Overachiever Spotlight: Meet The AMAZING Samantha Martin

Since the Overachiever Concealer was inspired by you guys – all the hustlers and hard workers out there – it only felt right to have you guys with us in the campaign. So, we decided we wanted to hear from the people who never stop dreaming, and who continue to succeed and move forward, no matter what setbacks come their way.

When we heard Samantha’s story we knew we had to meet her. Samantha told us in her application for our #Overachiever competition, that at the “End of February at the age of 17, I woke up one day and I couldn’t walk. I was given multiple different diagnoses; neurological condition, brain inflammation, impaired ear, the list goes on… I lived in hospitals for pretty much the whole of 2016. I thought I was finished. I dropped out of college multiple times, I did not, unfortunately, complete my beauty course (beauty being one of my passions) due to constant relapses and going back to hospitals.”

But Samantha hasn’t let this life-changing illness define her or stop her from fulfilling her dreams of becoming a makeup artist, even though she had to drop out of her beauty school. Now, even though Samantha spends most of her time in her house, she pursues her passion for makeup by blogging and creating stunning new looks for her Instagram and YouTube. She assured us that the next time we saw her, she would be wearing a pair of Louboutins.

What we learned when we spoke to Samantha Martin:

Believe in yourself

During our conversation with Samantha, we asked her what her mission in life is, and she told us she wanted to “empower young people.” She told us that she felt “teens are so quick to criticize themselves” and she believes it’s preventing them from “fulfilling their dreams”. She wanted to remind anyone reading this, that “you are great, and you are more than capable of achieving anything if you put your mind to it.” Samantha used herself as an example and said that despite her sickness, she believes in herself, and that’s what got her to Dubai.

She’s hopeful

When we asked Samantha who inspires her, she didn’t name an influencer or a celebrity, she told us “Lately it’s been this guy on Instagram, he uses a wheelchair but recently he’s been using crutches and walking with them. He’s 2. He reminds me of myself, as I can’t walk, but I know that I will, one day.” And it made us think, if Samantha can remain positive and be so hopeful, so can we.

The small things are worth celebrating

Because of Samantha’s injuries, leaving the house is hard. When we asked her about her proudest moments in the past year, she told us that “just leaving the house, makes her feel proud.” This reminded us to firstly, never take things for granted and to secondly, feel proud of the small things that we do.

There’s only one you

This may seem like an obvious statement to make but sometimes it’s helpful to remind ourselves, to give us that extra nudge. Samantha said that whenever she’s feeling down or experiencing self-doubt, she reminds herself how unique she is and that “there’s only one Samantha Martin.” But more importantly, that no one else is going to fulfill her dreams and if she really wants to achieve them, she’s got to do it herself. In her words “get up off her back seat” and get them. She also realizes the importance of sharing your story “no one has the same difficulties, but it’s not even about the difficulties, it’s the fact that there’s only one me. Someone can share something, but then when I share it, it may have a different effect.”

Stay tuned for more inspirational stories from our amazing overachievers, and share your story with us on Instagram with #HudaBeautyOverachiever.