Interview to Luisanna Mundula, founder of The Indie Beauty Shop

The Indie Beauty Shop is a beauty e-commerce, of carefully selected products, sees the light in November 2020, in full soft lockdown. Behind the entrepreneurial story that I will tell you today, there is Luisanna Mundula, a Sardinian on loan to the city of Lucca, with a passion for cosmetics and an enlightening entrepreneurial path. Let’s get to know it together:

Hi Luisanna, thank you for being here. Let’s start from the beginning: how was your online beauty shop born?
I have always had a passion for the world of cosmetics, although in life i have dealt with something else for some time.
I was born as a graphic designer, and i evolved in the marketing sector. I have worked for the most disparate companies, from jewelry, to clothing, passing through the nautical sector and i even went as far as industrial hydraulics.

At a certain point i realized that i had lost interest in my work and i came to terms with my real passions.

It was not a decision made on the spot, i studied, worked out a couple of feasibility and a business plan. Everything was ready by the end of 2017.

In January 2018, unfortunately, life presented me with an important challenge, my father got sick and passed away in February of the same year. My first abrupt setback.
I decided to put my work aside because my priorities had changed and i needed time, to be able to put my life in order, to focus on everything i had thought up to that moment.
In spite of the pain i felt and which deeply marked me, i continued to keep myself informed. I read and studied.

Through reading, especially with the information i was gathering from the foreign press, i realized that i was not on the right track for my job.

When i felt ready i went back to my project and upset everything i had thought in the past. The stop period that i took, overturned the concept of beauty i had up to that moment and with renewed awareness on February 21, 2020 i opened my VAT number. The next day would be the second anniversary of my father’s death, it is a symbolic date for me, i chose it to celebrate my rebirth!

Have you always been involved in beauty or is it a desire that you had in the drawer?
It has never been my job, i wanted to turn my passion into a business. I have always been attracted by novelties and by absolutely unknown brands in the Italian market. Just think that i tried South Korean cosmetics for the first time back in 2007, long before they arrived in Italy, and in Europe. A former colleague of mine from Seoul introduced them to me, aware of my passion for skincare.
But the love for cosmetics dates back to my childhood.
I vividly remember my mom’s beauty ritual. Every morning and every evening i would find her in front of the mirror, with cleansing milk, toner and moisturizer applied religiously. Although it was the 1980s and not all the products we find on the market today were owned, she cared about her beauty moment. In this regard, i’ll tell you an anecdote, i was pretty mad as a child, my mother to catch her breath for a couple of hours at least, she had devised a method. A red nail polish, here is the solution to the irrepressible energy of her daughter. She put it on me and turning to me she warned me saying: “Now stay still until it is perfectly dry, mom tells you when you can move”. As you can see it is a passion that has been with me all my life.
She did not wear makeup at the time and still does not wear makeup, unlike me, who hardly leave the house without lipstick.

When did you make your site official?
After months of work, my site went online on November 22, 2020.
At the end of spring i contacted a very good developer who was able to translate my thoughts and the philosophy of my shop. We spent many hours on a video call, to be able to define every single detail: from the choice of the color palette, to the font, to the type of photo and what content was important to insert to how to do it. I deliberately chose a man who had never dealt with the beauty sector: i wanted an approach and point of view different from mine. Especially since he would point out things to me that i probably could have taken for granted. I wanted that every person who would have chosen to visit my site could perceive the attention to detail and at the same time find useful information to be able to choose the products.

An anecdote from that period that you remember with pleasure and that you want to share with the readers of Wait! Fashion?
I have tried every single product in my catalog. I think it was the best decision to be able to tell the best of my choices.
For example, i also tried the Rokua Skincare beard oil, available in mine e-commerce, it is a Finnish brand specializing in products for men’s skincare.

At first i tried it on the face, to feel its consistency, the level of absorption and to understand if the fragrance could be pleasant.
Then i put into practice a litmus test: i shaved the legs with the razor blade and first applied it to the ankle, to test it in a neighboring area. Once the test was successful, i took the courage to four hands: i applied it on the inner thigh, already tested by the razor. Where i had applied the oil, the skin began to be less red and i felt a pleasant soothing sensation.
So i spread it all over my legs and the redness from post hair removal disappeared.

Is it difficult for a woman to make such a bold entrepreneurial choice?
I believe it is a difficult choice for everyone, men and women.
I don’t feel like saying at all costs that it is a more difficult choice for a woman. I would like to draw attention to the fact that often a woman who works is scary. We fear her resourcefulness, her desire for fulfillment and independence. I realize how difficult it is to maintain a correct balance, it is an eternal struggle between the sense of guilt of the commitments that take away time and energy from the care of the house and the family, on the other hand women ideally wish not to neglect any aspect, and not to feel judge.
It is a dog that bites its own tail, but i believe that thanks to the collaboration of the people next to it we can find the famous “right balance”.

What is the principle that you have set for yourself for choosing the products to be included in your e-commerce?
I wanted different products from those usually found in perfumeries and other eshop.
We are all used to using so many things that we neglect the environmental aspect, the impact of our consumerism.
For this reason, i have chosen companies that work ethically and as environmentally friendly as possible. Both for the processing method of raw materials and for the packaging.

I have often wondered how i could dispose of the cosmetic bottles i used and i was always quite in trouble.
This prompted me to look for materials such as glass or paper, in order to make life easier for those who decide to buy from my shop.
Some products in my shop are “zero waste”.

Are you planning to implement some new branding? If so, what is the process you follow to choose a brand and how long does it take?
Of course, i would add new brands between spring and summer.
Right now i am testing two very interesting lines, one Italian and the other not. Cosmetic legislation is very complex, which is why i hired a consultancy company expert in cosmetovigilance last summer: they supported me in choosing and controlling each of the suppliers in my shop.
For me it is a question of being able to have greater serenity in my choices, precisely because i am in direct contact with suppliers and there are no distributors who take on certain responsibilities.
Usually, after making contact with the company, which i have previously analyzed, i have a sample of the products i am interested in having and the technical documentation needed by my consultants to verify that everything is in order.
After a period of time ranging from 3 to 6 weeks i send them detailed feedback on everything related to the tested products. In the meantime, my consultants inform me if the company and products are suitable to be sold on the Italian market.
If everything goes smoothly, i start a collaboration!

Any plans for the future?

I would like to implement on my web site other sections that may be useful to my customers and potential customers. There are still so many things that I would like to launch and that I am starting to develop in this period. I would like to start visiting fairs again, both in Italy and abroad, if conditions permit!

What would you say to those who still don’t know you?

I love each brand I have chosen: each of them has a story to tell, a soul to discover and behind the scenes there are people who work hard every day.

Each product is the result of long research, which includes the knowledge of every single ingredient: the result is an extraordinary synchrony of positive energy and awareness.
Because taking care of yourself is ultimately what matters. A simple thing and i believe in the simplicity of small things, which is why i chose this job.
Each skin has its own history and different needs: let’s learn to listen to our body and dedicate ourselves to quality time.
My goal is to help my clients to rediscover and regain well-being with small daily gestures, to get back into balance with themselves and start loving each other again.

A SELECTION OF PRODUCTS FROM “THE INDIE BEAUTY SHOP”

OPPIDUM SOLID SOAP
A delicate ordinary soap, available in different fragrances, releases an intense fragrance at the same time delicate.

AVA Hand Cream

Have you always dreamed of a nourishing and plumping hand cream, but hate the “greasy” effect typical of rich creams? Ava Hand Cream is for you, a fragrance that recalls that of freshly tempered colored pencils, a consistency that is absorbed in a few minutes and a result that you would not expect dry, nourished and plump hands.

ELEMNTALS DISCOVERY KIT

A perfect discovery kit to try the 5 fragrances of the Elementals perfume brand, fragrances inspired by the 5 elements: Earth, Fire, Metal, Wood, Water. An ethical olfactory experience, one of the fundamental principles of Elementals products, but also: unisex, vegan, phthalate-free and bee friendly.

Also available in 15ml size:

Hobe Pergh Rebalancing and Antioxidant Facial Water
A mist to be used after cleansing, some vaporization will restore natural comfort to the skin, moisturizing and useful in case of post cleansing redness.

Oppidum Bois de Rose Balm

A nourishing face balm, enriched with rosewood essential oil, rice bran and pink geranium. Ideal to combine with a massage, after the normal evening facial cleansing or after a relaxing hot bath. Nourishes the skin all night long,

ALL THE PRODUCTS CAN BE BOUGHT HERE.

Posted By

Alessia Agus

Pro Make-up Artist Freelance. Al compimento del mio primo anno di vita ho afferrato la prima penna e a quello seguente ho iniziato a parlare fluentemente, da allora non mi sono più fermata. Non metto piede fuori dall’uscio di casa se non ho con me il mio rossetto rosso e Lucio Dalla nelle cuffie.