Sitting down with Wonderland, the Palestinian twin sisters behind SIMIHAZE BEAUTY unpack how curiosity fuels their business, how they found their love for beauty in a space that felt truly theirs, and all things Color Glaze — their latest launch.

What makes a beauty brand successful in 2025? It’s a question I’ve been circling for a while, having spent close to a decade in the industry. One glance at Sephora’s crowded aisles – Gen Z snaking through queues to reach the gondolas of TikTok-famous products – is enough to see that demand has never been higher. Colours, formulas, ingredients, promises… whatever you’re after, odds are it’s within arm’s reach. So, what does it actually take for a brand to cut through the noise and stand out?

Authenticity, I think, stepping out of Claridge’s after meeting Simi and Haze Khadra on a crisp December morning, where they’d gathered press and influencers over oat lattes and morning light to introduce the brand to the UK. Since 2021, the Palestinian twins have been building SIMIHAZE BEAUTY into something that feels like a natural extension of themselves. The packaging? Jaw-dropping – always the ones friends pull out of my beauty bag with a gasp. The formulas? Made for real people: wearable colours that suit a range of skin tones, textures that sit just right – not too heavy, not too sheer, just right. It’s beauty made easy, made cool, and made with intent.

SIMIHAZE BEAUTY feels like Simi and Haze through and through. They know their products inside out. They love them. And, we do too. Now, the duo talk to Wonderland about the early days, the delicate art of being sisters and business partners, and the story behind Color Glaze, their latest drop. Keep reading…

When did you first fall in love with makeup? Was launching your own brand always the dream?
We actually found our way to makeup a little late in the game. We didn’t grow up obsessed with it, but once we started wearing it, we became fixated on specific formulas and shades, and just kept searching for our favorite version of any product that we were interested in. Launching a brand wasn’t always the plan, but the more we explored the beauty world, the more we realized there was space to do something that felt true to us.

How long did you spend developing the first products, and what were some lessons from those early days of building the brand?
It actually took us about three years just to get to the development stage. Once we got there, it was another year of back and forth testing to create our signature lipstick, Velvet Blur. At the time, there really wasn’t a matte formula that felt comfortable, everything matte felt super drying, so making something balmy and matte was a real challenge. One of the biggest lessons early on was how crucial it is to have the right team around you. That changes everything. Also, constantly testing and building a feedback loop, usually with our friends as guinea pigs, was really important to making sure our formulas stayed consistent.

What’s your creative process like when dreaming up new shades and formulas?
It feels like we’re in a constant state of research and development. We’re always playing around with products or researching the newest formulas, whether it’s stuff from our own lab or things we see online, or things we buy from beauty stores around the world. We’re super curious about makeup and skincare in general so it feels natural to be able to execute something by thinking about things we wish we had, or seeing something we love and finding a way to make it even better, or more user-friendly. 

In your eyes, what makes a beauty brand truly successful today?
I think we’re still learning what makes a successful brand, since we’re in the middle of building and have so many goals ahead, so I can’t speak to it from a reflective place yet, but I do know that what makes any brand resonate is having an authentic point of view (which inherently differentiates it) and building a strong connection with your community. 

How connected do you feel to the SimiHaze online community, and how much input do they have in shaping new launches?
We feel really connected to the SHB community—we’re in constant dialogue through DM or comments/ reviews. We take their input very sincerely, and it actually does shape what we create next, whether it’s in terms of shade ranges, modifications of a product, or just new products in general.  If we see a pattern or strong request, we act on it. For example, the big super slick was literally something we created just because our community kept asking for it. 

Do you pay much attention to trends, or do you prefer doing your own thing? How do you strike that balance between trend-driven and timeless?
We’re definitely aware of beauty trends and usually have pretty good instincts about foreseeing them, but we create products that serve an authentic need we personally have, and usually that always resonates with our audience and leads to creating products that last beyond the trend cycle. 

Is there a product you consider your baby? One that felt especially personal or risky?
They’ve all felt personal to us at different points, but if we had to choose, it would be Velvet Blur—it was our first ever product, so it holds a special place.

How do you split creative roles as sisters? Do you ever clash creatively — and if so, how do you resolve it?
We don’t consciously split roles, it just kind of falls into place by accident. One of us usually gravitates toward a part of the process while the other focuses on another part. If we ever see things differently, one of us usually ends up swaying the other.

Let’s talk all things Color Glaze — from those early ideation days to favourite shades, textures, applications… we want the full story.
Color Glaze was such a fun one to bring to life. We wanted to create an on-the-go blush that felt elevated enough to replace your everyday go-to, but also versatile enough to use on your lips, eyes, and cheeks. The goal was also for the shades to be universally flattering.  We tested every single one on friends across all skin tones, and they each look amazing and bring out a different mood depending on which one you choose. The iridescent shades excite me to this day when I put them on, and we’ve had this formula in the works for about two years. The formula is long-lasting, super blendable, and packed with skincare ingredients, so it feels just as good as it looks on your skin.

Which product would you recommend to someone trying the brand for the first time?
I think they’re all super easy to use, but I’d probably recommend starting with the Super Slick tinted balm or Solar Tint because you get the flexibility to go for either a matte or dewy look, depending on your vibe.

Are there any ingredients, tech, or formats you’re really interested in exploring next?
Skincare is such an endless world to explore, and bringing that into our makeup always feels really exciting. We’re into clean, nourishing formulas that are non-comedogenic and just good for your skin with color and texture payoff that lasts.

Words – Sofia Ferreira