If you ask most people what they did during lockdown, chances are they weren’t sitting on a beach creating a makeup brand. Unless you’re Danya Klein and Tamar Yaviv — Israel-based founders of jazzy new cosmetics line Gen See.

Despite the name sounding like it’s aimed exclusively at the younger generation (the Insta-worthy packaging is bound to go down a treat with them), the founders insist this range is for everyone. “Gen See is about bridging the gap between the generations,” Klein explains, “it’s about actually seeing each other now we can go out again —we wanted to put the excitement back into wearing makeup.”

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The brand's chic look

Indeed, with the pandemic and home-working causing a dearth in makeup sales (who puts on a full face for a Zoom call?), Gen See puts the joys of makeup firmly back on the radar, with candy-bright packaging designed by local Israeli artists, (“It’s a little bit disco, a little bit Tel Aviv on the beach,” they explain) with luscious high-performing formulas that pack some serious pigment punch.

Not to mention their sustainable and low-carbon credentials which are exhaustively listed on the product pages (as opposed to a smattering of trendy buzzwords).

And it’s not surprising, given the founders’ respective beauty backgrounds: co-founder Klein spent 20 years honing her craft at beauty giants The Estée Lauder Companies, L’Oréal and Coty.

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Founders Tamar Yaniv and Danya Klein

While Yaniv in her own words “rolled out of the womb, lipstick in hand,” later going on to set up beauty influencer agency Preen. Me, where Klein joined the team. The two discovered a shared enthusiasm for business and beauty which led to the creation of Gen See.

Yaniv is Israeli born and New York raised, while Klein is a native New Yorker — both chose to settle with their families in Tel Aviv. “This city is fantastic, from the beach to the city life — the start-up scene here is amazing too,” Klein notes. “There are lots of exciting new brands launching here at the moment.”

One thing to note about this range — the lipstick is seriously good. With a matte and creamy formula that stays put, the name Pick Me Up Lip, says it all: few things can lift us out of the doldrums like a bright lipstick and this one definitely understands the assignment. Its shades range from orange and classic flame-red, to a pretty rosy pink and even a 90s-inspired pinkish brown, for those fond of a Mariah Carey-esque retro lip look.

“I am a lifelong red lipstick-wearer and have tried everything on earth,” Yaniv proudly declares. “I consider myself a connoisseur. When I was in the Israeli army, I regularly wore it with my khakis.

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Gen See lipstick (Photo: Handout)

I get it from my grandmother – even when she was hospitalised, the first thing she asked for was lipstick… so I guess it’s always been in my soul.” Hence getting the lipstick formula up to scratch meant a lot to her. “We wanted to ensure it was really creamy and comfortable and that the shades suited everyone.

“We worked closely with women of different backgrounds, ethnicities and skin types — not just models, but real people who were with us in the product development stage.”

Luckily, they didn’t have to look too far for that. “People think Israel is full of white people, yet all the women featured on our website are all local to Tel Aviv,” Yaniv points out. “It is a real melting pot here.”

Diverse Israelis may be — but almost all of them have guts. And Yaniv and Klein are no exception. During the most unsettling time in recent history, what made them think launching a makeup line was a good idea?

“We started working on Gen See at the start of the pandemic — people thought we were completely bananas, like who does that?” Klein chuckles. “Yet working in lockdown, it became apparent how much you can achieve working remotely. We manufacture in Italy because we wanted to focus on clean makeup and sustainable packaging.

This is not yet a speciality of the Israeli manufacturers.” They currently ship to Europe, the US and Canada. “We plan to bring the products to Israel once consumer importing reforms are in place, hopefully in 2023.”

Their lipstick certainly seems a strong contender as a future beauty icon. Their Spectator Sport Mascara is pretty decent too — delivering a decent flutter factor without appearing clumpy or smudging, or proving a nightmare to remove. Another highlight is their Lip + Cheek Tint — a hybrid product which blends beautifully and adds a natural-looking just-pinched glow, even after eight hours spent on Zoom calls.

All formulas have been created to withstand the Middle-Eastern heat. “They had to pass the ‘80 degrees August in Tel Aviv’ test.” It hasn’t always been plain sailing – not just with the pandemic but also the fraught situation in their home city, such as the recent bombings in May. “Danya and I were on a Zoom call with our advisor in New York – suddenly the sirens started going off out of nowhere,” Tamar recalls.

“We just threw back our laptops and ran.” Yet the fraught situation made the two women all the more determined to bring little doses of happiness and colour into people’s lives.

“With makeup, you have that instant moment of creativity with yourself, regardless of what’s going on outside,” Danya explains. “It’s why products like lipstick remain so iconic.”

genseebeauty.com