At Cosmo ME, we're all about supporting our local businesses and up-and-coming talents. We're also obsessed with all things beauty. That being said, it only made sense for us to chat with the amazing Leqa Alzaabi, the Emirati entrepreneur who founded LEQA Cosmetics. Having grown up surrounded by women who were passionate about all things beauty and grooming, Leqa developed her passion and thus launched her own makeup line. We spoke to Leqa about her journey, her background and her love of all things beauty.
Cosmo ME: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in the makeup industry?
Leqa Alzaabi: I started [as] a makeup artist in 2017, however, I've always [used] makeup. I have always done the makeup of my family members since I was a child. I would even be doing makeup when I was small, behind my mother's back! I was on a TV show called In Style with Helen [where] I was a makeup artist and it was a competition. I also have been [to] a masterclass in London for Mario (makeupbymario) the celebrity makeup artist. I take my makeup career very seriously, and always want to ensure that I keep growing.
C: When did Leqa Cosmetics start?
L: For years and years, becoming an entrepreneur and creating my own brand has been in the back of my mind, but when 2020 came around, I had a lot of time to reflect and look at my career and development and I thought, "What am I waiting for, why not start my own business now?"
I did my research, looked at different brands, how they started and I just went ahead and everything fell into place. I am working on building a community of beauty enthusiasts, people who want to talk and share their beauty experiences, where we empower people to be authentic and the best version of themselves and to use products not to hide imperfections but embrace them as that’s what makes people beautiful and unique, we want people to love themselves, whilst using cosmetics as a tool to achieve this.
C: How would you define LEQA Cosmetics?
I define LEQA Cosmetics as a business, however, I want to expand and create experiences [and] not just sell products. I want to be known as a business and an entrepreneurship [opportunity]. I want it to be open and have room for expansion, I don’t want to close myself off and just call it a ‘makeup brand’. I want LEQA cosmetics to be a platform that is all-inclusive, even if people want to find out how to take care of their skin or open their own business or anything. I want to share this knowledge, it is so much more than a product, it’s a platform for cosmetic lovers. I want to share my story because I am self-made. I’m not famous, I’m not an investor, I am just someone who has a passion.
C: Do you have any collections in the pipeline?
L: I do have a collection in production at the moment that should be ready by May, hopefully. It’s a very personal collection, it has a very sentimental story behind it and I’m sure it will touch many hearts and I think almost everyone will be able to relate to it in one way or another.
Every collection will be meaningful and have a story behind it, it’s not going to be a collection just to generate sales. It is part of it, but [at] the core of every collection will be a story. The production of the products is currently taking place in China with a high-end producer that has worked with hundreds of makeup brands. In the future, I would love to work with more international suppliers, and eventually, my 10-year goal would be to produce makeup and skincareproducts in-house in the UAE.
C: Has your Emirati heritage had an influence on what you are creating?
L: I have a love for my culture. I am both Emirati and Jordanian [and] we have beauty [embedded] so deep into our culture. We use a Chahal, which is a traditional eyeliner that mothers put onto their daughters for weddings, birthdays or any kind of celebration so beauty is part of my heritage and culture. But for LEQA Cosmetics, I would say it is more international and it targets human beings; everyone should feel welcome. I think I will launch a collection dedicated to my country. My brand is authentically me, and I am a proud Emirati business owner.
C: Where do you see LEQA Cosmetics in five years?
L: In five years, LEQA Cosmetics will have been established as a brand that is welcoming, safe, positive and empowering, where people freely share their experiences, their insecurities [and] they learn rather than just purchasing. It will not just be a commercial brand, but it will be 100% humanitarian and people-orientated.
The core of the business will be the people and the passion behind it. I want to create a platform [where] there will be masterclasses, beauty hubs, where people [can] come and share their experiences or learn, I want to welcome makeup artists to share knowledge about skincare and beauty.
C: What would you say to the next generation of makeup lovers?
L: I understand it is easy to be influenced by social media, mainly Instagram, but it is important to remember that makeup is not a mask, makeup is a tool, and you can be misled by what you see on social media. Remember to love yourself, think about what you see and not to believe everything you see on Instagram.
C: Do you think that becoming more natural is the new trend?
L: The more fake filters and people become, [the more] this makes people want to resist against it and stray away from all these enhancements. I think people should empower the best of themselves [and] not to change themselves completely. Of course, we all want to look our best and this is why we use these products but we should not put a false perception of ourselves out into the world. That can be so damaging and I think that’s what more and more people have been realising and that’s why there is finally such a growing self-love movement on social media.
C: What are your favourite beauty hacks?
L: I wouldn’t say it is a hack as such, but I really like the seamless skin [look]. I am the type of person that even when I am doing a photoshoot or [a] makeup look, I really pay attention to the skin looking glowy and having really radiant skin, I love that. I have dry skin, so I try and make it look really bouncy and healthy. For me, I don’t care about layers and layers of makeup, I care more about how you apply it, so I love having the no-makeup makeup look but I still love looking glamorous.
C: What is next for LEQA Cosmetics?
L: LEQA Cosmetics is coming up strong, we are not here for a short while, we are not here just to sell products, we want to grow to an international level. The collection that is coming out will be really strong, moving and powerful and I am really excited to see how people are going to relate to this collection.
From there, I am just really excited to see how we will keep growing until we have a UAE-based manufacturer under the name of LEQA Cosmetics. My community are called the LEQAHood, these are my friends, sisters, frontrunners for the business and they are my community who are a team of people supported by LEQA Cosmetics socially, financially, emotionally. In LEQAHood we will have webinars, a team of sales representatives. We will be sharing experiences, doing Instagram lives, they will be supported and backed up by LEQA.
We will have training, making sure everyone is always engaged and involved. We have [even] sent out surveys to see what the members want from their LEQA experience and accommodate their needs through these cosmetics. I am so excited to grow with my team and keep growing.”
Visit LEQA Cosmetics on Instagram and stay tuned to their website for more updates.
