Planning your next makeup-shopping haul? Look no further than the local beauty scene that’s growing (and glowing) with innovative brands created by Malaysian girlbosses. Mostly vegan, cruelty-free and wudhu-compliant, beauty junkies will have all manner of needs sorted without compromising on the whole ‘look pretty, feel good factor’ that makeup is all about.
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Above Photo: Courtesy of @didaforwomen/ Instagram

Dida

Founded by 2 friends Tengku Chanela Jamidah and Didie Nasir, this girlboss-favoured brand is all about beauty with confidence, their lip products being a firm favourite. In fact, they’ve covered all grounds for the sweetest puckers, think a velvety matte lip crème range, soft lipsticks, and moisturising lip glides, too. Packaged in a minimalist design so loved by millennial creatives, Dida is rapidly cinching points as an It-girl handbag essential.

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Above Photo: Courtesy of @duckcosmetics/ Instagram

dUCk Cosmetics

The cosmetics arm of dUCk is a natural extension for Muslimah and scarf collectors of the wildly popular brand founded by Datin Vivy Yusof. dUCk Cosmetics ticks all your beauty needs (without the parabens!), from the quirky Mist Independent Hair Mist, to the vibrance of a Matte Decisions Lip Cream range. As for the occasional limited edition collections that have fans on tenterhooks – we particularly love the delectable Cookie collection and most recent Doily dUCk collection face kit in time for Raya!

See also: Of Chemistry And Affection: Vivy Yusof And Fadza Anuar On Building Their Empire, FashionValet

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Above Photo: Courtesy of @orkidcosmetics/ Instagram

Orkid Cosmetics

Made with the cool-but-Muslimah trendset in mind, the 100% made-in-Malaysia Orkid Cosmetics is fast establishing a name among a multicultural set of beauty junkies, led by founder, Raeesa Sya. Specialising in lip products, it zeroes in on the most influencer-approved shades and texture – matte, of course – that promises a non-transfer, non-sticky and completely comfortable finish. Low-maintenance yet does the job – you don’t need to be a millennial to covet Orkid Cosmetics.

 

 

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Above Photo: Courtesy of @breenabeauty/ Instagram

Breena Beauty

When beauty blogger Sabrina Tajuddin created Breena Beauty, she wanted to give every woman access to good quality makeup essentials. Where most local makeup brands focus on the makeup product, Sabrina offers basics that are bang for the buck, like her makeup brushes. Users have sung praises of these white and gold wands made from the finest of synthetic fibres, with soft hairs that gently brush colour on evenly. Your best bet is to get the Face Essential Kit, for a full experience these beauties are so extolled for.

See also: Spring’s Finest: The 6 New Beauty Essentials To Stay Fresh

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Above Photo: Courtesy of @shadedough/ Instagram

Shade Dough

Paying more lip service to the millennial crows is Shade Dough, created by influencer-mum-turned-entrepreneur Hanis Zalikha. Her lip products have amassed celebrity and personality followers, who tried and fell in love with the pigmented and comfortable matte finish of the lip creams inspired by desserts. Each Lip Bait is enhanced with Vitamin C, and doesn’t ‘crack’ under pressure; staying put for hours on end.

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Above Photo: Courtesy of @so.lek/ Instagram

SO.LEK

Founded by Generation T 2018 lister Dahlia Nadirah, SO.LEK is not just any local makeup brand, going further and paying tribute to the Malaysian culture. Her lip creams – which reference Malay elements like traditional dance, folklore, and games – give new meaning to her wildly popular vials of colour. SO.LEK also does wudhu-approved nail colours, and her eye products like the Celak eyeliner has received rave feedback for its ink-black liquid texture that’s anti smudge.

See also: Estee Lauder Chief Makeup Artist, Joyce Lee, On The Best Uses Of Different Eyeliners

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Above Photo: Courtesy of @sugarbellecosmetic/ Instagram

Sugarbelle

The founder of Sugarbelle, Belle Al Yahya, who carved a name for herself as the Muslimah fashion mogul behind Bella Ammara, has ventured into cosmetics via Sugarbelle. Wudhu-compliant, comprehensive and comfortable, Sugarbelle prides itself on lip offerings, but its skincare, face and perfume lines are on to something. A range of Mattifying Aqua Foundation keeps skin continuously hydrated, without compromise on a buildable coverage that’s light as a caress.

 

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Thrill

Thrill by Sarimah Ibrahim

There’s a lot to hype about Thrill on Lazada Malaysia, just launched in May – The makeup line is the brainchild of showbiz darling Che Puan Sarimah Ibrahim that she worked on to perfect for over a year now to suit sensitive skin, with an infusion of healing ingredients. Women with any skin concern will find this 2-in-1 skincare-makeup their new handbag must-have, be it in the BB cushion foundation or a finishing powder. Not only does Thrill blend across skin tones, its herbal properties work around the clock. Sounds too good to be true?

Find out how each product works, narrated by the woman herself via this YouTube link

See also: The Celebrity-Approved Basic Skincare That’s Way Better Than Photo Filters

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Above Photo: Courtesy of @shopvelvetvanity/ Instagram

Velvet Vanity

Behind Velvet Vanity's ‘eat glitter for breakfast’ brand positioning is a dependable beauty product certified by the Ministry of Health Malaysia. It's also 100% vegan and cruelty-free, ringing true with its guilt-free ‘Treat yo self’ packaging. Velvet Vanity’s liquid lipsticks and lip-cheek tints come in a signature turquoise and punched up with catchphrase names, but don’t knock it till you’ve tried and tested these versatile and long-lasting goodies.

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Above Photo: Courtesy of @lovefromzahara/ Instagram

Zahara

Created by sisters Alia and Amira Geneid, Zahara combines faith and beauty into a makeup brand that’s high-performance and quality, from formulation to variety and customer experience. Zahara carries a broad range of makeup for eyes, lips, face and nails, the proudest of which is the Oxygen Nail Polish. A halal formula that’s oxygen and water permeable, in the loveliest of colours.

See also: Breaking Down Halal Makeup With Zahara By Amira Geneid

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