They say a thing of beauty is a joy forever. It even has the power to pull one from the darkest depths of depression. For sensitive and creative Kairavi Bharat Ram, Founder and CEO of Typsy Beauty, it certainly did.
As the 24-year-old scion of the Bharat Ram family, Kairavi has an entrepreneurial spirit ingrained in her along with an innate desire to follow her passion. Her sharp mind, soft- spoken nature and passion to succeed have made her one to watch for among India’s youth. And despite the sensitive nature of the subject, Kairavi confidently shares her story...
Battling depression in her last year of school, she received much-needed respite in watching makeup videos on YouTube. She would spend hours consuming content by American ‘beauty gurus’ like Tati Westbrook and Manny MUA for the pleasure their lovely makeup looks gave her in an otherwise dark world. While she was unaware of it at the time, she had found her calling in life.
Recalling that period as a teenager, she says, “The seed was planted with the makeup videos. Soon after, I did a course with Vidya Tikari to become a certified makeup artist, but being an artist was never my goal — I was most excited by the products. I had an innate love of makeup, far more than just the application of it.”
Later, while pursuing a degree in fashion management at the London College of Fashion, she visited department stores every day to learn about new launches and became a willing “personal shopper” when family and friends were keen to buy makeup.
“I learnt so much about each product. And it was great to be out and about after being cocooned for a couple of years,” says Kairavi.
Encouraged by mentor and close family friend Sanjay Kapoor, Founder of Genesis Luxury Fashion, she decided to enter the field professionally. She armed herself with an amateur pitch deck and began to knock on the doors of external investors — a rule her family strictly follows for all new business ideas.
“At first, I was very upset when my father asked me to approach an external investor. In hindsight, though, I realise it’s made such a big difference because people take me seriously today,” Kairavi says with candour.
The first investor meet led to an interested party telling her she had a good idea, but he wouldn’t invest because he believed rich kids didn’t have the same fire in their bellies.
“I responded saying that a fire in the belly doesn’t only come from financial conditions; it also comes from personal circumstances,” she stresses. “Makeup gave me a purpose in life and that’s what I want to share with the world.”
This convinced the investor, and the seed for Typsy Beauty was firmly planted.
Kairavi describes her brand as one that “stands for quality, innovation, authenticity and inclusivity on every level”. Every fun yet functional product in the line is multi-tasking and seeks to solve a problem. This includes dual-ended eyeliners, highlighters with nifty and attractive packaging, face powders that twist up just the right amount of product to avoid a mess, and shimmery oils that add shine to both lips and cheeks. And in just over a year since its launch, celebrities, influencers and regular users alike have lauded the brand for its uniqueness.
Typsy Beauty, though Kairavi’s main focus, is not her only venture. She also bears the distinction of having penned three books for children published by Scholastic. She wrote the most recent of these, C is for Cat, D is for Depression, in rhyming verse to demystify the feelings of depression for young minds.
Kairavi wrote it on a lark to explain her own feelings to her therapist at the time, who loved it so much that she requested her to have it published, so it could be used as a tool to speak to other children suffering from similar mental health conditions.
Her other books, written while she was still a teenager, were the Ramayana in Rhyme and Krishna in Rhyme.
“My family has always emphasised the importance of our Indian culture. We grew up watching the Ram Leela, but my friends didn’t know about any of this and weren’t interested. My cousin and I wrote these books together to make these aspects of our culture accessible and cool,” she explains.
Though she says she is “always working” while in Delhi, she does make it a point to take periodic breaks to travel.
“I feel it’s important to take breaks for my mental health,” says the avid traveller, who frequents London as a trendsetting destination and because of her close ties to the place, having studied there.
Although she mostly travels to switch off, she isn’t averse to combining work with pleasure, by visiting South Korea and Italy – locations where her manufacturers are based, and which are known to set international beauty trends.
“I’m learning the Korean language too because I’ve been a fan of K-Pop and K-Dramas for the last six years,” she adds.
Kairavi is very close to her family and enjoys spending time with her parents, younger sister and three adorable dogs. She also shares a special bond with her aunt (mother’s sister), whom she describes as her bestie. “We are both very creative and love scrapbooking together.”
And as a foodie, Kairavi enjoys trying out new places in the city on the weekends.
Taking a cue from her brand name, which plays off the word ‘tipsy’ that signifies being neither sober, nor drunk, Kairavi, too, is a balanced soul. She’s both serious and hardworking, fun and experimental. One sees this in the declaration she makes on her website: “I started Typsy Beauty with a purpose to bring superb international quality makeup to the Indian consumer and to create a strong community that brings a sense of belonging and inclusivity for everyone. A community that celebrates everything that makes you, YOU.”
Photos: Karan Takulia; Styling & Creative Direction: Amber Tikari
This has been adapted for the web from a story originally published in the May 2023 issue of HELLO! India. Get our copy of the latest issue right here!
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