ABOUT US
Nekoyanin – Beauty Beyond Reality
Hooi, I’m the founder of Nekoyanin
Nekoyanin is a cosplay-inspired indie makeup brand created for those who thrive on transformation. Whether you're stepping into the shoes of a powerful villain, a glittering magical girl, or an original character from your imagination, I design cosmetics that help bring fantasy to life.
I create for artists, cosplayers, and expressive souls people like me who see makeup as more than beauty. It’s armor. It’s rebellion. It’s storytelling. Each collection features high-impact pigments, duochrome shifts, and glittery, multidimensional finishes that elevate every look on camera, on stage, or just for fun.
My palettes are perfect for cosplay shoots, high-contrast visuals, and bold, imaginative expression. All of my formulas are cruelty-free and inspired by everything I love anime, gaming, mythology, and villaincore aesthetics.
I started this brand because anime and gaming helped me through some of my loneliest moments. Growing up, I didn’t have many friends, but these stories made me feel seen and later, they helped me build real friendships online with people who shared the same passion. That world gave me belonging, and I wanted to give something back.
At Nekoyanin, I believe beauty shouldn’t be limited by rules or trends it should be limitless. Transform. Perform. Become.
About our products
everything I create starts with hands-on care, deep research, and a commitment to quality.
As a brand, I work directly with trusted manufacturers to make my visions come true, I don’t just pick items off a shelf I’m involved in every step: from sourcing and sampling to testing and final production. My goal is to make sure everything I release feels good, performs beautifully, and holds up to real use.
The majority of my collection is developed through private and semi custom labeling. I work closely with manufacturers to create exclusive products such as lip glosses and pigments by selecting specific shades and if needed customizing each formula’s texture, consistency, and opacity. We go through multiple rounds of sampling to ensure quality before releasing them to you.
Each product is then branded under the Nekoyanin name, featuring packaging and design that reflects the distinct identity and aesthetic of our brand
This development process can take weeks or even months, depending on the complexity of the product. We iterate with our partners, request changes, and test samples rigorously to make sure every detail reflects what our community expects from Nekoyanin.
My makeup brushes annd nails are a little different they’re produced without any branding until I select and approve them. I choose only choose what meet my standards, and then make them part of the Nekoyanin line and tested by me personally.
I don’t sell anything I wouldn’t use myself. Every product goes through my hands, my routine, and my standards before it becomes part of what I offer. Nekoyanin isn’t just a brand name it’s my process, my eye, and my personal quality seal.
Who makes the art ?
For every product, I collaborate with artists from around the world to design one-of-a-kind covers and visuals. Each makeup item has its own personality, and that’s why I commission different art styles to match the tone, mood, or aesthetic of the product. No two designs are alike because no two creations are the same.
Founder Story
I started Nekoyanin with $4,000 and a dream not because I had everything figured out, but because I knew I couldn’t live my life wondering “what if.”
That $4,000 was everything I had saved from working in my parents’ restaurant since I was a teenager. For eight years, I stood behind the counter, took orders, and helped keep the business running especially since I was the one who spoke English best. I was proud to support my family, but deep down, I always knew this wasn’t my dream. It was my dad’s born from survival and sacrifice after starting over in a new country.
Still, I stayed. I helped. I worked through high school and college, paid my own tuition, and graduated with no debt but also with a growing ache that the path I was on wasn’t meant for me. I didn’t enjoy school. I didn’t want a 9-to-5. What I wanted was to create to build something that was truly mine.
At first, it felt selfish like I was turning my back on everything my family had worked so hard for. The restaurant wasn’t just a job it was my father’s legacy. I was afraid that telling him I didn’t want to follow in his footsteps would feel like rejection. That he’d see my dream as ungrateful or dismissive of his.
In the beginning, I kept everything to myself. I didn’t tell anyone what I was working on not because I was ashamed, but because I wanted to prove I could make something real before speaking about it. I was still working at the restaurant, building the brand in the background, using every spare moment. When my parents finally found out, they were surprisingly supportive probably because, as they joked, “At least you’re not just playing video games all day.”
When I finally worked up the courage to talk to my dad which, let’s be real, he probably already knew (I was packing orders in my bedroom and boxes of inventory were quietly taking over a corner of the house) he didn’t get upset. He didn’t guilt me. He just listened. And more than that, he understood. When I told him what I was trying to build, he offered to help emotionally, logistically, and even financially.
I turned down the money not because I didn’t need it, but because I needed to prove to myself that I could do this on my own. I wanted to build something from scratch, with nothing but grit and vision. Even if I failed, at least I’d know I tried.
What I didn’t turn down was his wisdom. My dad helped me better communicate with overseas manufacturers, speaking fluent Chinese and bridging a gap I couldn’t cross alone. Eventually, he helped me connect with a business partner who made sure my ideas, concerns, and vision were fully understood while I remained in control of every decision.
I used half my savings $2,000 to test product samples, just trying to find something that felt right. The other half went toward my very first inventory: just 50 pieces per item, because that was all I could afford.
I had no team. No connections. Just an idea and a phone camera. I started posting on TikTok and Instagram sharing the stress, the late nights, the packaging mishaps , manufacturing mistakes, the small wins. I was just being real. And somehow… people connected with that. They saw the effort, the heart, and the honesty and they stayed.
Every dollar I made, I reinvested straight back into the business scaling up slowly, improving quality, and dreaming a little bigger each time.
Today, Nekoyanin is still 100% self-funded. I never took loans. I never cut corners. Every product, every collection, every risk I take is rooted in the same energy I started with: passion, patience, and persistence.
I started with nothing but a dream and that dream still fuels everything I create.