Selection Stories
I never imagined having a conversation about makeup, simply because I had zero knowledge about it. But recently, after attending a wedding function, I started noticing and appreciating the work of makeup artists. The very first makeup-related video I came across on Instagram was by Ridhimaa Kharbanda. She explained things so clearly in her reels that it instantly caught my attention. That’s when I thought — why not have a conversation with her for my blog?
Ridhimaa uses her Instagram like a portfolio, and when I reached out to her for a feature, she kindly agreed. Honestly, the answers she gave were far more thoughtful and honest than I had expected when we began. So, thank you Ridhimaa — and let’s begin the conversation.
Q1) Can you tell us how your journey into makeup artistry began?
Ridhimaa: I loved makeup since I was 12 or 13. I used to sit and watch makeup tutorials and product reviews on YouTube all day. As I grew up, it became a safe space for me, but I never really thought of it as a career option. After I graduated college, I worked at a firm for a bit, but it never felt fulfilling. That’s when my parents encouraged me to look at makeup through a different lens — and the rest is history.
Q2) What inspired you to start showcasing your work on Instagram?
Ridhimaa: Instagram is like an artist’s portfolio. People can look through your work and decide if you’re the right person they’re looking for. It was the first step I took to show the world my work.
Q3) What strategies helped you grow your Instagram audience organically?
Ridhimaa: I think having a large following is not all there is to having a successful Instagram account, especially for a business owner or someone who provides services. What truly matters is how many of my followers I can turn into real-life clients by showcasing details of my work and showing diversity in my looks. Creating a strong clientele helps grow your audience organically.
Q4) Do you think formal training is necessary, or can one succeed as a self-taught artist?
Ridhimaa: I think art isn’t something you can teach. Self-taught artists work HARD — and how! — trying out different techniques, testing how certain products work with each other. I have formal training and I’m extremely grateful to my teachers for teaching me what they learned through their experience, but one can only teach the techniques, not the creativity. So yes, one can definitely succeed as a self-taught artist.
Q5) If you could tell one thing to clients before they book a makeup session with you, what would it be?
Ridhimaa: Don’t have unreal expectations. Social media is a scary place. We see so much filtered content that we lose touch with reality. Remember that makeup is makeup — it’s not a cosmetic procedure. Expect to look beautiful, not filtered.
Q6) Has working in the beauty industry changed your personal idea of what “beautiful” means?
Ridhimaa: Before I started working as a makeup artist, I always believed that we do makeup to look beautiful. One thing my clients taught me is that we do makeup to look fancy — we’re beautiful even without it. Most of my clients give me the brief, “Don’t make me look like another person.” That made me realize that one should find beauty in themselves and just use makeup to look like a more refined version of themselves, not to look like someone else.
Q7) What stereotypes or assumptions do people make about makeup artists that you’d like to break?
Ridhimaa: That we can compensate for years of neglect of your skin with a simple prep routine before the D-day. We can’t. Please drink your water and use sunscreen daily. We can only do so much in the span of a couple of hours.
Q8) Have you had emotional moments with clients—like brides, survivors, or someone going through something?
Ridhimaa: Oh, so many. There’s something about sitting in a makeup chair and sharing your personal space with the artist that makes the client open up about so much. There have been times where my client and I have both taken a minute to hold back our tears so the foundation doesn’t get messed up — lol. I’m always grateful to clients who choose to trust me with their stories.
Q9) Do you ever feel the pressure to look perfect yourself, just because you’re in the beauty industry?
Ridhimaa: Not really, no. Our work is messy, tiring, and physically exhausting. There are two sides to the coin — the side the internet sees where our client looks perfect, and the side behind the camera where we end up looking like giant messes with foundation on our shirts and eyeshadow on our faces. And that’s okay. Nobody could ever look perfect after an eight, ten, or fourteen-hour workday — and that’s fine.
Q10) What is your biggest realization so far?
Ridhimaa: That there are problems and hurdles in every industry. No work should be looked down upon. Whether the job is more academically inclined or more vocational in nature, everyone’s doing their best just to survive.
Q11) If you meet God, what would you say to Him/Her?
Ridhimaa: I’d thank Her for giving me the ability to fend for myself. For giving me the opportunity to invest time, energy, and money in my work. To always help me remember not to take my privileges lightly and work to deserve having them.
———–Thank You———