#LifeLokal: OTG Easy Beauty is the minimalist makeup for on-the-go Pinays

What pushed you to create a beauty brand?

Joy: Our family’s business is eyewear. So that’s how we met, Carmina. And parang as we grew together, we were involved in so much fashion and beauty and all this stuff. And then one day, parang nahihirapan na ‘ko magdala ng sobrang daming makeup whenever I travel. And parang sabi ko malaki masyado ‘yong space na na-ooccupy niya sa mga luggages namin. Carmina was the same pala.

Carmina: It would take so much [time] for us to prepare for going out and Joy was the one who said "Ang hirap ng mag-isip paano mo aayusin ‘yong mukha mo when you are always in a hurry, you’re busy" gan’yan. And it was her dream to create a capsule collection of parang essentials. Basically essentials na would make it easier for anybody who isn’t a makeup expert to pick up those pieces and apply them and then they’ll come out naturally beautiful. Because we weren’t the type to also not wear a lot of heavy make up.

So we understand that there is a gap in the market to make it easy for people to look good and use these materials or tools that were already curated so it’s kind of a no-brainer for you. That’s where the concept of this OTG Easy Beauty started. We kept tweaking it as we went along and then we realized na it was important that they were multipurpose because it would mean easier beauty obviously. It would mean easier application, even correction is something we address with the products that Joy developed.

Could you tell us the reason behind the brand's name?

Carmina: OTG is literally on-the-go, right? So, it was because so many people at that time (during the pandemic)—we were all cramming our schedules because of work, family life, and everything else. So the last thing you want to worry about or the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time prepping yourself. That should come easy.

And that's why we really want to develop something that would really serve its purpose. Its name is a perfect name for many reasons. First, because it relates to Joy [on a] personal level and it’s really her original brainchild. It's on-the-go, it’s easy and it’s uncomplicated also. 

How do your product relate to the Filipinos?

Carmina: When we were developing kasi, our suppliers come from Korea, so you have to understand they have four seasons there and here we have two essentially, raining or hot. So when Joy was testing the formulas, that was the longest process, teaching the suppliers to adjust the product to our climate.

It is hulas-friendly. The hero product of all is the cream blush because when I put it on, it stays on. It has enough pigmentation that’s good for yellow undertones because that's really meant for Asians. And because we didn’t want to create a lot of options that were unnecessary, we already took into consideration. Joy had consulted with a lot of makeup artists and there are really key colors that the makeup artists go back to and the tones are always a core group of four tones. All tones are complementary to Asian skin.

So we made it a no-brainer. Meaning to say, walang hindi bagay. Like if you wear it, ‘di mo pwedeng sabihing ‘di siya bagay sa ‘kin because it’s already meant to blend with your skin tone. It’s not meant to sit on your skin tone, it tends to blend.  

What are your personal favorites?

Joy: For me particularly I like the blush and the eyeliner kasi the eyeliner is for the pasmado na kamay. Kapag pasmado ka and nag a-eyeliner ka, lagi ka nagkakamali. So kaya namin nilagyan ng eraser on one end.

Carmina: Even if ako, I’m more used to putting on eyeliner. I would have a problem putting on liquid eyeliner in a moving vehicle because it’s no joke, right? You have to make it stay. But what I find really really cool about this is I can put it on without worrying kasi if I make a slip up, it’s really easy to erase and when you erase,  immediately, it doesn’t smear the rest.

One of my favorites pa rin is the cream blush because it’s such a multi-use. Like I could use on my eyes, sometimes I use it like a bronzer, sometimes like a highlighter sometimes… alam mo iba-iba ‘yong purpose niya for me. So that’s how we want people to use it. We don’t want to limit the use because other people discover how to use it by themselves how they like, how they prefer. We are not against that because it is really a multiple-use anything.

What is the price range?

Carmina: Joy was very particular about the price range. We are offering a better quality product for a range of products that aren’t actually high. Like our most expensive is only at retail 695. And the lowest price item is P295.

Joy: The range is so friendly. It’s really in the base range of 500 pesos. You know, when you really think about it, it’s 10 dollars-worth. Not a lot of 10-dollar products are well-performing and are made from really good ingredients. That’s how we wanted it to be.

First of all, we don’t want to be stuck on inventory also of so much. Because if our ethos is minimalism, we only also produce what we feel we can sell and we feel is relevant for the season. As the years come, I’m sure we will keep developing products but you know, we still stick to the essential model. 

Given that there are other local beauty brands, how do you make your brand stand out from the rest?

Joy: I think for the packaging, in a way, the reason why we chose red is when it’s inside the bag, it’s easy to spot. With the capsule collection, since kaunti lang siya, you can actually see what is it that you wanted to use. Hindi mo kailangang magclutter sa table mo. 

Carmina: For me ha, the color choice is not accidental. It is intentional kasi nga when you are in a hurry, you are busy, the last thing that you want is to [rummage] through your bag and you can’t find the thing that you need. So the fact that it comes in a bright red packaging makes it easier for anyone to spot it in a bag like a deep bag.

And then everything na is multi-use. At the end of the day, with one product, you can use it in your lips, your cheek. Your tendency is you’re simplifying your routine also. Even if you notice, we don’t use secondary packaging. It doesn’t come in paper boxes.

Even though we started seeding to our friends, to press like you, we were so thoughtful about how we are going to share the makeup with you using a reusable packaging using your personalized pouch. So parang a personalized pouch would be the best way to receive it because you can reuse the pouch and it can contain all your essentials when you travel. Because we really feel people, whether or not they’re busy, are always on the go. Because your life has to be the most important thing and beauty is something that happens not accidentally but intentionally with products that make sense. With products that are efficient. Kasi ‘di ba not everyone is an expert in makeup but if you have tools that will make it easy for you to enhance your natural look, wouldn’t that be the dream? That’s really the dream why we develop this. 

How would you want your client to feel when they’re wearing your makeup or product? 

Carmina: To borrow a term from a pageant queen, confidently beautiful. Kasi, every confidence stems from knowing you’re using products that are safe right? Also that they are efficient, they will serve the purpose and that you will look like an enhanced version of yourself. We don’t promise to change how you look. We want to bring out the best in people in how they want to use the product. So it actually sits in a base of products that are not complicated, that are meant to keep you confident, and for you to do the stuff that you do on a daily basis.