Sunnies Face Is Changing the Game for F-Beauty

On a fateful day in 2022, Sunnies Face co-founder and brand director Jessica Wilson scanned an email and immediately felt her heart drop. Leaping out from her screen were words from Allure US, informing her that Fluffmatte, their first-ever product, had just won the 2022 Allure US Best of Beauty Award for Best Matte Lipstick—an accolade coveted by beauty brands worldwide.

“We were screaming so loud!” co-founder and creative director Martine Ho exclaims about that moment. “You could probably hear our screams from here to the U.S.!” It was the first time any Filipino brand had bagged a Best of Beauty award. The co-founders—Ho, sisters Jessica and Georgina Wilson, and husband-and-wife team Eric Dee and Bea Soriano-Dee—were, needless to say, elated.

All five of them are gathered together in their office in Mandaluyong City, to sit down with Allure Philippines—no small feat, considering most of them are now based in different countries around the globe.

Why following their instincts mattered

From the moment one steps into their headquarters and sees the walls, sunken couches and decor in muted pastels, one thing becomes apparent—there is a very distinct point of view at work here. As the co-founders share their story, it becomes clearer just how strong this point of view is.

Sunnies Face grew out of an apparel business started by Soriano-Dee, which morphed into an eyewear line called Sunnies. It was in shooting campaigns for Sunnies that the idea of a beauty brand was hatched. “People were always asking about the makeup looks and shades our models were wearing—which were actually shades that we customized,” Ho recalls. The team of co-founders listened closely and heeded the call, birthing Sunnies Face. Fluffmatte was their first offering, and it quickly made its way overseas.

“We would do a lot of our shoots for the brand in the U.S.,” Ho explains. “The makeup artists we’d work with, we’d give them Fluffmatte, and they’d use them on their celebrity clients.” Big Hollywood names who have worn or used Fluffmatte include makeup artists Pati Dubroff, Katie Jane Hughes, Hung Vanngo, and celebrities Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Emma Roberts, Kate Bosworth, Lucy Hale, Elsa Hosk, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who even reached out to the brand for a collaboration. The interest abroad grew from there, and Allure US even ran a feature on the lipstick—titled I Finally Understand Why Everyone Is Obsessed With This Filipina-Owned Lipstick—prior to it winning an award.

Sunnies Face Fluffmatte Matte Lipstick. Photo: Kieran Punay.

Fluffmatte: The star of the show

With all the high-performing matte lipsticks out there, what is so special about Fluffmatte that it draws all these raves? “It just feels good,” Georgina answers instantly. 

Many would agree. If anything, the best moment to appreciate a Fluffmatte lipstick is when you first swipe the bullet on your lips: the pigmented color comes as a pleasant shock, but it’s the creamy texture, which, in seconds, feels like nothing and disappears into a perfect matte that wins you over.

Finding that magic formula meant months of hard work and tenacity. From the start, the Sunnies Face team, equipped with their single-minded point of view, knew exactly what kind of lipstick they wanted.

The process, however, was painstaking. The team traveled far and wide in their search to meet with suppliers, who, in turn, over and over again, told the co-founders that they were being too meticulous. “They would bring us two different formulas, and would say, ‘What’s the difference between these two? Nothing! They’re practically the same!’” Jessica shares. But to the team’s discerning eyes, the nuances were still noticeable. “They said we were crazy,” she continues calmly, but with a twinkle in her eye, talking about how they pushed for certain price points and packaging. The range of shades—nine when they launched, 24 today—went through extensive testing as well. The colors had to be universally flattering, particularly for Filipino skin tones. 

It took them nine months to find the formula they wanted. Soriano-Dee recalls the moment that Georgina broke it to her that she had found The One: “George came to visit, to see my new baby, and also to whisper to me, ‘I found the formula!’” That formula, raved about in Allure US, unlocked the door to both an avalanche of international press and interest coming from all corners of the globe.      

The Sunnies Face universe

It’s impressive how far they’ve come since then. Sunnies Face has evolved into a buzzy brand that sells in the U.S. and China, and ships globally. They’ve expanded their repertoire into products for cheeks, eyes, brows and face, and have ventured into tools and skin care as well. It’s a well-curated universe of Filipino beauty that they’ve built, and perhaps their biggest edge is that they know exactly how to make consumers want to be part of it. Dee offers a simple answer for their success: “We understand exactly what the market is looking for.”

It does, in fact, seem like they do, and that their distinct point of view and doggedness have served them well. Fluffmatte has made the leap from the shores of the Philippines to the top of one of the most revered beauty awards lists worldwide—something that once seemed impossible, now feels like just the beginning.

Photography: Kieran Punay