Kiran and Sonam is a duo that co-run the page @dreaminginmascara that talks about beauty, skincare and lifestyle.
Kiran is an engineer by degree who heads the corporate affairs, whereas Sonam heads the PR of the same Geopreneur group. Kiran is also a mother to two lovely twins, and you will often find her juggling between motherhood and her work. On the other hand, Sonam is passionate about beauty and holds a degree from the London College of fashion. Beauty and skincare have been her calling and something she was sure of and jumped the wagon with her best friend Kiran to start the page Dreaming in Mascara.
Interview
Questions and answers
Questions we asked Kiran-
You are a mom to a beautiful pair of twins, how are you coping with managing the babies and all your work simultaneously?
Honestly, I am struggling to manage work, household chores, and the babies in this lockdown with absolutely no maids. But yes, Sonam is my support system and has been managing all the work.
Any tips on how to take care of your skin during pregnancy?
Cleansing, toning, and moisturizing has honestly been all that I did. And obviously, our good old coconut oil and bio-oil for the body is a must.
When did you come up with the idea of developing this brand - Dreaming in Mascara, and what is the story behind the brand name?
So we all have dreams and work hard to achieve them. Dreaming comes from dreams that we have, and because we ladies have an obsession with beauty, let us talk about the Mascara to beautify the eyes which speak the most. That is how Dreaming in Mascara was made.
What are the things one should keep in mind while starting out on a new project or working on something new?
Always work on something that you are passionate about or at least like doing that. Because otherwise, you will not be able to give in your hundred percent, and you are most likely not going to succeed.
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How important is research, planning, and strategizing before starting a project?
Research is the key to success in any project. Planning and strategizing is something which will not happen only before you start a project but also throughout the length of your project. We did not do any of this though when we started, but we have learned an insane amount of things from our fellow influencers, and obviously, we are passionate about what we are doing.
Your website is currently under development. What are the difficulties you are facing in creating your website due to this pandemic?
So we have been virtually planning the whole website with our designer, and something always misses out or doesn’t turn out the same way we had planned, because of the virtual work from home scenario. Hopefully, we will launch soon.
Can you elaborate on what your website would be providing?
All we can say is stay tuned!
How do you describe your style? What are your inspirations?
My style is everything comfortable and easy to wear. I cannot be wearing something extra fitted as I cannot breathe in that. So my style is comfort and elegance. A few fashion influencers are my inspirations, as their style is something I resonate with.
What is the most enlightening thing your travels have taught you?
Travel has taught me more resilience and taught me how to love each other and love everything our planet has to offer.
We get to listen to conversations with people from different lands, and these conversations always give you something to take back home of value.
What is that one fashion rule that you'd never break?
Since my style resonates with everything comfortable, any uncomfortable clothes and shoes are a big no-no. I am more of a minimalist. I like accessories but minimal, so you will never see me go overboard with accessories.
Questions we asked Sonam-
Sonam you've studied cosmetology and have always been passionate about skincare, what made you jump into the world of PR and Marketing?
At that time, I had taken a sabbatical from work and was a homemaker for a year or two in-between; that is when my husband started his construction firm and asked me to take over the PR and marketing. Surprisingly, I had fun working on the marketing of real estate.
What were your first thoughts when Kiran discussed the plan of opening a page dedicated to beauty, lifestyle and travel?
At first, I thought she was only joking as she used to be super busy with Company affairs, but to my surprise, she was pretty serious when we were sipping coffee and put up four names in front of me to choose which one should be our handle. That is when it struck me that she was serious about the page.
Why do companies and people need PR, according to you?
PR is an arm that ensures a brand stays in the news for all the good reasons, and there are constant conversations created around the brand in the news and on social media handles of influencers relevant to your brand. This helps the brand earn third party endorsements and goodwill. If you are a new brand, PR is a cost-effective method to create visibility and credibility for your brand and position your brand amongst industry leaders.
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How is PR different from advertising?
Advertising is paid media, whereas PR is earned media. Anybody can buy space and place an advertisement, but to be in the news, you have to ensure that your brand is newsworthy, trustworthy, and your product speaks for itself. As news is more credible than an advertisement, it is said that a PR article is five times more effective than an advertisement.
Grooming is really important, especially during these times when we cannot go to a beautician. Are there any grooming tips you'd like to provide our readers with?
True, going to a beautician is not going to be an option for quite some time now. Although people are opting to go for it, quite a lot are opting otherwise. There are many self-grooming tools that none of us bothered to use, but now is the time to give all of that a try. I have some detailed reviews on my YouTube channel and Instagram on wax strips, eyebrow trimmer, body groomer, etc. which are saviors in this time.
Every skin type is different. How do you advise, should one create a perfect skincare regime that is suitable for their skin type?
First, you need to know what is your skin type. Dry, oily, or combination and then work around what works best for you. If you have dry skin, use moisturizing products, serums, face oils, and more products that add moisture to your dry skin.
If you have oily skin, go for more water-based products and ones that lock in your skin’s natural moisture.
Combination skins need to mix their skincare, so both the issues are addressed. But mainly you need to do a trial and error as to what suits your skin as what suits me might not suit you.
What is a common mistake that people usually make while buying beauty or skincare products?
I think the biggest mistake I have seen in skincare is that a person goes and buys a product because it has shown amazing effects on a friend or relative but doesn’t think about whether this product will suit their skin type.
Same is with makeup, do not blindly pick up color cosmetics just because you saw a swatch of the shade and fell in love with it. Make sure the color suits your skin undertone and compliments your skin rather than bringing it down.
What are a few ingredients that we should look out for in a beauty product that can be harmful to our skin?
- Definitely look for sulfate-free shampoos. They really do harm our hair.
- Parabens are very common but harmful, and hence packaging of products clearly mentions paraben-free.
- Coal tar in cheap, non-branded lipsticks. If a lipstick feels heavy on the lips, go back and just check the ingredients once on the product website.
What are some of your current fashion obsessions?
I am more of a comfort fashion person. I am living off my PJs like the rest of the world in this pandemic, but otherwise, I love the matching cord sets which are still in. Accessories make up a major portion of the fashion statement, so definitely more delicate multiple stacked up jewelry is what I love to enhance any look. Also, this is something that will stay for long.
You have reviewed a lot of products, can you tell us about a product that did not work out per your expectations and was disappointed?
Honestly, there is a list I can give here, but all I would say is every product works differently on different skin types. A product that suits you won’t necessarily suit me. So I would refrain from taking a particular brand name as except that product, they have some amazing products that I have used, and the same goes for all the products that did not work out for me, but the brand had some other really good ones offer.