Trailblazer Makeover Artist

This name needs no introduction if you understand the feel and sense of the word ‘makeover’. Clearly it isn’t just about your products and their applications. The trendsetter of ‘makeup industry’, Meenakshi Dutt (MD), feels that makeover should always complement the presentation.

To look good is not just a desire but a passion anywhere in the world. From middle class family’s ‘ghee ka kajal’ to hi-fi branded kohl, we all pamper our looks.

Meenakshi Dutt took her baby step to the glamour industry as a model. She was just 16 then. During her days in Mumbai, she was further exposed to makeover and hair zone. Moving to Delhi was lucky for her. The national capital had no makeover and hair artists. The options available for the makeover or hairdo were either in beauty parlours or “to do by yourself”.

Meenakshi Dutt was fortunate because she had grasped the base of this art while working as a model in Mumbai. Delhi gave her the opportunity to apply all the skills. She also came up with some her own styles.

She realised that Delhi was running behind time. Fashion and knowledge of makeover products were lagging here. Meenakshi did makeover and hairdo for her co-models on their request. She used her own products for free.
Meenakshi’s idea of doing all the makeover for her co-models gradually picked up. She started getting recognition for her talent. However, making it a profession was still not on the cards.

A lady evolves in every phase of her life – as a wife and a mother. Meenakshi, as a mother, chose to pursue makeover and hairdo as a profession in 1997. She took hairdo training for a while. Making it a career wasn’t easy but as we say ‘where there is a will there is a way’.

Meenakshi emerged as a trend-setter artist. She gave wings to this profession. It has been an amazing journey of 21 years for Meenakshi. Every journey is a perfect mixture of opportunities and challenges. She too had her share of both.

Finding makeup products in those days was difficult. Exposure to makeover was also limited because internet had not practically arrived for the common man. Access to foreign products was not easy either.

Self learning was the only option. This too had its own set of challenges. Kids and family were the reason she could not often travel to different places for learning new adaptations.

To start a career and pursue it with commitment demands strength. One also feels the need for a role model to draw inspiration. Meenakshi found in Shahnaz Husain a successful entrepreneur and a very strong lady who does not fear to translate her ideas into practice. There must have been others too who would have made her think deep and confident. But the strength to keep chasing her dreams came from within. No wind can dim the lamp which shines from within. Meenakshi adds that role models in your life must keep on changing according to your phase. You should keep transforming yourself, else your USP suffers, she believes.

But Meenakshi also feels she was lucky because she did not have to put in much effort. God has been kind to her, she feels. Things kept falling in place. She was active enough to welcome her instincts. She went with the flow and grabbed whatever opportunity came her way.

It helped. She established her own brand MDM (Meenakshi Dutt Makeovers). Her first salon was launched in Punjabi Bagh. She considers it as her turning point in her life.

Meenakshi started her second salon in 2012 in the Shivalik area of South Delhi. These salons are not just the place for ‘being glamorous’ in your look, but they are an academy too, where the enthusiasts from across the country and outside are trained. Meenakshi works on the baseline of ‘the cycle of knowledge’ (receiving and imparting), which must go on. Well she also accepts that this is also a part of her business.

Understanding your client and providing services accordingly makes the job interesting. This is not just about glamour and style. It requires hard work too. Enjoying the peak of her career, a contented Meenakshi has inspired many women and has a great impact on their lives.

Following trends, exploring something new, adding your own elements, that’s what makes one stand out. It is desirable. Otherwise, you are just a ‘copying’ bug!