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Welcome to the first installment of Small Shop Spotlight, today we'll be getting to know the creator of Lady Burgundy! As some of you may know, I am very passionate about small shops and supporting them. It's so inspiring to see individuals follow their dreams and start their own business. Over the past couple of years, I've been fortunate enough to get to know and work with a number of indie brands and to bring this blog series to life makes me so happy!
Today is National Lipstick Day and I couldn't have thought of a better brand to start off with than Lady Burgundy! Plus, they recently released some brand new liquid lipsticks, so I'll be sharing some swatches of those as well!
If you saw my introduction to this series a few weeks ago, feel free to scroll down a bit. If not - here's a little rundown of what you can expect to see! I'll be interviewing the creators behind the indie brands/small shops and showcasing their products. It'll be great way for you to get to know some amazing ladies sand gents as well as find some new products to snag!
Lady Burgundy actually started off as a beauty, fashion, and lifestyle blog several years ago and since has turned into a cosmetics line. They're Canadian based, cruelty free, and ship worldwide. They currently offer Silk Lashes and Matte Lip Creams. I've seen their lashes in action and they look SO stunning - they have 8 beautiful styles to choose from!
As for their Matte Lip Creams, they are seriously one of my all time favorite lip formulas. I'm not just saying that - I promise. I've been wearing their lip shades almost 90% of the time this Summer! They are incredibly comfortable, long lasting, and the shade range is women of color friendly! Don't believe me? Check out my review of their first launch here!
Just a couple weeks ago, Lady Burgundy released 5 new shades as their Notice Me Nudes Set! You can purchase them individually or as a bundle. In fact, they have 3 amazing bundles available!
I'm happy to say the formula of these new shades are consistent and the same as the original five! You can tell they put a lot of thought and effort into creating shades that would look beautiful on a wide range of skin tones.
Now that we talked about their products, let's talk about the woman behind the brand. Who exactly is Lady Burgundy?
Amrita is the incredibly talented creator of Lady Burgundy and I was so happy to get to know her more through this interview!
Let's start with an easy one - tell us a bit about yourself!
Okay here goes… I was born and brought up in Canada to immigrant parents who are originally from India. I have always had 2 sides to me growing up – there’s a nerdy side that loves to read… seriously if I get my hands on a good book I will not move until it’s done. It was a problem for my mom because so many times I got caught reading under the blanket as a kid (when it was wayyy past my bedtime) and I always got scolded… yes I was such a badass. (haha). My siblings still tease me about my “rebellious” ways. I’ve always had a creative side to me as well and this was often my solace whenever I was stressed out. Funny enough, Lady Burgundy really took off throughout my years in Medical School! I worked on my brand throughout medical school in terms of blogging and doing research on branding, makeup products whenever I had any down time. It wasn’t until I had finished my medical training that I really wanted to see where I could take the brand. And here I am today!
What made you want to create your own brand?
From a young age I always wanted to create something from start to finish and I loved makeup and how it really was an art form. Lady Burgundy was definitely a process – and began with my blog where I shared my love for makeup, fashion and the latest trends. This combined pretty much many of my passions, which included writing and a love for makeup. I can honestly say I have been VERY hands on with this brand, from the actual logo design which I created myself, to the website layout, the packaging and even the formulation. In terms of the brand itself, I wanted to create a line, which not only looked great (packaging wise), but actually delivered as well. I think one of the most important aspects for me was inclusivity. There needed to be diversity in the colour range but it couldn’t just end there. It had to show inclusivity in the names of the shades as well, which many people picked up on and loved. I actually smiled many times whenever I read comments and reviews from a number of people who were thrilled that their name actually the name of a lip colour. I did a lot of research on the colours – such as really getting to know what makeup enthusiasts were looking for in terms of shades from various ethnicities and the type of formula they wanted to see on the market.
Here are swatches of Lady Burgundy's first launch of Matte Lip Creams:
Is there a special meaning behind your company name?
The name Lady Burgundy in general doesn’t stand for anything personal. Oddly enough when I was thinking of names for my brand, I did what I do best. I made a list … (seriously I did!). I knew I didn’t want it to be just one word, so I made a line right down the middle of the page and just randomly wrote down words that came to mind – such as favourite colours (burgundy), what things come to mind when I thought of makeup, people I admired, products I loved, etc. And I went down the list and these two words together just worked. I liked how it sounded and that was it! Also, I want to point out that the Lady in Lady Burgundy does not refer to women because men have definitely defined themselves in the makeup world. The Lady in Lady Burgundy actually refers to the title Lady (like Lady Diana). Yes, she was a part of my list because hey she was amazing! A total Girl Boss. The logo design though does have significance in that I purposefully used 2 different fonts for it and I wanted them to be strikingly different from one another. And that for me represents us as people, as individuals. We all have different sides to us, such as different tastes in makeup, likes and dislikes, personalities, etc. Once again I was trying to go for inclusivity in my brand and point out that sometimes we aren’t always prim and proper or always dressed down. I know that’s a lot of pressure to put on a logo but that was in essence what I was going for.
When did your company first launch and with what product?
We launched our 3D silk lashes on June 2nd, 2016 (which oddly enough was my birthday!) and our silk lashes were our first product that was featured. During this time our lip line was undergoing a year of stability testing to make sure everything was completely safe for our customers. I had originally wanted to start off with the lip line but because of health restrictions and regulations, we had to wait at least a year to test everything before releasing it. Our blog started up earlier than that back in 2013, which is when I first created the logo.
What products do you currently offer and do you have a favorite?
We currently offer 3D silk lashes and also Matte Lip Creams, which are from our Lips x Matte collection. We are releasing more shades to that line in the near future. The matte lip creams are definitely close to my heart because the process of creating the formula took me a year! And if I had to choose my favourite products from each line, it would have to be the lip shade in Priya and our silk lashes in the style Lena.
Are there any special items in the works right now? *wink wink* *nudge nudge*
Yes! I’m currently working on 2 new lip formulas that will be just as amazing as our matte lip creams and will also have a diverse shade range. I like to do smaller launches and not release a crazy amount of product all at once because personally I think it’s a bit overwhelming for people. I like to give everyone a chance to get familiar with the products and give them time to really try out a few before we release more. I’m all for quality over quantity and getting some feedback is always awesome!
What is your best selling product and did you expect it to be a best seller? Or had you thought that spot would be taken by another product?
Our bestseller by far in our matte lip line are the shades Ella and Amelia which in all honesty I did predict because I know how crazy everyone is over a good nude and pink shade! And I think it’s important to give the people what they want, which is why I’m currently working on more within this colour range. In terms of lashes, I expected the more voluminous ones to be more popular but I was surprised to find that there was also a demand for more natural looking lashes. Our best-selling lashes to date have been in the styles Lala and Amrita.
What’s the biggest challenge you faced starting your own company?
The biggest challenge for me in starting this brand was actually getting off the ground on a modest budget. There were initially A LOT of closed doors because many labs were just not interested in working with such a small brand. I also wanted to make sure that I was completely hands-on with everything. After a lot of persistence and a year of rejections, I finally found a lab in Toronto that was willing to give us some space to work on our formula. It was a very scary and surreal moment in my life but I was extremely happy when the first lip tube was filled. Lady Burgundy has never been about making money – it’s honestly the biggest accomplishment in my life to date and I’m very proud to have just seen it through till the end. It’s an amazing feeling when something you dreamt of all your life suddenly becomes a reality.
If you had to name three positive outcomes that came from creating your own brand, what would those be?
The first would be creating a line, which brings together people who share a common love for makeup and creativity. The second is being able to work alongside and meeting so many amazing beauty influencers, bloggers and makeup lovers. Lastly, creating a brand, which has received a lot of love and support so early on, has given me a sense of self confidence in myself. Prior to releasing anything I was extremely self conscious and doubtful, wondering if anyone would even like the products or if they would be a complete flop. However after hearing peoples’ feedback on the products they try; it makes me feel happy knowing that all that hard work paid off. It’s a great feeling and makes the journey well worth it.
Last but not least, what would you say is your biggest achievement to date with your brand?
It definitely has to be the matte liquid lipstick formula that took over a year to produce! I’m really happy with the way it turned out and how comfortable it feels on the lips. It is truly rewarding when other makeup influencers and our customers are really happy with it as well. It’s definitely not just a cute looking tube; the formula is one of my biggest achievements to date with my brand. I would never put anything on the market that I do not use myself and when it comes to makeup I’m extremely picky. This is definitely a formula and a makeup line I’m proud of.
I was so pleased to learn about the meaning behind Amrita's brand name and the logo and packaging is seriously one of my favorites! I'm also not surprised to hear that the two best selling shades are Ella and Amelia - they're so stunning and are perfect for almost every skin tone out there! And coincidentally, they're my favorite shades as well!
I hope you enjoyed learning more about Lady Burgundy and Boss Lady, Amrita! Don't forget to check out their Instagram and Website!
Are you a small shop owner that wants to be featured on Glamour and Giggle's Small Shop Spotlight? We share brands every other week, and it's completely free! Email me at <glamourandgiggles@yahoo.com> with the subject as "Small Shop Spotlight" and I'd be ecstatic to work with you!
I really loved this interview. You can tell she put a lot of hard work and time into producing and launching her line. And the idea behind the logo design is so COOL! I picked up Ella a month ago and it really is a stunning shade and comfortable.
Hey friend! I'm a beauty and lifestyle digital creator celebrating inclusivity and empowering you to prioritize your well-being through acts of self care.
