Putting Masarrat Misbah Makeup to the test

Masarrat Misbah (right), the brains behind MM Makeup, with her daughter Redah Misbah at the launch event held in Lahore.

From non-existent to rapidly burgeoning, the Pakistani beauty industry is growing in leaps and bounds. Starting with TV star Attiqa Odho’s eponymous make-up label years ago, the industry seems to finally be moving in the right direction with bigwigs like Nabila and most recently Masarrat Misbah launching their own products. Entrepreneurs venturing into the industry are all motivated by the same reasoning – South Asian skin differs greatly from Caucasian skin and demands dedicated formulas that are adapted to the rigors of our lives.

Having spent decades dedicated to the beauty business, Misbah was cognizant of the gap that exists between our needs and what the international products offer. In one fell swoop she wanted to utilize all the knowledge gleaned over years of running one of Lahore’s most successful chain of salons into practical products that cater completely to our needs. The industry scion proudly launched Masarrat Misbah Makeup last week; it is a cosmetic range that offers a wide array of beauty products, produced in Turkey and that claims to use only halal material that are also completely free of parabens and other harmful chemicals.

Masarrat Misbah Makeup consists of an extensive range of lip products, including the liquid lipsticks that are taking the international market by storm. The range also introduces pressed powders, liquid foundation, two types of blushes, eyeshadows and two shades of eyeliner, all created keeping in mind the local skin tones. Now coming down to business: how does the make-up itself fare? The answer is surprisingly well.

The matte and liquid lipsticks offer gorgeous shades that are super pigmented and don’t budge easily at all (look out for Magento, a vibrant fuchsia shade that looks as good on fair skin as it does on dusky complexions). They can be a little drying, particularly the liquid lipstick, which has a tendency to be somewhat flaky but it’s nothing a little lip balm before application can’t solve. The crème sheen lipsticks and lipglosses, on the other hand, have no such issue and the gloss, though again very pigmented, doesn’t leave an icky, sticky residue.

The liquid eyeliners are a revelation; available in black and a beautiful bronzy gold they defy smudging but come off easily with water. There are two ranges of blushers, the normal ones and the “ethereal glow” ones that boast of highlighting powder incorporated into the formulation for natural looking radiance. The blushes again are highly pigmented and only require a light dusting. The Ethereal Glow Blush in Radiance particularly is a beautiful shade but a note of caution: it tends to come out jarringly dark on fairer skin tones.

Coming now to the foundation, the label offers several shades that are meant to match the spectrum of local complexions. It feels weightless on the skin as advertised on the packaging and a little goes a long way. It blends well for a seamless finish and gives a dewy look that might appear a little oily during months of intense heat but that reflects more on Pakistan’s unrelenting summer than the formulation itself. The foundation looks better on the skin without the pressed powder to set it and gives good coverage. A big plus point for MM Makeup is its price points, which are extremely competitive, especially when compared to other local brands. That’s PKR 1100 for the Liquid Lipstick, PKR 510 for the Eyeliner and PKR 800 for the Glow Blush, for example.

Checking out the variety on offer at MM Makeup launch.

Overall, MM Makeup gets a fairly good review and our stamp of approval (we’d rate it 7 out of 10); it promises to add to the existing range with newer products coming out soon.