1. Kindly shed light on your journey and tell us a little bit about yourself?
My journey started when I just graduated from school in 2016 and I was suffering from depression. My friends had all gone to college and I was in a state where I couldn’t even leave the house. I started watching a lot of youtube and got inspired by the beauty guru’s of the west like Jeffree star and Huda. I loved how the industry encouraged misfits to come together to express themselves. As someone who was desperately searching for a purpose, I finally found one-my dream to start my own makeup brand.
2. What inspired you to start the brand and why in particular did you decide to go into this industry?
I started a blog where I would upload makeup videos ( they were terrible but a bold attempt). I had the good fortune of travelling and buying makeup abroad which is what I would use. My viewers were Indian and wanted me to use local products. When I tried I noticed two things. The quality was not nearly the same and they all carried the exact same range re-packaged and rebranded. I didn’t feel any excitement. This was the person who was constantly on YouTube and Instagram waiting for the next Huda palette or Kylie lip kit to drop. But I wouldn’t even walk into a beauty store in India because nothing excited me. This is when my dream to create a brand started. And just like that.. I had found my purpose. And not just mine- I wanted to create products that had a purpose. That solved some problem, gave a certain experience or filled a gap. Not just products that were easy to make or were low in cost. I wanted to create a brand so exciting that people forgot what Huda was launching and focused more on what this unpredictable Indian brand willm do next.
3. What are some challenges you faced when you started the brand?
I think the biggest challenge I faced was my age and lack of experience. I was fresh out of college, only 22 years old and it was difficult to demand respect initially. People didn’t take me seriously until they saw that I really knew what I was talking about. I come from a business family but my dad didn’t want to invest in my business unless I got external investors as a rule. So this young, inexperienced girl had to go find investors but it worked out because they saw the passion and the fire I had in my belly to make this work.
4. Kindly throw some light on your ideologies?
I often use this phrase- makeup is my armour. I don’t feel I use it to hide my flaws but to celebrate my best features. A lot of skincare brands say ‘You are beautiful just the way you are, in your natural self’ etc but some of us don’t feel that way about ourselves. Some of us feel better when we put on kajal in the morning or a red lipstick before a meeting- and that’s okay! Loving makeup doesn’t make you superficial or fake. Makeup is an inclusive community that anybody can be a part of no matter what age, colour or size. And I’m a firm believer that we should do whatever makes us feel GOOD regardless of what people think.
5. How has your experience been in this industry so far?
Its been very exciting. To be part of an industry I have so closely followed for so many years is very thrilling. Learning what goes behind making a beauty brand, creating products, interacting with creators and big makeup artists, interviewing with publications and sharing my story.. Its all been a dream. Ofcourse there is a lot of competition and it’s a high pressure industry but its also extremely rewarding and exciting.
6. What is something that you would tell your younger self?
That there is no timeline to success. In school we feel there is a map we need to follow- good grades will lead to a good college will then lead to a good job and so on. My biggest learning was that there isn’t any ‘correct’ path so not to take that pressure. I went from taking two gap years and being so behind my peers to launching my own business while other people are still graduating. I would tell young me to focus on my own journey and not feel I’m constantly falling behind just because I did things in an unconventional way.
7. 3 tips for someone who wants to build a brand like yours?
-Find a gap in the market
-Patience and persistence
-Build a motivated and passionate team
8. What is your vision for Typsy Beauty?
My dream is to create a brand that puts India on the map when it comes to makeup. Huda did it for the middle east so why cant Typsy do it for India. I want to create products so innovative and eye-catching that a girl from some other country sees it on Instagram and wants to get her hands on it. I want to change the standards of makeup in India and empower the consumers to demand more from their products. More value, more customisation, more quality, more fun.
9. Where do you see Typsy Beauty after 5 years?
I see Typsy being in the top 5 brands in India. The aspirational brand for every young girl and the go to brand for every women. I want to create experiential centres around the country for people to come and try our products. I want us to have a community of makeup lovers where we celebrate each other. I want us to start exploring other markets outside India after conquering here. I want to be known as the brand that creates
viral products!
10. Is there something coming up we should expect from the brand to
take the line forward? Please share a quote on your future plans.
With Typsy beauty you can be reassured that whatever we do- it definitely wont be boring! We’re looking at expanding out footprint online as well as offline, and ofcourse we always have new concoctions brewing in the Typsy lab.
Recent Achievements:
1. Personal:
a. Tedx Invictus Amritsar speaker
b. G20 summit panellist at The Equality Lounge
2. Brand:
a. Expanded to a total of 4 stores in Delhi NCR
b. Elle Beauty Awards – Rising Brand of the year
2022-23
