Anisa Beauty
The Need
Anisa International designs and manufactures makeup and skincare tools for the cosmetic industry’s top brands, with products in Sephora, Ulta, drugstores and department stores. When the company launched their in-house brand of brushes and tools, Anisa Beauty, I was brought on to lead the content direction through a series of photo shoots, creating assets that would drive brand aesthetic direction, introduce the new products, and present the brand’s founder and CEO, Anisa Telwar-Kaicker, as a more public personality. The photos would serve as content for the Anisa Beauty website, social media, and other various print and digital assets.
The Approach
To achieve this multi-faceted project, I worked with Jennifer Young on photography and the Anisa Beauty team on shoot production, working with their existing product design. Anisa Beauty would be a namesake and long-anticipated personal achievement of Anisa, the founder. For the brand’s debut, I saw an opportunity to partner closely with her, so that the work we created would reflect her personal style and illuminate the inspiration and foundation behind the brand.
The Concept
Through exploratory interviews and team meetings, I got to know Anisa as a creative innovator, a powerful second-generation businesswoman, and a modern mystic — a collector of crystals and practicer of mindfulness and meditation. We planned to shoot in various locations around Atlanta, including her home and in cultural centers that represented her version of city.
The Inspiration
Given the personal origins of the Anisa Beauty brand, we wanted our scenes to be stylish, modern, and sophisticated — like Anisa herself — with shots that felt intimate and organic.
The amethyst hues of the products were inspired by Anisa’s collection of crystals that decorate her home and office. We ran with this concept, and not only planned to feature crystals but play with light, reflection, and transparency, alluding to the reflective and multi-faceted nature of the crystals that inspired the line.
The Photography
I created inspiration boards to guide the angles and compositions in our shot list, and mood boards to set the tone of our photography. Photographer Jennifer Young and I worked closely together to capture our subjects and the light with clarity, brilliance, elegance, and playfulness. We cast a few models for our lifestyle shoots, captured natural portraits of Anisa with her creations, and shot product in flatlay and lifestyle scenes. With several shoot days in several locations around Atlanta, our work was ambitious. With my detailed document of map of locations, shot list and schedule, and inspiration, we were able to accomplish our goals.
Following the shoot, I collaborated with Jennifer on shot selection and editing.
The Result
Our final photos were met with great enthusiasm from Anisa and her team, and our content was featured throughout Anisa Beauty’s brand presence as a cornerstone of the brand direction and aesthetic.
