Interview with Mardhiah Ismail

Hello My Name is Mardhiah of maddybrags_

Makeup or skincare? Which would you say comes first? Our Angel all the way from Malaysia shares why she thinks skincare is as important as makeup in our interview. Hailing from Kelantan, this gentle and bubbly Malaysian started her humble beginnings as a beauty blogger, youtube, and reviewer on Instagram with resources she already has thanks to her sister's advice! 👧

We all know how we started and it is a struggle to show our craft. You don't need high-tech equipment or fancy props as long you know your stuff! Now she has a following of over 20k (woohoo!) 🎉

This is why we admire Maddy, as she brags about her beauty products on her Instagram showing her amazing eye makeup skills and the importance of skincare to prep your face as a canvas before makeup 💖

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A post shared by Mardhiah IsmaiL 💜 (@maddybrags_)

Maddy is also our Althea fan as she celebrates our birthday together!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and where you're from!

Making makeup videos is my hobby since I was young, I used to stay in my hostels alone on semester break and did not even try to go home which is Kelantan. I used the time to record myself with some makeup techniques because that period is where Michelle Phan is blooming and I adored her so much. At that time, I was 20 years old and still young and now I am already 28.. how time flies.

2. Is being a beauty blogger in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah challenging?

I chose Maddybrags as my name because my name is Mardhiah and my friend used to call me Maddy since secondary school and the word "brag" is because brag to me means to talk about something with so much passion and proudly explains it. That is why I chose that name, to show that I love to brag about products that I have used

3. The famous question: skincare or makeup?

People do make mistakes, especially myself. I used to love makeup a lot in my teenage age and at that time the amount of makeup I owned was a lot more than skincare. But since I got to University, I do participate in a lot of outdoor activities and I noticed that my skin become worse and beginning to aging. During that growth period as a student, I took on the challenge to learn more about skincare and how it can help me. Finally my skin became better and finally realize that makeup is nothing without great skin.. so now I do love doing full skincare routines and more subtle with makeup

4. Share a quote that inspires you!

Surprisingly, I did not have a quote that inspires me but I always keep in my heart and my mind about a speech from my sister when she saw my struggles with some products photoshoot difficulties, and lack of props. She said

"why you need to buy more to improve? Start from scratch and make it better"

From that time, I knew that everything I own is already enough. I just need to be more creative and thinking out of the box more not just in reviewing and blogs but also in life.

5. What's your favorite product from Althea? and why!

There are two favorite products from althea for me. One is the real fresh detoxer, which is a very beautiful and luscious cleanser. It has very beautiful small petals in it and really gives me a pleasant feeling in my bath. It doesn't strip my skin at all and left my skin feeling super fresh. Another one is of course Petal Velvet Sunaway sunscreen, I love the smell which is a vibrant rosy smell and I also love the finishing of it on my skin. Even if my skin has a dryer complexion but the matte finishes of the sunscreen settle on my skin really well and the best part is it protect my skin well 🥰