Blackburn sisters strike perfect tone with new range of cruelty free make-up

Blackburn-based Empress Me, was founded by make-up enthusiasts, Sahdia, Sabina and Anisa Khan, who left their jobs in accountancy to create their own version of 'nude' make-up after being unsatisfied with the products on offer on the high street.

Sahdia said: "We wanted to redefine 'nude' in the beauty industry and while on holiday in Dubai and Lahore we were inspired by the beautiful skin colours we saw from people that were holidaying from around the world.

"We had an idea to create an eyeshadow palette based on real human skin colours by asking if we could take photos of their faces, hands etc.

"We then downloaded apps and colour matched them to create a stunning colour story for our first eyeshadow palette."

Arriving back home, the sisters approached several suppliers to create the palette, in a unique jigsaw-shaped pan.

Sahdia continued: "This was to demonstrate how we all fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

"There is no race apart from the human race. Regardless of the colour of our skin we are all pieces of this puzzle we call life.

"Everyone has a place and we all fit together perfectly and completely. Without one piece the puzzle is incomplete.

"It took us nearly two years from conception to launch as we were all working full-time jobs and wanted to make sure we had created the perfect palette that we had envisioned."

The palette, which is also vegan and cruelty free, contains 15 mattes, five shimmers and four multi-tone shades (the multi-tone shades represent people with freckles and those with vitiligo)

Sahdia added: "We are also currently working with Nelson and Colne and Accrington and Rossendale colleges to give one lucky beauty student the opportunity to work with us and to win our entire collection of makeup. There will also be second and third prize winners."

For more information visit empressme.co.uk or head to their Instagram page @empressmeofficial