"It’s All the Practice That Matters"

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1. Tell me about you and your journey.

I’m a professional celebrity makeup artist. During my graduation, I got an opportunity to lead my team for the inter-college Fashion shows and there I was introduced to media makeup. That was the moment when I realised that this was what I wanted to do. I started my journey in this industry 5 years ago and then there was no looking back!

I have received certification in Fashion Media Makeup from Pearl academy, which is a pioneer in the fashion industry. I have worked with the World famous advertising company, Images Bazaar. It was a life changer for me. I got to work with a lot of experienced photographers, television actors, models(one of them being Manushi Chillar, titled as Miss World 2017), stylists and other artists.

It was a whole new world of Photoshoots and I refined my makeup skills and gained experience by doing more than two hundred photoshoots in less than a year! After gaining truck loads of experience from there, I wanted to explore more in life and started freelancing. Now I travel to different cities, meet different brides and doll them up for their weddings! My work is to make people look the best for their wedding and create memories of a lifetime.

2. Why did you choose this career?

Being a bright science student, everyone in my family expected me to become a doctor. But my heart was somewhere else! We all are born beautiful and self-love is the key to our happiness..In my case, self-love was a bit too extra! Jokes apart!

I wanted to follow my dreams and passion and do what I felt I could do the best. I had it in me! I wanted to make people look beautiful and feel beautiful about themselves. Hence, I decided to learn makeup artistry and made it as my career.

Enhancing one’s natural beauty with a little makeup and making them look like a dream on their special day gives me immense satisfaction. When my brides come up to me saying that they were looking mesmerising on their wedding and thank me for being a part of their life, trust me, it’s a feeling of joy that can’t be explained!

3. How can one build a clientele as a makeup artist?

Everyone needs a platform to promote their talent and for me being active on social media has always been a priority. It’s a very helpful way to engage with people and helps to attract clientele. When you interact with people on social media platforms, a mutual trust develops which strengthens the bond between the artist and the client and eventually boosts the business.

Apart from that, word of mouth publicity is the most important thing. A client gives you points on the basis of your behaviour, attitude, work ethics, punctuality, how much you are willing to listen to their requirement, understanding between the two parties and delivering the desired look.

If you ace in all these areas, you can nail your profession and clients will come to you on their own! Clients refer other clients and the chain grows.

4. What are some of your top makeup tips?

Good makeup comes with good skin. Make sure to take care of the skin and make sure its hydrated. Select the right kind of prepping products as they only determine how the end finish is going to be. Use the moisturiser generously and always use a setting spray to lock the makeup for long lasting results. Also, another important thing is quantity, less is always more.

Layering with too much makeup will not give a flawless look instead it’ll make the makeup look cracked. Start with less product and then build up accordingly as per the need.

Being an artist it is of utmost importance to be on the same page with the client. Treat your clients respectfully and understand their need. It will help you to satisfy the brides without any difficulty and your bride will thank you for the rest of her life for making her look amazing.

5.What kind of opportunities one can get after becoming makeup artist?

There are unlimited opportunities for a makeup artist. Almost all the work sectors require a makeup artist. You can look for jobs in different areas like salons, advertising companies, offices for online shopping portals, Bollywood industry, work with designers and do shoots and runway with them, work with any television related company. If not jobs, work as an individual and freelance at weddings and others events.

6. Which professional courses would you suggest for aspiring artists?

There are a lot of institutes that have professional courses specifically designed for makeup artistry. Nowadays a lot professional artists have started giving hands on training of makeup and hairstyling. So depending on the duration of the course you wish to do, you can look for options.

At the end, it’s all the practice that matters. Practicing on different skin types , and different features is a must as you never know who is your client going to be. So practice as much as you can!

7.Your favourite book and why?

Honestly I’m not into books or literature. I love reading magazines as it keeps me updated with the trend. My all time favourite magazine would be Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. I love researching on the internet to be up to date with new fashion trends and makeup techniques.

- Ankana Mediratta

Interview By - Anshika Sharma.