Written by Julianna Garofalo
When Hemali Mistry read the words “ready to glow” on a cosmetic bag at Sephora about five years ago, she thought her aspiration of owning her own business in a career of makeup artistry would always be just that – a dream. In 2016, though, it was made a reality when the 24-years-old from Brampton, Ontario launched Ready To Glow: a digital brand that promotes self-love through makeup and gives voice to women of colour – especially Indian women – in the beauty world. With over 50,000 Instagram followers and a budding YouTube channel, Mistry is ascending the cosmetic industry and uplifting others on her way to the top.
1. When was the first time you ever wore makeup? What was it like?
I was about 12 when I first started wearing makeup and I definitely got in a lot of trouble when I used to put it on because I was really young. For me, it was so exciting to wear and it was like I discovered a whole new world. All the different colours intrigued me and I would walk around looking like a rainbow a lot of times. I was really artistic growing up and I loved to draw, so discovering makeup wasn’t really about using it to look pretty but more about having a new art form to express myself with.
2. When did you realize you wanted it to be your career?
I think I realized in my second year of freelancing that I really wanted this to be my full time job. I loved the way makeup brought people together and how I made someone feel once I applied makeup on them. It never felt like work when I had to apply makeup on myself or someone else, which is when I really knew I wanted this to be my career. Also, at this time, makeup artists started becoming very well recognized in the social media world as well and I wanted to be a part of that world myself.
3. What's something you learned at beauty school you didn't expect to?
COLOUR CORRECTING! That is hands down one of the best things I learnt about makeup in beauty school, and I didn’t know it was even a thing. As an Indian girl, I have a lot of discolouration on my face (specifically dark circles around my eyes) and learning about how orange colour corrects blue undertones saved me from looking so grey and ashy.
4. How does doing makeup as a hobby differ from doing it professionally?
When you’re doing it as a hobby, it’s always just fun. When you do it professionally, it can get a bit stressful. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a lot of fun but there is a lot more pressure when doing it professionally because it’s your source of income. People also don’t realize that applying makeup professionally on others is VERY different from applying makeup on yourself. So if you’re great at doing your own makeup it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be good at doing makeup on someone else. There’s a lot to learn about the art because everyone has different skin types, skin tones, facial features, etc. If you’re applying makeup or giving advice about it you have to make sure your knowledge is vast enough to cover all these differences between people.
6. What is the achievement you are most proud of to date?
I think the greatest achievement is whenever I receive messages from people who follow, love and appreciate my work. I’ve gotten many messages from people of all ages, men and women, who tell me that I inspire them and they love what I do. I’ve also received messages from followers who said I’ve helped them realize certain things, or feel like they’re not alone. Those messages mean the world to me. There’s no better achievement than knowing you’ve made a difference in someone’s life for the better. It’s a very surreal feeling and I’m so happy that I can be that person for someone.
7. What do you think is the greatest misconception about wearing makeup?
A LOT of people think that people wear makeup because they think they’re ugly and that they’re just trying to cover up all their flaws. People don’t realize that sometimes makeup is just a form of art and a way to express yourself. It’s my fashion statement. It’s my stress relief. It’s my passion. It’s not just about trying to look pretty, or covering imperfections, or looking good for this person and that person – it’s so much more than that. It’s who I am and what I love to do. It’s what makes me, me. So before you go and say “you don’t need to wear that much makeup” or “you’re so insecure about yourself so you cover yourself in makeup” or “you’re teaching kids is not good to be natural and that you’re not pretty unless you wear makeup” please think again. Majority of the time it’s not because I’m hiding insecurities or feel I NEED makeup - it’s because I enjoy doing it.
8. As a woman of colour, how do you hope the beauty industry might make progress towards being more inclusive?
I get asked this question a lot and I’m very happy I do. The industry has slowly start to become more inclusive and that makes me so happy. I still think there’s a long way to go though. I think what companies really need to realize is that just by adding one or two people of colour next to 5 other Caucasian models doesn’t necessarily mean they’re diverse. Or adding one or two deeper or lighter shades means they have a great shade range, when the middle range has a bunch of different options. Just because you add something that’s slightly different doesn’t mean you’re automatically diverse and you’ve done your duty.
I barely ever see Indian women in campaigns of any sort. And if there is an Indian woman she’s definitely a big celebrity (ex: Superwoman or Priyanka Chopra). My point is for a brown girl to get noticed (and many other types of cultural backgrounds) it’s almost impossible to get noticed sometimes. Unless you’re in the big leagues you won’t land a major gig with a big company, where as other girls not of colour who have the same level of influence as us always get these opportunities presented to them. Why? There are millions of brown girls out there looking for products to match their look – but they don’t see anyone they can relate to. I think the beauty industry really needs to open up their eyes to this problem and start including a bigger range of people in their campaigns. And that shouldn’t just stop with people of colour, it should also include people with different skin types, facial features, sexualities, etc. That way everyone has someone they can look at and relate to.
9. What do you think is the future of makeup?
The makeup industry is just getting bigger and bigger day by day. And I really do feel it’s going to start getting more diverse than you see it now. Companies and people are going to start to realize that makeup isn’t just for that perfect porcelain skinned Barbie doll looking girl and they’re going to create products and campaigns that are inclusive of everyone. It will take time but it I definitely believe it will get there.
10. What advice would you give to a young girl or boy wanting to wear makeup for the first time?
Don’t wear makeup just because you think you need it to be beautiful. Use it as a tool to express yourself but don’t think that you’re nothing without it. Beauty always comes from within first.
11. How does makeup empower you?
Makeup gives me the freedom to express myself. It also helps me relieve stress. I feel like I’m always in a different world when I’m doing makeup on myself or someone else. It’s something that I feel like is my own. That makes me different. That it’s my style. And that’s something that nobody can take away from me. Makeup has also helped me create a platform where I’m able to connect with people who feel like they can relate to me and who I’m able to inspire. There’s no more empowering feeling than that – knowing that you’re making a difference in someone’s life through doing what you love.
1. When was the first time you ever wore makeup? What was it like?
I was about 12 when I first started wearing makeup and I definitely got in a lot of trouble when I used to put it on because I was really young. For me, it was so exciting to wear and it was like I discovered a whole new world. All the different colours intrigued me and I would walk around looking like a rainbow a lot of times. I was really artistic growing up and I loved to draw, so discovering makeup wasn’t really about using it to look pretty but more about having a new art form to express myself with.
2. When did you realize you wanted it to be your career?
I think I realized in my second year of freelancing that I really wanted this to be my full time job. I loved the way makeup brought people together and how I made someone feel once I applied makeup on them. It never felt like work when I had to apply makeup on myself or someone else, which is when I really knew I wanted this to be my career. Also, at this time, makeup artists started becoming very well recognized in the social media world as well and I wanted to be a part of that world myself.
3. What's something you learned at beauty school you didn't expect to?
COLOUR CORRECTING! That is hands down one of the best things I learnt about makeup in beauty school, and I didn’t know it was even a thing. As an Indian girl, I have a lot of discolouration on my face (specifically dark circles around my eyes) and learning about how orange colour corrects blue undertones saved me from looking so grey and ashy.
4. How does doing makeup as a hobby differ from doing it professionally?
When you’re doing it as a hobby, it’s always just fun. When you do it professionally, it can get a bit stressful. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a lot of fun but there is a lot more pressure when doing it professionally because it’s your source of income. People also don’t realize that applying makeup professionally on others is VERY different from applying makeup on yourself. So if you’re great at doing your own makeup it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be good at doing makeup on someone else. There’s a lot to learn about the art because everyone has different skin types, skin tones, facial features, etc. If you’re applying makeup or giving advice about it you have to make sure your knowledge is vast enough to cover all these differences between people.
6. What is the achievement you are most proud of to date?
I think the greatest achievement is whenever I receive messages from people who follow, love and appreciate my work. I’ve gotten many messages from people of all ages, men and women, who tell me that I inspire them and they love what I do. I’ve also received messages from followers who said I’ve helped them realize certain things, or feel like they’re not alone. Those messages mean the world to me. There’s no better achievement than knowing you’ve made a difference in someone’s life for the better. It’s a very surreal feeling and I’m so happy that I can be that person for someone.
7. What do you think is the greatest misconception about wearing makeup?
A LOT of people think that people wear makeup because they think they’re ugly and that they’re just trying to cover up all their flaws. People don’t realize that sometimes makeup is just a form of art and a way to express yourself. It’s my fashion statement. It’s my stress relief. It’s my passion. It’s not just about trying to look pretty, or covering imperfections, or looking good for this person and that person – it’s so much more than that. It’s who I am and what I love to do. It’s what makes me, me. So before you go and say “you don’t need to wear that much makeup” or “you’re so insecure about yourself so you cover yourself in makeup” or “you’re teaching kids is not good to be natural and that you’re not pretty unless you wear makeup” please think again. Majority of the time it’s not because I’m hiding insecurities or feel I NEED makeup - it’s because I enjoy doing it.
8. As a woman of colour, how do you hope the beauty industry might make progress towards being more inclusive?
I get asked this question a lot and I’m very happy I do. The industry has slowly start to become more inclusive and that makes me so happy. I still think there’s a long way to go though. I think what companies really need to realize is that just by adding one or two people of colour next to 5 other Caucasian models doesn’t necessarily mean they’re diverse. Or adding one or two deeper or lighter shades means they have a great shade range, when the middle range has a bunch of different options. Just because you add something that’s slightly different doesn’t mean you’re automatically diverse and you’ve done your duty.
I barely ever see Indian women in campaigns of any sort. And if there is an Indian woman she’s definitely a big celebrity (ex: Superwoman or Priyanka Chopra). My point is for a brown girl to get noticed (and many other types of cultural backgrounds) it’s almost impossible to get noticed sometimes. Unless you’re in the big leagues you won’t land a major gig with a big company, where as other girls not of colour who have the same level of influence as us always get these opportunities presented to them. Why? There are millions of brown girls out there looking for products to match their look – but they don’t see anyone they can relate to. I think the beauty industry really needs to open up their eyes to this problem and start including a bigger range of people in their campaigns. And that shouldn’t just stop with people of colour, it should also include people with different skin types, facial features, sexualities, etc. That way everyone has someone they can look at and relate to.
9. What do you think is the future of makeup?
The makeup industry is just getting bigger and bigger day by day. And I really do feel it’s going to start getting more diverse than you see it now. Companies and people are going to start to realize that makeup isn’t just for that perfect porcelain skinned Barbie doll looking girl and they’re going to create products and campaigns that are inclusive of everyone. It will take time but it I definitely believe it will get there.
10. What advice would you give to a young girl or boy wanting to wear makeup for the first time?
Don’t wear makeup just because you think you need it to be beautiful. Use it as a tool to express yourself but don’t think that you’re nothing without it. Beauty always comes from within first.
11. How does makeup empower you?
Makeup gives me the freedom to express myself. It also helps me relieve stress. I feel like I’m always in a different world when I’m doing makeup on myself or someone else. It’s something that I feel like is my own. That makes me different. That it’s my style. And that’s something that nobody can take away from me. Makeup has also helped me create a platform where I’m able to connect with people who feel like they can relate to me and who I’m able to inspire. There’s no more empowering feeling than that – knowing that you’re making a difference in someone’s life through doing what you love.
Let your Linkedin connections glow too. Connect with Julianna Garofalo.