Celebrity make-up and hair pro Namrata Soni’s beauty brand Simply Nam has turned five this year. The occasion is made more special by the announcement of a strategic fundraise led by the Bhaane Group, a clothing brand founded by Anand S Ahuja where Sonam Kapoor is an advisor. Namrata and Sonam have shared a fruitful working relationship for many years, and this collaboration is a testament to that. In a chat with t2, Namrata looked back at her journey and shared what beauty means to her.
Congratulations on Simply Nam completing five years! What has the journey been like?
Honestly, it’s been incredible. We’ve just closed a round of funding, which has been amazing. I never knew how to run a make-up brand and own a make-up brand. It’s been eye-opening, challenging, but extremely satisfying to go out of my comfort zone because I’m a make-up artist, right? So, for me, my life is all about being on sets. It’s very easy to deal with people when you’re working with them in person, but here you are catering to people that you can’t see and to know that you have made them happy and at the same time take all the bad and good reviews with a pinch of salt, because the kind of person I am, it always affects me.
What was that moment like when you decided to launch Simply Nam?
The moment happened in 2015-2016, where I was actually really tired of constantly having to buy brands and make-up and mix five colours to get the colour meant for our skin tone. We did have a few Indian brands, but they were really not catering to the skin tone, they were just doing what everybody else was doing, getting popular colours and shades that are selling, but we really wanted to stand apart.
And for me, it was the fact that I had so much experience dealing with real people, hearing what is lacking, what they are missing, as individuals in their own make-up kit, really drove me to want to start something which would simplify your life. It was about making your life simple. Make-up is not supposed to make your life complicated. And honestly, it took me five to six years to get that dream and make it a reality.
What was the first product you started with?
A make-up remover towel was our first product. I still remember that I got so many questions that you’re a make-up artist, and you’re starting with a make-up remover. If you followed my career, you’ll see I really don’t wear make-up, and one of the biggest reasons for that was because I hated removing my make-up. It was the most difficult part. The conventional make-up removers were either making my skin break out or giving me allergies. I wanted to really simplify make-up removal. That’s where the make-up remover towel, skincare towel came into play because it was just about one swipe and you’re ready to go.
The reason why I called it Simply Nam was because I’m actually a very simple person. It represents who I am.
Was it a conscious choice to take it slow?
We have 40 SKUs (stock keeping unit) now actually in the last five years. We have four categories. And of course, we have a lot of expanding to do in terms of how big we can get, but it still continues to be a very conscious choice to launch a product at a time instead of launching an entire collection.
We are a luxury premium brand in terms of the quality of products, but we sell it at affordable prices, because that was my biggest issue in this industry that the amount of money as a make-up artist, what I was earning, and I would have to spend on make-up, it was insane.
Our price point is really important, and we are still trying to give the best quality ingredients in a product, with beautiful, simple, classy packaging, which is not going to pinch the pocket. I really wish I could be even cheaper. But today, I know for a fact that quality comes at a price.
Everything is tested on me first. Then my team comes into play. Then we have consumer testing and lab testing, making sure that we are vegan, cruelty-free, and as hypoallergenic as we can be. I would like to be 100 per cent clean as a brand, but I’m not there yet, but we are hoping to achieve that, you know, in the near future. Everything is made in India except our packaging. I think 98 per cent of our formulations are made in India. I think we only have one product, which is coming from Germany right now.
Were there any beauty entrepreneurs you looked up to?
Honestly, I always followed Estee Lauder. For me, that was amazing. What an empire she built. It was incredible. Then I think, for me, Pat McGrath was an amazing journey. Kevyn Aucoin actually was my guru in make-up.
The Bhaane fundraise must be really special for you…
Any growing brand needs funds, and honestly, when Bhaane approached us, I was actually very surprised. I mean, I’ve known Sonam (Kapoor) for so long. And you know, every actor today has their own make-up and beauty line. The fact that she believed so much in me and my brand mattered so much.
Like, honestly, it gives me sleepless nights, because that means I have to work doubly harder to make sure that I’m successful as a brand. Earlier, it was all our money, so it didn’t matter! (Laughs)
What kind of expansion are you looking at now?
The beauty of a fundraise is that it gives you a little bit of a deeper pocket, which allows you to really do a lot of product innovation, which is amazing. Sometimes that’s so difficult when you’ve started a brand and you are working on a budget because you have to really work on finding manufacturers that are willing to work with you. We at Simply Nam have been lucky that every manufacturer that we have worked with has been willing to custom-make our products for us. That was my number one criterion when I started the brand that I’m not going to white label. I need something that has Namrata ingrained into each and every aspect of every product. Knowing that one of the biggest groups in India, which is Bhaane, believes and has invested in Simply Nam, opens a lot of doors for me. Not only the fact that my growth becomes much faster, but also that I can launch a lot more SKUs of make-up much faster. Also, to get the kind of feedback from them and the experience that they have, which we don’t, in running a company, is vital to a company like Simply Nam.
What do you like or not like about how beauty is being consumed today by the younger generation?
I find myself lucky to be one of those few people that get paid very well to do her job. And not everybody can say that in their life today. But I feel like it’s very trend-centric and that can be very misleading. I think the younger generation definitely wants to know what they’re putting on their faces, but they’re also very fickle. They have no loyalty. For me, it is trying to get them in and make them loyal.
I feel today the younger generation is definitely more accepting of who they are. Thirty years back, if I would go to a beauty centre, I would get four shades of foundations and four shades of concealers, which they thought was the skin tone in our country. Now, every brand has a minimum of 10 to 12.
It’s definitely widened the market. It’s made brands more aware that people are more accepting of who they are, their skin colour. What I think happens is that brands get lost in the confusion of wanting to be relevant, trend-based. And that’s not something that Simply Naam does. We want to be in your essentials.
What would you suggest are the basics?
You can do with four products. You need one amazing kajal, which can take you from day to night. You need two to three beautiful lipstick shades — one in red, one in a pinkish nude, one in a brown — to play around with your looks.
You need a beautiful blush, depending on your skin type, whether it’s cream-based or liquid-based. And, you need a good lip balm. Between these, you can create any look.
I’m a brown kajal girl more than a black kajal girl. It’s actually much softer and nicer. I always have my intense brown ultimate kajal. I always have my blush ‘Sister From Another Mister’, which is a beautiful cream velvet blush. I always have a red lipstick, which is Poonam. I have a pink lipstick, which is Rani, and I have a brown lipstick, which is called Rosenyn. I have my lip balm in Brownie because I love brown. If I’m not in the mood for my lip balm, I have a lip tint, like a tinted lip oil. And I always have an eyelash curler.
Has the definition of make-up changed for you?
You know, it really never did. I’ve always believed that make-up should not camouflage who you are. It should enhance your beauty. You really need to embrace it, love it and work it to your advantage, because for me, the day I’m feeling even a little bit low and my skin is not behaving itself, I put a little bit of blush, I curl my lashes and put mascara, and I put a beautiful lip colour, and it just changes my mood. It changes the way people perceive me, look at me. And it just gives me that confidence to walk out of the door feeling okay. It’s not about how I’m looking, it’s about how I’m feeling. I feel today people have accepted that more. Earlier, you were only supposed to put make-up if you are an actress or you were getting married. Otherwise, if you’d put make-up every day, it was considered crass. Today, using a beautiful lipstick or doing an amazing eyeliner when you’re going to office or going for a brunch, people appreciate it. It’s self-care. For me, make-up has always been self-care.
What should the definition of beauty be?
Beauty is what you make it out to be. So, for me, I would always say, look at yourself like a beautiful portrait canvas. And it’s blank. What will you enhance? Everybody is beautiful out there, right? Some people have stunning eyes. Some people have the most luscious lips or stunning skin. The concept of make-up and beauty is not to change who you are. It’s to accept and enhance your natural beauty. So, enhancing your natural beauty by learning... I would tell the parents of today and the girls of today, go and do a small course for self-make-up. It’s so empowering and enlightening. Learn how to do that perfect eyeliner. Learn how to create that beautiful lip shape meant for your face. Learn how to camouflage for your face, not what you are seeing on YouTube and Instagram, which are heavily filtered and set unrealistic expectations and standards for the youth and the girls and the children of today. And I would say just be accepting and love yourself a little bit more. It is so important to love yourself.