Hawa Abdul
Hawa Cosmetics was created for its namesake, a working makeup artist and model, with over 20 years of experience. She saw first-hand the confusion and frustration women felt towards gimmicky products and confusing beauty regimes. Well-edited, useful pieces are the hallmark of Hawa Cosmetics and a welcomed change for the overwhelmed department store consumer. Hawa’s at-counter experience has taught her what products women are specifically looking for.
Realizing that owning her own makeup boutique was not far-fetched, Hawa opened Hawa Cosmetics in 2009 in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Her Pretty Pink Boutique went on to sell makeup and skincare; she also opened a Makeup Academy. It was a 2-week course that provided certificates of completion at the end of training. Following this, Hawa Cosmetics expanded into Downtown Brooklyn and Jeffrey Steins Hair Salon in Manhattan.
Six years into the business, she decided to return to the cosmetic floors of Saks, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Cosbar, Carlyle Hotel, and Bloomingdale's. She observed that social media and web presence were taking a toll on these stores. Consequently, the rebirth of Hawa Cosmetics has emerged via social media and web presence, and she’s not looking back.