N-tailing a mix of fixes for Pakistani skin

Nabila launches No Makeup palette customised for local weather and facial imperfections.

LAHORE:

With 30 years of a successful career and a new make-up palette being stocked at exclusive stores, Nabila has been one step ahead of her contemporaries. The make-up dynamo comes armed with products that are expected to be game-changers in the beauty industry of Pakistan; recently launching her No Makeup palette in Lahore.

Nabila, who had been working on her No Makeup palette for years, knew that now was the right time to launch it. With years of experience working on desi skin, she says, “It has been the perfect solution for dark circles, which no international brand had been able to cover without making the skin look grey.” This brings to mind the Too Faced Natural Face Palette but, unlike Nabila’s creation, it hasn’t been formulated for Pakistani skin and weather. “It’s also convenient to carry and quick to use, leaving your face invisibly beautiful, so that no one can tell you have imperfections.”



The product promises “flawless results in under-a-minute and all you have to do is identify your skin tone.” The palette offers five options, which are NGelic, NLight, NGage, NChant and NTice. The box is compartmentalised to include a concealer, blush, lip colour, blender, powder and puff. At the launch, Nabila demonstrated the use  of the product and it mostly seemed to blend effortlessly, without the use of any brushes. The powder, however, is quite strong and doesn’t blend as easily. A problem with the packaging of the box is that there is no place to store the puff for the setting powder once the protective seal comes off.

The make-up pro herself has been using the palette for the past 15 years and mixing little amounts for friends. “I visited European labs to get the science just right and it has been nothing short of magic,” she says, talking to The Express Tribune about the process of perfecting the palette and the factors she had to address while creating it. People in Pakistan generally have a penchant for fair skin rather than the bronze, tanned look, so, she claims to cover the entire spectrum of Pakistani skin, from pale to dark, with her palette.

All in all, at Rs6,500, the product is a good buy because it’s all one needs to carry. No Makeup will be available at Scentsation, Dolmen Mall, along with The Place and all Nabila salons in Karachi and Lahore. TCS is on board for home deliveries within 60 minutes through its Hazir service.

Nabila wants to bring the advancements of the West to Pakistan. In doing so, she doesn’t want just a niche market to enjoy her products. To this end, she has made an appearance on popular television shows, which cater to a wide audience. She believes her work at fashion shows focuses on a different clientele, but a majority of Pakistanis watch these shows regularly, so it’s imperative to make her make-up mantra accessible to them.

Recently, Nabila and her team at N-Pro did the hair and make-up for the Telenor Fashion Pakistan Week and PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week (PSFW), pulling it off with their adventurous make-up choices, such as the one for HSY’s finale at PSFW, which screamed high fashion. At fashion weeks, her team of 25 to 30 stylists gets no more than five to six minutes to glam up 16 girls per designer. “No one else does it like we do,” claims Sara Shah at N-Pro. Last year, Nabila tested the retail waters with her magic curler product, which flew off shelves with its easy-to-use styling technique.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th,  2015.

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