'Back then' - Sana Mulla
I remember going for publicity work in the college. On our way back, I met with a road accident. Thinking about it today, crashing my two-wheeler and an SUV changed my life for the good. Luck has favoured me a couple times especially when the person in the SUV turned out to be a doctor. Everything happened right before my final examination. I had bruises all over my left forehead, eye till my fractured knee and torn ankle tissues.
Being bedridden for about 6 months my activity for the days was to sketch, perhaps I was destined to do the same for the rest of my life but with eye liners and pencil shadows. My mom inspired me to take the makeup course offered by Lakme academy. Back then I would have sworn to not take makeup seriously after all it had started as a hobby.
My first ever shoot was a designer label shoot. It had happened because of my neighbor who had called me at a movie shoot. At that point of time, I didn’t even have basic makeup necessities. My mom accompanied me to a local cosmetics store the previous night. I had so much fun working that I realised what my mom meant when she said, “you should do what makes you happy”. I happened to also become a trainer at the Lakme Academy.
My family consisted of people working for TCS Global and other MNCs. Not that I haven’t tried, to fit in. I was a tax consultant but never enjoyed working for a 9 to 5 job. My friends who discouraged me from pursuing this, went behind my back to complete the same course. Overcoming these situations were the biggest lessons life had taught me. My dad has grown to support me now. There is a stigma around being a makeup artist and being a parlour wali.
If I were to give advice to someone who’s thinking of taking up makeup as a career that would be, ‘patience is the key’ here. There will always be bridezillas, time crunches, miserable family. Not losing one’s cool does the trick. Recently when I was being invited as a chief guest for a women entrepreneurs program. I was so proud of myself when I received a pearl set as a token which meant that there are people looking up to me and this was my ultimatum to understand that I have a long way to go.