In Conversation with Kay Beauty & Huda Kat

Listen to every word she says. No questions. I've just hired, officially, the world's most expensive PR agent. But I'm actually obsessed with you. I would do that for you. Yeah, we would. This is just great. There's so many words to describe you. What's the best way? So how many days, hours, thousands of messaging years has it been? It's been like five years. It's been a long time. It's been five years. And finally we're here. And it's so funny, we were in a group chat, and I actually saw you were in the group chat. This like beauty founder, beauty boss group chat. Yes. And I was like, oh, Katrina's here. Yes. And I was like, I'm just going to message her because I met her. She was amazing. She was so nice. I'm sure she won't mind me just stealing her phone number. No, that was really sweet. And I was so happy to get that message. I was like, oh, that's so sweet. We were sitting down, we were talking. I was learning so much about you. I told you I'm obsessed with you. You have such a sense of purpose, such a sense of who you are. You know who you are as a person. I find it very inspiring. Thank you. I'm very inspired. Thank you. You give off so much woman boss energy. And I'm just, I'm so here for it. And I want to know, you know, as a Hindi actress, at the peak of your career, why did you decide to then move into makeup? Because that's a big move and a scary move, I'm sure. It is. It is and it was. Since a teenager, I've been obsessed and passionate about makeup. It almost became this form of self-expression that I didn't have otherwise. I was a really shy teenager. I don't believe that. People don't believe it. I was so shy. And I don't know, makeup somehow gave me this form of self-expression which allowed me to create this glamorous persona. Wow. Quickly as a model, sitting in the chairs of some of the best makeup artists in the country and then even in the world, I was always sitting there, observing their techniques, asking them questions. OK, why are you smudging the liner? Why are you using the concealer here? Why are you using lip liner? I think very quickly, I learned all these techniques and I realized that, OK, listen, I know my face really well and I know what I want to look like. And very quickly, I started doing most of my own makeup. Wow. I know what I want. I guess I just always knew also with my characters and films what I wanted to translate on the screen. That was something I really enjoyed. But slowly, what started happening is I realized, OK, I really know what I want for my product. I know exactly what I want this product to do. And that kind of created this desire. I kind of saw this, OK, listen, there's a little bit of a need here, there's a gap here, for really high performance makeup, high quality products that deliver. Especially on stage. On stage, on film, and dancing, and all these things. So as an actor, I've also been the face of many leading brands. So you're on set, you're creating an ad film. I saw your face on a billboard on the way here. Great. I've loved that, and I've had so many incredible moments. But there's also been moments where I kind of felt this obligation to kind of match up to the certain standard or stereotype of beauty. That in some days, or some months, or some moments where I didn't quite match up, I felt a certain sense of judgment. Like I didn't deserve to be there if I wasn't looking perfect or looking my best. And I think that sense of judgment kind of struck a chord with me emotionally that kind of hurt. Because you don't look your best every month. Sometimes you don't look your best some year or so. And you're like, OK, so does that mean I don't deserve to be here? Is it just about a physicality? And I think that's really what drove the whole emotion behind the K community that I really wanted to create, which is where there really is no standard or stereotype of beauty. And everyone's accepted. Everyone's beautiful. Everyone fits in. And that's where our tagline came from, was that it's K to be you. It's OK to be you. However you are, it's K to be you. And then K is also like my name, Katrina. And just talking to you, I see that you have such a purpose in being here. And especially when I'm talking to you, I'm like, this woman is here for a reason. And I love that. And I think that's the emotional motivation and intention behind starting the brand. The purpose. I think that's the purpose, yes. I think individual expression and really self-acceptance. To me, I think you really are a huge role model for so many women all across the world. And I think everyone sees you as, honestly, the OG kind of, I don't know what the right word is, influencer or beauty blogger. I think you created that space. And that's huge for you to have kind of carved that path out. What I want to know is, A, what inspired you to do that? And B, because you started out as a beauty blogger, so you were literally, much like myself, using so many different brands and products every single day. What was that one turning point that made you say, OK, I'm going to launch my own brand? I don't know if I wanted to launch a brand right away. I had this crazy thought inside my head in the beginning that in order to be a beauty blogger, you're almost like a starving artist. Because before, people didn't pay you. Like now, to be an influencer, it's that nice life. It's the Instagram life. You're on trips and all those things. That didn't exist in 2008, 9, and 10. I'm a starving artist. I can't believe when I hear that 2010 blogging. I just went quickly, what was I doing in 2010? I hadn't even heard of social media. I hadn't even heard of that. And you were already doing that then. It was a long time ago. But to be honest, I love the space now. I love where the space has evolved. But I definitely can see some of the challenges also as it's evolved too. People sometimes forget that beauty is exactly what you were saying. It's self-expression. It's a sense of our identity. It's really important for us. When we don't feel beautiful, sometimes we don't feel adequate. We don't feel good enough. We don't feel worthy. We don't feel like we even have value in being here. And that's so sad. But it's also remarkable how putting on a lipstick will make you feel better. Yes. Just doing your eyebrows sometimes will just give you that boost of confidence. That's the transformative power of makeup. Exactly. And that's what I became obsessed with as a child. I grew up in middle America. Felt really ugly. Nobody looked like me where I grew up. Nobody looked like you where you grew up. I mean, I know that feeling as well. Exactly. And I feel like when you have those issues, you feel like, okay, well, I don't look like everyone here. I look weird. I don't represent the beauty standards of that space where I live. So I thought I was ugly. And how am I supposed to look? You're almost kind of uncertain of, how am I supposed to look? Because you're searching for these role models, yeah. Yeah, and I remember very young, I was like, no, blue eyes is what means you're beautiful. So obviously, you did your makeup on so many sets. You also had to keep up with trends because trends are constantly moving. And then you got to experience so many makeup artists doing your makeup in, I'm sure, so many different ways. Yes. You can only imagine. So many different ways. It was many a moment where you're staring into the mirror like this, going, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. But how did you bring that into the development process and the R&D and everything that you've done with K-Beauty? So we work with an incredible team at K-Beauty. Once we first, okay, have decided what are the upcoming trends and what are the products that we wish to create, what does a consumer need that we're trying to solve for? Right, right. We then work with, I think, some of the world's most incredible labs and manufacturers into making that product a reality. And of course, you know what goes behind it. You first, there's the formulation, there's what ingredients it's going to be, there's the texture, there's the consistency, there's the need for the Indian skin tone specifically. So what specifically suits, will suit Asian skin and also our climate. Right. We live in a really humid and hot country a lot of the time. So there's product stability and that's, it's a lot, but that's the part which for me, just drives me. That's the part that motivates me. So that's my true love. My love is the makeup. Like that's what I'm doing it for. I love that. That's what we're doing it for. What product are you most proud of? Creme lipstick, which is our new launch. The reason for that being is all my career, I never put a lipstick like that on my lip. I take a lip brush, I'll take the lipstick and I will blend a little bit of lip balm into it because I like my lips to feel a little bit like moisturized. Yeah, they look really nice. But I still want that color payoff. Yeah, of course. So I think this is that perfect product which does that. Oh, I can't wait. You're going to put it on me later, right? I'm going to. We need the Huda Seal of Approval. I can't wait to try it. Way we've seen probably growing up of how cosmetic brands are advertised, you really created and carved out this path which now today is called an influencer, which you were the OG influencer. So you don't really need any influencers. So I think that must save you also a huge amount of budget because you don't need anyone else when you're Huda. But what is the ways that you see, how do you see social media and what are like the ways that you communicate your product to your consumer? You know, it's really interesting. You said it before about our community, right? Our community is everything. When we create a product, we create a trend, we create any type of even technique in applying it. They're the ones who are like advocates for what we do. And honestly, it's all up to them. You know, we can take a product that is completely irrelevant or a product that, or a technique that is maybe new. And because they are so plugged in, they will just- Spread the word. They spread the word. Yeah, they spread the word. They really are everything. We just, you know, we don't pay influencers for reviews. I think influencers deserve to be paid for content creation because it's amazing. But for reviews, even if I want an honest review, they will be nicer when we pay them money. And I've seen it before. Cause we did a couple and I could see they were really trying to sell their points. And I was like, I want your honest opinion. You're not going to give it to me. That's critical feedback you're getting. Yeah, we just maintain what was true to us. You know? Amazing. Yeah, I think that's the most important thing. So there's so many celebrity beauty brands popping off everywhere in the world. But K-Beauty has done such a tremendous job in standing out. You have your community, you have your point of view, your purpose, and who you are. Just the reason why you're here. But also how do you make sure that you're here for the long run and you're differentiated? And also how do you advertise as well? Because again, we don't have the money. No, we don't. And I'm reminded of that all the time. Every time I'm making a campaign. Ahem, excuse me. Budget. But yeah, you know, I've always had this belief that only step into business if you are sincerely passionate about what you're going to do. And also if you have something new to add in that arena. And I really believed that with K-Beauty, we had something new to add. And I was really excited about that. Like, I knew that this was going to resonate and this was going to connect with beauty lovers. When it comes to advertising and getting our message across or what is communicating with our K community, all the ideas come from us. And the whole ethos behind It's K to Be You was something which was so important for me to put out there. And it's something I have to still remind myself about every single day. So for example, I'll be sitting and talking with my husband or getting ready for an event and I'll be complaining about something about my physical appearance or saying I'm not happy with the way I'm looking and I've gained weight and I'm not comfortable. And my husband will sit there and go, aren't you the one who keeps telling everyone it's K to be you and it's okay to be you however you are and just how you are. And then I'll kind of look at him and be like, do you mind? But at the same time, it's like that gentle reminder that hey, one second, this is what it's about and this is why I started this and I have to apply that same kindness to myself. I think it's so nice to hear though, with you, a beauty icon feeling that way as well. It's nice to hear that we all have those days where we don't feel our best. It's so funny how sometimes your brands can actually help us through our own processes of beauty and accept ourselves and love ourselves and appreciate ourselves. Really, they can? But listen, it's been, am I right in thinking that it's been 10 years now, Afura? This year actually marks 11. This year is 11? Yeah, we didn't launch makeup then but it's 11 years from the brand, yeah. And you've achieved, I mean, it's incredible. It's an example to everyone. I mean, you're doing the same. What is coming up? Is there anything, like what are your next big goals? Because you've achieved so many of the big milestones. So what's next for you? I think the next chapter for Huda Beauty, and this is gonna sound really weird, this is gonna sound strange, but when we launched, we launched just with lashes, we launched, when we launched makeup, we were afraid to launch with makeup so we just started with lip liners. You know, we tiptoed into being a brand because at the time also influencers hadn't been successful with brands. And now we're playing in the complexion game which I am very passionate about complexion. And it's the most difficult. It's the most difficult. So I know this is gonna sound really bizarre but I hope people will understand and appreciate how much time we've been in the labs, we've been spending with some of the top chemists in the world to create some really beautiful complexion products. And maybe people already think of us as a serious beauty brand, and I do too, but I want people to really see us as one of their go-to complexion brands because I feel like that's always given me confidence. To me, that's the ultimate test for makeup brand. Don't you, you know what I mean? You know what I mean! Yeah, you know it is. Because complexion and, I mean, if that's a complicated word, basically foundation is the ultimate test for a makeup brand. If you can get that right, then to me you've, you get that tick mark. Exactly, and that's it. Well, we're super excited. I can't wait to try it. Yeah! You're gonna teach me your easy bake technique. Yes. And I'm gonna do some techniques that I'm really into right now. You're gonna do my lips too, right? I'm gonna do your lips and my favorite technique of applying blush. So let's do that. I can't wait. So I am going to be applying our latest launch. It's called Creme Lipstick, and I just wanna show you because I know you're gonna appreciate this. Can you see the monogram on the lipstick? I love the detail. Isn't that beautiful? I love the detail. It's just beautiful, and it has our logo right there. It has hyaluronic acid in, so you know what that does for your lips. And I really, really wanna know if we are gonna pass the Huda Stamp of Approval. All right, ready? Hmm. Doesn't it feel almost like a little bit like a lip balm? It feels so buttery. Oh, I love this color. What's this color? This color is Panache. Can I have this? Yes, you can. I love it. Yay! You're taking this with me. This is beautiful. It feels amazing. And I love that you put hyaluronic acid in it. Yes. So good. That's so great. It looks beautiful on you. I love it, and I feel like it goes with my vibe. I love it. Yay! I actually love the colors. I know we were choosing, and it was kind of hard to choose, but I love the colors. It's really, really beautiful. I can really have this, right? You can really have it? I'm taking it. Okay, and the next thing that I'm gonna do, which is my current favorite tip, this is our Liquid Illuminating Highlighter, and I'm just gonna put- I've seen you do this. Yes. I've been wanting to try it. I think I sent you a- You sent me the video. I was like, how do I get this? You messaged me in my video. And this is the Creme Blush. This color is Sweetheart Pink, which is our best-selling shade. Are you wearing it? This is what I'm wearing right now, and this one is in Rose shade. I like that you really diffuse it with the highlighter. I think that's a really nice technique. I think it just really brings out the glow, and it gives you that color payoff, but it also gives you this incredible highlight, so I'm gonna put it right there. I can feel it. Oh, this is beautiful. And you're wearing it now, and I can see it on your face. This is so beautiful. Can you put it on my nose? Keep going. And I'll do this side? Keep going, keep going. Yeah, like that. Wow. Oh, I like it. I can't believe how easy that was, and on top of my makeup. And it just blended right into it, right? So it's incredible for touch-up. I was a little scared on top of my powder. This is beautiful. I did actually put some on my body because I was so amazed with the bronzy color you had. I'm gonna put some there. I love it. It's so beautiful. Yay! Oh my goodness. These are my two favorite. Check, check. You can see it from like, how far my cheeks are poking out. Oh my god, that looks incredible. Okay. I love it. You should be proud. I'm gonna be proud. This is great. We have another stamp of approval. I love it, I love it. All right. Am I doing yours now? Yes. Are you ready? So I'm gonna try a light version of the Huda Beauty Under Eye. I'm really passionate about under eyes, so we always, what we like to do is a little bit of color corrector, which I know might sound a little intimidating because you don't need color corrector. No, I do. I always use an orange color corrector. Do you? Okay. Under my eyes. Under your eyes. I've seen you without makeup. You actually don't need a color corrector. I've seen you bare-faced. But I like to add it with everyone, no matter what their makeup is, just because I feel like it just helps the concealer not be too yellow or too beige. So I always like to add it in. It gives you more of a skin finish. So I'm gonna mix these two shades. I'm gonna go ahead and put a little bit of Cherry Blossom. This is the shade I'm wearing. Okay. But you can see the shade. Does that look like a color corrector? It almost looks like a color corrector or a concealer, maybe. Yeah. And I'm just gonna mix a little bit of concealer, really, really light. And I'm just gonna use a sponge just to give me a very light application. You can see, it's very, very light. Amazing. Oh, it's so nice. It feels light. That's what I like about it, you know? Yeah. It has some beautiful ingredients inside of it, which is really important. And the corrector also has beautiful ingredients like niacinamide, vitamin C. Oh, it's great for brightening. Yeah, exactly. And I'll just do one side, and then I'll let you check it out. And I'm gonna just seal everything in with a little Easy Bake. This is our secret product. Not our secret product. This is the famous. This is the famous Easy Bake. I know you like softer glam. Can you tell me what you think? I like to apply the highlighter after I bake. Yeah, I think that's always the right way to do it. Oh, wow. Oh my goodness. That's like a big difference. Wait, I don't wanna smile, otherwise you're not gonna see. Can you see that? That's like... It's beautiful, right? That's a big difference. Okay, now she has to do the other eye. Yeah, of course. Do you like it? Yeah, I really love that. And if you add it with your beautiful mix of highlighter and blush... That is perfect. Done, it's beautiful. I love that. You know the yo. Done your makeup a million times. Do you ever like to do your friend's makeup for fun? You know, I do, yeah. It's fun. It's always like I feel so therapeutic to have your makeup done. It's a little bit like a meditation for me. I can just kind of zone out. Completely in a way. In this new look. Absolutely. And I always like to apply very small amount of Easy Bake. Okay. So there's not too much product on here, like when you see it. Yeah, you have to dab it off. It doesn't look like there's a lot of product. Maybe there's just enough. This is a kind of soft sculpt. It just gives you that glam. That's it. Yeah. How does it look? I think it looks beautiful. Do you like it? I really love it. Oh, I'm so happy. I really, really love it. I'm going to now call you every time I have a red carpet. I will be there. Or if I'm going to a big event. Can you please come do the Easy Bake technique for me? I will do everything for you. Just a short flight. Come on over. No problem. I'm serious, you call me. And I'm so happy that we finally got to meet after so long. Me too. And have this incredible conversation. Five years. And we're shooting some more content too. Yes. Yeah. But I think they might eventually throw us out. They're going to kick us out. Kick us out of the group. But I am going with her afterwards. I love her. I'm going with her afterwards. Everyone else can go home. Thanks. Bye.