Make-up for the masses

ON the international level, there are Pat McGrath, Sam McKnight, Val Garland, Mario Dedivanovic, Charlotte Tilbury and we have our resident make-up artist Syed Faizal Syed Noh (pix), who has made a name for himself with his unwavering commitment and bold vision.
With over 20 years of experience in fashion editorials, commercials and glamorous bridal makeovers, the homegrown beauty maestro has built his own beauty empire – Syed Killer Eyes into a cult-worthy cosmetic brand and continues to make waves in inspiring beauty trends.
Faizal's venture into crafting his own make-up line was purely by coincidence; a conquest that spiralled out of his eagerness to learn.
With his first collection of liquid lipsticks aptly named BIBIR , it comes in six sumptuous colours with names inspired by the animated series, "My Little Pony" – it was such a hit that it went viral and sold out in less than a week.
After the incredible success of Faizal's debut collection, the make-up artist has released other collections such as MATA for eyeshadows and PIPI for cheeks.
With his passion for beauty, he works around the aesthetic parameter to break the colour barrier and focuses his collections around versatility and diversity.
Educating the public
Faizal believes there is a need as a make-up artist to educate people on different ways to apply make-up. "Matte lipsticks work great in the western hemisphere, but not in Malaysia," he says.
"We have really hot and humid weather and that is why lips appear to be cracking and flaky. I guess the public is not well aware of the various types of lipsticks."
"There are matte, satin, sheer and there are different ways of wearing them; you have to moisturise your lips before wearing it," he added.
To ensure that the lips don't dry up, Faizal has crafted the perfect formula for the new BIBIR collection which is a series of velvet lipsticks that delivers rich pigment in a semi-matte and velvety-smooth finishing.
While many of us struggle to pick the exact shade of foundation, Faizal has some useful tips in choosing the perfect shade. "Always remember not try it on your hand; it is not the skin colour of your face," he says. "The correct way to pick a foundation colour is by applying it on your jaw line."
"Choose a colour that you think is your shade, then take another lighter shade and darker shade and proceed to make three lines on the jaw area – whichever shade that dissolves and blends in well with the skin is the correct shade."
Building presence
Faizal's beauty aspiration has taken him to new heights in helping others understand make-up better.
However, success did not come easy for Faizal. He started building his "namesake" through blogging and doing make-up since he was only 18 years old.
"I started doing bridal make-up by charging a RM50 fee with just one small make-up bag but now I have four luggages full of make-up products," he says.
"The journey was not easy as I had no investors to contribute to the brand. I had to pay upfront from my own pocket," he added.
From marketing down to design, it was a one-man show for Faizal, who graduated with a bachelors in public relations. He did the designs of the packaging by only using applications on his mobile phone and from there, he seeked help from his friends who are graphic designers to help realise his vision.
Faizal, who has a sharp business sense, also navigates through the world wide web to establish his presence. "Social media and e-commerce platforms means a great deal to me which I constantly maintain and update them to keep the audience informed about the brand and its upcoming collections," he stated.
There is even a hotline via Whatsapp for purchases where beauty junkies can interact with Faizal.
Dropping just in time for the holidays, Faizal has joined the global contouring game by releasing PIPI, The Essential Cheek Palette. It addresses dark, neutral and fair skin tones seamlessly with its 3 -in-1 palette that consists of contour powder, blush powder and translucent highlighting powder.
How to apply? Simply brush on your cheekbones along the high points to make your facial features stand out.
Faizal will also be launching MATA, The Essential Eye Palette at the end of this year. So stay tuned!