Dreams do come true, but you have to be patient and courageous enough to follow that dream till it doesn’t come true. That’s what Ishika Taneja is about to do this Tuesday. Ishika Taneja is an international make-up artist who has worked with eminent personalities of Hollywood and Bollywood. She excels in the art of Fashion and Bridal airbrush make-up.
She went to the London School of Economics from where she learnt the art of management and to London School of Beauty, where she learnt the basics of Make-up and Hair. After completing both, she flew to Netherlands where she learnt the art of prosthetics from Atti Tabak, often considered as the Picasso of Prosthetics. She then went to LA’s Cinema Make-up School where she learnt about ramp, fashion, movies and about Periodic make-up along with learning about the history and the possible future of fashion and make-up.
“I think the best part about London was to work on different types of skin and different skin tones. For us, it was compulsory to get our make-ups and hair approved from differently skinned people- black, white, Asian etc. Each individual has a different skin type and different problems, so working with different skin tones, tackling different problems does make your foundation strong and gives you the confidence of handling things easily in the future.” She said.
Her dream was to make a Guinness World Record and she is all pepped up to do so by giving 60 looks to 25 models in just 60 minutes. In an exclusive conversation with One World News, Ishika Taneja shared her experience and informed us about the developments in the field of Make-up and spoke about her journey of making a Guinness World Record:
What is an air-brush make-up?
Air brush is when you do makeup without touching the skin and it is done through a machine, in which we put in a liquid which is lighter than air. Everything is used in the liquid format, no powder or cream is used. It is longer lasting, has 100% coverage and is natural looking. Also, it is hygienic, very light, totally H-ray, takes lesser time than normal make-up. It is of three-types: Water based, alcohol based, silicon based. Apart from Water base, other two are water-proof and all three are suitable for every skin type.
Since you have learnt about Prosthetics, tell us what exactly it is?
If you have seen Amitabh Bachchan’s Paa or Hrithik Roshan’s looks in Dhoom 2 and the make-up and feature in Avatar then that’s what prosthetics is all about. It is about creating a 3D make-up, a kind of a mask attached to your face which can have expression and which is longer lasting. It is so natural looking that you would feel it is a real feature of a person but not a mask, no matter how closely you look at them.
Tell me how the idea of creating 60 looks in just 60 minutes struck you?
I always wanted to make a Guinness World Record but I must tell you that the journey was not easy at all. I have been following them up for a year and the amount of hard work I have put in to make it happen was quite a tedious and time taking process.
I have spent my childhood being around make-up, glamour and beauty; it has always been my passion. However, when I went abroad I understood the difference between the ways they treat make-up artists here and there.
I wanted to raise the level of respect one gets here, which could happen only if I can do something impactful internationally and what could be better than setting a Guinness World Record. This is happening for the first time in the world that someone would attempt of making a record of 60 looks in 60 minutes.
How was it working with Hollywood’s celebrities?
People usually say its all luck and that you are lucky that you get work but the truth is that everything is because of sheer hard work. Why I wanted to work in Hollywood was because it has the strongest competition and because nobody knew about me there, it became the perfect platform to judge myself and my art.
I contacted every company from small to big on my own without anyone’s help. I even worked for free to portray my talent and to let them give me a chance. So yes, hard work, approach and initiative are the first step you have to take to be successful and the second is your talent.
Every celebrity has their own individuality in style and if you want to be successful in life, you have to blend their style with yours in a way that they experience or see something new yet find their style intact.
What is your idea of perfect make-up?
My idea of perfect make up would be the one which is blended well, matches the personality of the person and after wearing the make-up, he or she should feel much confident and comfortable about oneself.
What would you have to say about Beauty as a career option?
I see a lot of scope as it is one of the fastest growing industries and it would continue to grow for the coming 10 years. Plus the remuneration is amazing.
Do you also teach the art of make-up?
Yes, we give workshops and hold seminars. We have school too for students who are willing to pursue make-up as a career. I design the curriculum and do interactions with students on my own and also give them advice about what they should go for. If they do a good job, we hire them too. We have 36 courses and also a PG Diploma of one year. ALPS Beauty Academy is situated at eight different places in New Delhi.
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