DUBAI: US-Palestinian beauty entrepreneurs Simi and Haze Khadra this week went on tour in the Middle East to launch their brand, SimiHaze Beauty, in the region. Their travels included stops in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

While in the region, the sister duo — raised by Palestinian parents between Riyadh, London and Dubai —  shared insights about their brand with Arab News.

The 31-year-old identical twins, who are also DJs, said that they initially launched the brand out of “pure functionality,” creating products they wanted and needed in their own makeup routines. 

Every product they develop undergoes the same rigorous process of ensuring functionality, they said. 

“We are constantly thinking of new ideas and ways to make makeup easy and fun to apply,” Simi told Arab News. 

The pair launched their US-born cosmetics brand in 2021 with a range of stick-on makeup designs that can be placed on the face for a bold beauty look achievable within seconds. 

The sticker book features an array of edgy designs inspired by their favorite DJ looks from the past, such as chrome wings, neon negative space eyeliner and holographic cat-eyes. 

SimiHaze Beauty then expanded to include a range of products, such as lipsticks, bronzing powders, and a lifting mascara. 

Simi and Haze believe they were “actually late bloomers to the beauty world.” 

“We only started becoming interested in it when we were around 18,” Haze said. “We started SHB from just a single product we wanted but couldn’t find in the market, which is our Velvet Blur lipstick.

“We loved a matte lip for every day at the time but couldn’t find one that wasn’t drying, so we created it.” 

The twins developed an interest in eye makeup when they began DJ-ing.

“We weren’t the best at applying eyeliner, so again we just created our perfect solution which became the eye stickers,” Haze said.

To the sisters, launching the brand in the Middle East “felt so surreal.”

“The market has been such a huge goal of ours since we started because we grew up here,” Simi said. “We’re so happy that our products are finally accessible to our amazing followers here, because they have been such huge supporters since the beginning.

“Now people are finally able to really see and touch and feel the products, which is so important to us because you will never get the experience and vision of SHB unless you actually hold the product and feel the texture, curves, and ergonomics of it. The online experience doesn’t do it any justice.” 

The sisters said that they personally oversee the development of every product. They visit their lab in Italy for a few days at least twice a year to test and create new formulas.

“It takes a while and a lot of back and forth because after we create something it gets tested on our whole family from my grandma to my mom to my little sister and also all my friends with different skin tones,” Simi said.

“My friends are used to me calling them and saying: ‘Hi can I come over and try on some blush colors on you?’ So by the end of it we know what formulas and shades work best on the widest range of people.”

While visiting the Middle East, the sisters observed a prevailing trend in the region: skincare.

“I’ve seen so much good skin here and I can tell people really care about skincare here,” Haze said.

“We’ve also been increasingly obsessed with it. Our products are all infused with skin-loving ingredients, because we’re personally super-paranoid about anything that’s clogging or could cause irritation.”

DUBAI: The Kingdom is all set to host the inaugural Red Sea Fashion Week. Set against the waters of Ummahat Island, the glitzy event is scheduled to take place from May 16-18 at The St. Regis Red Sea Resort.

Red Sea Fashion Week, which is organized by the Saudi Fashion Commission, will showcase local and international designers. It aims to celebrate the fusion of traditional Saudi aesthetics with cutting-edge contemporary design.

Among the highlights will be the participation of Saudi 100 Brands, an initiative spearheaded by the Fashion Commission to support and promote emerging local talent.

Saudi Arabia played host to its first fashion week in 2023, in Riyadh. The event took place in the King Abdullah Financial District from Oct. 20-23 and set the stage for a new fashion capital in the Middle East.