Entrepreneur, beauty influencer and make-up artist Shahnaz Cola-Wrensch is all about natural, glowing skin.
Shahnaz Cola-Wrensch is the founder and brains behind Lumi Glo, a vegan and cruelty-free skincare range with CBD leaf extract as its hero ingredient. We chatted to Shahnaz about her brand’s journey, what inspired her to create the range, and what she has learned along the way.
A PERSONAL JOURNEY
Shahnaz has been a make-up artist for the last 13 years and has worked with several magazines, including Elle, Marie Claire, Cosmo, and Glamour. “Becoming a make-up artist was really the start of my love for skincare,” she explains. “I always struggled with my skin as a teenager with breakouts, followed by eczema and then pigmentation. I wasn’t taught how to take care of my skin, and back then, we didn’t have access to social media like we do now. When I started painting faces, I realised how key it was to really prep the skin. I also saw how confident the models were when I made their skin glow. I fell in love with that process.”
Shahnaz has also worked as a beauty influencer for many years, an experience that has taught her a lot about skin and key skincare ingredients. And after suffering from skin issues of her own for many years, she realised that something had to change. She struggled to find clean products for sensitive skin, so she created Lumi Glo whilst working as both a blogger and make-up artist. “When the pandemic hit, it forced me to feel the fear and do it anyway and launch my own brand.”
A DREAM COME TRUE
Shahnaz was convinced to use CBD leaf extract in her products by a friend, and together with a manufacturer in Durban, she created what she describes as “skincare magic”. But the journey hasn’t always been easy. “It’s been hard work,” admits Shahnaz. “To be honest, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing at the time. I have a marketing degree, but things have changed so much since the 90s!”
With hard work and determination, the first product to launch was a Hydration Booster sheet mask, and the range has since expanded to include several other sheet masks, eye masks, a jelly moisturiser, and a face mist. “I am all about skin minimalism and multi-tasking products that truly work,” says Shahnaz.
For Shahnaz, having her own skincare brand is a dream come true. “It was my dream to one day have my own brand that was focused on sensitive skin, but that could be used on all ages, woman or man,” she says.
As a make-up artist, her signature look is best described as a natural glow reflected in her products. “Skincare is an obsession,” she admits. “It’s a key part of my daily self-care ritual.”
SHAHNAZ’S TOP TIPS
- Use a face mist before applying a hyaluronic acid serum. This will allow the serum to penetrate the skin without stealing any of the skin’s hydration.
- Keep your sheet and eye masks in the fridge to help reduce puffiness and inflammation on the skin.
- To get that “lit from within” look, add two to three drops of a liquid highlighter illuminator into your moisturiser.
- I love using a sheer lipstick on my cheeks as a blush — it makes the skin glow.
- A rose quartz gua sha stone is a favourite of mine to sculpt, lift and get that natural glow.
