#nanbenda

[girlinjasmineandsandalwood]

hello fellow tamil person on Tumblr! *waves* 👋

me also tamil 🐥

mood rn :

Hellooo tamizhaaaaaa!!

All time fav for on the spot kutthu:

[jebinthomasmathew]

Friends are not made, it happens. When it happens it remains. Thank you for inspiring and empowering. #learnfromeveryone #nanbenda #Tamilbond #thalathalapathyfans #triggerlove #friendsfromchennai #Mumbaitamilanda #grandismedia #latepostbutworthit (at Gateway Convention Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm_yg1SIgrg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[khaleesiofalicante]

Happy Birthday Dani 🎂🎉 Your posts always make me happy!! Hope you have a wonderful year ahead!! Iniya Piranthanaal Vaazhthukkal 🍫🍭

Romba romba nandri 😭😭😭

[yolofashionfactory]

Friends Group Tshirts

Customized Tshirt collection✨✨✨

Call us:9500433564

#friendslove #friendsstatus #friendstamilstatus #friendshipquotes #songstamil #tamilsongs #friendstshirt #nanbanda #nanbanmovie #nanbandaa #tamilcomedystatus #santhanamcomedy #salesforce #onlineclasses #onlinefashionstore #customisedtshirts🖤 #fashionfactory #yolo✌️

[amigoways]

Good friends are hard to find, Harder to leave, and impossible to forget. 🎉 Happy Friendship Day 2022 👫🏻👬🏻

[msjonesrupert]

Wishing two of my best buddies @syedsubahan and @subash1010 a many many many more happy returns of the day.. ❤️❤️❤️ love u both.. May all ur dreams come true and you stay happy forever. Have a blessed birthday guys.. #birthday #friendship #friendforever #friends #celebration #nanbenda https://www.instagram.com/p/CGJql-OjYLX/?igshid=1vwohpbu8khh4

[djjollythr]

It's my #Kaigals neram! No phone strictly. We hardly meet or talk due to work and distance. But, we always spend a quality time when meet. My #Nanbenda. 🐯 #truefriends #friendship #friendshipgoals https://www.instagram.com/p/B5-Pxajljyk/?igshid=49xlz69qdvhc

[vathsansri]

It was a privilege to share the stage with my darling niece #Dhee and the brilliant #SaNa 😍😍 #toronto #varnam2019 #friendscanada #nanbenda https://www.instagram.com/p/BxLi7V5Anvs/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1h0ajlg6pklbg

[sweenkrishna]

" Different but Best Friends Cuz you can't do epic with basic people" #differentideas #differentperspective #friendship #bestfriends #bestfriendgoals #friendshipgoals #nanbenda #friendsforlife #friendsforlife #pongal #pongalride #chillendracoimbatore #hilarious (at Masinagudi) https://www.instagram.com/p/BstS5xmlThC/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1wh54pb69qth5

[vithyahairandmakeup]

My Decade

My 2010 started with me finishing my one year diploma at London College of Fashion. I was so excited to start my new career with this prestigious qualification at one of the World’s top fashion institutions, but the makeup artist I used to look up to so much then, told me that I would not last long in this field. She broke my heart. And not because I thought I was doomed, but because of how discouraging and mean she was. 

Up until that moment I thought I had to prove something to my family, but then quickly realised that I am leaving one pack of wolves - my family of course - to walk into another - this industry!I swore to myself then, that I would encourage and support any other makeup artist along my journey and not be like her. I would like to believe that I stayed true to that to some extent. Whatever she had told me did place some doubt in my heart. Just as a precaution I thought I better apply somewhere and work part time at least. So I applied at MAC cosmetics, who had actually rejected me. They then gave me a call a few months later and asked if I could cover during their busy christmas period. Once I started at MAC, they kept me on and I worked for them for another 3 years. They even offered me the managerial position, the irony.

During the three years at MAC, I was so unsure and so confused in what direction I wanted to go in. It was a part time position, so it didn’t pay well, and I was desperately trying to freelance on the weekends. I would get a client once every few months, who wouldn’t pay me much. Without a car, without a proper makeup trolley, it was agony carrying my suitcase up and down underground staircases and holding onto it with my dear life during packed train journeys. I can assure you, it was not a pleasant experience at all.I tried being part of short movies, worked with the National Portrait Gallery, the Arcadia group (who own Topshop, Dorothy Perkins etc.), fashion shows for Nintendo, and even a shoot for British Airways. But all were unpaid and definitely got me nowhere except for a few phone pictures to add to my Facebook Page.

I would come home after a long day of standing and lugging my suitcase around, and my parents would look at me with judgemental eyes wondering why a science graduate who landed a very well paid job in a huge marketing company, would give it all up to do makeup on people for minimum wages and be treated like a servant?I honestly never ever regretted my decision. Yes it was tough not making money, and spending all my earnings on building a better makeup kit or on my travel, but it gave me life; it brought me happiness, it made me want to get out of bed, and it definitely distracted me from my anti depressants and suicidal thoughts. Being a makeup artist brought me back to life.

In 2013, I quit MAC and took the brave decision to go self employed. I registered my company officially. My freelance work had picked up, and I wanted to free my weekends from working in retail. I wanted to explore more and try out new things.I still remember I had hit 10K followers on Instagram after joining in 2012 and more and more people started to get to know me around the world. Instagram opened up a lot of doors for me.Having lived in Germany most of my childhood, my parents were ok with me travelling to Europe for bridal jobs because I was able to stay with family. I think I was the first Tamil makeup artist back then who travelled to neighbouring countries for work. That was probably one of the best decisions I had made. Travelling around Europe and doing makeup got me exposed a lot more and people who were not on social media knew of my existence. 

And as per usual I would still collaborate and work for free with anyone who contacted me. I wanted to get out there and try everything new. During exactly one of these collabs, I was asked to come early morning one day, to do makeup on a male model for a music video shoot. When I arrived that Monday morning I nearly fainted at the sight of Simbu, a very famous Tamil Actor. I was getting my station ready when the makeup artist who was hired for the entire movie did end up coming for this music video shoot. I was gutted. I thought I won’t get a chance to work with him and was prepared to pack up and leave. But the organiser was adamant that I stay and help out. I asked the makeup artist if I could do touch up makeup at least for a few scenes, and she kindly let me. The pictures I took of that moment went viral in South India, and that was the first time people in India started following my work on social media or even knew of my existence.It was also the first time a lot of makeup artists noticed me and can I just say they were not happy with this newbie getting to work with celebrities. 

It got worse in 2014 when I was asked to do makeup for another famous Actress, Sneha, for a Wedding Exhibition. To be honest I was very overwhelmed. I did not think I was cut out for the job and kept asking the organisers why not pick some of the more experienced makeup artists. I really was not ready for such a big job. I wasn’t confident.However, the organiser told me that out of all the profiles she had sent Sneha, Sneha herself picked me. That was all I needed. I spoke to Sneha on the phone a week before her arrival, and met her a few days before the show, to discuss the looks and make sure she was happy with everything.Working with her will forever be one of my most cherished moments in my career. She believed in me and trusted me. However a lot of people were absolutely angry at the thought of me doing makeup on someone as famous as her. They could not comprehend that someone as inexperienced, nor established as myself would bag in a job like this. I did understand their disappointment, but was sad that no one seemed to want to support me. 

Later that same year, I was asked if I was interested in being a production assistant for two songs from the movie Nanbenda; it was a Red Giant Production acting Udhayanidi and Nayanthara, line produced by Kavino from MYA Media. Of course I know nothing about production, but did not want to turn down this opportunity, so took 9 days off and decided to help out. The shoot took place all over Great Britain with a huge budget and an experience of a life time. I got to personally work with Nayanthara and saw what happened behind the scenes. I made great friends during that shoot, even had the responsibility of finding a castle and two horses for one scene, but went home having to deal with a divorce. Even though career-wise 2014 was a great year for me, but on a personal level I had to deal with a lot of heart ache. And no, it had nothing to do with my career, it was simply bad timing. 

The following few years just had me on a rollercoaster to be honest. I tried numerous new things; being a TV host, a judge for dance competitions and beauty peagants, modelling, acting in commercials which never made it on TV, makeup for adverts, short films, magazine shoots, editorials, none were paid of course, until I found a new love for teaching.

I started teaching one-to-one tutorials in 2014 and remember I couldn’t even get two students that December. The following year it grew to 10 students, and in 2016 I had back to back students who were willing to pay whatever I quoted. That I when I made the decision of doing a Masterclass after seeing Mario (Kim Kardashian’s Makeup Artist) do these around the US. I had no guidelines nor knew how to start. Masterclasses were unheard of in our community. I was the first.I hired a small gallery space, and rented 20 chairs. I had my cousins and friends help me set up and we bought a Kettle and paper cups to serve tea and coffee for everyone. I thought the day went so well, and absolutely enjoyed the teaching, to get a call at the end of that day from my mum crying down the phone telling me that our house got robbed. Well we quickly found out that nothing was actually stolen, but the house just go trashed. A lot of us that night stayed up thinking someone did not want me to do these classes. My high ended with such a low, and got worse when I woke up to a lot of emails from our students complaining about numerous things in regards to my Masterclass. Today, I have taught 16 classes all over the world now with as many as 80 students, and for renowned makeup brands such as Bobbi Brown and Nars Cosmetics. So don’t ever let anyone or anything stop you from what you love and what you are meant to do.

Anyway, the following years have definitely been the best; from campaign shoots for Pothys, being flown out around the world for Bridal jobs, being a panelist and being a Keynote speaker for American Express, working with South Indian Movie celebrities Amy Jackson, Bharathirajah, the beautiful Sneha again, and Meena, being in charge of Makeup for Anirudh’s Concert in London and Paris, interviewed on mental health and published in Huffington Post, and my YouTube journey with my Saree draping video amassing nearly 6 million views. I know this is not work related but me marrying the most amazing human being in New York almost 3 years ago definitely was a huge benefactor in my career too. Happiness does wonders, I tell you.

Either way, none of it came easy. Yes it was hard work, but no one ever publicly or openly talks about the politics and the drama that happen in the industry behind closed doors. How not only do you have to deal with your nerves when working on a big project but you probably have to pray all day that no one tries to sabotage this opportunity for you; that no one talks to the organiser and pays them off to drop you last minute (has happened to me countless times), and hope that no one talks behind your back and invents rumours about you. The best rumour was that my ex husband left me because I was having a relationship with Simbu apparently. When my Bride told me that, my answer was “I wish”. We had such a laugh that day.

My last 10 years taught me so much. I grew on a professional and personal level. I think maturity and experience has helped me deal with a lot of it, and face a lot of it.I have some amazing friends also who are in the same field as me, and I have never stopped encouraging, teaching, or inspiring others who are entering this industry. I want to be that someone I never had 10 years ago. Jealousy, competitiveness, and hate does nothing but destroy. It ruins, and it causes nothing but pain. Fame can be another culprit too. It’s great to want to grow on social media, but do not lose your morals, values, and principles along the way. Once you lose respect, it is very hard to earn it back.

How does one deal with all of this? I used to wonder why some people were so horrible, but then gave up trying to figure out what their reasons were. I still get hate or have situations were other makeup artists try and make it very difficult for me, but the first step was to block a lot of words and people on social media. Of course we want to be liked, and we want to be a good person and set a good example, but do we really need to prove something to someone who does not know you nor like you? No matter what line of business you are, there is going to be competition. There is going to be people around you who are going to watch you like a hawk and copy every single thing that you do. But let that be a positive thing. Let that challenge you to do better, and be better, and get outside of your comfort zone. Focus on your own path and cut out anything or anyone who stresses you out or causes negativity. It really is as simple as that.Comparing yourself to others is the worst thing you could do to yourself. Insecurities do not get you anywhere. Have the right people around you who feed your soul with positivity and happiness. And definitely stay away from those who like to gossip about others in the industry. Never healthy I tell you. Trust me, I have been there, done that.

My testimony is to help you see the non-glamorous side of my job, but also see how it has never been easy and still isn’t for any of us. In 2007 I tried to take my life. If anyone had told me then, that in 2020 I will be writing a blog about how to deal with negativity, I would have laughed in their face. But here I am today, doing what I love, loving life, and not being the slightest bit deterred by the few who will always try and bring you down. I have an amazing support system of family and friends, and there are hundreds of thousands of you who support me, so surely that has to count for something too. I am so ready to take on the next decade. Are you?

[jambajaar]

நண்பேன்டா (Nanbenda) is the headline. Bro lingo in Tamil, along the lines of “my mang” 😜
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Newspaper and breakfast #jambajaarphotoritual.
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Chennai, India. Shot on an iPhone X camera.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8-rUzPgcWI/?igshid=1fvmhcpx0ofp5

[akshaylegend07]

#natpu #natpu❤️ #natpuforever😍😍😍😘😘😘😘 #natpu👬 #natpuu #natpus #natpus😍 #natpugal #friendship #friendshipquotes #friend #friends #friendshipgoals #friendshipbracelets #nanban #nanbenda #nanbendaa #friendsforever #happybirthday #instagram #instagood #instaquotesdaily #instafriends #friendsday #nanbanda

[russelnickson]

Veshti swag! #latergram #tamilan #nanbenda (at Chennai, India)

[karthick-be-cool]

#happybornday #macha @john_prabha_k #natpu #friendship #mapla #macha #nanbenda #partha 🎉🎇🎆🎋🎏🎁🎊 (at சில்லென்ற கோயமுத்தூர்)

[ambarishvenkat]

#TBT #Nanbenda (at Infosys Chennai)

[vravi-blog1]

#nanbenda #friendship #video