From the front row of Paris Fashion Week to a prestigious jury seat at the Cannes Film Festival to the coveted red carpet at the Academy Awards, Deepika Padukone has been carving a name for herself on the international spectrum. And when she is rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty, the only makeup artist she has on speed dial is Sandhya Shekar.
From Alia Bhatt and Anushka Sharma to Hollywood stars like Poorna Jagannathan, the makeup maestro is trusted by the best in the biz to ensure that their skin tone receives adequate representation on the global circuit. But if you were to quiz her about what she knows that others don’t, she would credit it to an intuitive understanding of how to care for brown skin so that it receives the representation that it deserves. Sometimes, it might mean getting experimental with makeup—she is partial to the graphic eyeliner she created for Padukone at the Cannes Film Festival 2019—while others, it means knowing when to take a step back and letting the skin’s natural radiance shine through.
“When we saw what she was wearing at the Academy Awards 2023, the custom Louis Vuitton gown was incredibly elegant and chic. While we usually experiment with her makeup, we decided to keep it simple and natural to allow her natural beauty to radiate through the entire look seamlessly,” she tells us.
The latter has been a hard-won battle, and Shekar now chooses to preface her makeup sessions with an earnest conversation on representing brown skin in its natural beauty. “Clients often come up to makeup artists with requests to make the skin look brighter. Showing people that their skin looks glowing and flawless without changing their skin tone has become a significant part of my work. Once they feel comfortable and look their best in their natural skin, it doesn’t come up again,” she shares.
However, during her work on the international spectrum, she has also found that brown skin is often treated either the same as Caucasian skin or the makeup is done as per African skin. She rues, “Neither way is correct because the person doesn’t look like themself at the end. Picking the right foundation for Indian skin tone is especially important because we have 3-4 tones in our face due to hyperpigmentation, tanning and darkness around the eye area.”
Shekar’s chosen modus operandi for working around the same is to opt for minimal products. “Don’t overload yourself with too much makeup under the pretext of covering your flaws because it will stand out more. If you are unsure of your skin tone or which foundation shade to pick, opt for yellow or olive undertones. If you still don’t feel confident about using foundation, opt for tinted moisturisers or play with your other features—a good mascara, some eyeshadow, a cheek and lip tint and brushing your brows out will ensure that you look and feel your best,” she advises as she signs off.
Meet the expert:
Sandhya's passion for hair and makeup started at a very young age, from stealing her mother's makeup to staining her cheeks with beetroot, she had tried and tested it all. After working in the financial world for a while, she started her journey in makeup in 2009 and has since become one of the most well-known names in the industry with a celebrity clientele that includes Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma, Kangana Ranaut, Jacqueline Fernandes, Aditi Rao Hydari and Parineeti Chopra, among others.
Needless to say, her mother still has no idea where all her makeup disappeared over the years! You can follow her work, and more, here.
Article Image : Instagram/@sandhyashekar
