Who says Superwoman has to wear a cape? Sometimes, they exist amongst us as young ladies with a dream or mothers looking to save time so they can spend it on what matters more.
Here at Daily Vanity, we celebrate International Women’s Day by shining the spotlight on home-grown beauty brands owned by women.
No one understands women quite like women themselves; many of these businesses are modelled after solutions to the problems women commonly face.
To bridge the gaps in existing beauty products and services, these women decided to take matters into their own hands.
Meet these girl bosses and the fruits of their labour.
Jo and Ashley Yong — Two Halves
Credits: @twohalves.skincare/Instagram
Two halves come together to make one whole, or in this case, a vegan skincare brand with a primary focus in hydration and sensitive skin.
Founded by mother-daughter duo Jo and Ashley Yong, Two Halves is the product of beauty and skincare insights that have gone through different generations of trends and solutions.
Jo and Ashley’s goal is to help busy go-getters maintain an effective skincare routine amidst their fast-paced lifestyles. Their multi-functional products are formulated to meet your skin’s various needs without having to keep up a 10-step skincare ritual.
Infused with botanical extracts and antioxidants, their skin-synchronising, plant-based products target sensitive, dehydrated, fatigued skin or a compromised skin barrier.
Their products are also fragrance-free, pregnancy and breastfeeding-safe – truly made for women, by women.
Our Pick:
If you’re new to Two Halves, we’d suggest trying their Better Balance Nutrients Networking Water Cream.
What better way to explore a hydration-focused brand than to dip your toes (or fingers) in their moisturising water cream?
Formulated with ingredients that are gentle and soothing on the skin, the Better Balance Nutrients Networking Water Cream is also suitable for eczema-prone skin.
The Better Balance Nutrients Networking Water Cream retails at S$75 on twohalves-skincare.com and at Novela branches across Singapore. It is going at S$52.50 at the time of writing.
Eugenia Ye-Yeo — Nodspark
Credits: @mrsytooge/Instagram
Mother of two, Eugenia Ye-Yeo, knows what it’s like to be strapped for time, struggling to fit in an hour or two for a manicure appointment. It’s why she founded Nodspark, with the hopes of creating a fuss-free method to get your nails done in under 10 minutes.
Their DIY manicures do not smudge or require drying time, and can be easily applied on-the-go. These nail wraps are akin to professionally done manicures, yet they last up to a week (unless you like changing up your nails more often).
Each manicure set is also easy to bring around – perfect to take with you on your travels!
From timeless neutrals to unique patterns and prints, they offer a wide range of designs for every occasion. They have petite sets as well, suitable for children or those with narrower nail beds.
Nodspark also offers convenient lash options like their Lashes on Demand, magnetic clip-on lashes, and the recently launched Lazy Lashes, pre-glued lash clusters for a long-lasting yet time-saving lash alternative.
Our Pick:
First time users of Nodspark’s nail wraps can kick start their journey to fuss-free manicures with the Nodspark Executive Welcome Pack.
It comes with two sets of nail wraps — one in Classic Nude Ivory, a timeless bridal white, and the other in Colourcore Dunes, an experimental set patterned with colourful streaks.
You also get a Peel-off Gel Top Coat (by Light Lacquer) and Mighty-Lite UV Lamp to finish off your manicure from the comforts of your own home.
The Nodspark Executive Welcome Pack retails at S$74 on nodspark.com, their headquarters located at Balmoral Plaza, and at several stockists across Singapore. It is going at S$65 at the time of writing.
Cynthia Chua — TWO L(I)PS
We’re not celebrating International Women’s Day right if we don’t mention the brand that challenged taboos and social norms surrounding women’s intimate health.
TWO L(I)PS, founded by Cynthia Chua (who also owns the Spa Esprit Group), prides itself as the world’s first luxury intimate care brand, offering a range of products that are gynaecologically and dermatologically tested for the vulva.
Formulated with components that are gentle and suitable for all skin types, TWO L(I)PS’ feminine care products aim to protect, soothe, and hydrate a woman’s most intimate area.
You know what they say, the lips on your face aren’t the only lips you should be taking care of.
Our Pick:
Their best-selling Diamond Gentle Vitamin C Brightening Serum is a two-in-one product suitable for your face and body. Formulated with water-soluble Vitamin C, it’s gentle on the skin and suitable for sensitive skin.
The Diamond Gentle Vitamin C Brightening Serum retails at S$149.99 on twolips.vip, and at their store located at ION Orchard.
Yoyo Cao, Arissa Cheo and Lin Ting — ROMI Beauty
Credits: @yoyokulala/Instagram
‘Romi’ in latin means ‘dew of the sea’, which is what multi-hyphenates and founders, Yoyo Cao, Arissa Cheo, and Lin Ting, envisioned for their brand. They believe there are no limitations to what they can achieve, much like the vast waters of the sea.
As women who wear many hats, the founding trio would best understand the desire for an effective yet fuss-free beauty routine.
ROMI’s versatile products do just that. With multi-functions to meet your different skincare and makeup needs, their range of products allows you to skip steps to look and feel effortlessly good.
You know you’re in good hands as their products are free of parabens, phthalates, sulphates, synthetic fragrances and gluten, produced and packaged with sustainable efforts.
Our Pick:
ROMI Beauty’s Dream Skin Tint is the ultimate lazy girl’s go-to product.
You get three functions in one bottle: it hydrates, protects your skin from sun damage, and evens out your skin tone. This SPF-infused tinted moisturiser is lightweight and buildable, a versatile product that strikes off multiple steps in your skincare routine.
The Dream Skin Tint retails at S$52 on romibeautyclub.com.
Chew Jia Tian — Rough Beauty
Even though Chew Jia Tian is no longer with us, she left her legacy behind in Rough Beauty, the product of her nine years of hard work.
Rough Beauty was hatched in her parents’ kitchen, where she applied the skills and techniques she had picked up from soap-makers in Malacca and Taiwan.
It started out as an after-school hobby, with her first customers being her classmates. Today, we know it as the Earth-conscious brand housing a unique selection of bath and body products.
Their signature product has got to be their scented bar soaps, handcrafted with botanical ingredients and natural additives sourced from around the world.
Like their products, the brand’s beliefs are a harmonious concoction of simplicity and sustainability, created with the purpose of embracing mindful living.
To ensure zero waste in the production process, their products are produced in small batches. You can also opt for your bar soaps to be wrapped with donated magazine paper to join them in creating a greener future.
Our Pick:
Named after her third cat, Mari, a rescued street cat, the bestselling Mari Bar is a refreshing blend of citrus and lavender. The combination of uplifting and soothing ingredients in this scented bar soap makes it the perfect pick-me-up after a long day.
If you’re an animal lover like Jia Tian, you’d be happy to know that 10% of all sales from the Mari range go to community cat rescue and TNR (trap, neuter, return) efforts in Singapore.
The Mari Bar retails at S$11 on rough-beauty.com and at their studio located at Midview City.
Subrina Liew — Caring Skin
Many women are hesitant to turn to oral medication like antibiotics or Accutane to treat their unresolved skin issues, with concerns of infertility or the possibility of drying their skin up in the process.
Subrina Liew knew that was when she had to step in. What started out as a facial spa at the heartlands of Singapore expanded into a brand housing their own plant-based skincare products you can incorporate into your beauty routine at home.
Caring Skin combines plant-based formulations with aesthetic devices for non-invasive methods to treat skin concerns.
Their cruelty and paraben-free products and services target acne-prone and sensitive skin, specialising in the treatment of issues like rosacea and eczema.
Our Pick:
The award-winning Soothing Hydra Mask is infused with antioxidants like niacinamide, pomegranate, and ginseng root extracts, which soothes, hydrates and brightens the skin altogether.
It can be used after your laser or IPL treatments or as part of a regular skincare routine.
The Soothing Hydra Mask retails at S$19.62 at caringskin.com.sg and at Caring Skin branches across Singapore.
Carmen Ow and Wynnie Tay — Wy:Now
Credits: @rougekisses/Instagram
Best friends Carmen Ow and Wynnie Tay saw a problem and created a solution.
When the pandemic led to an increase in hand washing and sanitising, the founding duo noticed that the existing cleansing products in the market were too drying on the skin. They saw an opportunity to infiltrate the market, and the rest is history.
Wy:Now offers a range of cleansing essentials from hand and body washes to hand sanitisers, formulated with plant-based ingredients and essential oils that are gentle and moisturising.
They hope to bridge the gap between drugstore and designer soaps, with products that effectively cleanse, while also providing a self-care experience that does not break the bank.
Our Pick:
While the refreshing scent of the Bergamot & Clary Sage Liquid Hand Sanitiser caught our eye, what really intrigued us was its multi-purpose functionality.
Not limited to sanitising your hands, you can also use it to disinfect surfaces and refresh your face mask. Its best part has got to be how it doesn’t dry out your hands like other hand sanitisers, though!
The Bergamot & Clary Sage Liquid Hand Sanitiser retails at S$7 at wynow.com and at several stockists across Singapore.
Sahur Saleim — Sahur’s Art
Makeup artist Sahur Saleim’s entry into the world of makeup happened at age 17. All she had with her was her brushes, palettes and an Instagram account that would soon catapult her into the spotlight, where she gained recognition for her skills.
Sahur’s Art takes an ethical and sustainable approach in their creation process. Their vegan and cruelty-free products are packaged in recyclable materials to reduce waste.
This home-grown brand also takes our scorching hot climate into consideration as their products come in sweat-resistant, summer-proof formulations to withstand Singapore’s heat and humidity.
In this social media driven world we live in, Sahur’s Art made a difference by sparking conversation on skin positivity, in hopes of creating an environment accepting of unfiltered skin we don’t often see online.
Our Pick:
It was love at first sight for us when we laid our eyes on the Bestie Blush Balm. These adorable heart-shaped blush sticks come in a diverse range of colours — from warm corals to cool pinks.
These blush balms also put the fun in the process: to apply the blush onto your cheeks, you’ll have to imprint a heart on each cheek. How cute!
The Bestie Blush Balm retails at S$29.90 at sahursart.com.
Featured image credits: caringskin.com.sg, sahurtsart.com
