Yahoo Lifestyle 
Meet the Aussie beauty brand combatting 'incredibly damaging' trend
The beauty industry may be guilty of many things, but being subtle isn’t one of them.
From glossy magazines to giant billboards, the business of beauty smacks you in the face with image after image of perfectly airbrushed celebs who have in many cases had more than a little help from photoshop (or a really good surgeon).
Enter The Quick Flick - a beauty brand consisting of cruelty-free skincare and makeup created by entrepreneur, Iris Smit, who’s cutting the b.s. and showing real, unadulterated beauty by letting women’s natural beauty shine.
Beautiful beginnings
For Iris, the decision to create an inclusive beauty brand from day one (the company made its debut in 2017) wasn’t an accident.
“I, like many women, found myself comparing myself to the highly airbrushed, unrealistic images we often see in beauty marketing and feeling like I didn't measure up - which is incredibly damaging to anyone's self-esteem,” Iris tells Yahoo Lifestyle.
“I truly believe all women are beautiful and deserve to feel that way in their own skin.”
Entrepreneurial from a young age, Iris began coding websites at the age of 14 and by 16 owned a store selling vintage clothing on Etsy. Whilst studying a Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture, Iris thrived off the positive energy and happiness people got when an alternate solution or new approach to life was provided.
RELATED:
Inclusivity 'very important' for Aussie activewear label Stax
Why this activewear label has bid farewell to 'large' sizing
Friends and customers star
Iris says The Quick Flick is all about beauty solutions that help your natural beauty shine, not covering up or hiding and she says she wanted her marketing and website imagery to reflect that.
“I chose from day one to use friends and customers in our photoshoots so that people would see themselves reflected in my brand, not an unrealistic image that they would compare themselves to,” she tells us.
Iris’s philosophy is really about challenging the beauty industry to enable her customers to feel empowered and represented.
“Whether it's through innovative product designs that make beauty quicker and easier, to only using customers in our photoshoots, I’ve always viewed us as more of a movement than a brand, so keep this at the forefront of all my decisions,” she says.
“I constantly ask myself, 'How can we do this in a way that sparks conversations and shows an alternative, better way to do something?'."
Leading the way in beauty
Iris says she wants all of her customers to feel seen by the beauty industry, and also wants to encourage other beauty businesses to really see the people they are selling to.
“By leading by example and celebrating the natural, diverse and unfiltered beauty we see in the real world, I hope to encourage women to embrace what makes them unique and stop comparing themselves to images that, after rounds of airbrushing and retouching, aren't real anymore. I feel such a call from consumers for transparency from brands in the beauty and fashion industry and am really proud to answer this call in every facet of my business.”
Feeling beautiful in your own skin
“Beauty is fun and should be about self-expression and embracing your unique beauty,” Iris explains enthusiastically.
“Rather than feeling the need to cover up what the beauty industry has told us are 'imperfections', I want all customers to feel that we as a brand see them, accept them as they are and are working hard to create products that will positively impact their experience with beauty.”
Never miss a thing. Sign up to Yahoo Lifestyle’s daily newsletter.
Or if you have a story idea, email us at lifestyle.tips@yahooinc.com.
