The Celebrity Makeup Artist and Beauty Guru

Vimi Joshi is a self-confessed “global nomad” whose style is infused with a rich and eclectic range of global cultures. She is also the director of makeup at the Bollywood Oscars (known as the IIFA). Born in Africa, into a very traditional Indian family, she grew up in England before moving to Dubai. She tells us. “I find my inner peace and balance through meditation, yoga and makeup.” Read on for Joshi’s journey, top tips and advice in this exclusive interview for CP magazine.

Please introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Vimi Joshi an international celebrity makeup artist and an international fashion week makeup artist. I have been doing makeup for over 25 years with celebrities from Hollywood to Bollywood and Rockstars to royalties.

Tell us about your education.
I was actually training to be a doctor. Growing up in a strict Indian family, I was not allowed to be an artist. Although I trained to be a doctor but that was not my passion was. But when you dream of something, the universe conspires to make your dreams happen. So, I met some friends and one of them was a stylist for U2 The band and another one was a casting director and so through them I had the opportunity to become a makeup artist.

Tell us a little bit about how you first got into makeup, and about your journey to where you are today?
While I was studying during the week days, on weekends I was a backup dancer for music videos in London. So, in the mid nineties where we are talking about the Spice Girls, Peter Andre, Oasis and other iconic British bands and I would go and be an extra. During this I happened to meet a makeup artist who literally changed my life.

Where do you find your inspiration?
I find my inspiration every where. I look at nature, I look at the sky, I look at the architecture. I look at everything around me because inspiration is magical and is all around us.
How would you describe your signature look and what is it about your style that sets you apart from other makeup artists?
My signature look is definitely celebrity red carpet glamour but I love doing from all aspects. From super creative to fashion shows to literally no makeup for some women. I really believe that makeup is an art but the truly real art is listening to your clients, listen to their needs, listen to how they want to look and feel and not how you want to project your vision on to them.

Which famous artists have influenced you, and how?
I truly get inspired by art. So, Claude Monet, Picasso, Van Gaugh inspire me. When I look at these guys work, look at their brush strokes, how they paint and use colors inspires me. So, art and artists are a true inspiration for me. In my spare time, I go to art galleries and look at painting and through paintings I get my inspiration.

How did you start working with celebrities?
I started working with celebrities almost instantly. When I finished my medical school, my first job was with the Prime Minister – Tony Blair. I was working for his advertising campaign before he became the Prime Minister and that was the start of my journey. Since then, I have worked with so many celebrities from around the world. From Hollywood, Bollywood, Arab world, to Filipinos and many more.

What are the three tools in your makeup kit that you can never, ever be without?
The three tools in my makeup it would be my brushes, Makeup (all of it!). But to pick three, its Lipstick, Mascara, and an eyeliner. I use different brands and keep trying different brands all the time.

What is the most important beauty advice that you can give to both men & women?
The best piece of advice that I could give to men and women is to “Be true to yourself.” If you want to wear wild makeup and you love it and you own it, go ahead and do it. There are no rules to makeup. The only rule is that there are no rules. The good thing about makeup is that it washes out.

What’s your secret to achieving a flawless-looking complexion on your clients?
My secret would be hydrate – hydrate – hydrate. If your skin is hydrated enough, the moment you apply any makeup to it, it melts in it and makes your skin look buttery. Almost like an ice-cream.

What have been your favourite red carpet looks you’ve done?
This is such a difficult question. Each celebrity has a unique personality and each one wants to look different. So, my job is to see what they are wearing, how their hair and how they want to look and make them look the most beautiful. Each celebrity I have worked with has loved my work

What have been the largest hurdles you’ve had to overcome to date?
The hardest thing that I had to overcome was to convince my family and parents to accept makeup artistry as a career. Going back in 90’s and coming from a strong Indian family, it was looked down to be an artist. The moment I told them I was working in the beauty industry, they thought I was working in a salon and would be waxing and doing eyebrows. To explain them I was a professional makeup artist, was an absolute challenge. It’s only when I got associated with the IIFA awards and they saw me doing makeup on celebrities that they took me seriously and understand makeup artistry as a career.

What advice do you wish you had received at the beginning of your journey to success?
The advice I wished I had received would be to not give up. Believe in your dream, believe in yourself, keep going. As creative people, we are so critical on ourselves. My best advice is Art is creative and unlimited. Don’t let the society judge you or tell you what to do.
I wish I had got this advice in the beginning.
My advice to everyone is to go out there and be as creative and artistic as possible and enjoy and own your journey.

In your opinion, what is the most important quality in a makeup artist?
The most important quality in a makeup artist is to listen to what your client or celebrity needs and it’s so important to listen to how they want to look and how they want to feel. It’s all about them. You are just using your brushes and makeup to bring out their innovation. So, listen to what they want and don’t do what you think will look good on them. Make it a co-creative process where you are both going through it together. Make it a beautiful and spiritual experience for your client.

How do you keep up with the latest beauty trends?
I set, or create trends. It’s an interesting thing that when you do makeup for a celebrity, thousands of people see and follow them and it becomes a trend. Instagram is also a great place to find trends but I like to create my own trends with celebrities. So, as I say “own your art.”

What are some common beauty mistakes women make?
Choose the wrong shade of foundation. My biggest challenge was when working with the South-Asian community is that when the women wanted to look fairer but it was turning to grey. So, according to me choose the correct shade of foundation is the key to making the best and most glamorous version of yourself.

What are some of your achievements that you are most proud of?
Some of the achievements that I am proud of are:
I was the Directory of makeup artistry for the IIFA awards for 10 year. So, actually putting a huge 3-day event with over 400 makeup artists and a team of around 30 was a challenge and then seeing everything come together on stage was magical. I was also honored to be part of the Vancouver Olympics opening ceremony in 2010 was also a great honor. Working backstage on all these fashion shows internationally is an achievement.
What I am most proud of is that as an Indian woman, I am able to inspire so many women out there and the fact that I believed in my journey and followed my heart.

What are your plans for the future?
My future plans involve to keeping inspiring through beauty, connecting the world through beauty and starting a conversation about embracing our imperfections. Look at your flaws, embrace them and let’s change the dialogue. Being imperfect is the new form of perfection. Don’t follow the herd. If a trend is on Instagram, it does not mean you have to follow it blindly. Find you, find yourself, find your inner beauty. Embrace your flaws.

Juggling a family and a career isn’t easy! If we had the chance to peek at your schedule, what would an average day look like?
I don’t have an average day. Each day is so very different from the previous day. It’s so unique, so magical. So, if you love what you do and have a very supportive family, it’s the best thing ever.

What are some of your other hobbies?
My hobbies are meditation. I am obsessed with meditating and I love doing yoga. So, to live in this world of hedonistic beauty, fashion and glamour, my balance is with meditation and silence. If my schedule permits, I try to meditate for at least two hours per day. That’s how I ground myself, find my inner strength and that’s how I evolve in this world.

Any unforgettable moments with some celebrities?
It is definitely the one doing makeup for Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. It was in a private jet and as we were landing in Bangalore and I was trying to do the eyeliner and the plane was going through turbulence was definitely a fun experience but being a true professional, I managed to do it right. Also landing in Bangalore with a crowd of fans waiting and getting into the van which were police escorted was definitely a memorable experience for me.

Your message for us at CP magazine.
What an amazing magazine. It’s absolutely inspirational. Keep inspiring with the content you all are creating and keep growing. I wish you all global domination.