Have you ever imagined Aishwarya Rai getting a makeover so as to look as beautiful as Halle Berry?

Would Tyra Banks ask her team to make her look like Twiggy?

I am almost certain it won’t happen.

Beauty is possibly the last word that can be given an objective definition. When it comes to beauty and its appreciation, subjectivity rules.

It is no wonder then that the yardstick which would have made Hollywood beauty, Marilyn Monroe look striking with a coat of make-up would not have worked entirely on the pretty Lara Dutta. As a make-up artist, the brushes are worth the same as the cosmetics and the brands I use on my clients. Then what is it that makes one person different from the other?

The differences lie mainly at two primary levels. First, anatomical similarities are balanced by dissimilarities in perception.

A traditional Oriental beauty would be identified by a gorgeous hair-cut and large deep eyes, while a Western beauty would primarily be rated on the basis of body fitness, skin texture and hair style.

An Indian or Pakistani woman would devote her time to either grooming or concealing her skin with natural or cosmetic agents, while the blonde would opt for a workout.

While outdoors, a Westerner relies heavily on a sunblock cream or lotion because she loves to sunbathe and doesn’t tan as quickly as an Indian woman would.

The Indian beauty is more prone to a suntan. So, she is likely to keep away from sunbaths but she is also less likely to opt for a sunblock. Even the application process has marked distinguishing features on both sides of the globe.

The westerners apply mascara in not more than one or two strokes. Despite having big lashes, Indian women from India or Pakistani women would persist in overlapping multiple strokes of mascara.

They use darker shades of eyeshadows, at times matte and shimmery in texture, depending on the occasion. With blonde hair, fair skin and chilly weather, a natural blush would be part of a woman’s face in the West. That leaves yet another element less in the makeover of a Western woman.

The latest colour palettes offer beautiful colours for blushers, which go alongside the lipstick used.

For a traditional Indian face, all the colour possibilities are put to good use. Hair colour, formation and length also determine how a woman looks after a makeover. With black hair that falls to the shoulder or even up to the waist, dark pastel shades, crème lipsticks, eyeshadows, eyeliners help create a new personality out of the Indian woman, far removed from what she looks like without her make-up.

My perceptions as a make-up artist may be based on preferences of individual clients and general observations, but the one factor that shapes the preferences themselves are deep-rooted social beliefs, customs and traditions.

While conservatism and liberalism may not have a direct bearing on makeovers, perceptions of beauty do depend on social yardsticks and cultural traditions, albeit in an indirect way. So, the endless debate can continue but an easy way to draw a conclusion would be to let beauty lie in the eyes of the beholder.

HERE ARE SOME COMMONLY USED

INDIAN MAKE-UP TRADITIONS:

EYE MAKE-UP (kohl?), eyeliner- from the time a child is six days old, its mother applies kajal to its eyes and also a small black dot on the forehead of the child. This is said to protect from evil.

SINDOOR - dot on forehead, of woman indicating marital status, power, protection for her husband. It is applied by the husband as part of wedding ceremony.

BINDI (dot on forehead), traditionally a symbol of marriage (vivaha), but now worn by unmarried women.

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