Rawan Bin Hussain: My Advice to My Younger Self

She was crowned as the “Brooke Shields” of Kuwait for her attractive looking eyes, pouty lips, long chocolate hair, clear bright skin and rosy cheeks. Rawan Bin Hussain was able to become one of the most prominent influencers in the Arab world grabbing 4.5M followers on her Instagram account. After being known as a beauty influencer, Rawan launched her cosmetic brand, House of Rawan, selling a collection of matte lip kits. Now, as she welcomed her baby girl Luna in February 2020, we are curious to know how she’s doing with motherhood and quarantine. Special Arabia had a little insight on Rawan’s latest activities, what is she planning to do after lockdown, as well as some advice to her younger self!

What did you crave most while you were pregnant?

I was craving spicy food, salty stuff and shockingly, I am a big chocolate eater but throughout my pregnancy, I hated chocolate! And that's the main reason why I didn't really gain that much weight.

What’s been the biggest surprise about motherhood?

You can never get over it. It's an overwhelming feeling. You never can get used to it. Every single day when I see my daughter, I get goosebumps. I still can't get my head around the idea that this little creature was inside me for nine months. Truly a blessing.

Tell us more about cooking videos you’ve been doing during quarantine; is it your hidden talent?

For five years of living on my own, I couldn't cook or, I really didn't bother to learn how to cook anything. I lived on take outs and frozen food. In quarantine, especially after getting married, I suffered with cooking because I don't know how to cook and I wanted to cook for my friends, for my husband but I couldn't. So I took it upon myself and made a promise that in quarantine, as I have so much free time, I will learn my least favorite thing which is cooking and that's exactly what happened. I started off first by reading recipes in books and on the internet and having my mom teach me. Then I started doing live sessions with professional chefs from all around the world and each one of them taught me a recipe from their own traditional cuisines.

Name three things on your bucket list that you want to do once the lockdown is over.

On my bucket list, first of all, I want to go back to my country - Kuwait. I miss my friends there, it's my hometown, and I grew up there. I want to see my siblings and I also want to take my daughter there. Second of all, I really want to go somewhere like Bali or Thailand, somewhere quiet by the sea, tropical. Third of all, I might go to Europe when everything is done but most importantly and the most important thing on my bucket list is to move to the USA and continue my Masters. I was supposed to move in August but with the current circumstances, I had to postpone and start hopefully by next year.

How do you keep your skin so clear and hair so healthy?

I think everyone should start from the inside, starting from what you eat, how you feel; stress plays a big role too in the health of your skin and hair. If you’re under stress, you'll have more breakouts and more hair fall. So I just work on my mental health, I work on eating a healthy diet, I keep on taking my supplements and of course, I have my beauty routine of using certain beauty products and certain beauty treatments or aesthetic treatments that I do at my favorite clinic every month.

Which Ramadan series did you watch this year?

I did not really watch any Ramadan series. I am still watching my old favorite shows on Netflix.

If you could meet your younger self, what would you tell her?

I would tell younger Rawan (although I'm still young!) to be more realistic, to leave emotions on the side; to be less emotional and to be more rational, use her brain more :)

What’s the biggest factor that has helped you be successful as an entrepreneur and a social media personality?

I think self-confidence and the belief that I can achieve whatever I want as long as I'm determined and I have my mind on that certain goal. Not having so many distractions in my life and keeping distance from everyone that might have any negative energy or vibes that can make me feel less of a human or make me feel like I'm lazy or I'm not that excited about achieving things. I think also choosing my friends wisely and the people I have around me, I'm very picky with whom I let in my life.