Welcome to The Beauty Gypsy, where skincare meets self care, makeup is fun, and a perfume can totally transform your day!
This is a space for beauty enthusiasts who love relaxed glamor with an edge of the unexpected — think Hailey Bieber meets Serena van der Woodsen — and are looking for a lipstick that will give them the confidence to sail past that shitty ex on their way to having the time of their lives!
It’s also THE space for those of us who were not blessed with genetically perfect skin, loads of gorgeous, glossy hair, and the perfect facial structure. Real beauty for real women.
Real beauty for real women
I was not born with a supermodel’s facial contours. In fact, I seem to have no “good side” to my face because neither profile will show up a chiselled jawline.
And since nobody told me about sunscreens while I was playing basketball every single afternoon during summer vacations, my skin keeps throwing up that damage till today. Because remember that sun damage is cumulative and shows up years later when it’s often too late?
I also dealt with a terrifying amount of acne in early 20s… so, I know exactly how a blemish in the wrong place at the wrong time can seem to ruin your day.
Adding to the persistent acne scars and sun exposure is the radiation directly on the face I had to undertake last year because of my tryst with tongue cancer… and I have had a lot to explore and learn about dealing with hyperpigmentation. Because radiation leaves its own mark on the skin (and the psyche).
I also have a big scar running right through my neck, where they took out tissue and lymph nodes to graft my tongue.
Fortunately, I have a lot of beauty experts on direct dial… and that’s the knowledge I want to share with you.
After all, someone with perfect skin showing how a concealer covers up her non-existent scars and spots is… like… whatever?
Just like someone with the perfectly chiselled contours doesn’t really need that whole bronzer-highlighter thing?
And those blessed with great skin from birth haven’t got the raw materials for a deep dive on the best hyperpigmentation serums?
It’s like the 20-year-old advertising an anti-aging cream. Right?
I am not jealous of them. Ok, maybe I am a little jealous. But that’s their life and this is mine. Ours. You’re and mine. I have learnt by doing and that’s what I want to pass on to you.
Because beauty should be liberating. Right?
After all, unlike fashion, nail polishes don’t discriminate based on your dress size. And a fragrance can help you don a whole new personality with just one spritz.
Beauty, to me, should not be complicated unless you are Angelina Jolie walking down the red carpet or Rihanna leading the Superbowl.
Me? I am more likely to be found tucked away on the couch, dressed in my comfiest silk pajamas, Diptyques’ Feu de Bois flickering away in the background, and the latest book by Colleen Hoover or Sophie Kinsella in my hands.
Or dressed in blue denim jeans and a white silk shirt, dewy skin with just a touch of foundation, loads of mascara, and a glossy blush-nude lipstick for a romantic evening with the husband or a bold terracotta red for friends, cocktails, and dramatic entrances.
Makeup to me is like statement jewellery — best used in small doses but in a way that makes a big impact.
And skincare is always the sword on which I will stake my life — because a glowing complexion is the best accessory!
And this is what you will find on The Beauty Gypsy…
I will decode for you lip gloss nails and glazed doughnut skin in a way that doesn’t need more than 10 minutes of your time.
I will spill the beans on how to put on fake nails just like the stylists, sans the salon appointment.
I will help you find the perfect sunscreen for wearing under makeup.
I will show you how to deflate that mammoth pimple without leaving a scar.
I will lead you to beauty products so gorgeous that they are pure happiness in themselves.
And I will tell you if blue light is honestly damaging your skin or its just another marketing gimmick.
Relaxed, easy glamour that combines beauty with self care — from your beauty BFF who believes that gorgeous perfumes, shimmering nail polishes, mint-infused creams, lazy baths and delectable spa massages are the solution to most world problems!
Meet your new beauty BFF… Anubha Charan (and why you should trust me!)
The beauty BFF — aka me, Anubha Charan — who has come to this realization after more than a decade spent working in the beauty industry.
I was formally a Beauty Director with Marie Claire and worked with the French headquarters as part of the international team that oversaw the beauty content across global editions.
And I have spent the last decade writing about luxury beauty, fashion and lifestyle for international outlets including Marie Claire, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Travel + Leisure, Casaviva and Architectural Digest.
I also co-authored a book on French beauty for Simon&Schuster.
I am well entrenched in the digital nomad lifestyle since life is way too short for my itchy feet to be in one place for more than a few months.
Paris. Positano. Sri Lanka. Bali. The Lake District. Florida. Chicago. North Carolina. Rajasthan. Japan during cherry blossom season. The Northern Lights in a little village within the Arctic circle.
And everywhere I go there are new discoveries to be made: Beautiful soaps that are poured by hand in Morocco; a peek inside the Hermès workshop in Saint-Vincent-de-Paul; a small haircare brand in India that keeps up the forgotten art of shatadhauta ghrita (100 times washed ghee); watching fresh rose and jasmine blooms transformed into sparkling bottles of Chanel No. 5 in Grasse; a former doctor who makes velvety body oils out of hand dried herbs in Colorado; a young company in Amsterdam that’s bringing tulips into our skincare under the label of BloomEffects.
New discoveries. New adventures. Tiny little luxuries that bring a smile to my face and can flood the darkest days with the joy of a million stars.
Are you ready to discover this world with me?
Drop me a line on anubha@anubhacharan.com for suggestions on what you want me to review or what you want to see on the blog. Or just to say hello!
And come see me over on Instagram and Facebook, where I share bite-sized beauty tips and reviews, along with a behind the scenes look into my world.
Or join in the conversation on my Facebook Group, where we lovers of lipsticks and pedicures get together to trade information, solve problems, discuss industry subjects, assist each other and get helped in return, create a platform for the issues facing beauty enthusiasts, pool resources… and sometimes, just vent.
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