Jul 8, 2022
Today, I’m kicking off a 3-part series featuring interviews with Women Pharmacists who have businesses in the beauty space. Today’s episode is an interview with Dr. Dimple Gandhi. Dr. Danielle Perrodin, and Dr. Leslie Hodge will be on the podcast the next two Fridays (July 15 and July 22, 2022). Thank you Dimple for inspiring me to create this series!
Thank you for listening to episode 160 of The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast!
To read the full show notes, visit https://www.thepharmacistsvoice.com. Click on the podcast tab, and search for episode 160.
Bio
Dr. Dimple Gandhi is a PharmD graduate of MCPHS University in Boston. She was born and raised in Massachusetts as a first generation American. Dimple is a self-taught makeup artist and in 2011, decided to start her own freelance makeup artist business called Look Your Absolute Best, with the aim of making all people feel and look their best. During pharmacy school, she had several jobs and internships during which she found her passion for a career as a pharmacist within the biopharmaceutical industry, where she currently holds a position in medical affairs. She is furthering her education by completing classes for her MBA degree. She uses her voice to advocate for pharmacists in non-traditional clinical roles and to advocate for women, especially 1st generation women, in leadership roles. During her free time, Dimple enjoys hiking, exploring new places, spending time with friends and family, and reading.
Links from this episode
Instagram: (@ LookYourAbsoluteBest) https://www.instagram.com/look_your_absolute_best/
Dimple’s Linkedin Profile: linkedin.com/in/dimple-gandhi-95ba07108
Dimple’s email: dimplegandhi2@gmail.com
Dr. Danielle Perrodin https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-danielle-perrodin-4a8377138/
Dr. Leslie Hodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-hodge/
Skinfix website: https://skinfix.com//
Makeup by Jen on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/MakeupByJen
Makeup by Jen on Instagram @makeupbyjenxiixii https://www.instagram.com/makeupbyjenxiixii/
Angie di Battista on Instagram @angiedib https://www.instagram.com/angiedib/
Detox me app https://silentspring.org/detox-me-app-tips-healthier-living
Think dirty app https://thinkdirtyapp.com
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA
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Highlights from our interview
Dimple is a pharmacist and a makeup artist. She provides makeup services for prom, brides/weddings, and other occasions. She offers make-up trials before major events, touch-up kits, and follow-up appointments for education on recreating looks. She also teaches women how to apply make-up, eyebrow shaping, and more.
She is inspired by the creativity and art that is makeup and fascinated by how make-up can change someone's self-confidence and their face. It’s fun, and she loves working with people and making them feel good. She is warm and friendly, and her clients feel comfortable with her.
Dimple has been collecting make-up for years. She has a “huge kit” full of versatile products that can be used on different skin types and with a range of different skin tones. She has a separate kit for herself. She believes in technique versus buying the most expensive products on the market.
Dimple explained that it’s never too late to start wearing make-up. You can do what works for you. You don’t have to do what you see online/social media.
When it comes to makeup, trial and error is frustrating, and seeing all the different makeup lines, products, tools, and colors in a drug store can be overwhelming. Dimple recommends tried and trusted brands to her clients. She also recommends clients learn what kind of skin they have (oily, dry, or combination). Skin type affects how someone applies their make-up. Finding products that suit someone’s skin tone is important too. Finding colors that complement the eyes and other facial features is a science. A lot goes into picking the right products.
Dimple was a tomboy. As a young teenager, Dimple was bullied for the way she looked. That experience led her to self-improvement via makeup. She felt more confident with makeup. She also fell in love with the creative process of makeup, and it sparked her interest. She became skilled over time and became a really good self-taught makeup artist.
Dimple is a first-generation American. Her parents are immigrants from India. She was born and raised in Massachusetts, and she has been on the East Coast her entire life.
How did Dimple get into business?
After flawlessly applying makeup throughout high school and college, friends and family asked her if she could do their makeup for parties and events. She decided to create a freelance makeup business called Look Your Absolute Best. She bought business cards, made contracts, learned how to get clients, and learned how to sell her services. She worked as a make-up artist during pharmacy school.
What’s Dimple’s favorite thing about being a make-up artist?
Happy clients who are excited about how they look!
Clients find Dimple on Instagram (@LookYourAbsoluteBest) and via word-of-mouth. They can contact her on IG and via email.
What are Dimple’s best practices for posting pictures on Instagram?
Whether you’re posting a professional headshot or a picture from a swim meet, post whatever you're comfortable with. We have many faces to our personality and sharing the variety is best. Be yourself online. Don’t assume others will judge you.
We discussed makeup best practices for professional headshots. The amount of make-up needed for a professional headshot with flash photography is different from what is used for daily wear. Even men should wear powder during professional headshots!
When Dimple started out, she built her portfolio by working with professional photographers. For example, she worked with clients on their senior pictures. For my international friends, senior pictures are taken in the US before grade 12, ~ age 17-18 years old. It’s a right of passage in many US High Schools. Working with photographers helped Dimple gain experience and build relationships. She was very helpful to photographers and her makeup clients during photography sessions. Currently, Dimple’s clients are in the greater Boston, MA area.
During weeks when Dimple is working as both a pharmacist and a make-up artist, she spends 60-70% of her work week as a pharmacist. 30-40% of her time is spent as a make-up artist. Dimple is taking MBA classes part-time too!
For consumers interested in finding skincare for certain challenges, such as acne, dermatitis, or eczema, Dimple recommends the Skinfix skincare brand. (She is not affiliated with them.)
For someone who is interested in the business of being a makeup artist and how to build a makeup kit, gain expertise, and get clients, Dimple recommends Makeup by Jen on YouTube and Angie di Battista on YouTube.
If you're a consumer who is curious about the ingredients your makeup or skincare, check out these two apps:
- Detox me app https://silentspring.org/detox-me-app-tips-healthier-living
- Think dirty app https://thinkdirtyapp.com
These two apps allow you to scan QR codes of your products and learn if they are “safe” according to the app’s database.
Because Dimple is a pharmacist, she pays attention to expiration dates, best practices to avoid bacteria growth, allergens, and side effects. Tea Tree Oil is a common allergen in face creams and serums. Dimple also cares about sun safety. As a pharmacy student, Dimple worked in the Sun Safety Department at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. She worked with a dermatologist who offered skin cancer screenings on the beach. Raising awareness of skin cancer risk is one of Dimple’s passions. She recommends using facial moisturizers with SPF 30.
For busy pharmacist moms, Dimple recommends finding a five-minute routine that works. Try new looks when you have time, but find a routine that you can rely on. Hire a make-up artist like Dimple if you want a shortcut to buying the right products and a routine for your specific needs. Makeup artists can also help you understand what order to apply products and how to use makeup tools.
As a pharmacist, Dimple works for a pharmaceutical company in Boston. She loves her medical communications job. She’s in oncology at this time. Medical communications professionals generate, develop and disseminate the complex scientific information on drugs and the diseases that they treat.
As a pharmacy student, Dimple fell in love with oncology and picked that as a therapeutic area to focus on. Through trial and error, working various jobs, and having conversations with many people, she stumbled upon the pharmaceutical industry, which she fell in love with. She’s passionate about her pharmaceutical industry role, and she would recommend her job to anyone.
Dimple is also Adjunct Faculty at MCPHS University in Boston, within the pharmacy department. She tells students about her job so they know that pharma is a career option.
According to Dimple, if you are interested in a career in pharma, the first step is identifying which area within the industry you have some interest in. Once you know what you're looking for, find out how your strengths and your interests can best help you in that position and why you think you'd be good at it. Once you arrive at that point, do a job search. Search by therapeutic area, location, and department. Find a company that checks all three of those major boxes. There are many ways to go about getting a pharma job, including completing a fellowship.
Work-life balance is a hot topic for pharmacists right now (summer 2022). Even though Dimple has a full-time pharma job, is a part-time MBA student, and is a part-time makeup artist, she still makes time for friends, family, and other interests. She likes to plan, and that helps with work-life balance. She has a lot of passion for her current pursuits, and she is open to combining all three (pharma, MBA, and makeup) for her “dream job” in the future. Best wishes for continued success, Dimple! I’m so glad we met!
If you would like to connect with Dr. Dimple Gandhi, please reach out through LinkedIn.
Thank you for listening to The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast Episode 160! Please subscribe/follow on your favorite podcast player and YouTube for all future episodes. Join me next week for my interview with Dr. Danielle Perrodin.