A Note From Our Founder

Hello and thank you for your support of Orcé Cosmetics! I am so incredibly passionate about this brand and want to share with you the journey that has brought me to this place.

I was born in Taiwan to Malaysian-Taiwanese parents and raised in Singapore. Throughout my childhood and early adulthood, I traveled extensively and cultivated a strong interest in global beauty rituals. But the spark to my creativity came when I was around 10 years old, in the form of an eyeshadow palette I received as a gift from my aunt. I eagerly started giving my very first makeovers to my not-so-eager younger cousins (one of them even cried looking into the mirror because she felt like I made her look like Ursula from “The Little Mermaid”). Nevertheless, my mother recognized my deep-seated passion and sent me to a makeup artist to learn basic makeup techniques. In hindsight, this was the catalyst to my lifelong pursuit of beauty.

However, my passion is also borne from a place of pain. Due to my Austronesian heritage, I tended to be one of the darker-skinned and heavier-set girls amongst my relatives and peers growing up. I was often made fun of and criticized for my appearance – even by my own family, which sadly drove me to spend my most carefree years on obsessive diets and skin whitening treatments. As a teenager, I developed body dysmorphia and bulimia. Although I didn’t know it at the time, it was this trauma that I channeled into creativity. Since then, I have embarked on a journey to heal myself by helping other women around me feel more confident through makeovers that help them highlight their natural beauty.   

After moving to Los Angeles at age 18, I attended Pepperdine University where I majored in advertising and marketing. Thereafter, I gained professional experience at a media planning agency in Los Angeles that specializes in diversity marketing. From there, I worked on media strategy for several international brands—including a traditional Asian beauty giant—and continued exploring my passion for beauty by studying makeup artistry alongside several esteemed makeup artists in my free time.

Along the way, I was surprised to find that despite Asians representing one of the largest ethnic groups in the world, many Western beauty brands do not offer makeup that is suitable for Asian skin tones and concerns. In addition, I also found that many purportedly “Asian” beauty brands lack relevance among consumers that don’t necessarily conform to traditional Asian beauty standards. This propelled me to create a brand that honors women like myself; with the hope of creating products that ultimately help other Asian women celebrate their unique features, embrace their skin color, and feel confident to take on the world.

Orcé is a culmination of my dreams and lifelong passion, and I am thrilled to introduce her to you! Our luxurious, high-performance cosmetics are designed in New York and formulated in California, with deep roots in Asian culture. Orcé is a fusion of Eastern ideals, Western artistry, and a holistic approach to beauty—all optimized for the unique demands of Asian skin.

We are smart. We are strong. We are unstoppable. We are a culture of our own, and we deserve a brand that celebrates us. Orcé is this brand.

I hope you love it as much as I do.

 

 

 

Yu-Chen Shih 石育甄

Founder of Orcé Cosmetics