Our Story: Why We Built Max & Louie and Why Prepy Came Next

It started with Brows

Twelve years ago, I opened my cosmetic tattooing studio, working one-on-one with clients on their brows, day after day.

What I didn't expect was that this close-up, personal work would eventually lead me to build not one, but two beauty brands from scratch.

"I just don't know where to start"

About five years into my brow business, clients began to open up about a different kind of frustration one that had nothing to do with brows at all.

Many of my more mature clients, once they found out I'd trained as a makeup artist, would confide the same thing: "Nat, I want to wear makeup. I just find it too overwhelming."*

They'd describe walking into big department store beauty counters the kind of **easy makeup for mature skin** they were looking for buried under too many products, too many aisles, and not enough guidance and walking straight back out again, empty-handed and defeated.

What they told me they wanted was simple:

- A makeup brand that was genuinely **easy to use**

- Something they could **trust**

- Real help finding their **correct shade match** without the guesswork

That conversation, repeated in different words by client after client, became the founding brief for **Max & Louie**.

Building Max & Louie: simple, trustworthy, made for you

Max & Louie was never designed to be "for everyone" in the generic sense it was designed to solve one very specific, very human problem: helping women feel confident wearing makeup, without the overwhelm.

That's why our **vegan, cream-based makeup** for women 30+ is built around simplicity fewer steps, better textures, and colours that are genuinely wearable. And it's why we built a completely different way to shop for makeup online. Instead of guessing a shade from a screen, clients can upload a private photo one that comes straight to me, personally.

No AI chatbot, no algorithm. Just me, matching you to your shade, the same way I would if you were sitting in my chair.

That personal thread honest, science-led, never over claiming is the value we've carried through every product we've made since.

Noticing the canvas: how Prepy was born

2 years ago a second pattern started showing up. Working so closely with clients' skin, product after product, I kept noticing the same thing: the texture of the skin underneath the makeup mattered just as much as the makeup itself.

A great **skincare routine as the foundation for makeup** doesn't just look good on its own it's what makes makeup application look effortless and makeup wear better, longer.

That observation became **Prepy** our **Korean-inspired, 5-step skincare ritual**, developed with the same standards I'd apply to my own skin. I spent months researching ingredients, prioritising **clean, gentle formulas for sensitive skin** that protect and support the skin barrier rather than stripping it.

Every step in the Prepy ritual is designed to work beautifully on its own and even better underneath Max & Louie.

Where we are now

These days, my focus is simple: keep researching, keep formulating, and keep showing up as an honest, trustworthy brand for our clients women 30 and up who want makeup and skincare that actually work for them, without the noise.

No overpromising, no trend-chasing just products backed by real research, made for real skin.

That's the whole story. Two brands, one belief: beauty should feel simple, personal, and genuinely trustworthy.

If you feel ready to find your shade or start your skincare ritual? Contact me anytime

Nat x