Aysha Harun Wants To Change The Way We Talk About Makeup & Muslim Women

Naked Truths is a series where we ask cultural influencers, makeup artists, and badass women about their relationship with self-confidence while they remove their makeup.

YouTuber Aysha Harun used to look at makeup as a means to cover up the birthmark on her nose. "I used to be very embarrassed to go outside without makeup," she says, adding that she once considered getting it removed. But those days are long gone and Harun now feels just as confident going makeup-free as she does wearing her go-to glam of foundation, brows, lashes, and nude lips.

Harun's love for beauty inspired her to become a content creator with nearly 300k subscribers on YouTube and 150k followers on Instagram. It's through these channels that she's able to show off her passion for beauty, and also educate her followers about what it's like being a makeup-loving Black
Muslim woman who chooses to wear a hijab. "Although there has been a lot of amazing, beautiful representation, we definitely have a long way to go," she says. "People always say, 'Well, if you're wearing the hijab, why are you wearing makeup?' I wear makeup because it makes me feel beautiful... because I enjoy it."

As much as Harun loves to apply makeup, she also relishes in the ritual of removing it after a long day. "I feel that it's very therapeutic for me," she says. That feeling makes sense considering her luxurious nine-step regimen. Luckily for us, Harun is spilling every single step — from double-cleansing to layering on multiple serums.