Presto! You are pretty!

Bipasha Basu’s smouldering eyes, Preity Zinta’s rosy cheeks, Katrina Kaif’s Cupid’s bow pout… if you have not been born with such assets, you can always bank on a make-up artist to gift these to you.

A special breed of magicians with mascara brushes for wands, make-up artists are adept at the art of highlighting the best of your features and concealing any flaws. Learning this art requires time, practice and creativity. For beauty expert Blossom Kochhar, it has been a lifelong love affair. “I was always interested in make-up. For me, it is an amazing art form where the face is the canvas and there are movable expressions. I studied at Pivot Point (Complexions) Chicago, and then did workshops around the world to update my skills,” she says.

So what does one require to make it big in this career? Experts say you should have the aptitude of an artist and then take a course at a good make-up school. You should also have basic knowledge of skin types and colours and know how to handle make-up instruments. Although one can do a make-up course after school, it is better to finish college and then do a course, the duration of which can range from three months to a year.

For Shalini Singh of Style Studio by Shalini Singh, “it started with a natural love for colours. I did a professional course in Germany in personal make-up and then did an advanced course in Delhi. While the former teaches you basics like foundation, concealer and application, a course in advanced make-up familiarises you with facial structures, face types and the colours that go with them. Then you move onto lip and eye correction.”

Once you finish the course, you should assist an experienced make-up artist and look for an internship. At times, you can request them to just let you observe them. When you go to meet the established names, carry a few photographs that demonstrate your work. Kochhar advises, “Do as many faces as you can. The more you practise the better. Make-up is all about knowing the texture, tonal value and  colour of the skin as well as type of skin and features. No two faces are alike. Make a portfolio of your work.”

Make-up expert Simmi Ghai says, “After finishing training, start meeting up with stylists and fashion photographers. Go to cosmetics companies, meet with editors of fashion magazines or (film/TV) production house heads.”

Everything in this field works by word of mouth. So keep an eye out for runway shows or any small event where participants require make-up — to showcase your work. Singh says, “I interned with Ambika Pillai, who let me assist her for half-a-dozen shows. Now, after 13 years, I have completed a three-year stint with ColorBar to start my own studio.”

Avenues for a make-up artist are many. You can do fashion shows, bridal make-up, conduct seminars and workshops, work in a salon, work as a presenter for a cosmetics company, for a TV studio and even for a choreographer. On career options, Kochhar says, “You can work with a photographer, as a portfolio make-up artist, in the theatre and the movies, for a cosmetic company, advertisement or model agencies.”

Once a reputation is built, a make-up artist makes good money, but one has to keep competition in mind. “You have to do the best make-up quickly, at times on very demanding and difficult people,” says Ghai.

Make-up artists must also always keep updating their  skills by attending international seminars, buying and testing products from all over the world and sharpening their techniques. Given the same products, two individuals can create different looks on the same face. Thus, technique is very important.

Author: Neha Sharma

Date:6th Jan., 2010

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