Success blossoms for this local beauty brand

If you want to measure the success of Mbalenhle Sebapu’s beauty business, you only need to look at her Instagram account

Her Hermosa Flor makeup and skincare range, which includes eyeshadows, liquid lipsticks, lip glosses, makeup bags and brushes, has no fewer than 390 000 devoted followers.

Mbali, as she is known to her friends, launched Hermosa Flor (Spanish for “beautiful flower”) in October 2019 after serving in the South African Defense Force for over a decade. While still in the navy, she realised that a gap existed in the market for highly pigmented products that offered both quality and affordability.

Her range is aimed at people between the ages of 18 and 45 who are passionate about makeup, and caters for a variety of skin tones.  

“Hermosa Flor is an African brand for women, but I also cater for members of the LGBTQ community,” says Mbali. “Our purpose is to accentuate the original beauty that already lives within.”

Hermosa Flor was one of the winners in an entrepreneurship competition run by lifestyle TV channel VIA (DStv channel 147) earlier this year. Six small to medium businesses were each awarded airtime on VIA, as well as advertising space in Media24’s magazines and newspapers. VIA created a 30-second commercial for each winner as part of prizes valued at a whopping R3 million.

Hermosa Flor’s makeup products range from bold and eccentric to subtle and sultry. The Glowgang, Daisy and Violet Eyeshadow Palettes feature bright colours that can be used to create a bold look, while the Lily Eyeshadow Palette consists of neutral colours for subtle everyday glamour, and contains shades such as Friendship and Chastity that are suitable for contouring.