As a writer for Evade, I have had the pleasure of speaking with Beauty Blogger, Youtuber and self-taught make-up enthusiast, Kadeeja Khan, formerly recognised as her Instagram tag ‘Emeraldxbeauty.’ I have been following Kadeeja for an extended amount of time now, I’ve always found her to have naturally pretty features and someone with admirable confidence. I wanted to speak to Khan and find out exactly what make-up really meant to her, alongside her top tips and favourite products.
Kadeeja started using make-up around the age of 12 and explains how make-up has since grown to mean more to her about enhancing her appearance, rather than covering it. She speaks of how for years she used make-up to camouflage and hide herself as a person and that it wasn’t until she developed a sense of confidence in herself that she could essentially be true to who she was and wear make-up because she wanted to, not because she needed to.
‘Wearing make-up not because you need to, but because you want to’ – Kadeeja Khan
I have always wondered what makes such successful bloggers begin blogging in the first place. Kadeeja explained to me that, in essence, there’s not much to it – she simply never felt that she was entirely good at desk work or retail. She found blogging enjoyable and now considers it part of her life!
As a Beauty Blogger with almost 200k followers inspired by her work, I was itching to find out whether Kadeeja had any inspirations of her own. She told me that Kim Kardashian and Huda Beauty are big beauty inspirations of hers as they are ‘beautiful women with amazing beauty techniques.’
Kadeeja describes her journey into the make-up industry as both a ‘sad and happy ride.’ Previously, Kadeeja would photoshop most of her pictures, and she found that she would receive a lot of attention from brands. However, she then tells us how after revealing her acne-prone skin, some brands removed her from PR lists, events and any standard collaborations. Moments like this clearly proved difficult at times for Kadeeja as an up and coming Beauty Blogger.
‘I never thought I could ever be accepted for being me. I’m glad I never gave up. I’m happy that I have such a great supportive following who make me happy daily! They really have my back & I’m very grateful.’ – Kadeeja Khan
So, what are Kadeeja’s favourite drugstore and high-end products? She tells us how Makeup Revolutions Foundation is amazing and is a favourite of hers because of its full coverage and ability to cover acne scars well. Whilst, her go to high-end product is IT Cosmetics CC Cream as it has a wonderful coverage for anytime. Everyone has a beauty product they cherish the most, and I wanted to find out what Kadeeja’s was. Unsurprisingly, she told me she cherished her brow products the most – ‘you need brows everywhere you go!’
If you’re anything like me when it comes to applying my foundation, I never know whether to use a beauty blender or make-up brush, so I wanted to find out what Kadeeja preferred and why. She told me that she was initially a huge fan of beauty blenders, but her opinion had changed within the last year, she now favours brushes over blenders as she feels they are much neater and blend easily.
Quite an obvious question I wanted to ask was whether Kadeeja preferred a matter or dewy foundation finish, alongside a nude or red lip. She responded confidently with ‘Matte all day long’ and ‘Red lip, makes my lips look beautiful!’
Having tried a number of commercial face masks, Kadeeja states how her favourite is actually one she created herself; a facemask that combines the likes of kiwi and cucumber. Sounds rather refreshing and something I might even try myself!
As someone who has previously been conscious of my skin, I wanted to know a bit about Kadeeja’s approach to skincare. She told me that she would advise anyone wanting to clear up their skin, to try and mix up their products each month. She has personally noticed a great difference and improvement in her own skin by doing this.
‘Be beautiful & never let anyone tell you otherwise! Love yourself the way you wish others to love you! Be happy in the skin you’re in because we are all beautiful!’ - Kadeeja Khan
https://www.instagram.com/emeraldxbeauty/
I asked Kadeeja where she hopes to be in a year’s time, she quite simply answered ‘I hope
to further where I am today and pursue my dreams.’ Her response proved her humble and kind nature, something I feel can be rare to find within modern day examples of bloggers.
For great make-up tutorials and advise on a range of skincare, visit Kadeeja’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/emeraldxbeauty/