THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Armed with a smartphone and tripod, she explores the nooks and crannies of her home to shoot that perfect picture or video detailing the many lifestyles and beauty choices. Meet Niranjana Naushad, an engineering graduate who has made headway in a career that is still met with blank stares in Kerala. Niranjana is a city-based YouTuber, a lifestyle and beauty vlogger.
Not many of us would have tried Indian brands such as Greenberry Organics or Seer Secrets or Plum Goodness. Or know that snail mucin which forms an important ingredient in Korean beauty products is loaded with nutrition for the skin. Or that there is a whole new world of Korean beauty products on offer. This is where Niranjana steps in. Her Instagram account ‘Leo_tales’ and YouTube channel ‘Leotales by Niranjana’ is a shopaholic’s delight opening up a whole new world of beauty and lifestyle choices.
Her YouTube channel boasts 7k-plus subscribers and her Instagram account has 9k-plus followers. All, in a year. Geographical isolation and exposure are less in Kerala, but that hasn’t stopped her. “It was a challenge, especially coming from an orthodox community. My parents are very forward and lend full support, but I am still considered jobless by many,” she says.
For someone coming from a family which has excelled academically, taking the plunge was practically suicidal. It wasn’t something you expected from someone who was academically brilliant, acing her B-Tech examinations with a high percentage.
“After four years of engineering, my brain was tired. Nothing excited me. I wanted to do something creative,” recalls the former student of Mar Baselios College of Engineering and Technology. It was while going through a few videos on YouTube that it struck her. “I saw that most of them lacked on some front and this pushed me into doing one just for a trial,” she says. Hence on December 30, 2016, she debuted with a review of a beauty subscription box, shot on her phone. After her brother Naveen gave her a tripod, there was no looking back.
It was a hasty decision, but one that she doesn’t regret. “Every day I am happy and excited. And the job pays. I have been searching for this for 25 years and have finally found it,” she says.
You can see the spark in her eyes and sense the exuberance in her voice as she passionately explains her line of work. “I get most of the products for free but if the product is bad, I have no qualms about saying it upfront. For a beginner, it might be risky. For me it is all about honest reviews,” says Niranjana. North Indians form a significant percentage of her viewership base. In a span of one year, she has introduced many affordable brands to netizens via her Instagram account and YouTube channel.
“I advocate cruelty-free products and they figure prominently in my reviews,” she adds. A vast array of affordable and organic brands are available in India and Kerala, she says. “Most brands can be contacted by customers, a perk that leading brands cannot vouch for. I help people make informed purchase decisions with unbiased reviews, ” she says.
The job is risky nonetheless, testing myriad products on one’s own skin. Every product she reviews goes through a screening process. Most products available in the market do not disclose the passive ingredients and it is where the chemicals lie hidden, she says. “I always ask them to give details about the passive ingredients and spend hours researching them. Before trying out any product I interact with the company. If they aren’t sure about the ingredients, I don’t review it,” she says.
