Hi I am Raida Naz, the founder of Raida Henna. I was born in India, brought up in Bangladesh and currently living in New Jersey, USA. I am fluent in Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and English.
I grew up in a culture where henna was a very common part of our lives. We did it every year for Eids, weddings and festivals. Moreover, my mother and aunt are henna artists, and watching them I practiced how to do it. I have been very artistic since I was a kid, always loved drawing and painting, so it wasn’t hard for me to learn to make henna designs. My passion turned into a profession in a very short time as it was easy to get clients from my mom and aunt’s referrals. I had my first client when I was only 15, and today I am a certified professional henna artist with 10+ years of experience!
I am proficient in creating traditional and modern designs. I do both bridal and party henna. I am based in Wayne, but also open to travel to client’s location throughout NJ, PA and NYC. If required for parties, I also have a team who can travel with me to events. One common thing most of my clients say is that my work is very neat and I am fast!
One of the best parts of this profession is meeting different people and learning about their different cultures. Henna is common in almost every culture but every one has a different style of doing it. Till date I have done Indian, Pakistani , Arabic, Sudanese, Moroccan, Palestine and Egyptian henna styles, and it’s amazing how each one is unique from one another. I am glad for every client for giving me the opportunity to be a part of their beautiful culture and special occasions!
Henna is like a Meditation to me, doing it and even watching it is truly a magical experience! I am willing to grow and learn something new about it everyday to create the best experience for my clients. Besides doing henna, I also love making acrylic henna candles and canvases. I have made henna phone covers, and book covers as well. I will basically draw henna designs anywhere and everywhere!
Anything related to art amuses me. Apart from being a henna artist, I am a face painter with 4 years of experience. After I moved to the USA, I attended a lot of pop up events at fairs and festivals, and there I met so many talented face painters. I loved how they changed kids' faces into superheros, cute animals, etc. Soon I ordered a bunch of face paint supplies and started watching videos on how to face paint, and today I can paint you to whatever you wish to be- a butterfly, a spiderman, a unicorn, or a mermaid! The best part of being a face painter is working with cute little kids, and their $1000 worth smile when they see their painted faces in the mirror!
Now, let me tell you a little bit about my personal life. I am a student currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, a wife and a pet mommy to my cute kitten, Romeo. A lot of my clients love spending time with Romeo when they come to my studio for their appointments! I love to drive, travel and explore new countries. I used to love cooking before but now I only like to eat, haha. I know it's a lot for a student to be a housewife, full time henna artist and a face painter, but I am almost done as I am graduating next semester (May 2023), yayyy!
~ Raida Naz- 11/17/2022.