Hi! I’m Swati, and that’s 22 year old me in the heart of Times Square over a decade ago. I had just landed in NYC from India to study Quantitative Finance at Carnegie Mellon University. I was immediately taken aback by the beauty, fashion and glitz the city was offering. With little savings and drowning in college debt, I seeked ways to dress up “cute” (Jenny Humphrey style lol).

My degree finished, I moved to Boston for a new job in banking. Alongside work, I made friends in creative fields like theater and dance and assisted them in backstage makeup in my free time. It was here that I understood different skin textures and the fact that “one shade does not fit all”. Five years passed and work brought me back to NYC, I continued doing makeup for music videos, theatre groups, fashion week and loved every bit of it! My little studio turned into a chemistry lab where I experimented with skincare and makeup and gifted it to friends for feedback. They were so kind and supportive and always encouraged me to set up something of my own. I always wanted to but it was a distant dream, after all I was just a nerdy immigrant who loved makeup, who would care ? I didn’t have celebrity connections or anything special about me. All this great negative self talk kept me from doing what I love- creating good makeup :)

And then the pandemic hit! Similar to a lot of folks, my life also hit reset. I moved to San Francisco to be closer to my family, started working in big tech , found a partner, got married , got a dog and grieved extensively over the loss of a loved one. And now after over a decade of contemplating, I feel ready to start my own makeup brand.

I really hope you enjoy the products as much as I have loved putting them together.

#clubgulal
#creativeayurveda

XO
Swatea (@swateabeauty)
creator of @creative.ayurveda and @club.gulal