MEMI is one of the latest brands to land at Indulge Beauty and so we wanted to know the in’s and out’s of how MEMI came to life. The sleek silver packaging is something that immediately caught our eye and the palettes are to die for, so we were obviously intrigued to pick the brains of the creators. We spoke to Co-Directors, Amelia Watson and Jack Thompson, both 22, to find out what inspired their dream and about the aspects that brought it to life.
How did MEMI begin?
We started MEMI with the dream of creating luxury, trend led makeup products that stand out in your makeup bag. Our line is comprised of the highest quality must have pieces that are timeless, fun, beautifully packaged and more importantly affordable – We wanted MEMI to be the brand your beauty bag can’t live without!
How does your initial vision of MEMI compare to the brand it is today?
Our vision for MEMI is and always will stay the same, we want to continually create trend led, luxury makeup products that stand out in your makeup bag but at a price that is accessible and affordable. One of the most rewarding aspects of running MEMI is seeing people buy and love our products, customers are the backbone of our brand and we are constantly striving to be a brand they love and trust.
How important was it to you to make MEMI vegan/cruelty free?
Awareness of animal testing has grown significantly over the years and people have become more mindful of the brands they’re choosing to purchase and how ethical those brands are. Animal welfare is hugely important to both Jack and I and we knew from the beginning that MEMI was going to be a Cruelty Free and Vegan brand. We want to empower the newer generation of beauty buyers and show that Vegan and Cruelty Free products are still innovative and deliver unwavering performance.
What inspired the dream of MEMI, was creating a beauty brand something you always wanted to do?
From a young age I was always obsessed with my mum’s makeup bag and as I grew older I was the girl that tried every makeup product under the sun, but I still felt like there was something missing in the cosmetic market. I couldn’t find a brand that was the full package, I was missing that brand that was affordable as well as luxury. Just because a product is at a cheaper price point doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a full brand experience and that’s where the idea for MEMI came from, I wanted to bridge that gap.
How do you come up with the names of the products? I particularly like the Millennial palette and the names of lipsticks e.g. You Wish, Foreplay and Hard to Get. That seems like a really fun part of the job.
Naming the products was one of the funnest parts for Jack and I, we actually took a lot of inspiration from song lyrics and names! We knew we wanted MEMI to be a luxury brands trendier younger sister, so the names we chose had to reflect this – all of our products have evocative tongue-in-cheek names.
If you could have ANY celebrity wearing MEMI products, who would it be and why?
If we could have any celebrity wear MEMI it would have to be Rosie Huntington- Whiteley! Her effortless, laid back approach to beauty reflects what we want MEMI to represent and we love how quintessentially British her looks are! We also recently had Millie Bobby Brown wear a full face of MEMI, that was a huge pinch me moment for Jack and I!
What inspired the clean, silver packaging?
MEMI stands for ‘For Me, Myself And I’ and we wanted the packaging to reflect exactly that. We wanted the first thing people saw to be their reflection as we believe beauty is personal to each individual. Keeping the packaging simple and clean was also very on brand for us, we wanted MEMI to feel luxurious and special and something you would always be able to recognise on your vanity!
Eyeshadow palettes are a huge thing in the beauty industry, how do you choose the colours that go into them?
We start by thinking about the colours we want MEMI to evoke, which in our case is wearable shades that are versatile and easy to use. The Millennial palette was one of our favourite palettes to create, we chose monochromatic colours that were easy to work with and complement each other – Eyeshadow can be very daunting for a lot of people and we wanted to make sure our palettes didn’t look intimidating and were designed for the everyday makeup beginners to use. All of the MEMI palettes are soft and subtle but can easily be amped up.
What is your favourite MEMI product and why?
My favourite MEMI product has to be our Millennial palette! It was one of the first products Jack and I designed and it is the product that I feel really represents MEMI perfectly.
Where do you hope to see MEMI in five years time?
We hope MEMI becomes an internationally recognised brand that people love and trust!
Here at etc., we love that MEMI stands for Me, Myself and I, and the brand itself is inspiring. Take a look a our collection on Indulge Beauty and make your makeup bag sparkle. Let us know in the comments what products you’ll be adding to your basket!
