Every time my mother watches a Rekha movie from the ‘80s or ‘90s, she only wishes for one thing – the lipstick shades worn by the Bollywood diva! Unfortunately, she has not managed to find that exact 
shade she is looking for. My story isn’t very different from hers. I see a print model or a friend wearing a shade that I’m certain would look great on me, but the feeling only remains till the time I apply it on myself. Some make me look too pale, and others make me immediately reach for a tissue paper to wipe it off! And that is where Karibo comes in.
The cosmetic brand is redefining makeup by letting their customers make their own lipstick by choosing shades, textures, and even the container they come in. Founded by Jasmine Shah and Bhakti Bhanushali, the brand believes in four pillars of belief – customisation, clean beauty, 
sustainability, and guy beauty.
Making our own lipstick
A couple of days ago, we decided to check out the lipstick-making process via a zoom call with Bhakti. The first step involved choosing a shade and she proceeded to mix organic food colours in shades of pink, yellow, brown, and white with a bit of castor oil in order to get us the perfect shade this writer has been looking for – neither too brown nor too pink. After blending the shades for a bit to get an even tone, a procedure that looks highly therapeutic, she proceeded to add mica for easier application and a bit of silica to increase the longevity of the product. We chose a combination of lavender and vanilla essential oils 
for the fragrance. Given a choice between stick or liquid, we go with the former and the wax base is added accordingly and set to mould in a container of our choice. Voila! The lipstick is ready and boy, are we happy with the result. This writer decides to go with her own name for the unique shade created just for her and it is stuck on the base of the glossy blue container.
A memorable bespoke experience
The fun experience of making our own lipstick aside, what makes Karibo even more special is that 
they keep a record of the shades and textures you have chosen. So, the next time you want the exact same shade of lipstick, they can do it for you. If you are concerned about the damage caused to the environment with the use of plastic containers, the brand has a solution for that as well. “If you bring us the empty container after use, we can refill it for you,” says Bhakti.
The cosmetic brand has become quite a hit at kitty parties and get-togethers with women loving their concept of customizing lipsticks as per their choice. Looks like my mother will be able to find her ‘Rekha’ shade after all.
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