Interview with Nida Ahmed

Hello My Name is Nida Ahmed of @nidahmed

Hailing from Pakistan, this drop-dead gorgeous woman is a force to be reckoned with. This self-taught makeup artist also advocates plus-size beauty and exudes confidence in everything she does. With her bold, eccentric makeup tutorial videos on her Instagram channel, she has garnered an international following of over 50k (and still growing) Congratulations Nida!

Today we had the pleasure of interviewing this fine lady for our International Women's Day month to get to know her more and show how she turns herself into a work of art. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nida Ahmed 🇵🇰/ 🇲🇾 (@nidahmed)

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and where you're from!

I’m Nida, a plus-size queen, a makeup artist, and a content creator. I belong to Pakistan and have been in Malaysia since 2014. I am married for 8+ years now. I like to use my face as a canvas to express myself. I enjoy creating looks from glam to crazy art. 

2. Could you share what made you start a makeup channel on Instagram? 

I moved to Malaysia more than 6 years ago and I had no friends here, no one to talk to. I have always been super social and it was bothering me so much. I started getting migraines which I never had before. The loneliness was killing me. My husband’s job was super tough and busy.

I started a small Facebook group initially and became a personal shopper for friends, family, and their contacts in Pakistan. But I didn’t know much about makeup and people were most interested in makeup products. I started reading up on stuff, started watching videos to see what the trends were, etc. This kinda sparked an interest in makeup for me and I bought my first foundation and contour palette.

Then I started watching youtube videos, and just did makeup on myself practicing whatever I learned. Did Facebook Live sessions, got ridiculed for not knowing anything about makeup and my weight. My tiny group grew and I saw that people were more active on Instagram, so I revived my Instagram account and regularly made postings on it. I kept practicing and kept getting better at my own art.

But I kept going bcoz that's what kept me sane.

I got a lot of love and recognition but obviously, the hate and bullying never stopped. Despite everything, I gave it my best and I still do and every day is a promise to myself to be better than the previous day.

What started as a means to pass the time became my passion today.

3. The famous question:  skincare or makeup? (we think we know the answer!)

As much as makeup is my happy place and I absolutely love playing with makeup, I also believe that skincare definitely has to be more important for me 🙈 Cause, without a clear canvas, my makeup can be of no use. I prefer healthier and fresh skin over everything else.

4. Any advice for those struggling in similar circumstances?

Love yourself and everything will fall into place.

I’ve always believed that the day we learn to love ourselves everyone around us will automatically fall in love with us. We can not expect people to accept us and love us unless we begin to love and accept ourselves. So the first step towards achieving any goal is to love, respect, accept and appreciate your own self.

5. What's your favorite product from Althea? and why!

The A'bloom fruit sheet masks definitely. They hydrate and plump the skin instantly with long-lasting results.