Interview: Nidhima Kohli, founder and CEO of My Beauty Matches

We can’t get enough of inspiring female entrepreneurs, and when we heard that makeup artist Nidhima Kohli had left her finance job to found a beauty website for time-poor women, we wanted to know more. My Beauty Matches offers a quarter of a million products and uses tech to help you find something that’ll work for you. Basically, take our money.

Here’s what Nidhima had to say when we caught up with her.

Hi Nidhima! Tell us a bit about you.

Hi team Gadgette, thank you for having me! I am the founder and CEO of MyBeautyMatches.com, the world’s first personalised product recommendation site for beauty.

Why did you found the site?

I’m an internationally BABTAC-qualified makeup artist from the London School of Makeup and Beauty, so I understand the needs of different skin types and the importance of using the right cosmetics.

For years I’ve been frustrated by the biased sales tactics of beauty counter staff and a lack of personalised beauty product advice in the media. Nothing was unique to me – all the reviews I read promoted only the latest products (not the best products) or beauty items that weren’t applicable to my specific skin type or make up concerns and, unsurprisingly, beauty counter staff would only recommend from the range they were selling.

As a busy woman with not a lot of time on my hands, I dreamed of a website where I could find a comprehensive, unbiased selection of products just for me at the click of a button. So I created that very website.

Tell us about the site. How does it use technology to help people get better results?

My Beauty Matches’ super-smart algorithm processes data uses expert insights, ingredient-based research and profile comparisons to generate personalised recommendations complete with price comparisons - a concept which is unrivalled in the current marketplace.

Before My Beauty Matches, you worked in finance. What’s it been like making the move from the corporate world to a startup?

In a nutshell, it’s been amazing and overwhelming in equal measures! At the time, working for some of the world’s biggest banks gave me such an adrenaline rush, but that feels like a breeze in comparison to working in the startup arena. I used to get bored very easily, but now I’m facing new and different challenges on a weekly basis; it’s such a rush. Working in finance meant I was surrounded by the best people in the business starting my own company meant building a team from scratch. I wanted to continue to work with the best people, and slowly but surely we’ve got there. I am so proud of what my team and I are building from scratch, we all feel very empowered that we created this from nothing.

Oh and of course I love that I can now wear whatever I want to work from my pilates kit to a sparkly headband!

What’s your advice for female entrepreneurs hoping to start their own business?

As an entrepreneur, it’s vital to realise early on that you will constantly be presented with challenges that, as a rule, can be trickier than anything you’ve experienced in any job you’ll have had before. But the sooner you can accept and embrace the challenges, the sooner you’ll begin to see growth and real progress. The community of female entrepreneurs and the resources available to us are expanding fast, and it’s really motivating and encouraging to see your peers succeeding and supporting one another.

What are the best and worst bits of your job?

Good question. The best bit is building something that women really need. Creating the site has been an incredibly creative and rewarding process, and I’ve gained so much knowledge in such a short space of time. I love working in such a fast paced environment.

The worst bit is that there’s simply never enough time; we have so many ideas and so much we want to do that our ‘to do’ lists are never ending. As a result, and because I genuinely love what I do, I sometimes find it tricky to switch off after work. There’s always more to read, learn, and create.

If you could give your younger self some advice, what would you say?

I would tell my younger self to start chasing your dreams sooner rather than later, and there’s no such thing as a problem, because you can always turn it into an opportunity.

What are your top 3 beauty tips?

For best results, remember that it’s important to use products that work for YOU. Even if they’ve been recommended by your most trusted friend, a beauty blogger, or even your mum, that doesn’t mean they’ll work for you.
Give your skin, hair and nails a head start by maintaining a balanced diet and lifestyle. Beauty really does come from within, and factors like stress and eating poorly can all impact on the outside.
Make time for your beauty regime. Whether it’s a weekly face mask, applying cuticle oil before bed, or two minutes each day to massage in your favourite facial oil, your skin will thank you.

What are you most excited about at the moment?

We have an exciting new launch on the site coming soon, which will be the first time it has ever been done in beauty. Watch this space!

If you’d like to hear more from Nidhima, you can follow her on Twitter: @NidhimaKohli. Try My Beauty Matches for yourself here.