If you’re a social media beauty trend stan, you’ve no doubt come across the popular #BrownGirlMakeUp trend and the numerous content creators who are sharing their secrets and tips to making brown skin glow. One creator in particular is boosting this trend with her unique expertise on color theory in makeup, giving her followers an inside look at the products she loves to use, but also an education into topics like colorism, colonialism and how they have played a role in global beauty standards.
Beauty content creator Monica Ravichandran is the creator of the #colortheorytest and #lipstickcolortheory trends on TikTok. As a first-generation Indian, Gen Z creator born in the Bay Area in California to immigrant parents, she has gained a reputation for her combining her STEM background with her content creation and makeup prowess.
Having studied Computer Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Monica entered the industry as software engineer and product manager, finding enjoyment in the STEM aspect of everyday life. Eventually, Monica realized her interest in beauty after discovering a connection between the technical side of beauty to the creative side of the beauty industry.
Monica then used her background in STEM to better understand the beauty industry and the reasoning behind the lack of inclusive shades for all colors of skin. She’s spent hours in labs in Italy dissecting the undertones to determine why shades made for cooler skin-tones may look underwhelming on those with warmer skin-tones.
Over the years, Monica has become a highly regarded consultant, forming relationships and collaborations with top/leading beauty & skincare brands, such as, NYX Cosmetics, The Ordinary, Vaseline, Rare Beauty, etc. and has been a panelist for major events such as SXSW. Her unique approach to beauty has inspired creativity and helped educate audiences as well as brands on how to resolve complex beauty issues.
Monica has captivated audiences online with her engaging educational content, creating meaningful change in the beauty industry and championing inclusivity in shade ranges, all while empowering individuals to discover what suits them best. Here’s what she shared with us about her journey so far!
@monica.raviii Replying to @nottgiss4 FINALLY GET TO KNOW MEEE 🫶🏽 ty for being apart of my little #browngirlmakeup community I love each and every one of you guys 🫶🏽🥹 #grwm#gettoknowme#brownskinmakeup#grwmmakeup ♬ original sound – Monica Ravichandran ✨
Where did your love of makeup and beauty begin, and who were your role models growing up?
My love for makeup and beauty began when I was 12 years old. I used to watch my mom wear red lipstick and put on makeup every day, which inspired me to do the same. My role models have always been my Indian immigrant parents, who inspire me to be the best version of myself and to keep pushing boundaries.
As someone who studied software engineering at Cal Poly, who is now a renowned beauty influencer and entrepreneur, can you talk about the moment you decided to pivot your career path, and why?
I think there was less of a pivotal moment for me because I was posting content daily while being a software engineer and product manager in tech. I worked both jobs for 3.5 years before burning out, and that was also around the time my color theory videos were going viral while I was establishing myself as a brand.
I remember getting sick consistently for 3 months because I was basically working from 8AM-12AM every day, for three years, and at that point I thought to myself, “I have to quit something.” I remember asking myself “when I am in my 70’s, will I regret not pursuing my beauty creator career?” That answer was a no brainer – yes, I will regret it.
It was a really difficult decision because I enjoyed both jobs but after 3.5 years, I had to pick one. Soon after I was able to incorporate my engineering mindset into the way I curate my content so now I’m still able to achieve both.
@monica.raviii 2 YEARS AGO I QUIT MY PRODUCT MANAGER JOB and now I’m speaking about how I combined my two passions on a panel @YouTube 🥹🤎 THANK YOU & all products & shades for this look are 🔗ed in my bio!! @MOB Beauty @Armani beauty @Estée Lauder @Patrick Ta Beauty @hudabeautyshop @rephr_official @makeupbymario @tomfordbeauty @Lisa Eldridge@cliocosmetics_global @abercrombie #grwmmakeup#engineeringmindset#browngirlmakeup#makeupforbrownskin#productmanager#contentcreator#panelgrwm#businessofbeauty ♬ original sound – Monica Ravichandran ✨
The beauty industry has been criticized in many ways for its lack of inclusive shades and products that cater to all skin types and ethnicities. How are you hoping to push the conversation forward with your product and the content you create?
I think people tend to forget beauty is more than just business – it’s also a feeling. Growing up, I had much darker skin and I couldn’t find a lot of makeup products that would work for me. Through my content I hope to share honest feedback about color theory and shade breakdown for new releases, as well as talk about my own experiences with colorism growing up.
By sharing more stories and pushing back against shade inclusivity, I’m hoping brands take the feedback. Through my own product collab, and my own brand in the future, brown girls will always be part of the conversation and at the forefront.
There has also been a history of Indian companies pushing skin-lightening creams and perpetuating the stigma toward darker skin tones. As a person of Indian Heritage, why is it important to push back on the narrow ideals of beauty in different cultures?
I think this mindset is rooted in racism and colorism. Colonization made us believe that we’re inferior to English people – which subconsciously drives colorism. I think it’s unfortunate that people in India still believe this narrative, and I’m hoping one day this toxic belief will change and brands will stop promoting this.
As the creator of a couple of viral beauty trends on TikTok, what has been the most exciting aspect of how so many people are participating and taking notice of the conversation?
When I was first creating brown girl content on Tik Tok 5 years ago, no one was talking about it. Brown girl makeup had been a thing on Instagram and YouTube, but no one brought color theory into the conversation. I still remember tons of people saying it’s so cringe to make this sort of content. But the one thing my software engineering degree helped me understand was SEO. Branding myself as the brown girl makeup helped me find a purpose with my own content, helped inspire the next generation of content creators, and resulted in a multi-million dollar business.
@monica.raviii Replying to @Sarahaha🫶🏽 The Scandinavian scarf situation goes FURTHER than just being a scarf it leads to an entire generation of internalized racism that gets passed down generations 😪 Products used @NYX Professional Makeup concealer serum @DanessaMyricksBeauty blurring balm @Huda Beauty powder @maccosmetics strobe blush @Maybelline NY lifter gloss #scandinavianscarf#southasian#dupatta#browngirlmakeup#browngirl#browntok#aapiheritagemonth#makeupforbrownskin#aapi#melaninmakeup ♬ original sound – Monica Ravichandran ✨
You’ve spent time in Italy researching what goes into making a beauty product in your quest to make the perfect red lipstick. What is it about the red lip color that you love so much?
When I went to Italy it was to help with consulting for a foundation range launching next year, but it also helped me the most to understand what goes on with contract manufacturing. My experience creating a red lip with Mob Beauty was a completely different experience because I got to learn from the head chemist who made all the best-selling MAC cosmetics lipstick shades, and really understand pigments as well as the importance of color theory.
What I love the most about the red lip I made, is how it almost parallels a nude lip, and how I know there’s also nothing exact to this shade on the market. After going to Italy, I learned most brands just benchmark every other brand’s shade on the market, which is why we have 50 renditions of MAC’s “Russian Red”.
My red lip wasn’t benchmarked off any of that. We created a base red color based off how it looked on me and then went from there. What makes it every day wearable is also how it’s still a red but slightly subdued with the perfect neutral undertone.
How are you utilizing your STEM experience to better understand the science behind the range of colors we see in beauty products and makeup?
I feel as though all my color theory content came from my STEM knowledge. As an engineer I was always taught to wonder why certain things operate the way they do, and by simply asking “WHY do brown girls struggle with their makeup more than people with fairer skin?” I was able to answer that although one part has to do with shade inclusivity, and another part has to do with undertone inclusivity, the most misunderstood answer of all has to do with color theory.
Three years ago, I made the FIRST EVER #lipstickcolortheory test with my friend @jazlmao. Something so simple as swatching lipsticks on two different skin tones blew everyone’s mind and amassed almost 100M views across 3 platforms. I also use my STEM background to iterate as a content creator faster. I have one of my employees run an AI comment sentiment analysis report to help generate more and more ideas based off the comment section every month.
Beauty is often a very subjective concept, despite being so dominated by brands and companies. How would you define beauty, and what does it mean in your everyday life?
I truly believe that beauty, to me, is a feeling. Yes, it’s how we perceive life but ultimately, it’s one of the best feelings in the world. Feeling beautiful is the first step to becoming confident and undefeated, and it also has to do with more than just how you look.
People always associate beauty with how you look, but then overlook the beauty of the mind or the beauty of someone’s personality. The world would be a better place if we placed equal, if not more importance on that, than the beauty of one’s appearance.
Be sure to follow Monica on TikTok and Instagram, subscribe to her Youtube channel, and check out all the amazing beauty creator content under the #LipstickColorTheory and #ColorTheoryTest hashtags!
