was soon to be releasing a foundation of more than 40 shades, while Huda Beauty had only about 30. This conflict was resolved quickly, considering that Huda's collection was still one of the most inclusive brands, moreover in Sephora.
In 2020, when it was clear that Huda's Beauty was about to stay on the market, they started donating to charity and nonprofit organizations. For example, they presented a considerable amount of money to the NAACP after the George Floyd incident. Later that year, they also donated to Doctors Without Borders, considering their huge help in managing the covid-19 pandemic.
Despite her brand's success, Huda stays loyal to her fans and keeps posting YouTube videos regularly.
Interesting facts about Huda Kattan
- As of 2022, she is 38 years old.
- Her zodiac sign is Libra.
- Her height is 5'7" or 170 cm.
- Her weight is 60 kilograms or 132 lbs.
- She has been married to Christopher Goncalo since 2009. In 2011, they had their first child Nour.
- On her Instagram account, which she created in 2012, she has over 50 million followers.
- In 2016, she was awarded the Digital Innovator of the Year by Women's Wear.
- In 2017, she was chosen by Time Magazine as one of The 25 Most Influential People on the Internet.
- In 2017 and 2021, she was ranked number one on Beauty Influencer Rich List at Cosmetify.
