Kulfi Beauty launched its brand in February 2021 with its Underlined Kajal eyeliners. These eyeliners won us over immediately and were awarded an Allure Best of Beauty Award just a few months later. We can’t do our makeup (including mine) without reaching for the long-lasting, richly pigmented liners. It’s no surprise that we have been eagerly awaiting the brand’s second release. You know that good things take time.

The wait is over. The Main Match Concealer is now available to treat hyperpigmentation, dark circles and blemishes. It also contains South Asian-inspired ingredients like antioxidant-rich Alma fruit extract and moisturizing and anti inflammatory saffron flowers extract. Hydrating rosehip extract and soothing licorice roots extract are some of the other benefits.

We have a list of the key ingredients. According to Laura Lam-Phaure, a cosmetic chemist based in Los Angeles, amla extract (also known as Indian gooseberry oils) “is well-known for its high vitamin C content and enhanced antioxidant properties which allow the skin feel nourished while fighting aging and harmful free radicals.”

Rosehip, which can be identified in ingredient lists as rosacanina fruit extract, works wonders on inflamed or discolored skin. Lam-Phaure says that it “can help tone and even, brighten, and reduce the signs and symptoms of redness in your skin.”

Although Main Match appears to have it all, the journey to Sephora’s historic launch of the first South Asian-owned cosmetic brand was no easy feat.

Kulfi is a 2021 Sephora Accelerate member. She has seen a tremendous growth under the leadership of Priyanka Ganjoo. She is not only the brand’s founder and CEO but also a highly skilled veteran in the beauty industry having worked for companies like Estee Lauder, Ipsy, and Ipsy. When asked about Main Match, she said that she struggled for years to find concealers that match my skin tone and undertone. “My personal challenge inspired me to create a concealer that would be our perfect, or’main’ match.

Ganjoo acknowledges that Kajal Eyeliners’ success created pressure for the brand to do a “second act,” but she tells Allure that “centering the community has kept it real.” The three-year journey was not easy. There were many delays in supply chains and many customers who didn’t know what to do. However, the Kulfi team invested over 300 dollars in their community and helped them achieve their goals.

The twelve shades that the team settled on at the end were named after Kulfi-inspired flavors such as Ice Ice Berry and Coco Crush. They have warm undertones, such as. They are available in olive, golden and other warm undertones to meet the needs of Kulfi customers.

Kulfi not only involved the community in the formulation and testing, but also put out a New York City-wide casting request on its social media platforms to complement the diverse cast seen in Main Match’s vibrant and dynamic campaign. Ganjoo shared, “I expected people to talk about finding their partner [when they were asked about what their ideal match was], but everyone talked about their journey towards self-love, acceptance, and becoming their main match.” “As an immigrant or person of color, just being comfortable in your skin can be considered rebellion.”

Although I wasn’t a concealer fan in the beginning, it has become an essential part of my makeup routine. Main Match is such a moisturizing formula that I didn’t expect it to give me as much coverage with one layer. I have found that hydrating formulas, even those with buildable properties, tend to be a bit sheerer. It feels light and melts into skin, which is what I expected. Ganjoo said that many people of color expressed concern about wanting a “no-makeup makeup” look, without having to use products that make them look cakey.

My nose has been my greatest concern since it is the subject of constant stress-picking. It also contains a few reddish spots that can sometimes cause bleeding. (Trust me, people shout at me constantly). As you can see, concealers are tested to see if they can hide trouble spots. The following selfie will allow you to see that.

As TikTok taught me, I also apply concealer to the usual places, including the inner and outer corners. Although I would not call them dark circles they do cover uneven pigment under my eyes. This concealer eliminated it in one swipe.

Main Match blends like a dream. However, I found that a brush was more effective than my sponge. Perhaps I am imagining it, but the sponge took too much pigment from me when I tried to use it. The photo shows me only using concealer as a base product. I am only using concealer in terms of base products. This is another useful test to see if a concealer can hold its own on lazy-makeup days. I also acknowledge that my skin’s rest must be clear.

Main Match gets two thumbs up from me, and Kulfi is now available at Sephora. This retailer has an excellent track record of welcoming BIPOC-owned beauty brands.