Our Founder
Personal growth and a passion for greener beauty propelled our founder, Melanie Cruickshank, on the path that started the da lish journey. Like so many women, she encountered self-confidence and body-confidence pressure in her teen years while struggling with severe acne, weight issues and a learning disability. Makeup literally changed her life when something as simple as foundation gave her confidence to face her peers. Over time “I wanted to know what the ingredients were in my makeup and where they came from,” recalls Melanie. Chalk it up to growing up on a fully functioning farm, where everything her family ate came from their own backyard.
Determined to make a change in what was in her makeup, Melanie seized the opportunity to go back to school. Her mom, Rosemary, joined her and Melanie put them both through school to get certified in creating natural & organic product formulations. Nights and weekends were dedicated to finishing courses so Melanie could transition out of her full-time job in advertising to follow her passion. Shortly after she began cooking up lip glosses and multi-purpose tints for herself and friends in 2006. “Then I started getting so many compliments on the way my makeup looked and how it was applied. Women wanted what I had on.”

“Production began in my kitchen, hand filling product with syringes, one by one,” but the secret says Melanie, “is creating while in a great mood. That positivity always results in a great product.” Bolstered by the need she saw for natural & organic products at her first event in the basement of the Drake Hotel, she knew that she had to make the hard decision to leave her day job and pursue da lish full time. Gifting turned into calling on retailers and a steady stream of orders, until the business finally grew into a fully functioning brand with its own manufacturing facility. Today, everything is still made in Canada, under Melanie’s care and attention.

What Uncomplicated Beauty Means to Us
Anti-aging, healing, plant and botanical based ingredients are the starting point for each da lish product. Our makeup is full of antioxidants so your skin benefits from its use over time. Shea Butter, rich in fatty acids, soothes and helps repair scars, while safflower oil softens texture. Sunflower seed oil, ripe with vitamins A, D and E, helps neutralize free radicals in the air that damage skin cells, causing premature wrinkles to form. Rosemary leaf extract contains vitamins B1, B13 and C—a powerful cocktail to help skin cells regenerate on their own.
da lish is steadfast in examining and updating our products as ingredients and technology evolve. We are dedicated to offering the best natural formulations to our community with Melanie’s core values in mind: anti-oxidant rich, simply pretty makeup produced with as many locally sourced, natural ingredients as possible— without the use of phthalates, parabens, petrochemicals, GMO’s, gluten or sulfates. Plus, you can see exactly how natural the product really is, because the percentages are posted right on the box. You’ll never have to worry that what you’re buying may only be 10% natural, which can be the case with other brands. In early 2019, we made the commitment to go 100% vegan and no longer use beeswax for all new products while also reformulating the current collection to meet this goal. Our mandate is that our entire product line is consistently a minimum of 90% natural and organic ingredients, fragrance free and vegan.
We are invested in where and how our raw materials are sourced. Greater than 80% of our natural ingredients are from local sources, reducing our carbon footprint and supporting other small businesses. Our beautifully simple packaging was also created to be easily recycled. This is key to our commitment of using sustainable resources.