Huda Beauty has arrived in SA and this is why you should be excited

Cult Instagram brand Huda Beauty, founded by beauty mogul Huda Kattan, has landed in SA, exclusively at ARC. 

As a brand that has earned its star status through an amazing collection of products and its transparent and inclusive approach to beauty, Huda Beauty brings to South African beauty lovers its makeup range, Kayali fragrance brand and Wishful Skin — delivered straight to their door, at the ARC Sandton store in Johannesburg or the soon-to-be-launched V&A Waterfront shop in Cape Town.  

“Huda Beauty is loved the world over for its innovation, realness, no-nonsense approach to beauty and, of course, the magnetic Huda Kattan. Deeply engaged with its audience, its process is collaborative and inspiring. Having Huda Beauty on board is a huge win for ARC and the South African beauty community,” said Kelly Fung, marketing executive at ARC.   

While there is so much to be excited about, these are the five must-know things about the brand, according to our beauty editor. 

Not just a lipstick wardrobe, but a power lipstick wardrobe

Never feel bad about having more than one lipstick again (or worry about struggling to find the perfect one) because Huda Beauty’s Power Bullet Matte Lipsticks (R420) make building a lipstick wardrobe super-easy. Besides the creamy, matte finish, each shade is named after a special occasion - such as Pay Day, Interview, Dirty 30 and Girl Trip, making it easy to find the perfect lipstick for any event. To make life easier, each item’s packaging is in the exact shade of the lipstick, making it easy to locate the right one in a sea of options.

Gentle, simple skincare with Wishful

Prepare to glow up by adding the Wishful Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub (R655) to your skincare arsenal. It’s an enzymatic exfoliator that will slough off dead skin cells, improve product absorption and allow makeup to sit on the skin like a dream, thanks to pineapple, papaya enzymes, BHAs and AHAs. If you like to see your products work, then prepare to be excited by this formula - you can literally see dead skin cells gathering into tiny balls on the skin, leaving it instantly softer, more supple and glowing after it’s rinsed. A top tip from Shadia Rahman, senior education manager at Huda Beauty Global: this scrub also makes a gentle and effective lip scrub to polish up chapped lips before lipstick application.

A game-changing Naughty Nude eyeshadow palette

The Naughty Nude eyeshadow palette (R1,125) blew our minds, so we’re pretty confident it will do the same for you. This 18-eyeshadow palette, a deliciously warm colour story, is a marvel, allowing for innovative layering and dual-toned finishes.  Enjoy unique eyeshadow finishes such as high-shine buttery metallics, multi-reflective shimmer marble creams, highly pigmented mattes and a never-seen-before shimmery gloss hybrid formula with encapsulated pigment pearls. It’s so good that Kattan signed the word Naughty featured on the packaging, making it an extra-special addition.

New product teasers on social media

The Huda Beauty team is pretty tight-lipped about any new products in the pipeline as Huda likes to share all product launches herself. But Rahman says keep your eyes glued to the Huda Beauty Instagram page. The biggest giveaway? Always take note of Huda’s manicure. She likes to test colours she’s into on her nails before making a colour story or new shade (hint, hint; wink, wink).

Finally, eyeliner made quick and easy

If you struggle to apply liquid liner (don’t worry, it gets even the best of us flustered), Huda has taken the guesswork out with Life Liner Quick n Easy (R320). It’s a simplified version of the Duo Pencil & Liquid Eyeliner, and caters for women who struggle with liners or just want a fuss-free approach. This felt-tip pen liner has a progressive flow capability that allows for seamless application from eye to eye, without having to shake the pen to dispense more product, worry about controlling the amount of liner dispensed or the flow drying up mid-wing liner flick. Finally, a holy-grail liner with an long-lasting inky-black payoff and precision application in your arsenal.