ODE TO SUSTAINABLE BEAUTY – GLORIA MAGAZINE

Master of Pharmacy Martina Kriste has transformed her knowledge and love for natural cosmetics into the Makris brand, and she got the idea while on maternity leave with her first child, walking through the meadows of her native Posušje full of medicinal herbs.

🏽 “The term luxury is often associated with excess and exclusivity. For us, luxury is not power, money or the world in the palm of your hand, but rather freedom from everything bad: such as stress, poor quality time spent, prejudice or harmful ingredients. We all have the right to be in skin that breathes freely and protects us from adverse external influences. Therefore, we strive to provide luxury through clean and natural cosmetics that contribute to health and authentic, timeless beauty” – this is how Martina Kriste (37), founder of the Makris brand that promotes sustainability, describes her life’s calling. Preparative and decorative cosmetics are created according to Martina’s original recipes, in a way that places as little burden on the environment as possible. The products are maximally devoid of chemicals that can harm people and the ecosystem. Martina carefully selects the finest certified ingredients such as cold-pressed oils, vegetable butters and extracts, natural vitamins and minerals…

🏽 “The key to the effectiveness of cosmetics is optimal dosing and combining ingredients. I sign all recipes as a master of pharmacy with extensive experience in preparing care products, but also as a person who has faced various skin conditions herself, from acne at a younger age to hyperpigmentation due to pregnancy,” says Martina, who once worked in a Zagreb pharmacy and then, through a combination of circumstances, became an entrepreneur.

🏽 “Over time, I realized that in addition to my usual pharmacy job, I wanted more freedom and creativity. I made natural creams, masks, and serums for myself that others also liked. It all started when I often stayed in my native Posušje in Herzegovina during my first maternity leave. Back then, I had more time to enjoy nature, study and grow medicinal herbs, and create preparations. My father, prim. dr. Ivan Bušić, who was a gynecologist, encouraged me to do this. At that time, I also enrolled in a postgraduate study in clinical pharmacology. However, not long after that, my dad passed away, and that was a turning point for me to rearrange my life priorities and reconsider what I really wanted to do,” recalls Martina, who then started making cosmetics in the family laboratory in Posušje. She also launched the Makris Pharm profile on Instagram, dedicated to skin health and beauty, which gained more and more followers day by day.

🏽 That’s how, she says, the Makris brand grew spontaneously, through sharing experiences and designing personalized care rituals for her growing number of clients. Following their wishes, Martina, after creating serums, face creams and masks, and body oils, also created makeup that contains mineral pigments, beneficial waxes, and other natural ingredients, combining the properties of decorative and preparative cosmetics. Among Makris’ bestsellers are a BB cream for refreshing and even skin tone, and a multi-purpose stick that can be used as lipstick, blush, and eyeshadow.

🏽 “I love a natural and airy look, and due to the hectic pace of life, I often apply my makeup in a hurry. That’s how I got the idea for a product that women can use to instantly dress up for all occasions,” says Martina, whose brand has become synonymous with quality and naturalness. For example, at the recent international event UNWASTED Forum dedicated to innovations in the field of sustainability, Makris was the makeup artist for environmentally conscious fashion shows.

🏽 If Martina had to be briefly described, the appropriate expression would be – a superwoman with a flawless complexion. In addition to leading a team whose acclaimed products are created in a Zagreb laboratory, Martina appears as a model in promotional campaigns, shares her experiences in videos on social networks and, by appointment, holds live workshops on natural make-up. In collaboration with renowned product designer Ana Tevšić Nauković, she is planning a workshop where she will present Makris’s new product with a protective factor.

🏽 Martina manages all this with a dynamic family life – she is the mother of 8-year-old Ivan, 7-year-old Diva, 5-year-old Ilija and 1-year-old Roko. She is wholeheartedly supported by her husband Matej Kriste, who is also her business partner. Matej is a graphic technologist who does animations for foreign companies. “He helps me create a web store, logistics, planning, finances… Since, just like me, he has a flexible schedule, we can take turns and complement each other during the day to give the children precious time together, while still solving business obligations with our team. We succeed because we have clearly agreed on how we will organize our lives,” says Martina, adding that they also manage to find some free time. She loves to recharge her batteries in the untouched nature of the mountains around her native Posušje, where the idea for natural cosmetics originated.