The Make-Up Brand Embracing Cultural Diversity, Self-Expression and Art

Designed and developed hand-in-hand with real women, Shade M was created for every shade. With a deep-rooted belief in everyone loving and owning who they are, Shade M ardently champions women to be the truest forms of themselves, embracing the strong force they are and screaming “I am my own shade!” .

Now, Shade M enters the Middle East, with a mission to drive this message across the region. Founded by makeup loving industry experts Nour Khalife and Jolie Nubani, two middle eastern women who met and worked at L’Oreal, both beauty veterans felt there was a community hugely underrepresented when it came to makeup. Ready for a change and for representation at every level of the makeup industry, they took matters into their own hands. With over 18 years of combined experience working with global luxury beauty brands (YSL, Giorgio Armani, Chanel and Benefit cosmetics), Nour and Jolie set off on a mission to challenge standards, expand representation, shine a light on the importance of individuality and create products free of toxic ingredients. And so, it was that Shade M was born.
 

“I never understood what misconception and underrepresentation was until I moved to France. I grew up in Saudi Arabia, in a liberal middle eastern family. I moved to France when I was 18 years old and integrated smoothly. One thing that kept me wondering and is still engraved in my mind, is how people there were puzzled when they knew I was from the Middle East. “We couldn’t tell” is what I kept hearing. But how can you actually tell? It was the first time I got exposed to real life clichés and I found that a very interesting observation. Shade M is an opportunity to shine the light on diversity and show how performance, ethics and wellness can go hand in hand, with our clean, vegan friendly, cruelty free and halal certified formulas. Riding the wave of a “cleaner” and more inclusive future that is shaping the $532billion global beauty industry, we wanted our products to address directly the needs and expectations of a more conscious consumer.”

Nour Khalife – Co-Founder and CEO of Shade M

Shade M prides itself on being a clean brand. Vegan and clean beauty have been a movement for many years and is becoming the norm, and halal runs hand in hand with this growing movement. A clean, halal-certified, PETA-approved, vegan and cruelty-free makeup brand, Shade M’s definition of clean means their products are free of toxic ingredients like sulfates SLS and SLES, parabens, formaldehydes, formaldehydereleasing agents, phthalates, mineral oil, retinyl palmitate, oxybenzone, coal tar, hydroquinone, triclosan, and triclocarban. A little scientific perhaps however it is of the utmost importance that we all know exactly what it is we are applying to our skin.

With products that have been developed to be better-for-you, Shade M is a celebration of beauty and diversity, designed to show just how awesome and diverse women are, whilst being inclusive of different cultures. By working with real women, the brand ensures that every product has the right level of pigmentation and coverage so that the pigmentation of the product gives full coverage across all skin tones. Enter Shade M’s very first product, Muse matte liquid lipstick – aptly named after all the women who served as inspiration to create Shade M.

“Art is at the core of Shade M, because it allows for the perfect combination of self-expression and personal interpretation. We partner with female artists from around the world to visually bring the brand to life. For the outer packaging of Muse matte liquid lipstick, we were extremely happy to collaborate with an amazing Saudi based digital artist, Fida Al Hussan, whose work is centered around furthering the conversation around cultural empowerment. Fida embodies the same ethos as Shade M. She is a strong and confident woman who finds beauty in her culture and strength in globalizing it while making strides and positively impacting the world along the way. She truly is a Muse!”

Jolie Nubani – Co Founder and CMO of Shade M

Having taken US and UK markets by storm, winning the Pure Beauty London 2020 Gold award for the Best New Inclusive Makeup Product, Shade M has now landed in the Middle East! So visit shadembeauty.com now and get your beauty fix with shipping all across the GCC. The United States, the United Kingdom and The European Union. If that wasn’t enough, Shade M has also partnered with FACES, you can now shop the full Muse collection on faces.com. Shade M will also be available in selective stores that will be announced soon so stay tuned by following their IG account @ShadeMBeauty.

Gone are the days of toxic products, as well as lack of choices and diversity when it comes to cultural representation in makeup, communication, packaging, shades and tones. With Shade M own who you are, love who you are and be your true self!