Arti Nayar is a leading celebrity and bridal make-up artist. She has been an assistant stylist before she ventured into make-up arena!
Every success story has its lows and highs. It may seem like a smooth ride, but there is a lot of hard work and patience that goes behind. Arti Nayar’s story is no different. With her talent and hard work, she has scaled new heights. When asked about her love for makeup she says, “My fascination for makeup began many years ago. I was obsessed with not just makeup but films. I wanted to be a part of the process. But in what capacity will I do that, I didn’t know. I took me a while to discover that. I was a stylist for couple of years. I would observe people on the sets and try to understand everybody’s jobs in each department. I found out that I was more drawn towards makeup, hair and looks than everything else. Slowly I opened up myself to that. I went to study makeup. I did a short course with Bharat and Doris just after they did Om Shanti Om. I was completely fascinated by the process. I fell in love with it immediately. And that’s where things really changed for me.
So, what pulled Arti Nayar to make a career in the makeup industry? To this Arti shares, “My inspiration came from when I used to look at different makeup artists that I wanted to work with, people I strived to approach and learn from. I think one of them was Namrata Soni. She has had a modern approach in her work always and forever ahead of the times. That is where I wanted to be and this was the kind of makeup I wanted to do. So from the beginning, she has been a source of inspiration. I would work with her in a heartbeat. Because I think learning from her has literally been real-schooling for me and whatever I have learnt from her I would not have learnt from anywhere else.”
“I have worked with a lot of actors. I have been really inspired by Sonam. She always raises the bar, pushes us to go that extra mile, and doesn’t get scared and is willing to take risks. I love working with her. She has been very motivating and supportive,” quips Arti.
“I feel it has been a very satisfying process throughout. I am blessed to be surrounded with such nice people who have been super protective, super motivating and they have been family to me over the years and without them I have not been where I am today. My hard work and patience has been the key to where I am today. Instead of being unhappy about things you didn’t get, enjoy the work that you have done and be super professional,” adds Arti.
When asked about the limitations in Indian films contrary to what she wants to do Arti says, “Yes, you don’t get to do the extravagant fashion looks. But I do fashion shoots for that reason, and I keep all my jobs mixed up. I do films, fashion, and editorials. I do films to build a character. Because I want to create a character in terms of makeup, hair and clothes. I like to be a part of the process. I do editorial to keep my creative juices flow. I do bridal because I want to make their special day extra special by making them feel their absolute best. So I keep doing different things because different jobs give you different satisfaction. And I think that Indian films too give you that opportunity to do different things with different songs. You just have to choose what you want to do.”
Talking about her plans to launch her own cosmetic brand someday, Arti says, “There is a lot of planning involved, there are a lot of permutations, combinations, involved. I mean it’s not easy as I thought it would be. I would love to collaborate and would love to come up with my own beauty line. It is very exciting idea.”
For budding makeup artists around the world I would say that always keep at it. Do not lose sight of what you want. It’s not an easy journey. Everybody’s journey is different and you need to be patient and you need to do all the work that comes your way. It’s not just about makeup but building your work. You should encourage and welcome all different types of work, and different types of skin. It will help you grow as a makeup artist. That’s what I did. I put my head down. I enjoyed the process and I tried to not say no to any work. Every opportunity was teaching me something. I think that is why I have reached where I have and all makeup artists should keep that in mind.
“Surround yourself with people who are willing to push you, and willing to give you a space to grow. It has just been a beautiful process. I am nowhere close to being done. I am just forward to the next phase,” she adds.
Arti believes that bridal makeup has transformed over the years. A lot of brides now want more minimal, dewier, more natural look. She suggests that you don’t have to necessarily do a smokey eye, brides now choose their preferences based on their outfits and in terms of their looks, they are more particular. They are very in tuned to what they want and how they want to look. I love the change that is coming in. And I am completely embracing this change.
For the brides before their big day Arti suggests, “Brides should keep in mind not to take stress too much and drink much water and stay hydrated. Brides make a lot of mistakes like they go for facials and cleanups right before their wedding. You must do this a couple of days or even a week before all the festivities start. Because your skin has to settle and if anything goes wrong, it can be corrected. Your skin has time to breathe. Your skin has time to heal. If you go under any skin treatment, it’s not good to put makeup right after it.”
On makeup trends
Incorporating sequence in the eye makeup, on the face or incorporating it with different colors. That is the trend I completely love right now. I have always loved the trend of something hues of color on the face. Different looks, different fashion labels are coming back now and I love colors coming back. I love playing with colors in eye makeup.
Any make up tips that you’d like to share with readers?
Makeup tip I swear by is I think everybody should do smokey eye that is use black kajal and you can go from day look to night look very easily. All you need is a black kajal and learn how to smudge it with your fingers. You need mascara and an eyelash curler. That is why they are very essential in your everyday kit.
What is one beauty tip you think all brides should swear by this wedding season?
Don’t go overboard. Keep it natural; keep it simple in terms of makeup. It is very important to look like yourself on your wedding day and not get carried away.
What are the five beauty essentials that one should have in their everyday kit?
Mascara, blush, kajal, a light nude pink lip gloss and an eye lash curler.
Which is your favorite make up brand and why?
I love a lot of brands. Some of them are Nars, Chanel, Bobby Brown, Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford, and TEMPTU
Three must have products every woman should have in her makeup bag?
Mascara, an eye lash curler, lip gloss, and Kajal
What’s your signature beauty look?
The ‘no makeup- makeup look.’ I love working with skin. For me working with different kinds of foundation, it really excites me. The dewy skin, minimal eye makeup, lots of mascara and blush. That is my signature look