Celeb Stop

Monday July 6, 2009

Beauty and her beat

By Nur H. Mohamed

It is 9.45am and there is no sound to be heard from the driveway leading up to Datuk Sheila Majid's home.

Once inside, the reason for the tranquil surroundings become apparent: While kindly offering us tea and breakfast, the singer, clad in a white, flowered robe jokes, "I am not really a morning person."

With a husband, four kids, her music, managing her company Magada Entertainment and running her Jentayu Spa in Kuala Lumpur, it's understandable why the diva chooses to enjoy some peace and quiet when she can.

Sheila, at 45, remains an elegant presence on camera.

"Above all, I am still a full-time mother first," she laughs. That is why she chooses to have most meetings at her residence, which is also the location of Akarkarya Studio, which her husband Acis manages.

This arrangement allows them both to spend as much time as possible with their kids. (She has has two children from her earlier marriage to producer Roslan Aziz – Wan Nur Khaleeda, 16 and Megat Abdul Majid, 12 – and two from her current marriage, Khadeja Zaireen Murshim, two and Khalifa Laila Murshim, who is four months old.)

That morning, however, Sheila is game enough to sit at the dining table to have her face made up for a photo session while answering my many questions about being of of the country's most-loved performers.

"It's not easy being an artist," she says as she settles into a chair for makeup artist Derrick Cheong to start work. "It takes hours to get that natural look... but it comes with the job and I always have to look presentable."

When Sheila's not working, she's not one to get all dolled-up and prefers to "just have on a light day cream with SPF and tinted lip gloss". To her, beauty is all about being comfortable and confident in one's own skin – and also about being healthy, happy, compassionate, ethical and having a personality!

"We have to change our perception about beauty,'' says the 45-year-old, who believes that women can't always aspire to look like models in commercials and magazines. "We have to take ownership of our own beauty," she says.

She stresses that beauty is a combination of how a woman treats herself, what she eats and what products she chooses to use.

"Take food ... some people are very careful of what they eat and also the number of calories they consume. We all know that if we eat a lot of high cholesterol food or something that is not healthy, it can be hazardous to our body. So we should think the same way when it comes to our skincare products."

Sheila strikes a pose with her range of products.

To help women along, she recently came up with a skincare range called Jerneh (which means "clear''). She hopes this line will be a catalyst in showing women that beauty is about more than how their faces look and how fair their skin is.

"I can say that Jerneh will not change the colour of your skin but it will make your skin clearer," she smiles.

"With our ongoing campaign to serve and educate the public, we are hoping to see a change in how we perceive beauty,'' she says of her efforts to spread the message during meet-and-greet events (dates have not been confirmed).

"Although it is targeted more towards the youth, we are hoping that parents too will be able to learn and support their young so that everyone can see a change in the way skincare and cosmetics products are produced and presented in the future.''

Sheila's interest in skincare was sparked 10 years ago, and purely by accident.

"I was going for my Umrah and was looking for products to use while I was there. To my surprise, there wasn't much out there to choose from because I wasn't sure of the content of the products." (Products to be used during Umrah have to follow strict requirements in terms of content.)

That is when she simply decided to make her own.

"I knew friends who manufactured herbal products, some of which I had used during my confinement period when Khaleeda, my first daughter was born. I always ask about the contents of products before I use them," explains Sheila.

This led to the forming of Pure Intentions Sdn Bhd, the company which produces Jerneh, in 2008. The name of the company and its line certainly leaves no doubt about what kind of products it produces. Sheila wanted the range to reflect four main criteria – safe, simple, halal and effective – so she sought out raw ingredients that could best produce those results in cosmetics and skincare products.

"It's really surprising how many of us take for granted the content of cosmetics and skincare products which we use daily. Some of them are hazardous enough to potentially cause skin allergies."

"The substances used are harmful and yet consumers buy these international brands because of the influence of commercials which promise instant gratification. We are suckers when it comes to beauty. "

According to her, the irony is that consumers ask a lot of questions when a product is made locally.

"You should always make an informed purchase, but Malaysians should learn to trust locally made products. You'll be surprised how many good quality Malaysian-made products are available in the market, and they are more affordable."

She tells how she was the guinea pig for Jerneh in the testing stages: "I want people to know that we produce only things that we truly believe in. I stand by my products and use them myself daily.

"Consumers can be rest assured that the ingredients we use are quality premium raw ingredients that are imported from Italy, France and Japan. All the products are produced following strict regulations using clean and safe substances and are strictly plant-based.

The Jerneh skincare range includes an Anti Aging Series and a Clarifying Series. Each has its own make up remover and cleanser, day cream with SPF 15, a 10 day serum and a night cream.

"Everything is easy to use for those who lead a hectic lifestyle," Sheila says, adding that there are also plans to market Jerneh in other Asian countries and the Middle East.

"We are also looking into developing new products like a gel cleanser, facial wipes, eye make-up remover and a line of make-up in the future.''

Jerneh is available online at www.jernehbysheilamajid.com and at Jentayu Spa located at 11, Jalan Gelenggang, Damansara Heights. A complete list of other counters can be found on the website.