Skin-Care Influencer Kadeeja Khan Shares Her Story

A strong percentage of the people we follow on Instagram are skin-care enthusiasts and experts sharing their favorite products, tips and personal journeys. Among them is UK-based beauty influencer Kadeeja Sel Khan, a.k.a. @emeraldxbeauty on the ’gram. Just one scroll through her feed will show you that she’s a big proponent for self love and skin positivity. Having dealt with acne for a good portion of her life, she understands the struggle and deals with it on the daily — with a smile and hella good attitude. Ahead, we chatted with Khan to learn more about her skin-care journey, and when she decided to take it public. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself (and your skin, of course).

My name’s Kadeeja I’m a social-media influencer based in the UK. I share tips on how to stay positive, self love and general beauty hacks. What I love to discuss the most is how to help acne-prone skin. I’ve had acne for over 11 years now, and it’s always been something that I was insecure about. Acne is something that was hard for me to overcome, let alone talk about to the world. I love making people feel great about themselves and the skin they’re in.

When did you discover your passion for skin care?

Having acne for over 11 years naturally pushed me into the direction of skin care and caring for my skin. I’ve always been into DIY face masks, looking on the market to see what products are good for the skin and general research on how to have healthy skin. I loved creating makeup tutorials but skin care is something that I have a huge passion for.

When did you start your skin-care Instagram page? What was the purpose?

Many of us love makeup and beauty products, but I wanted to show you that with great skin care, you can wear anything. But most importantly, never allow the condition of your skin to stop you from feeling good and glamming up. I’ve always been that shy girl who would hide my face due to my acne. Knowing I can help those that feel the same is amazing! I want everyone to feel beautiful and through my page whether it’s makeup posts, skin-care or general confidence posts, I want to share as much positivity I can. 

Can you share your daily and nightly skin-care routine?

Morning routine: Wash my face, cleanse and moisturize.
Nighttime routine: Makeup remover, cleanse, then tone! I love leaving a face mask for just for that extra dose of pampering before bed (not every night, though). After the mask, I finish with moisturizer.

One skin-care ingredient you can't get enough of at the moment?

Honey all the way!

What's the one skin-care product you could never live without?

Definitely makeup remover! Removing makeup is the fun part for me and the most important. Don’t get me wrong, I love wearing makeup, but skin care plays a very big part! So removing it and leaving the skin clear is something I can’t live without. 

What's the most-asked question in your DMs? 

“How to clear acne-prone skin?” and “Have you tried Roaccutane?”

How has your relationship with your skin changed since the start of your skin-care journey?

My skin has had its ups and downs like a rollercoaster. It will be clear one day and have bubbly red spots the next. It’s been hard to predict my skin but a journey figuring out what works and doesn’t work for my skin.

What's your favorite thing about skin care?

It’s wiping away all the dirt and makeup on my skin and feeling fresh! I love feeling good about myself and removing my makeup — it feels like a celebration to me. I feel renewed each and every time.

Read More:
Skin-Care Influencer Cormac Finnegan Shares His Story
Career Diaries: Why Holly Harding Founded O’o Hawaii Skin Care 
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