About
Two of us, checking
We check things properly, then tell you what we found. Here is who we are and how we decide what is worth your money.
Who we are
Salonee and Aachal. Best friends for more than a decade, both born and raised in Mumbai, both in our thirties. Aachal is a professional makeup artist. Salonee has built three businesses. Between us we have spent an unreasonable amount of money finding out which things are worth it.
We started The Debrief Co. because the recommendations we trusted most were never the ones with the biggest follower counts. They were the ones from a friend who had already tried it and would tell you honestly if it was a waste.
What we cover
- Beauty — what actually works on Indian skin, in Bombay weather, at a price that makes sense.
- Brands — mostly homegrown and small, the ones you would not find on page one of a search.
- Bombay — the tailor, the salon, the tiffin service, the person who does gel nails properly. The things you ask the group chat for.
How we pick things
One rule, and it decides everything: if we would not send it to our best friend, it does not go here.
In practice that means we open every link ourselves. We read the brand's own product page rather than a press release, and we write down what is actually in the set and what happens if you want to send it back — the two things listings tend to bury. When a page does not say, we say that it does not say. We would rather tell you something is unclear than guess on your behalf.
We are not reviewers in the laboratory sense. We have not stress-tested every fabric or worn every pair for a season. What we have done is the homework you would do yourself if you had the afternoon.
What we will not do
- Recommend something we have not looked at properly.
- Let a brand write our words, approve our script, or pay to change an opinion.
- Run a paid feature without telling you it is paid.
The full detail on money, gifting and how paid work is labelled is on the disclosure page. We would rather it was boring and clear than tucked away.
Finding us
Most of what we make lives on Instagram at @thedebrief_co. The bigger round-ups — the ones with too many links for a caption — live here, like the Karwa Chauth 2026 list.
Last updated 4 October 2026.