Interviewed: Mahtab Shafi
Renowned makeup artist Shahida Ahsan, whose touch of puff rises youth in face of thousands. She bears a big dream of freelancer makeup artists of Bangladesh. To materialize her dream, she has made a platform of the freelance artist of the Makeup industry, MABBAB. She believes, one day this ‘Make up Artist and Beauty Bloggers Association of Bangladesh (MABBAB)’ will play a vital role in the development of the Makeup industry.
Freelancing Make-Up Industry has created a very strong economy and has been working on the development of the country. Shahida Ahsan recently talked with the lifestyle editor of Tarunnoloak Aatai Siam about her success and dream. The highlighted part of the interview has been brought up here for the readers-
Initially, Shahida Ahsan said about her childhood, “I was born at Khilgaon in Dhaka and there I spent my childhood and adolescence.” I grew up in my grandfather’s house with grandparents, uncle, aunt, and brothers and sisters. There was only one flat on the house and we were in full swing. That’s why my childhood was very happy and delighted. Because of which I am still happy to stay with too many people and I cannot live alone, I feel like I have stopped breathing without people surrounding me. You can call it my weakness.
At the time of the rainy season, all the brothers and sisters in the house gathered together on the rooftop, we got wet in the rain. We all sisters arranged a gossip party in our young aunt’s small bedroom and talked entire night. Together all sisters we said the prayer in Shab-e-Barat. Very often, all these peep in my mind.
In answer to how her interest in Makeup grew up, she said, “Being born a girl means that there is a special attraction for cosmetics and I did not have any exceptions. But from childhood, I was very good at drawing. I also learned drawing in an art institute for a few days. I would draw ‘alpona’ on everyone’s hand on the eid, printed books on clothes as well as on clothes. My passion was to draw portraits on the showpieces of the clay. And when I used to go anywhere all liked me for my makeup and style. If small sisters of friends came to visit me, they would come for their make up, so in this way, my interest in makeup was grown.
Talking about starting his journey as a professional makeup artist, Shahida Ahsan said, “After my marriage, I finished my Graduation and marketing and MBA and then I joined the real estate business of my husband as marketing director. But in some way my mind did not sit in this work, I felt very relieved. Once I thought of a parlor and went to Thailand in 2014 to have a makeup course. In the meantime, my son was born and eventually I had been confined in a little room. But not just sitting at home, at that time I made a girlfriend group of about three hundred girls who were my facebook friends. The group Ladies This That That by Shahida was created with a view to helping each other where they will found solutions to their small problems, help each other, and share tips and tricks. With this small effort, I got so much the love and respect as an admin from these girls that I can’t express it in words. Mainly from then my journey as a makeup artist started.
About the possibility of freelancing makeup in Bangladesh, Shahida Ahsan said, “My journey started from the group female Group ladies this that that. From there on, I got acquainted with freelancing makeup through the live makeup tutorial, and from here we have seen the potentiality of freelancing makeup in our country is very high. Because very young makeup artists can earn very little through investment in freelancing makeup and here it also has more opportunities for promotion.
So far, Shahida has expressed her feelings about her achievement. She said, sometimes I think that at this very moment, from this small group I have achieved many successes and honors. Along with the makeup artist, I am also very popular as an influencer, and I am also enjoying it working with various brands and shops.
This year, I received three certificates of on makeup and hairstyle course.
- I completed my diploma on Professional Bridal Makeup & Hairstyles Course from Asina Bridal & Training Academy of Delhi and received a certificate from makeup artist Sukhjit Sanghera.
- In completed a hairstyle course from Russian hairstylist and makeup artist Shafag Novruz at Mumbai.
- I completed Bridal Makeover course from Pakistani makeup artist Nayeem Khan.
Can Make-up be taken as a profession? Responding to such a question, Shahida Ahsan said, “Of course, it can be taken as a profession now. If you have sufficient skills, it is certainly possible to achieve success in a short span of time with the makeup profession.
Shahida Ahsan said about the story of his journey. “When I got to know many freelancers makeup artists, one thing I noticed – this freelancing industry of our country is very unbeatable. Who is skilled and who is new – there is no way to understand it. So I dreamed about making this industry disciplined and in order to do that, last year, I initiated an association namely MABBAB (Makeup Artist and Beauty Bloggers Association of Bangladesh). This year I have been working to manage this and to increase my knowledge and experience with makeup. For that, I have completed three International Makeup and Hair Courses Completed at Mumbai and Delhi.
Shahida Ahsan’s advice on what qualities are needed to be a good makeup artist is ‘When a client comes to a makeup artist, the first thing that works in her is nervousness. What type of makeup suit her, what makes her most beautiful, whether the makeup artist would realize it- many questions such like that make her little bit confused. So a good makeup artist must be a good counselor first. Knowing what the client wants and how she will look beautiful is a must. A makeup artist has to keep in mind the client’s age, category, and personality, and all these should be highlighted in her makeup.
According to her, the things that keep the heading out of others, the things that are different from others, are the things that make me different from others. I am the favorite of all, and I am a friend of mine. So my make up should not be as savvy as that I not at all. The look of the face may not be lost.
When telling about the choice, she said, “I like bridal and party makeup and enjoy it very well.”
To define beauty, Shahida Ahsan said, to me, beauty is of modernizing oneself with modesty.
Her suggestions for the newcomers – do not end up learning and keep in mind- do not be arrogant and overconfident.
Shahidah Ahsan said on her future plans, “At present, most of my plan is about MABBAB. During the last few years, I have been doing the workshop with MABBAB members in Dhaka and Chittagong. In addition, personal and professional makeup courses have been done in my makeup studio. My bridal and party make up are going as usual. My future plan is all around the MABBAB because it is like my child to me. I have plans for many more beauty related jobs, including makeup workshops of MABBAB in whole Bangladesh, many of which are under process.
