HT Brunch Social Media Star of the Week: Karishma Leckraz

Vanity bedamned! This 27-year-old is using social media to raise awareness about eczema

At the age of 14, when Karishma Leckraz watched her mother use make-up, she was fascinated. Little did she know that her curiosity, which led her to try a lighter shade of foundation, would not only make make-up her full-time career, but also help raise awareness about atopic dermatitis (eczema), the skin condition she has been battling since childhood.

London-based Karishma is using her Instagram account to fight conventional ideas of beauty

“At that point, foundations really did not have a variety of shades, and that’s how I made my first make-up faux pas. But these lessons helped me learn about my skin,” says the London-based creator, who is of Indian descent.

Karishma posts make-up tutorials and skincare hacks to help deal with eczema

Karishma first posted about her skin condition, which makes the skin red and itchy and flares up periodically, in 2017 but it was only recently that her posts gained traction. In a span of two weeks, her follower count almost doubled. Her aim is not numbers, but to help people understand and accept eczema, provide remedies and shut down conventional beauty standards.

“I was frustrated with the way beauty is portrayed in billboards and ads”

­—Karishma Leckraz

“I was frustrated with the way beauty is portrayed in billboards and ads. I had to come to work every day with make-up on and, on some days, the inflammation would have aggravated,” Karishma says.

So, with the support of her parents, friends and family, she decided to switch careers and start talking about eczema.

“I used to post my make-up looks with captions about the condition, which soon found positive comments and feedback. My DMs were filled with grateful messages, especially from parents of children suffering from eczema,” she says.

While skin conditions are often ignored by filmmakers, Onir’s Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz (2018), portrayed the leading lady, Geetanjali Thapa, with vitiligo

To cope with her eczema, Karishma has had to make dietary changes, such as completely avoiding dairy. “On some days, I’m tired of having to give all this up. However, I know I’m not alone on this journey!”

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Who should be the next HT Brunch Social Media Star Of The Week? Nominate using the hashtag #BrunchSocialMediaStarOTW or email htbrunch@hindustantimes.com

From HT Brunch, December 20, 2020

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