With over 400k followers on Instagram and her own You Tube channel, 21-year-old Manal Mansoor has always been passionate about beauty and its power to transform. Manal tells HEALTH what it takes to be a successful beauty influencer in this digital age.
THE STORY
I’ve been posting on Instagram for as long as I can remember, but consistently posting about makeup for less than two years now. It’s one of my favorite social media platforms and since Instagram is HUGE in this part of the world, I mainly focus on it. However, I do have a Facebook account and a YouTube channel where I make sure to interact with my audience and connect with them.
BUILDING AN AUDIENCE
“I speak to a lot of my followers, some even becoming great friends. I couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity. As I kept building this audience along the way, this wonder-ful community of people also inspired me to work harder and try things out of my comfort zone.”
FAVORITE INSTAGRAMMER
“I am known to express very fre-quently about my love and inspiration from Huda (Kattan). To make it short, I wanted to see her for ages. After attending one of her makeup master classes, I was mesmerized. After I returned home, I decided to post it on Instagram. Later after a few videos—a viral one— and then with her and her family’s love and sup-port, here I am.”
UPCOMING BEAUTY TRENDS
“We know glitter has made a comeback and there are some bold glitter looks that are super trending. Also, the black liner that was very in during 2008 is coming back too. The unfinished corners, the deep black streak, it’s now better than ever with monochrome colors. Deep crimson reds are also in along with the op-posites— the watery nudes.”
TIPS FOR INFLUENCERS
“Most importantly, don’t follow what others are doing; keep doing you, even if you doubt that anyone would like it. Next—be consistent, try to read and research as much as you can. If you start something, start small, that’s OK. But give it time, don’t lose hope. Research on what you need to create, what are the trends, and interesting aspects of what you like doing. Teach yourself while you grow. The more you do it with passion, the better the results will be. Don’t focus on ‘followers’,they will come eventually.”
