Facial icing has taken over social media and if you’re not doing it, you’re missing out. Easy and natural, icing your face is by far one of the best ways to achieve a natural glow. The benefits of facial icing are unmatched and the results are almost immediate.
CEO and Founder of Shimmer Me Gorgeous, Fatima Ahmed created the Beauty Cube after her video went viral on Tik Tok with people begging Fatima to share her skin secrets, revealing that the only secret was frozen water.
We recently got the opportunity to connect with Fatima and discuss the inspiration behind building Shimmer Me Gorgeous, her journey as a female entrepreneur, and more.
Hi Fatima! Thank you so much for taking the time to connect with our team. Can you first start by telling us a little bit more about yourself?
I’m Fatima- Founder & CEO of Shimmer Me Gorgeous. SMG is a socially conscious all-inclusive beauty brand on a mission to empower everyday people to look and feel gorgeous without toxins. We create quick & easy beauty solutions that are not only high performance but are also Clean, Vegan, Cruelty-Free & Halal-Friendly. A portion of proceeds from our profits helps provide clean water around the world. I have been a Makeup Artist for over 10 years and have used most mainstream beauty products. However, it was until 2015 when my Mother in law was diagnosed with Cancer that we started to consciously live a healthier lifestyle. This led me to start reading ingredient labels on my beauty products and that’s when I realized how toxic and how many unnecessary animal-derived ingredients beauty products had.
I started getting rid of the conventional beauty products I was using and started to replace them with clean alternatives but after over a year of spending tons of money and tons of time, I was not able to find clean beauty products that were high performance, worked for my dark skin tone and actually met my needs as a Makeup Artist. This is when I had the lightbulb moment that there aren’t any all-inclusive clean beauty brands that are high performance and that’s when Shimmer Me Gorgeous was born.
What inspired you to start Shimmer Me Gorgeous? What has been the most rewarding part of starting your own company?
After my mother-in-law was diagnosed with Cancer, it inspired us as a family to start making healthier choices. Unfortunately, the beauty products I was using on a daily basis were extremely toxic. I had a light bulb moment when I couldn’t find clean beauty products that were high performance and worked for my South Asian skin tone! This inspired me to start experimenting in my kitchen with different ingredients and I created our first Shimmer eyeshadow. My family and friends were my first customers and with their feedback, I was able to create an entire line of products that cater to specific beauty concerns.
It has been extremely rewarding when customers tell me that our products were able to help them solve specific beauty problems, save time and money while being all non-toxic.
Would you be willing to talk more about how your entrepreneurial journey has been being a WOC in the beauty industry? Do you think progress has been made in terms of inclusivity in the beauty industry?
It hasn’t been the easiest being a WOC in the beauty industry. However, the beauty industry has come a long way in the past couple of years and inclusivity is becoming a top priority for most brands which is refreshing to see.
We absolutely love that Shimmer Me Gorgeous is a clean, vegan & halal-friendly brand, at Tini Lux our mission is to ensure that everyone can accessorize with jewelry that not only looks good but is safe for your skin. Can you share with us why you chose to make Shimmer Me Gorgeous a clean beauty brand? What do you think the future of clean beauty looks like?
Our skin is the largest organ, what we put on our bodies eventually gets absorbed into the bloodstream! With so many ailments and diseases on the rise, I wanted to create beauty products that are safe to use on a daily basis while being high-performance. I think the beauty industry is already leaning towards being clean, sustainable, and cruelty-free. There has been such a movement, the past few years for companies to create safer products that don’t harm animals. Consumers are getting smarter with their money, and don’t like to support brands that are not looking to change in a better way.
Happy Women’s History Month! Can you tell us what makes you feel empowered as a woman?
It empowers me when I am able to help another woman, whether that’s by creating a product that enhances her life or surrounding myself with strong, confident women who are crushing their goals.
How do you find yourself balancing being a mom, entrepreneur, and makeup artist while still making time for self-care? Do you have any tips or advice for anyone struggling to create a healthy balanced routine?
This is a great question! I make sure to have a self-care routine scheduled into my day every day. In the morning, I can not start my day until I have done my ice facial, used my gua sha, meditated, done yoga, and applied all of my skincare products. This sounds crazy but I actually schedule self-care into my calendar so that I do it the same time every day and now it has just become a normal part of my daily routine. If there’s anyone struggling with having a self-care routine I would suggest just taking 10-15 mins alone in the morning and establishing a quick routine that works for you. Self-care doesn’t have to be a long, daunting, and drawn-out process, it can be as simple as meditating alone before you are ready for the day or just applying makeup.
For Shimmer Me Gorgeous what do you think the most important aspect of branding is? How does Shimmer Me Gorgeous differentiate itself from other clean beauty brands?
We create products according to what our community wants. What differentiates us is that our products solve common beauty problems whilst being clean and high performance. We don’t create products just to create hype but products that our customers are actually asking for.
If you could meet one female entrepreneur who would you choose and why?
I would love to meet Sara Blakely, she is so inspiring and her brand is amazing! I love what she’s doing to empower other women while being a true bad-ass entrepreneur herself.
What advice would you give someone looking to start their own company? Or has there been a piece of advice that has stuck with you on your entrepreneurial journey?
If you are just starting out, I would suggest first doing your research and seeing if there’s an audience who wants your product or service. Don’t launch just for the sake of launching. Create products that solve actual problems and will make customers' lives easier.
