Beauty mogul Huda Kattan has opened up about having plastic surgery, revealing she still deals with insecurities from when she was a child.
Kattan, the founder of cosmetic company Huda Beauty, is one of the most influential women in the beauty industry – she has 32m Instagram followers – thanks to her eponymous range of internet-breaking products.
But, in a recent interview with Cosmopolitan, the businesswoman revealed that her journey to success hasn’t come without its difficulties.
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The 35-year-old explained that she felt “like an outsider” growing up but that ultimately it helped shaped her into the person she is today.
“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 said.
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Actor and singer Lady Gaga paired her ivory gown with a bold makeup look, opting for a dark, oxblood lip and sparkling eye makeup. She finished the look with a wavy, tight bun.
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Actor Emma Stone matched her ornate Louis Vuitton jumpsuit with a bright red lip and smoky eye makeup.
AFP/Getty Images
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Actor Lupita Nyong’o has become known for making a statement on the red carpet, and it was no different at the SAG Awards. The ‘Black Panther’ star styled her hair in braids and donned a bright red lip and a smoky eye with bright pink eyeliner on her bottom lid.
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Actor Margot Robbie sparkled on the silver carpet with her bright complexion, made even more dazzling by her gold eye makeup and beautifully styled blonde locks.
Getty Images
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While actor Emily Blunt may have made a bold statement with her bright pink sequinned dress, she chose to go for a more subtle look when it came to her makeup. The ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ star matched the dress with a light pink lip and wore her hair in a sleek bun.
AFP/Getty Images
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Actor Sandra Oh stood out on the silver carpet in her oxblood sequinned gown. She finished the look with an updo, with curls cascading down her forehead, and subtle, smoky eye makeup.
Getty Images
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SAG Awards ambassador and actor Yara Shahidi stunned on the silver carpet by styling her hair in natural curls and opting for a soft pink makeup look.
REUTERS
8/17
Actor Amy Adams opted for a “natural” makeup look, wearing her hair in an updo and wearing a glamorous strapless black gown for the SAG Awards.
Getty Images
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Actor Laverne Cox dazzled in red at the SAG Awards, completing her look with a loose, tousled hairstyle and a brown, smoky eye.
Getty Images
10/17
Actor Ellen Wong wore a magnificent ombré sequinned gown on the silver carpet, which she paired with silver eye makeup, bold earrings and a chic ponytail.
Getty Images
11/17
Actor Mandy Moore was the picture of sophistication at the SAG Awards, wearing a low ponytail with bold eye makeup and a soft pink lip.
AFP/Getty Images
12/17
Actor Gemma Chan glowed on the silver carpet in a blush pink gown, which she matched with similarly pink makeup on her lips and cheeks. She finished her look with a pretty, tousled hairstyle.
Getty Images
13/17
Actor Emily Osment matched her bright red gown with an equally vibrant red lip, styling her hair in an old school glamourous updo and completing the look with some stylish hoop earrings.
Getty Images for Turner
14/17
Actor Laura Harrier wore a bright pink gown for the SAG Awards, which she decided to match with her lip colour. She wore her hair down and swept behind her shoulders, so as to not draw attention away from her beautiful ensemble.
Getty Images
15/17
Actor Sophia Bush appeared in a very regal manner on the silver carpet, wearing her hair in a stylish updo and opting for a bold eye makeup look.
Getty Images
16/17
Actor Alison Brie mesmerised on the silver carpet in an eye-catching black gown. She finished the look with a chic bun and a sophisticated makeup look.
REUTERS
17/17
Actor Angela Bassett raised the beauty stakes on the silver carpet, opting for a dramatic smoky eye to go with her equally bold ruffled dress. She finished the look with a half-up half-down hairstyle, displaying her beautiful natural curls behind her.
AFP/Getty Images
1/17
Actor and singer Lady Gaga paired her ivory gown with a bold makeup look, opting for a dark, oxblood lip and sparkling eye makeup. She finished the look with a wavy, tight bun.
REUTERS
2/17
Actor Emma Stone matched her ornate Louis Vuitton jumpsuit with a bright red lip and smoky eye makeup.
AFP/Getty Images
3/17
Actor Lupita Nyong’o has become known for making a statement on the red carpet, and it was no different at the SAG Awards. The ‘Black Panther’ star styled her hair in braids and donned a bright red lip and a smoky eye with bright pink eyeliner on her bottom lid.
Getty Images
4/17
Actor Margot Robbie sparkled on the silver carpet with her bright complexion, made even more dazzling by her gold eye makeup and beautifully styled blonde locks.
Getty Images
5/17
While actor Emily Blunt may have made a bold statement with her bright pink sequinned dress, she chose to go for a more subtle look when it came to her makeup. The ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ star matched the dress with a light pink lip and wore her hair in a sleek bun.
AFP/Getty Images
6/17
Actor Sandra Oh stood out on the silver carpet in her oxblood sequinned gown. She finished the look with an updo, with curls cascading down her forehead, and subtle, smoky eye makeup.
Getty Images
7/17
SAG Awards ambassador and actor Yara Shahidi stunned on the silver carpet by styling her hair in natural curls and opting for a soft pink makeup look.
REUTERS
8/17
Actor Amy Adams opted for a “natural” makeup look, wearing her hair in an updo and wearing a glamorous strapless black gown for the SAG Awards.
Getty Images
9/17
Actor Laverne Cox dazzled in red at the SAG Awards, completing her look with a loose, tousled hairstyle and a brown, smoky eye.
Getty Images
10/17
Actor Ellen Wong wore a magnificent ombré sequinned gown on the silver carpet, which she paired with silver eye makeup, bold earrings and a chic ponytail.
Getty Images
11/17
Actor Mandy Moore was the picture of sophistication at the SAG Awards, wearing a low ponytail with bold eye makeup and a soft pink lip.
AFP/Getty Images
12/17
Actor Gemma Chan glowed on the silver carpet in a blush pink gown, which she matched with similarly pink makeup on her lips and cheeks. She finished her look with a pretty, tousled hairstyle.
Getty Images
13/17
Actor Emily Osment matched her bright red gown with an equally vibrant red lip, styling her hair in an old school glamourous updo and completing the look with some stylish hoop earrings.
Getty Images for Turner
14/17
Actor Laura Harrier wore a bright pink gown for the SAG Awards, which she decided to match with her lip colour. She wore her hair down and swept behind her shoulders, so as to not draw attention away from her beautiful ensemble.
Getty Images
15/17
Actor Sophia Bush appeared in a very regal manner on the silver carpet, wearing her hair in a stylish updo and opting for a bold eye makeup look.
Getty Images
16/17
Actor Alison Brie mesmerised on the silver carpet in an eye-catching black gown. She finished the look with a chic bun and a sophisticated makeup look.
REUTERS
17/17
Actor Angela Bassett raised the beauty stakes on the silver carpet, opting for a dramatic smoky eye to go with her equally bold ruffled dress. She finished the look with a half-up half-down hairstyle, displaying her beautiful natural curls behind her.
AFP/Getty Images
“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 moved from the US to Dubai after university said she had always “felt like an Arab in America”.
“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.”
Kattan also revealed that she still deals with the insecurities she had as a child today, despite people thinking she’s “perfect”.
“I was talking to someone who said, ‘You seem so perfect,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m so flawed!’”, she explained.
“People don’t realise 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 also spoke about her relationship with plastic surgery, admitting she’s not ashamed of going under the knife.
“I did my nose and my boobs together, when we launched the brand, because I had breast-fed and felt ashamed to show them to my husband,” she said.
“I was scared when I went to do it, but I’m really happy [with the results]. I know a lot of celebrities deny they’ve had work but I don’t understand why you would lie.”
In the interview, Kattan also opened up about her recent decision to dissolve the cosmetic fillers she had in her cheeks, face and lips, revealing she wanted a “more natural” look and to encourage people to celebrate their flaws.
“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.”
The full interview appears in the March 2019 issue of Cosmopolitan, on sale 31 January.
