She Turned Her Skin Struggles Into A Makeup Brand: Meet The Singapore Founder Behind Liht Organics & Its New Emily In Paris Collection 

“Getting ready on a bad skin day used to feel like a battle I was always losing.”

For Nerissa Polke, founder of Liht Organics, makeup was once something she piled on to hide her acne. But finding coverage she liked was only part of the struggle. She also wanted a formula she felt comfortable putting on her skin.

That personal search eventually became a Singapore-founded beauty brand. Now, with a limited-edition Emily in Paris collection arriving this November, Nerissa is sharing the experiences behind her approach to organic makeup.

A Beauty Brand That Started With Her Own Skin Struggles

Getting a breakout is frustrating enough. Trying to cover it while worrying about how your skin might react makes getting ready even harder.

In her twenties, Nerissa developed severe adult acne across her face, chest and back. She recalls undergoing monthly steroid injections and taking oral medication, with regular blood tests to monitor her health.

“My skin, lips and hair dried out completely,” she shares. “Confidence-wise, it was crushing.”

She says her skin began clearing within a few months of switching to organic skincare, but she noticed breakouts returning when she used regular makeup to cover the scars. That experience left her searching for products that met her expectations for both ingredients and performance.

“I couldn’t find anything that was truly clean and actually worked as makeup. That’s when I realised I had to create it myself.”

Nerissa founded Liht Organics in Singapore in 2019. Pronounced “light” and short for “Living In Her Time”, the brand began with a need she understood personally.

“Liht started as something I needed for my own skin and self-esteem.”

What Goes Into The Makeup You Wear All Day?

Serum foundations, skincare-infused blushes and lip products packed with familiar skincare ingredients. With makeup promising so much, how does Nerissa decide what belongs in a formula?

“When I was healing my acne, I became very particular about reading ingredient lists,” she explains.

That habit shaped Liht’s approach. The brand says its formulas contain up to 90% organic ingredients, and describes its range as vegan, cruelty-free and made without synthetic fragrance and nanoparticles.

“We always try to achieve the highest level of organic content without compromising on performance or product stability,” Nerissa says.

Among the ingredients she highlights are rosehip oil and aloe barbadensis in the primer, and coconut oil and shea butter in the lipsticks. For her, the choices come back to the experience of wearing makeup. “The skincare actives are there, but they’re there because they support the skin, not as a marketing claim on top of a conventional base.”

It’s an approach shaped by her own preferences and experiences. An organic label alone doesn’t guarantee a product will suit everyone, so finding your match still means considering the individual formula and your skin.

Bonjour, Beauty! Liht Meets Emily In Paris In Two Limited-Edition Sets

For the new Emily in Paris collection, Nerissa looked to a particular side of Emily’s beauty style.

“I kept coming back to those moments where Emily looks effortlessly luminous, the dewy, fresh skin and the confident pop of colour on the lips that feels chic without trying too hard.”

Emily Cooper has never been afraid of a bold outfit or a little colour, and that confidence resonated with Nerissa. “I did not make this because a series is popular,” she says. That combination inspired two limited-edition sets, each with an officially licensed Emily in Paris cosmetic bag and compact mirror.

The Chic Romance ($214) includes a Roasted Cherry lip glaze and a palette with Cherry Blossom blush, Rose Quartz and Peach Morganite eyeshadows, and Deep Brown brow powder. The shadows double as highlighters, while the brow powder can also line the eyes or contour, making it a handy set for your year-end travel makeup bag.

For those who love a good base, The Bonjour Glow ($150) pairs two of Liht’s bestselling formulas: Youth Elixir Liquid Foundation and Pore Perfection Primer.

The collection launches on 9 November 2026 on KrisShop, and 16 November 2026 through Liht Organics retail channels, lihtorganics.com, and Shopee, while stocks last.

New To Liht? Here’s Where Nerissa Would Start

Nerissa’s first recommendation is the Youth Elixir Liquid Foundation, which she describes as offering lightweight, buildable coverage and a luminous finish.

“It’s the one that feels most like a gentle hug for the skin,” she says.

For those who would rather start with a lip product, her pick is the Color-Intense Liquid Lipstick. She points to its rich colour and coconut oil and shea butter formula as reasons to try it.

“Either way, the idea is the same: try something that performs like the makeup you already love, but with the clean base that was the whole reason I started Liht.”

Finding The Fun In Makeup With Liht

For someone who once used makeup mainly to hide her skin, creating this collection carries a personal meaning. Nerissa wanted a fresh base, a romantic lip and room to enjoy colour again.

As she puts it, “let the colour be an expression of how you feel rather than a cover-up.”