/ Makeup Artist to the Stars

by Anokhi Admin

Makeup Artist to the Stars

Aug 12, 2013

Some artists use oils, while others, charcoal, but Naieem Abdool, founder of PAINT Cosmetiques, prefers PAINT. Makeup is Abdool’s medium, and the face is his canvas. His colours have painted many Alist faces, and his various works of art include Kate Hudson’s cheeks, Erykah Badu’s eyes and Sarah Jessica Parker’s lips. Abdool’s infectious line of makeup products appeals to anyone who’s a true cosmetic lover.

The artist’s affair with beauty and makeup dates back to his childhood, where a 6-year-old Abdool gazed on as his sister swiped blue eyeshadow across her eyelids. “I’ve always had a passion for the beauty industry and have positioned myself in this arena from a very young age,” says Abdool. It took some work in the fashion industry before Abdool’s never-fading fascination developed into an innovative, creative cosmetics line, PAINT Cosmetiques. And PAINT carries various shades of blue eyeshadow amongst its 172 products!

The makeup industry is brimming with cosmetic companies that have been around longer than this relatively young line, but PAINT Cosmetiques stands apart with its unique products and fresh ideas that have attracted the mascara-clad glances of an extensive A-list clientele.

“I maintain a strict focus on using only the highest quality ingredients in a varied and desirable colour palette, which in turn allows my products to be blended together and applied easily,” explains Abdool. He also feels that, “the simplicity of the packaging and the PAINT theme of an interchangeable colour palette make the line classy, yet not overdone.”

Abdool’s multi-usage products, such as PAINT’s eraser (a flesh-toned crayon that can be used to conceal circles, brighten eyes, define lips and used as a lip and eye primer) and its glazes (cream sticks for eyes, cheeks and lips) are made with his clients’ needs in mind, thus making them consumer friendly to a wide customer base, both celebrity and otherwise.

And Abdool’s customers are definitely important to him. After all, he says, they inspire him to create new products. “I love starting a dialogue with [customers], hearing about the challenges they face with beauty products, what their dream items would be, and things that they think would be impossible for a beauty product to do,” says Abdool. “I live to bring these ‘dream’ items to life and hear about how someone was made more beautiful by it.”

Amongst his top three most popular ‘dream’ products is the above-mentioned glaze, PAINT’s oil-free luminizer, which can be worn alone or with foundation to add an incandescent sheen to the face, and PAINT’s water-resistant mascara, which promises to lengthen, thicken and separate lashes sans clumping (this was one of Angelina Jolie’s choice items, along with Red #4 lipstick, on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith).

Aside from inspirational clientele, surrounding himself with upbeat, optimistic and creative individuals generates a positive energy that allows Abdool to work his best. “I am always creating new facets – new colours, new textures, new tools – and this comes from my environmental influences,” remarks Abdool.

A new item that customers can look forward to is a luxury leatherette brush set to be coming out soon. In the meantime, PAINT’s colour-coded makeup brushes, Abdool’s personal favourite, do an excellent job, because he says, “The right tools are so important to achieving a look – and these [brushes] are easy to pick up and identify!”

Amongst the fresh and fabulous products PAINT has to offer, AM was most intrigued by its Brow Putty (and apparently Rosario Dawson feels likewise – she doesn’t go anywhere without it), which is a wax formulation that fills and defines brows. PAINT’s Quick Draw (eyeliner sealant) is definitely a must-have for anyone who has fallen in love with an eyeshadow: a couple of drops of this and your powdered eyeshadow will be converted into smudge-proof liquid eyeliner. Innovative seems to be an understatement – this is makeup magic!

With Abdool’s plan to launch PAINT in a major nationwide store, bringing his cosmetics line to the masses, PAINT Cosmetiques will soon be more accessible than ever before. Abdool says the makeup line, which he has cultivated and guided personally, is ready to compete against larger corporations. On his journey to the top, Abdool has found, “the most obvious challenge is…being a man, people have to trust that I know what looks good on a woman.”

But looking at his creative products, and his extensive clientele, there seems to be no question of Abdool’s skill and PAINT Cosmetique’s potential. Through Abdool’s vision, a fresh, creative cosmetics line was born; with Abdool’s expertise and devotion to beauty, he will be PAINT-ing for time to come.