Pass the contour...
Not only is Henry Galea a successful business owner, but, at just 19 years old (yes, really!), his makeup brand Heri Cosmetics has taken off and gone global. We don't know about you, but we're hyper impressed, and just had to get the lowdown on his story so far. We caught up with Henry himself to find out more about his dream career. Here's what he had to share with Guide Me Malta!
Hey Henry! Tell us, what is it that you do?
"I’m the mind behind Heri Cosmetics! A 19 year old CEO you can say. Apart from that, I also have a career as a teacher, teaching individual makeup lessons to over 15 current students!"
Wow! How and where did you train?
"My love for makeup started when I was 12 years young. I took a makeup course when I was 13 (a year-long full-time makeup course) and at age 15 I dropped out of school, (I still got 9 O' Levels though!) and started working as a full-time makeup artist in a cosmetics shop in Sliema. Eventually, when the brand idea popped into my head, I spent over 3 years researching and working with foreign cosmetic manufacturers. Nowadays, I’m proud to say that the products are manufactured by Toly, a worldwide leading manufacturer, manufacturing for brands like Jeffree Star cosmetics, Fenty Beauty, Chanel and the like!"
That's amazing! How did the idea for a product range come about?
"As soon as I came across Jeffree Star, I started researching to see if our little island had it’s own makeup brand. I was shocked to find out we didn’t have a Maltese-made cosmetics brand and I immediately knew I had to be the one to launch it and make it go worldwide."
What is the process of getting the idea off the ground to production?
"It’s a lengthy process which takes around six to nine months, just to get the product from an idea to an actual product in your hands. Once that’s done, there’s a dedicated month for marketing and planning of launch date."
How have the products been received?
"The response from our customers has been out of this world! Everyone loves the products and are always shocked that it’s a Maltese product! They always come back for more."
Super! What is the best part of your job?
"The best part of my job is that after all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, I get to see my products in the hands of many people. It’s such an amazing feeling to see people loving them and talking to others about what I had been working on for the previous year!"
Finally...what three items would you take with you to a desert island?
"My phone, my Macbook and headphones… Y’all thought I’d say makeup. You crazy! On a desert island? Hell nah!"
Thank you Henry and keep up the stellar work!