Let’s makeup

Born in Mumbai and bred in Doha, Meera Singh Rathore, the 24-year-old Rajput girl re-born in Mumbai as a hairstylist when she enrolled at Juice academy to train under the adept hands of Adhuna Akhtar. Tasneem Nashrulla reports.

Born in Mumbai and bred in Doha, Meera Singh Rathore, the 24-year-old Rajput girl re-born in Mumbai as a hairstylist when she enrolled at Juice academy to train under the adept hands of Adhuna Akhtar.

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“I always wanted to do hair and makeup because I was surrounded by beautiful Middle Eastern women who took great care of their appearances.”

Never quite interested in academics, Rathore began working as an assistant in Juice at the age of seventeen. “I was a shadow to my senior. I did 40 to 50 shampoos a day, swept hair off the floor and washed the basins, for a monthly salary of Rs 5,000.”

Practising haircuts Rathore perfected her skills when she was 19, earning Rs 20,000 a month. By her own admission, she is “always caked in makeup”, which is why she trained under renowned makeup artist Marvie Beck.

After a two-week advanced hairstyle course with Vidal Sassoon in Los Angeles, Rathore was promoted to senior stylist at Juice last year.

But with the fun, money and fame, came the occupational hazards. “I suffered from cervical spondylitis a few years ago” she says.

Today she earns nearly Rs 80,000 a month, is booked for weeks altogether and is still hungry for more. She says, “I want to learn advanced prosthetic make-up, hair extensions, bridal and film make-up, so I can travel around the world for shoots and shows.”