I’m sitting across the table and watching Nazlin handle one of the toughest negotiators in her studio.

“Danish. You need to listen to this.”

Danish eyes her confidently, and does not relent. I watch as he ponders his next strategic move, peering from the back of her chair where she cannot see him directly.

“Oh Danish, I’m in the middle of an interview! How about you play with your toys, and I’ll play with you afterwards, ok?”

Danish clambers onto her lap, glances at me shyly, and snuggles comfortably in Nazlin’s arms. It looks like he’s won this round of talks.

When Nazlin forayed into the cosmetic business, she knew that her children would always shine in her limelight and sustain the total aura of her motherly attention. She did not plan to choose between them. Thankfully, our human experience is vast and allows for more than one passionate pursuit, and Nazlin has poured her creative energy into nurturing both her small business and small children through a remarkable synchrony of skills and scheduling.

In this feature, Nazlin Hilal will share her 7-year journey steering the business as a home-based make-up artist to becoming the leader of her own cosmetic and manufacturing studio in Singapore called Doll Me Up.

This story remains one of my favourites, especially since Nazlin is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. She exudes a warm and gentle personality and excels naturally in this position because of a magical quality that makes her so endearing: she has a knack for perceiving beauty in everything around her. Of course, as we women know, a little lip gloss or mascara doesn’t hurt to whip up a touch of glamour, and Nazlin is happy to show you how to use these products with confident flair. As the author Jean Kerr lamented: “I’m tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. That’s deep enough. What do you want, an adorable pancreas?”

Welcome to the world of Nazlin Hilal, the enamouring founder of Doll Me Up Cosmetics. I will introduce her story and tricks of the trade under the banner of 5 chapters: (1) Starting (2) Creating (3) Marketing (4) Growing, and (5) Family Life.

You can also join us for more on Facebook and Instagram @ShopkeeperStories. See you there!