Cathy Sharon

Beautiful dreamer

“IT’S A DREAM come true,” says actress, environmentalist and mother-of-two Cathy Sharon of her eight new “children”: Bligo, Sekar, Mega, Paras. Solo, Jetis, Trusmi and Waru. This colourful crew is her new lipstick collection, a collaboration with Indonesian beauty brand Urban Line.

“I’m such a beauty junkie that I’ve always wanted to create a lipstick line that is both affordable and of an international standard,” says Cathy. She relates that the Cathy Sharon x Urban Lips collection came about through a lunch meeting with longtime friend Sita Krings Noor. Knowing that Sita and her business partner, Ina Balasong, had founded cosmetics marketplace Beauty Box, Cathy asked her friend for recommendations of Indonesian beauty-product makers. That conversation led to a business deal.

“Sita and Ina said they wanted me to be involved in each step of the process, from the manufacturing to marketing,” says Cathy. “I was happy about that idea, and I learned much from them during the year it took to develop the collection.”

Cathy says her lipsticks stand out because of their high- quality, toxin-free ingredients. “I was determined that my lipsticks would be light in texture and completely safe,” she says. “To be sure of this, I made myself the ‘test bunny’ during the product development phase.

“I’m proud of the ‘mega mendung’ motif we created for the packaging, to reinforce the point that my lipsticks are made in Indonesia. I’m optimistic about the future of the Indonesian beauty industry. Consumers here are becoming more conscious about what they put in and on their bodies. That’s in line with our aspiration to make products for modern women who are living and breathing the urban dream, even as they stay true to their roots.”