LYRA- Inspirational Women Series with Claudia Cruz

Claudia Nour is creator of Claudia Nour cosmetics, a line of makeup and skin care that is made with all natural, halal and wudhu (ablution) friendly ingredients. She lives in New York with her husband and two children.

KB: What is it that originally inspired you to begin your work in skincare/beauty?

CN: Honestly, it was pure necessity. At the same time I converted, I was struggling a lot with my skin, and so I constantly wore makeup to cover up imperfections, and as I studied Islam, I realized that I wanted to be more modest in my makeup application, but to do that I needed to take care of my skin, and also I needed to have cosmetics that would be in line with Islamic guidelines. Because I didn’t find anyone else doing this and offering something like this, I decided to start studying, researching and from that my line was born.

KB: Can you briefly describe the process you go through in developing new products?

CN: Developing a product takes a while, because there are a lot of things that go into it. First is deciding what I want to make, is it necessary? What is the purpose of it? Then I need to make sure I can make it with the purest of ingredients, that will benefit the skin. That part can take a while, because this is where a lot of testing needs to be done. But once that is finished, then I need to look into the right packaging. I am trying to move away from plastics and so finding the right container can be hard, because plastic is what’s more readily available.

“Everything that’s happening on the inside gets reflected in our skin, one way or another. And if you approach skin care like this, healing the inside as well as outside, not only will you see the results, and be more confident, but you will be doing yourself a great service...”

KB: What advice would you give to women who are dealing with problem skin and feeling discouraged?

CN: I would tell them that this is an opportunity for them to practice skin care in a holistic way, because I have come to believe that our skin is the best alarm system Allah gave us. Everything that’s happening on the inside gets reflected in our skin, one way or another. And if you approach skin care like this, healing the inside as well as outside, not only will you see the results, and be more confident, but you will be doing yourself a great service, and you will be taking care of the trust that is our bodies.

KB:  Are your makeup products suitable for all?

CN: Absolutely, I would say that I formulate skincare for sensitive skin, but this in turn makes for very gentle, but very effective products. I have helped many sisters that thought their skin was acne prone, when in fact, their skin was in a state of irritation because of the products they were using. And one of my favorite things is when I hear mothers sharing my products with their daughters because of the safety and purity of the ingredients!

KB: Where can everyone find you?

CN: You can find me pretty much everywhere with Claudia Nour!

My website is www.claudianour.com, instagram @claudianour and facebook/claudianour