Tsunami Costabir gives us a peek into the lives of entrepreneur sisters Huda and Mona Kattan; and how it lead to this collaborative moment.
Huda started off her career in beauty as a blogger in Dubai. She and her sisters come from a family of immigrants. Her parents immigrated from Iraq and struggled to make ends meet. She then started an eyelash line by taking a $6,000 loan from her sisters in 2013; though it was a risk, her eyelash line proved to be successful and got picked up by beauty brand Sephora. Today, Huda Beauty sells more than 140 products from eyeshadow palettes to lip gloss, bringing in about $200 million in annual sales.
Huda was trailblazing when it came to using social media as a marketing tool for her brand and artistry. For an influencer who claims to have never spent money on advertising, Huda now has about 50 million Instagram followers. She started a network of ‘micro-influencers with anything between 1,000-10,000 followers’ to showcase her product to a wider audience. Today, this billionaire businesswoman has come a long way…
She credits her success to her work ethic which she picked up from her father, and her self-belief. She truly believed in herself and knew that she “should be here.” Her beauty products show her deep Middle-Eastern influence, and are loved by women all over the world, especially in Arabia.
For the first time since its naissance (birth), Huda Beauty, along with sister brand Kayali (owned by her sister Mona), have collaborated for their cosmetics line. ‘Lovefest’ is an iconic, party-ready collection which is an infusion of the glitz of disco with euphoric festival vibes inspired by the summer music festival season. “Express yourself with playful makeup must-haves and an addictive fragrance that will get you dancing from dusk to dawn!” share the Kattan sisters about their collaboration.
Mona Kattan wanted to make this fragrance something that celebrated freedom, love, hope and life. “After the past few years, things have been so unexpected and challenging for a lot of people that we all need something that connects us to the present moment and makes us just want to dance,” she said.
Inspired by the idea, Huda decided to match it with the Huda Beauty Lovefest Collection. The warm desert sunsets, swaying palm trees, Ferris wheel, and people simply hanging out and having a good time, played major inspiration.
The summer season collection features new makeup products from Huda Beauty, including a new Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette in sunset-inspired shades, two reformulated Cream Blushes, and a Quick ‘n’ Easy Liquid Liner in brown along with a Lip Quad. Incidentally, Kayali has released a Lovefest Burning Cherry Eau de Parfum with key notes of cherry, raspberry, praline, guaiac wood, patchouli and palo santo.
Lovefest Burning Cherry | 48 is meant to inspire people to be carefree and live in the moment. “There is so much joy to be had in the present, and this collection is a perfect way to celebrate life,” say the sisters. “The idea is to give in to the moment, enjoy the present, and smell amazing while doing it!”
Congratulations to these incredible sisters; they sure have MADE it!