Faces excite her. No matter where she is or what she’s doing, Ayesha Wadiwala is always conjuring up new looks in her mind. “The moment I have thought up a complete look I am restless till I try it out on a model,” she laughs. For somebody who became a make-up artist by accident, Ayesha's client list is rather impressive. It includes Bollywood actors Huma Qureshi, Sunny Leone, designer Shaina NC and sportspersons Suresh Raina, Wayne Parnell and Narain Karthikeyan who she’s worked with on ad campaigns. “It started when one of my close friends was getting married. She asked me to do her bridal make-up. And before I knew it I did 35 bridals in the next few months!” says Ayesha.
The make-up artist was in the city recently for the launch of ‘Indian Bridal Vogue 2013’ by Syona Cosmetics, a Chennai-based start-up professional care cosmetics company. She conducted a workshop displaying the latest trends in Indian bridal make-up. Trends keep evolving and what’s in now is the natural, fresh look which is also difficult to create. “Today’s Indian bride refuses to have heavy make-up that makes them look artificial on their wedding day,” she adds. Having given more than 250 brides a makeover, she believes bridal make-up is the most challenging. “Some of them are not open to experimenting; some do not want make-up on their face, and there are others who are obsessed with fairness. It’s a task to make them understand that chalky white make-up is not important, what’s important is for the skin to look glowing and healthy,” she says sounding a tad exasperated.
Apart from brides, Ayesha also works on commercials and fashion shoots. “I have got a few offers for movies as well. I am tempted to take them up but it’s a long-term commitment, requiring around 40 days per film. It’s also limited in terms of creativity,” says the 29-year-old. She believes that becoming a make-up artist is a fantastic career option. “The industry is booming and there’s a lot of scope. Earlier, it was looked down upon but not any longer.” She’s been six years in the industry and Ayesha enjoys her work. “It’s something I enjoy doing so I don’t even feel it’s hard work,” she smiles.
