Everyone remembers their first fantasy very particularly—mine would be Barbie’s Princess & The Pauper. It was probably my longest obsession until I stumbled upon HBO’s hit Game of Thrones, and I never wanted to be Cersei Lannister so bad until I discovered her character. Uniquely, sometimes, your particular obsession can somewhat be turned into your greatest succession. Just take Kamelia Nisha, founder of Kamelia Cosmetics, for example. 

Having to be equally obsessed with both mermaids and makeup. She admitted to hoarding up to around 50 different lip glosses and re-watching Little Mermaid countless time until she could even repeated every lines, her 9 years old self had sworn that one day she’d be the greatest cryptozoologist so she could prove the existence of mermaids. How ambitious? Take note everyone. Though, as years went by, her attachment to beauty and makeup remained, and thus, she decided to combine the two most dearest things to her—mermaids and makeup—together, the idea of Kamelia Cosmetics was born. 

Having observed the brand grow throughout the years, Beauty Insider decided to swim away to the shore and reached out to Kamelia Nisha herself to talk more about the driving force behind Kamelia Cosmetics, the biggest challenge they had to face during the pandemic and what’s their 2022 magical plan. Check them out!

1. Hello Kamelia Nisha, thank you for agreeing to do this. Let’s start by introducing the reader to yourself. 

Hello and thank you so much for interviewing me! I am very honoured to be chosen, being a longtime fan of Beauty Insider. My name is Kamelia and I am the founder of Kamelia Cosmetics. I have been deeply passionate about beauty and beauty products from a young age. I started Kamelia Cosmetics with zero business experience and now we have fulfilled over 50,000 HQ orders to date. It would be my dream to continue growing my beauty brand that aims to celebrate and enhance natural beauty, combine skincare ingredients with cosmetics, and is at a price point which is accessible to all.

2. We know that Kamelia Cosmetic was founded in the year of 2016, and has rapidly become the choice brand for women in Malaysia. But, how did you make the leap to launch Kamelia Cosmetic? Share with us your journey.

In 2016, I had just returned from 2 years living in the U.K. During my time there, I discovered many affordable brands with top notch quality products and aesthetically pleasing packaging available. When I arrived back in Malaysia, I noticed that if I wanted great quality products and aesthetically pleasing packaging there were not many options; I had to go to Sephora. I needed to fork out a lot of money just for a few expensive products.

3. Can you tell us more about Kamelia’s obsession with Mermaids and how it stimulates the brand? 

When I was younger, I was obsessed with mermaids. I watched Disney’s The Little Mermaid more times than I could count and I read all the mermaid story books I could get my hands on. I just loved mermaids and how they exuded the unapologetically feminine yet fearless vibe. When it came time for me to create my own make-up brand, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted the packaging to be mermaid themed. We needed to stand out, and having mermaids as our brand concept has helped in our goal.

4. Kamelia Cosmetic has been in the industry for five years. What is the most surprising thing about the experience so far?

The most surprising thing is as you’re learning more about how to operate a business, you’re also learning more things that you don’t know. In a way, to be successful you need to always keep on your toes and upgrade your products and your service so you can continue to provide the best for your customers. It’s been hard work, but I love what I do every single day.

5. What attracted you to makeup originally?

I love how make-up can enhance natural beauty and how the current trend is more toward lighter make-up, not make-up that changes your features. Another thing I love is how beauty can bring us closer together. In my case, personally, I have bonded with my grandmother, my mother and my aunts around beauty products as I was growing up. We discussed our favourites and gave each other beauty tips, but always respecting each others’ preferences.

6. What are your top five makeup essentials from Kamelia Cosmetic?

It would have to be Mermaid Skin Foundation in Vanilla, Temptress Lash Maximizer, Fintastic Cheek Enhancer in Sandstone, Mermaid Matte Lip Creme in Ophelia and Mermaid Queen Gloss in Sunset.

7. Do you think the subject of ‘’local beauty’’ is growing now in Malaysia? Or is there still room for improvement? 

I think that there are definitely more players in the local beauty industry than when we first started a few years ago. I am excited and happy for all of us in the local beauty industry and I pray that we can grow, flourish and make Malaysia proud together. So many local beauty brands are coming up with high quality products, it is amazing. The products that are being produced now are at the same level as international and even high-end brands. 

8. We saw a lot of entrepreneurs having to close down their businesses due to the impact of COVID-19. What are some of the challenges that Kamelia Cosmetic faced during and after the lockdown? 

One of the biggest challenges faced during the lockdown were that we were not allowed to operate our office at all for a period of time. We then shifted to working remotely, which has not affected productivity negatively at all. I’m so proud of my team. At one point, my husband and I had to pack hundreds of orders at home by ourselves. We were exhausted, but it was all worth it. We did what needed to be done in order to keep our promises to our merbabes (customers) and we have no regrets!

9. Are there any new beauty tricks you learned while in quarantine? And what’s your favourite at-home skin care tips of all time? 

I learned to draw DIY faux freckles on my face with eyebrow pencil, that was fun. My favourite at-home skincare tip is to just chill with a hydrating face mask – my dry skin loves that and I need the me-time sometimes.

10. What’s the best beauty advice you’ve picked up while working as a beauty mogul over the years?

The best beauty advice I’ve picked up is “don’t touch your face!” and also to wash make-up brushes every once a week. It really makes a difference to stop bacteria from spreading to avoid acne.

11. Lastly, what can we expect next from Kamelia Cosmetic and Kamelia Nisha herself?

My team and I are very excited for 2022 and we’ve finished planning the product line-up for next year – there are a few new releases. In addition, I’m looking forward to being more present on social media and sharing more business tips for online sellers, you can follow me on Instagram!

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