Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
broken clouds
weather
OMAN
23°C / 23°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Going gaga over vanity galore

copy1
copy1
minus
plus

“Makeup is malleable and mercurial: The biggest joy I have every day is the opportunity to create, to play, and to invent with something I’ve loved forever,” says Pat McGrath, a makeup artist who took her passion for the art and created something that shook the industry!


Much like this artist, one of Oman’s very own took up the challenge to create something home-grown — a brand that was not only Omani but organic and cruelty-free! Vanity Galore by Mneerah is an upcoming home-grown brand whose lipsticks, glosses and highlighters are slowly making its way into the must-haves of Oman’s makeup users.


A young enigmatic 25-year-old, Mneerah’s passion for makeup led her venture into creating her very own brand. Vanity Galore started when Mneerah, wanted to get creative and colourful. After months of research, phone calls and e-mails and lots of support from friends and family, Vanity Galore was launched in 2016.


A civil engineer with a working background in banking, “what I do now is completely different from what I studied, but I had always had a strong passion for makeup, especially lipsticks. I would often mix different colours and shades to create something unique for myself and this is when I realised that there weren’t any local brands that made makeup. Whilst many were talented makeup artists themselves, nobody had ventured into making their very own. I wanted to do something different and with my passion for lipsticks, I had a eureka moment! I would create my very own line of lipsticks!”

Riled up with ambition, Mneerah started her journey into the industry. Spending hours reading up and researching what goes into making lipsticks, she decided that she just didn’t want a product that was matte and long-lasting, but battle the common complaint of the lipsticks making its users lips feeling dry and cracked.


“I wanted to create something that was light on the lips but would last for long and this was in no means an easy task. Once I had done my research, I went in search of a factory that would be the right match and help me produce a product that was exactly as I’d want,” she added.


Finding the right factory was important to Mneerah as she knew exactly what she wanted to create. This was a long journey of going from factory to factory, sending sample products back and forth until the formula created was perfect! Mneerah emphasised that other than the formula, she was adamant that she didn’t want any harsh chemicals in her products, mineral, and coconut based she went a step further to ensure that her products were cruelty-free!


Mneerah said, “I had to order testers back and forth! Sometimes there was too much pigment and the other times the product was too watery. I was very involved in the process telling them what colours I wanted specifically and I was sure to ensure that none of my products were tested on animals or had any harsh chemicals.”


Starting with a line of 10 liquid lipsticks and crème lipsticks, and eventually introduced 3 shades of lip gloss. Although completely new to the whole process, Mneerah was sure that she wanted to create a line which caters to everyone wants. Whilst many liked crème, others preferred wearing gloss — one thing was for sure, most women loved lipstick!


When it comes to picking out her own favourite from the range, Mneerah says: “I love reds and I wanted to showcase a variety of shades of reds that my customers can choose from. So, Vanity Galore carries a range of reds that will suit everyone.”


After venturing into lipsticks, Mneerah wanted to try something new. Shifting her brand from a lipstick line to a makeup brand, she stepped into the world of highlighters.


An integral part of this season’s makeup looks! Most makeup wearers know that whether subtle or blinding, highlighters add that extra oomph into your finished look. Vanity Galore introduced 4 shades of pressed powder highlighters — pink, gold, bronze, and purple — along with two shades of liquid highlighters that can be used along with your base to add an overall glow or separately on top of your makeup to add that blinding shine.

The brand was first introduced to the public at an SME event at the Opera Galleria, grabbing people attention not only with its beautiful shade range but also peaking peoples interest as it was the first of its kind that was completely an Omani-owned, Omani brand. At the end of the two days, Vanity Galore’s stall had sold out!


Some lipsticks to look out for are Virgo, the perfect nude everyday shade! Vanity galore also has a range of red lipsticks that come in different undertones and shades that caters to all. The pinky highlighter called TRYST is perfect for that soft healthy glow that brightens up your whole look.


Two years in since Vanity Galore was inaugurated, the brand has created a serious buzz in the city! Currently selling at Boutique Muscat at the Al Mouj and at The Lookout at the Avenues Mall, there is no denying that the products are worth a try!


With more products in the making, keep a look out on their Instagram @vanitygalore to see what’s hitting the racks soon!


TITASH CHAKRABORTY


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon