In conversation with the founder of the latest vegan and cruelty-free venture, AROOBA Beauty. Economist turned entrepreneur, Arooba shares her brand’s story, what sets her apart from the competitors and more. Arooba illustrates the brand’s key selling point is that they are a makeup brand that promotes ‘clean glamour’ that is ‘timeless and classic,’ in a world that revolves around the latest trends. After swatching the palette it is eminent that the formulation differs drastically from what is currently available in the market. Arooba elaborates the mission of the brand is to enhance the exuberance beauty provides, honing a simplistic approach to glam that ‘inspires the imagination and enhances the pleasure of makeup application - making AROOBA part of your holistic lifestyle.’
Delving deeper into the exquisite formulation, Arooba expresses that the signature formulation was curated encapsulating the best of both worlds: skincare and makeup.
An amalgamation that does not fall under everyone’s expertise, where she faced several challenges. She stated once the proficient team was found, the process was quite seamless, and most of her time after was spent in the labs, ‘learning more about the ingredients to bring to life the colours and textures that were imagined for each of our eyeshadow palettes,’ coining the journey an artisanal process.
The artisanal element Is prominent throughout the palette, in terms of the rich colours and the names, that succinctly capture the story and lifestyle the brand conveys. Arooba eloquently expressed that their palette ‘Desert Goddess, has earthy tones that reflect nature - it's like taking a journey through a desert so the colour names inspire that imagination; ‘Enraptured’ is a luminous sunset, ‘Grain’ a light taupe, and ‘Lagoon’ is a deep aqua.’
Subsequently, I asked which shade she was obsessed with, after a little pause, Arooba elaborated on how much effort was required to produce each shade and that they are all very special to her. Followed by ‘I love ‘Vintage’ from our Polished Princess palette, due to its versatility, the cool toned matte brown works with every skin tone ... along with the glitter essences, as they are the innovative creams in the palette. I love the shade ‘Amira’ from our Polished Princess palette too,’ due to its multi-functionality and ethereal glow. She also proclaimed how ‘Vintage’ is her go-to with some winged liner for the quintessential no-makeup, makeup look for work.
As mentioned earlier, Arooba has an Economist background, when asked what intrigued her to build a makeup brand? she stated, ‘as an economist, you learn problem solving and efficiency - and I feel every entrepreneur should live on these principles.’ She also alluded to her family being a huge inspiration, as her siblings are all entrepreneurs, which instinctually motivated her to start her own legacy.
Arooba magnified that she chose to venture out into the beauty industry due to her immense passion and curiosity to learn more about the production process. To develop or rather innovate a formulation that is not prevalent in the saturated makeup industry, which in her case was skincare makeup, specifically for the eyes.
When asked about the role makeup has played in her life, she responded ‘I find makeup to be very therapeutic, it allows me to have my own moments of joy, playfulness and experimentation ... but what’s been the biggest impact of makeup in my life is the feeling of confidence and empowerment that comes with even a simple application of lipstick.’ and expressed her will to share the passion with woman all around the world. Makeup aside, I also inquired regarding the lifestyle habits that allow her to embed wellness and joy into her work life, to which she replied ‘I like to start my day with a workout in the morning as it clears my mind for the day. Along with that paying attention to nutrition and staying hydrated allows me to remain steadfast throughout the day.’
The entrepreneur also alluded to her positive work culture that enhances her well-being. She states, ‘we love getting together for team meetings, which we have funnily coined ‘Beauty Boast Boardrooms,’ where we order in green smoothies, to kickstart our brainstorming sessions in a healthy manner.’
Lastly, before concluding I asked her to revisit some of the high points that have emerged since launching the brand, along with her vision for the brand in the next five years. ‘Well, it has been almost a month since we launched, and the overall response has been overwhelming. I am grateful for the positive reception and recognition from the beauty community and influencers who resonate with our brand’s innovative vision. It has also been incredibly rewarding and exciting to witness how everyone has incorporated our Signature Eyeshadow Dips into their lifestyle, transitioning looks from day to night, using our palettes.’
Moving on to the brand's future, Arooba shared ‘product innovation remains the heart of the brand, and we are working in the lab to create some amazing products to launch next. “We are really focused on mastering one area before tapping into the next - so expect more to come in the eyes category.’ What sets AROOBA Beauty apart from others is clean beauty, along with the dedication to encourage individuals to ‘connect with the products as an experience ... rather than trying to meet certain beauty ideals’ and lastly, the aim to ‘grow into a community of beauty lovers.'
Some Quick Fire Questions with Arooba
SM: Favourite kind of SPA treatment?
A: Manicures
SM: Quality time or party time?
A: A bit of both
SM: What is your favourite season?
A: Winter
SM: Sunrise or Sunset?
A: Sunrise
SM: Cities most frequently visited?
A: London
SM: A favourite hobby?
A: Art and Photography
SM: Top holistic lifestyle tips?
A: Plan your everyday, eat healthy and sleep on time
SM: How do you stay positive?
A: Start your day with a clear mind - A Morning Walk, Yoga or Workout
SM: What holiday destination is on your bucket list?
A: Iceland
SM: Piece of jewellery frequently worn?
A: Rings
SM: Instagram or TikTok?
A: Instagram
SM: One makeup product you can't live without?
A: A tinted lip balm
SM: Beauty trend you love?
A: Blush on nose
SM: Most used colour from your skincare-makeup collection?
A: Vintage from Polished Princess Palette
SM: Go-to outfit of choice?
A: T shirt, blazer, jeans and sneakers
SM: Go to for supplements?
A: Collagen and Magnesium
Sayeedah Maryam is a Dubai-based lifestyle and fashion writer. She recently graduated from Heriot Watt University with a degree in Fashion Marketing & Retailing, and has previously written for renowned fashion publications such as Grazia Middle East and Cosmopolitan Middle East.
