The Dubai-based, Iraqi origin and raised in America blogger is one of the world’s most followed social media influencers, charging as much as $18,000 per Instagram post, where she has over 24 million followers. . Her social presence is so prominent it resulted in the cancellation of a ‘meet and great’ appearance at The Dubai Mall in May last year after the number of fans exceeded the amount allowed by the mall’s safety regulations.

But the 34 year old finance graduate is becoming more known for founding the Huda Beauty cosmetics line, which includes lipsticks, highlighters and false lashes and nails and is sold in collaboration with French cosmetics giant Sephora. Initially gaining popularity after sharing makeup tutorials on YouTube and garnering millions of followers, she had steered away from the world of business to become a makeup artist, but dove back in with the launch of her brand, and today considers herself a blogger-turned-businesswoman.