Watching the rise of cruelty-free, small batch cosmetics is something to celebrate and Sydney stallholder Hanami to us is absolutely nailing it – pardon the pun (inserts winking face) Welcome to a world where nail polishes improve the health of your nails and vegan lipsticks actually stick. Incredible colours backed by an incredible ethos. We’re super excited. It’s time to get to know Hanami!

We’re thrilled to have you debuting your range of ‘cosmetics with a conscience’. Can you tell us a bit more about your label Hanami?

Hey, thanks so much for having me!

I started Hanami in 2016, after spending over 10 years in the ‘natural & organic’ industry as a Naturopath, and realising that there were so many products on the green beauty market that were made a very long way away from Australia, had no cruelty free or vegan certifications, and/or were full of suss ingredients that could potentially be very harmful – both for our health, and for the environment.

I put pen to paper, made a million phone calls, and around 6 months later I launched the brand with a very small release of just 6 nail polishes. The initial response was so wonderful that soon after I released the range of lipsticks, mascaras and more. There’s now over 50 products in the range, with many more to come.

All of the Hanami products are proudly certified vegan & cruelty free with PETA and CCF, and 100% Australian made using ethically sourced ingredients.

Since before I can remember, I’ve always had a deep connection and concern for the welfare of animals and the environment, and I am super passionate about seeing an end to animal experimentation within my lifetime. Hanami proudly donates $1 from every purchase to Humane Research Australia (HRA), a non-profit organisation that challenges the use of animals in experiments and promotes the use of more humane and scientifically valid non-animal methods of research.

How did you come to be a seller at Finders Keepers? Tell us about your journey so far and what you’re most excited about.
I’ve been attending the Melbourne Finders Keepers for years, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to be having my own stall at this wonderful event in Sydney! As I do the majority of my business online (direct to customers, and selling to stockists) it’s amazing to have the opportunity to actually meet and engage with my customers in real life. I am also very excited to have an excuse to go eat at all of Sydney’s amazing vegan restaurants again too!

Do you have your own make-up routine and can you share some of your top makeup tips with our readers?
I’m a mum to a very active 2 year old, so these days my make-up routine is minimal – most of the time it only goes as far as BB cream, mascara, and a quick application of lipstick if i’m heading out of the house. However, when I have something special on, I love to spend a really long time applying my makeup, accompanied by a glass of wine and a closed door….. a rarity, but a luxury when it does happen!

I chose the name ‘Hanami’ from the traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers – which resonated with me as I see beauty products/cosmetics as a way of ‘adorning’ ourselves, and much like a flower, not always a permanent state – a celebration of our beauty by decoration!

Some of my favourite easy tips would be:
– When applying lipstick always start in the middle at your cupid’s bow, by drawing an “X” on your upper lip first, and move outwards from there.
– I am a big fan of liquid eye liner, and one of the earliest tricks I was taught is if you struggle to draw a straight line then draw small dots or dashes along the lashline with your eyeliner, and then just join them all up!
– Always (and I mean ALWAYS) apply a top coat on your nail polish if you want it to last more than a day – and be sure to run the brush along the top edge (non-cuticle side) of the nail to seal it off, as this is where chipping almost always starts from!

What do you love about working with cosmetics and what are some of the challenges?
I dabbled in the creative realm for a long time without ever really finding my place – though I knew I wanted to somehow work with colour, Once the idea of Hanami was conceived it felt like the creative outlet I had been yearning for for a long time!

Creating new ranges is such a creative process, and just so damn enjoyable – from looking at predicted fashion trends, to what’s blooming in nature, my immediate suburban surroundings, and also past seasonal favourites – the hard part really is narrowing all of the ideas down to a neat little package of say 3 or 4 new products, and not going overboard with releasing 20 at the same time! Generally I am working 2 seasons ahead at any given time, and it can be hard keeping ideas and new products, that I have in the works, a secret for that long before releasing them.

We love your nail polish names! Do you have a favourite name or colour coming with you to Finders Keepers?
Thank you so much! A little known fact about the Hanami nail polish range – they are all named after songs! It’s so hard to choose a fave, but it’s probably a tie between Ritual Union and Cortez. I have 3 new shades from the Winter collection coming to Finders Keepers with me, and they are all so stunning that I haven’t picked a winner from that collection yet – I can’t wait to hear what you all think of the new lines too!

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All image credits: Amy Pearson