In the Middle

With a TV career that’s been nothing short of stellar (she hosted Electric Circus for years and, as every Canadian teen of the ’90s knows, it doesn’t get much better than that), Monika Deol’s recent foray into the world of cosmetics can be called the same. In fact, it is. Her new beauty brand, Stellar, aims to fill a gap long overlooked by makeup makers, offering high-performance products to fit every skin tone—in particular, those in the medium range. We spoke with Deol about her mission to really bring makeup to the masses. —Noa Nichol

How does a career in television evolve into the creation of a beauty brand?

I think it starts with the fact that I have always loved makeup. I really was a beauty junkie before that was a thing. It also does have a lot to do with my career. My first job was as a club DJ. After that I had a band, I did a nano-second of modelling and then I got into television and have even done a couple of teeny tiny movie roles. All the way through makeup has played a very big part—it’s really become part of my persona.

Tell us about this “gap” in the beauty industry that you’re striving to fill.

I’ve sat in a makeup chair thousands of times (trust me, I’ve done the math!) and had my face done and, having myself been born in India, I always thought that, colourwise, there was a long way to go. There are all sorts of tactics that women “in the middle”—Hispanics, Latinas, East Indians, Asians, African Americans, Middle Easterners and more—use to blend makeup in order to get just the right colour for our skin tones. There are so many nuances in our skin, and lots of unique issues with it, too. When it comes to texture and hyperpigmentation, we often have different things going on in different parts of our face. Different tones in our lips, and texture under our eyes; I know that for East Indian women, for example, the baggage we carry under our eyes constitutes a whole other type of dark circle and, we need coverage without looking like a mask. For that reason, Stellar concealer is super blendable and extremely buildable but, at the same time, it doesn’t “sit” in your lines. In terms of why I’ve decided to fill this niche now, well, the bottom line is, the women I’ve described, myself included, make up two-thirds of the world’s population—we’re the fastest-growing demographic in North America and somehow, when you walk into a store, it just doesn’t reflect that. I get this market, I live this market, I am this market.

Talk more about your focus on women within the medium skin tone range.

While there are a lot of great brands out there offering all sort of shades and, sometimes, you get lucky, I want people in the medium-tone range to get lucky all the time. One issue I have a lot, personally, is with lipstick: so often, I see a great lipstick colour in store and swatch it on my hand and think, “Yes, this is to die for,” only to take it home, try it on my lips and find it looks like a whole different colour, not the one I bought. The pigment in Stellar lipsticks is very true to colour so you don’t take it home and turn into Malibu Barbie, which is a big issue with yellow undertones.

How else are Stellar* products unique?

When I started creating this brand I wanted to keep the quality at the top without making it inaccessible in terms of price. I worked with a lab in Toronto to get the quality and results to where I wanted them to be. I would tell them, “I like this about this foundation, and that about that foundation—make me something that has all those things in one.” And they did. I feel like I’ve given this line my best effort and version with the technology and chemistry available. These products are extremely clean, no parabens, no sulphates, no fragrance and no mineral oils. And they’re cruelty free and vegan.

What are your personal daily can’t-live-without beauty go-tos?

You know, I love it all. I love to put on foundation, concealer, powder, lipstick, blush, eyeliner, mascara and shadow, when I can. I like having my core makeup looking polished—not like I’m on my way to a party, but on point. And that’s what we’ve offered through Stellar: a polished product base for absolutely every woman, medium skin tone and beyond, to access and use and love, whether you only wear mascara or do a daily full-on face.

What makes you a proud Canadian maker?

My parents chose Canada as the place that would allow them to give me a better life. They moved here during the Pierre Trudeau years, and I continue to live the Canadian dream in the junior Trudeau years! Everything about Canada, about being Canadian, makes me proud. My entire career has been about being inclusive, not judging and giving everyone a chance—you can’t get much more Canadian than that. It’s the DNA of our brand, and it’s the DNA of this incredible country.

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