Shefali Surve aspired to join the Indian Civil Services so she pursued a BA degree in college where she studied Economics, Political Science, and Sociology. However, Shefali ended up taking a job in advertising, and in the middle of trying to figure out if this was where she was meant to be, she found her calling in the field of make-up.
Constant battle
The young professional recounts, “Over a period of three years, doing what I hadn’t studied to do nor planned to become, I was at a constant battle with myself. From not being able to understand marketing briefs to having to run around all the time, I never understood why I was even there.
“It was tough but I did my best at it. It was also then that I would look up beauty professionals’ work for inspiration.
“I remember going for my first shoot during a marketing campaign and I wondered if I could be on the set doing make-up and work on the production team instead. That was it. My hunt for a professional beauty course began in Bangalore.”
Shefali, who is now employed as a make-up artist for Ajio, a popular e-commerce fashion brand, also uses her time off work to take on freelance wedding assignments and other projects that interest her. Having trained under the renowned Sabrina Suhail, Shefali went on to work with MAC for three years, before she moved on to her current job.
Back in the day
“Ever since I was a child, I was fond of my mom’s lipsticks and vanity case, and it feels so great that my passion and love for make-up turned into my career choice. I think it’s never too late to do something you really want to do. If it is your calling, just keep working towards it, and you will attract it sooner or later,” she says, adding, “I cannot say it’s easy or difficult but this definitely has been very exciting for me since the day I started. It’s about constantly pushing yourself to do better than you did yesterday and that is what thrills me.”
Having said that, she admits there are challenges in pursuing make-up as a profession. “It can be hard to convince people that this could be a lucrative career option, but thankfully the scenario is so much better now, as also with finding the right institute to take up a course to get certified. It is so much easier today. Unfortunately, courses in a field like this are still expensive.”
Looking ahead, Shefali says, “I want to keep bettering my craft, collaborate with known people in the industry, and hopefully someday see my work featured in some prominent fashion magazines.”
