MilliOnAir Winter 2019 2020

By Contributing Editor Juliet Herd

As one of Britain’s pre-eminent make-up artists, Ruby Hammer is accustomed to working “back of house” on launches for other beauty brands, from Aveda to L’Occitane Now, she’s launched her own eponymous label, featuring a capsule collection of instant cult classics, based on her wealth of knowledge of professional make-up. “This is the first time I’ve done something unequivocally to please me,” Ruby tells us. “I’ve really done it to bring joy and a smile to my face and I hope it resonates with everyone.” She follows the launch of her magnetic brush set and nail kit with a third item from her collection, a stylish porcelain brush holder, which comes in two sizes and can be used for storing makeup brushes or, simply, displayed as an ornament. “It can hold all your other brushes or you can put a tea light in it or jewellery,” explains Ruby, MilliOnAir’s beauty editor. “It’s a little drop of joy. I’ve always been interested in design and how things look, but they also need to have a function; a purpose.” Ruby’s brush set is a case in point. It has three different heads, which can be used for powder or cream textures, eyeshadows or concealers, and cleverly click together, thanks to built-in magnets. They’re all synthetic, making them extra hygienic, and 100% cruelty-free. “As an artist, I need specific brushes, but as a woman I don’t need the 100 or so that I’ve got for my work. You need three or four good ones and this one is multipurpose,” she says. “It’s really practical for travelling or an evening out.” The crystal nail file and cuticle pusher, which come in a neon recyclable plastic case to add an element of fun, are also in line with Ruby’s ethos of less is more. “Again, it’s very functional but looks good,” she says. “Everyone knows how fussy I am about nails. I’m not a nail technician but I still have to do manicures on shoots – I did one the other day. These nail files are from the Czech Republic and do a really good job without being tough or abrasive.” “People trust me,” she adds. “I’ve made [my products] as fool-proof as I can.”

That trust is based on more than 25 years as a leading figure in the cosmetics industry, earning her an MBE from the Queen in 2007 – 33 years after emigrating to Britain from Nigeria with her Bangladeshi parents at the age of 13. Her client list includes the likes of the Duchess of Sussex, Cindy Crawford and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. She’s worked with designers such as John Galliano and Ghost, inspired looks for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and launched products or acted as adviser for brands including Estee Lauder, Clinique and Revlon.

In 1998, she joined forces with Millie Kendall to establish the award-winning Ruby & Millie make-up brand pioneering affordable luxury cosmetics, which the pair ran successfully for 13 years. “We were ahead of our time,” she reflects. “We were like the Charlotte Tilbury of our time. It was before social media and before people used terms like diversity and inclusivity. We were disruptive without using those labels and busted a lot of doors. It was a fantastic brand.”

Had she considered launching another make-up range herself? “I didn’t think it was the right time for me to do that; I’d done it 20 years ago [with Ruby & Millie]. I’m not here to topple Charlotte Tilbury or Pat McGrath from their perches. I wanted my little range to be ‘as well as’ – not ‘instead of’. I am supportive of them. Nobody buys something from just one brand. We all have our favourites and there’s always that sense of delight to try something else.”

“As an artist, I need specific brushes, but as a woman I don’t need the 100 or so that I’ve got for my work. You need three or four good ones and this one is multi-purpose,” she says. “It’s really practical for travelling or an evening out.”

One of the biggest changes she’s witnessed since starting out has been the growth of social media and its positive impact on business in terms of brand recognition, customer engagement and revenue. But on the flip side, Ruby worries about excessive use of filters on platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook to tweak and sometimes distort people’s appearances. “The danger with all these filters is that people then see you in the flesh and it’s a shock,” she says. “You shouldn’t be that embarrassed about getting older.”

What does she think about the rise of celebrity make-up brands, such as Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Kylie Jenner’s multi-million-dollar Kylie Cosmetics and Victoria Beckham Beauty? “Rihanna has done a phenomenal job and pushed the boundaries because of who she is,” she says. “By making 42 shades of foundation, she’s showed brands that there is money to be made if you’re more inclusive.

“Kylie Jenner is not an expert as such but in commandeering social media, she could wipe the floor with me. You need to acknowledge that but at the same time, look at it for what it is. Can she make up someone on a shoot? Rihanna can’t either.”

Ruby, 57, is full of admiration for Victoria Beckham and even used her eyeshadow compact recently to demonstrate a smokey eye look in a YouTube video. “It is a great product. She’s very fussy and knows what she likes. She’s not speaking as a make-up artist but as a woman of a certain age with certain expectations and that’s what she’s brought to her brand.”

She’s been pleasantly surprised to discover that her own brand appears to have cross-generational appeal. “I thought [the target market] would just be the older woman but it isn’t. It’s anyone who likes luxury that is affordable. It is ageless and not elitist.” One famous fan is the Duchess of Sussex, who first enlisted Ruby to do her make-up three years ago. “She is a wonderful woman,” she affirms. “She does have one of my brushes; she loves it.”

She’s still as passionate as ever about her industry: “I’m still a jobbing artist. That’s my first love; my bit of creativity. I’ve always loved working with people and the collaborative process on a shoot. It’s not about meeting famous people or making a lot of money.” She’s got more product launches in the pipeline – “things that will be a bit more cosmetic” – but she’s determined to build her business slowly, at her own pace. “I’m trying to be true to myself.”

She’s also enjoying having more time to spend with her husband, Soho House operations director Martin Kuczmarski, and her daughter Reena, founder of upmarket wellness space Urban Retreat, and is currently in the middle of renovating her north London home. “I can be here for my daughter and my husband,” Ruby says. “I can’t do the red eye flight anymore and come back and do a shoot. There are plenty of young people out there and it’s their turn to do that. People benefit from my experience. “It’s a lovely place to be and I’m very grateful and blessed.”

Ruby’s capsule collection is available from www.rubyhammer.com and The Urban Retreat, Knightsbridge, London.