Behind the Brand: Meet Natel Allen, founder of Télle Moi
By Helena Biggs | 07 June 2020 | Brands, Feature
Natel Allen is a woman with a mission: to launch lacquer shades that cater to and flatter every individual.
She launched indie nail polish brand, Télle Moi, in April 2019 with four nude nail polishes – and has since expanded the range to 24 glossy, quick-drying hues.
“The name Télle Moi derives from the phrase ‘tel moi’ in French, which can be translated to ‘Like Me’,” Natel reveals. “I wanted everyone to be able to see colours that represent themselves.”
The business and law graduate saw a gap in the market in June 2018 when she went to buy a simple brown nude nail shade for a new job. “Not knowing the dress code, I didn’t want to stand out too much on my first day so I though nude would be the safest option. I searched in a number of high street shops but struggled to find a flattering nude nail polish that wasn’t just a lighter or darker shade of pink.
“I’d always relied heavily on purchasing nail polish from mainstream stores and I was completely oblivious to the indie nail polish community at the time. I remember coming home irritated so I began some research into the making of nail polish.”
Inspired by fellow indie nail polish brand, Pear Nova, Natel wanted to launch a personal collection of all the shades she wanted yet couldn’t find on the high street. “After researching and locating reputable suppliers and a lot of trial and error (and a lot of polish on my furniture!), I created four beautiful shimmer nude polishes,” Natel continues. “I was so surprised by how pretty they were and I felt as though I hadn’t seen these colours anywhere in stores before.
“It never dawned on me that I wasn’t the only one going through difficulty in finding flattering nude polishes and once I made the colours for myself, I realised that I could actually try and help fix the problem instead of complaining about it.”
After trialling the shades on friends and family, Natel officially launched the Nude Shimmer collection on 3 April 2019, selling through Etsy. “I then decided to create a website and the brand has grown from there.
“I am glad to see that there are some truly amazing brands as of late that have incorporated nude polishes for all, however there is still some way to go and especially within mainstream stores.”
The Nude Shimmer collection comprises Natella Brown, a deep chocolate shimmer and Natel’s favourite – so named after her; Mazi Bronze, a rich bronze shimmer, Lucious Gold, a light pearly gold and Chanté Glaze, a light pearly pink. “There are now 24 colours currently live, made up of the four initial polishes, eight nude crème polishes, six brighter colours (the Carnival collection) and six pastel shades. Often, I’ll create limited edition colours just due to my love of finding and creating and working with new materials such as holographic glitters, magnetic pigments and thermals.
“I aim to continue creating beautiful nude nail polishes and to showcase all of our colours on a diverse range of skin tones as especially in the UK, I have struggled to find a large number of diverse swatches,” Natel reveals. “The brand phrase is ‘Who said nude has to be pink?’ as I am very keen to challenge the narrative that pink is nude.
“I would love to see Télle Moi available in mainstream stores in order to increase the diversity of colour polishes available and I look forward to expanding the range soon.”
