You cannot discuss Bollywood and all things glamourous and not mention one of the most-sought after makeup artists in the industry, Namrata Soni. She launched her beauty brand Simply Nam in 2020 and it is safe to say that has disrupted the Indian beauty space. Why? Imagine a brand that caters to Indian skin tones, is made to not melt in the tropical, humid climate and is formulated based on the feedback of someone who has painted some of the most famous faces in the world. Yes, it is safe to say that Soni has a few gold standard beauty secrets up her sleeve. When we enquired about what ‘power’ means to her, Soni said, “To me it means being a woman who is surrounded by people who you, your time and your job,” she explains.
Beauty fell into Soni’s lap by accident. “I was a total tom boy growing up,” she explains. But when it came to being an entrepreneur, she had a calculated plan in place. “It was brewing for years. I wanted to start a beauty brand which actually caters to people in India, keeping in mind our skin type and colour and of course, the climate. Every product is thoughtfully curated with all these factors in mind,” she says.
“I really feel I am blessed to impact women by making them feel beautiful with my work,” she explains. Her journey into being a beauty expert was not an easy one, “We [women] don’t get taken seriously and when I started my career, a lot of people had their doubts about me. The general idea was ‘she is a woman, what does she know about makeup!’ and that made me wonder, if I, as a woman didn’t know, who did?! It was a male-dominated industry then,” she explains. “Every job I got was a challenge where I had to prove myself every day and I ended up fighting the makeup, dress and hair Union who would come and harass me on all my jobs,” says Soni.
When it comes to revealing the advice this beauty expert will give other women, Soni replies, “That beauty you see on social media is contrived and unrealistic. It makes women feel that only if you have flawless skin and bodies will you be taken seriously. It’s so disillusioning. The standards that are being set by our actors and influencers can affect women mentally and emotionally by encouraging them to believe that it is the only way to be,” she explains. “It is so important to be mindful of what you consume because sometimes we forget that it takes a whole village and a lot of effort and sacrifice to look the way they do. We have to start accepting ourselves for who we are,” she adds.