Written by Maria Nichol

It all started with the entrepreneurial spirit of founder Zoe Boikou, who translated her makeup knowledge to create the global beauty brand Zoeva we know and love to today! Want to know more about Boikou, the brand and our Haul of Fame,  the beautiful Spice of Life palette? Read on for how to use the product, plus we chatted to the CEO herself… 

ZOEVA’S SPICE OF LIFE HIGHLIGHT FACE PALETTE

Zoeva brings luxurious yet affordable beauty to women everywhere, with a commitment to celebrating their authentic, individual beauty. We’re proud to present the Spice of Life Highlight Face Palette as our Haul of Fame this month – empowering, versatile and suitable for all skin types and tones. The face palette duo contains a pinkish persimmon for a pop of colour, while a champagne shimmer accents your features. 

Here at LiB, we love how buildable the formula is. Sweep over the skin lightly for something subtle, or layer for more impact. A captivating holiday glow!

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MEET ZOE

WHAT ORIGINALLY DREW YOU TO THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY?

“I got my passion for beauty from my mother. It was always very important to her to keep a nice appearance. Later, as a customer, I recognized that there was a lack of high-quality, reasonably priced makeup brushes on the German market. So, I decided to fix this gap and began selling a handful of brushes on eBay in 2008. More than a decade later, ZOEVA now offers 300+ signature makeup formulas, palettes, and tools.”

WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF HEADING A BEAUTY BRAND?

“Being able to create attention to topics that are important to me and to be able to give something back. My vision and goal have always been to support women all over the world. This is the reason why we are dedicated to partnering with charitable organisations that support women facing challenges like domestic abuse, cancer, or homelessness.”

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WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

“Let’s be honest – I cannot start my day without a cup of black coffee! I will usually sit down with my cup and read through our social media because it is very important for me to stay connected with our customers and fans and I want to listen to what they are saying. Afterwards, I head to the office where I work with my team on new products. Because I don’t want to cut back on quality, this usually goes into the late evening.”

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR THOSE WITH SMALL BUSINESSES LOOKING TO GROW?

“For me, I think the most important thing is to be passionate about what you are doing and have a strong vision. You should always stay focused and never be afraid of new challenges – even though it may be hard sometimes – you should always chase your dreams.”

MEET ZOEVA

If you could encapsulate the Zoeva brand in three words, what would they be?

“Empowerment, Quality, Passion.”

You started back in 2008 with affordable yet effective makeup brushes. What made you want to take the leap to makeup?

“Our customers started asking for makeup because they were so happy with the quality of our brushes. We started with a few eyeshadow palettes and now offer products in all makeup categories.”

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We love that you put empowering women at the core of the brand, with lots of close involvement with charities too. Can you talk a little bit more about that?

“Because of my personal experience witnessing my mother’s struggle with domestic violence, it was important to me that ZOEVA, as a company and community, was built with a deep-rooted compassion for all women who have felt silenced in the wake of intimidation or abuse. We are committed to supporting women everywhere who seek to put their personal struggles and challenges behind them. We’ve partnered with charitable organisations such as Hestia, Look Good Feel Better, and Caritas. By helping women everywhere discover and celebrate their individual beauty, we’re encouraged to stand strong, share our stories, and support one another along our journey. “

And you have some amazing tutorials showing customers how to achieve looks with your products too. How important is beauty education to you?

“Beauty education is important because we want to show our customers how they can use our products. Then, everyone can be creative and express themselves through whatever looks people choose to create. Every woman should feel confident in her own skin. Makeup is there to highlight that confidence and help make her individual beauty shine brighter.”

What are some of your favourite beauty trends at the moment?

“I don’t necessarily follow beauty trends. I believe that makeup can be a powerful tool to help women feel confident but it’s always up to every woman to decide how they will express their individual beauty on a daily basis.”

Can you tell us about the Spice of Life palette – what’s your favourite way to use it?

“I use the shade Sweet Relief on the high points of my face, like my cheek bones and brow bones. Sinfully Delicious is a beautiful shade that I use as a blush topper.”

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The packaging is beautiful too! Can you tell us a bit about what inspired the name and the design of this palette?

“I always tell myself ‘allow yourself to wander.’ Spice of Life is meant to encourage women to take new paths, and in the process, discover unexpectedly beautiful moments.”

THIS OR THAT?

Liquid eyeliner or smokey kohl?

“Liquid eyeliner.”

Glossy lip or matte lip?

“Matte lip.”

Soft nudes or all-out brights?

“Soft nudes.”

Blush or bronze?

“Blush.”

Runway makeup inspo, or social media MUA inspo?

“I would rather say – true beauty.”

Add Zoeva’s Spice of Life Palette to your edit now!