Gloss on, worries gone!

KOCHI: In American teen drama ‘Gossip Girl’, Serena Van Der Woodsen, one of the lead characters and a fashionista, proclaims, “Lipstick lasts longer but gloss is more fun”. She couldn’t have been more accurate.

In the early 2000s, you weren’t hip if you didn’t carry a lip gloss in your purse. The models on the runway wore it, fashion magazines swore by the gloss and the ‘it girls’ at your high-school turned up their noses and sparkly lips at you. Just when you thought the makeup accessory seemed to have lost its sheen, fashion icon and businesswoman Kylie Jenner resurrected the gloss along with her lip kits. Lip glosses were no longer just about the shine, they were moisturising, long-lasting, hydrating, lip-plumping and in every colour pigment and fragrance imaginable.

Makeup enthusiasts and ‘cosmoholics’ predicted 2020 to be the year of the lip gloss. Sadly, the pandemic shifted focus to the eye with the arrival of the mask. Nevertheless, this didn’t deter 22-year-old makeup artist and social worker Aaliya Fathima from creating her first makeup product -- a lip gloss. We spotted several Instagram makeup artists and influencers who’ve unabashedly expressed their love for the product. Popsicle-shaped with a sponge applicator, they are easy on the eye, handy to apply and every bit worth your penny.

The Ernakulam native has always been one for the shimmer. “I’ve been a makeup enthusiast for as far as I can recall. After obtaining a degree in social work from Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, I delved deeply into the world of makeup artistry. I received my certificate from the Lakme Academy and began getting enquiries on bridal makeup and more. Around the time, I began watching a few videos on lip gloss and how it was almost addictive among teens in the US, to a point that they made their own! I haven’t seen the same frenzy here, nor have I used a homemade lipgloss brand,” says Aaliya.

Be your own brand
While homemade skincare brands are aplenty in India, Aaliya realised that the market was almost devoid of such makeup. After ample research, concoctions, formulas and experiments during the lockdown, ‘Love’ and ‘High’, under the brand ‘Aaliya Makeup’ were born in August. “The products are created at home. While both are clear lip glosses, ‘Love’ is primarily vanilla-scented and subtle on your lips. ‘High’ is named so owing to the presence of hempseed oil which soothes chapped and sore lips.

It is infused with castor oil and gives you a whiff of peppermint. While the ingredients are imported, they are drug-tested for effectiveness, quality and safety,” explains Aaliya. Aliya is currently working on another range of lip gloss and is super thrilled about rolling it out.Check out her product on @aaliya_makeup4.5ml popsicle lip gloss for Rs 400

Aaliya’s MUA essentials
Lip gloss (goes without saying)Sunscreen Waterproof lipstick Compact powder Deodorant