The time when she decided to live her life on her own terms and chase her dreams by living outside her home city was life-changing for Sukanya Manerikar, a luxury bridal makeup artist and a beauty influencer from Porvorim in North Goa.
Lovingly called Sukku or Suksi, Sukanya is a person who always creates a wonderful piece of art in all the creative endeavours she ventures into. She is not just a makeup artist, but also a singer and Bharatnatyam dancer, who has won numerous medals in the category.
Sukanya was all about being a stage artist. During her childhood, when everyone saw her performing any kind of art, they used to say that this girl would make a name for herself in whatever she took up. Her extensive training in professional makeup from Bollywood artist Marvie Ann Beck in Mumbai has provided immense exposure, skill, and knowledge of the latest techniques and products. Today, she has created a benchmark in an industry that is completely unique and creative having been in this field for more than 9 years now.
For Sukanya, a role model is any person who chases their dreams no matter how hard the task and ensures she excels no matter the cost. She also looks up to any person who is trying to change their lifestyle for healthy living as a role model, which entails consistent effort and dedication.
Initially, when Sukanya left Goa to move to Mumbai, she didn’t receive any support from her family or friends. It was a solo struggle right from the word go. Gradually, when things started falling into place, people began to understand her good cause – bringing beauty and smiles to women’s faces, it was then that her parents and others offered support.
Sukanya believes that she has done everything within her reach, in fact, more than anyone could possibly think of. Concern for her clients ensures that she uses high-end professional makeup brands like MAC, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Urban Decay, Makeup Forever, and Krylon. Sukanya advocates that teaching and sharing makeup skills will help her hone and develop her artistic abilities.
Thus, she has established herself as a trainer at the Bollywood Hollywood Institution of Makeup and Hair, Bandra, where she mentors and grooms young aspiring makeup artists.
The only advice Sukanya feels that she could give her past self is to avoid hastily believing in people and never lower one’s work value for promotional purposes, which most budding artists resort to, to get more work. Which she initially fell prey to and then realised her mistake.
The biggest challenge in pursuing makeup artistry is that one does not have work in hand every day. Sometimes, one can have a lot of bridal clients and sometimes one has nothing to do during the off-season. The only solution during these times is to pursue a new hobby that will keep one occupied till one gets work.
Sukanya says that one should always; be open to learning new things, be consistent about watching videos related to the latest trends, practice new techniques on oneself whenever time permits, and never stop looking for work. She advises people to inculcate a hunger for self-prosperity.
By Cassandra Carvalho
