Behind The Beauty with Shivani Sharma
I GREW UP BETWEEN the United Kingdom where I was born and raised, and India, where I spent some of my summers growing up. In a way, I think we were more Indian than those who are born and raised in India, as is often the case for kids in the diaspora. So many of my early fashion influences came from observing my mum and the other women in my family, as did my ideas of what beauty or being beautiful meant.
MY BEAUTY ROUTINE INCLUDES the Vitamin C Boosting Serum from Dr. Althea and the SkinCeuticals Advanced Pigment Corrector (now discontinued), which I use if my skin is feeling particularly sensitive. I never skip my Vitamin C serum and the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Rice + Probiotics SPF 50 PA++++ for SPF. I have so much makeup it is insane — I am definitely more of a makeup person. I like the Patrick Ta Major Headlines Double Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo, Makeup by Mario's Ethereal Eyes™ Eyeshadow Palette: The Original, everything from Charlotte Tilbury, and the Sublime Perfection Concealer from Pat McGrath. Because I am very particular about how I do my eyeliner, I choose products carefully: I love the Yves Saint Laurent Lines Liberated Waterproof Eyeliner and the black liner from the Sephora Collection.
A BEAUTY RITUAL FROM MY CHILDHOOD that has stayed with me is oiling! My mum used to oil my sister's and my hair when we were kids and even applied it on our bodies when we were younger. That, and applying eyeliner. Mum had this way of lining her eyes that I don't think I have seen anyone do, and it is something that I subconsciously picked up as a child. Even today, makeup artists ask me how I do my eyeliner, because it is unlike anything that they have seen.
I CONNECTED MORE WITH MY SPIRITUAL SIDE after I moved to India. I also started praying and practicing yoga and meditation more often. In a way, I think I have always been very spiritually inclined and that part of me bloomed even more here. My mum used to always tell me that I was very religious even as a child and I do think that certain instances from my childhood did connect me more to this part of myself even then.
MODELLING HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH being conventionally beautiful. Don't get me wrong, it definitely helps, but it is more about the brand's vision than you. This was confusing to me initially when I had just started out, but eventually I understood. In this industry, you must have thick skin if you want to survive. Rejection is second-nature and part of the game. You must build a lot of inner strength. There are obviously some crazy things that come with the job, but the good always outweighs the bad. I remember something that the owner of a talent management agency in India once told me: "We forget that we are in the most fun industry in the world. Don't take yourself too seriously."
A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT modelling is not a real or serious job. Which is so funny, because I have met some of the most militant girls and guys in the industry, no matter where I am in the world. You have to be really strong (both physically and mentally), smart and sharp, you need to be sociable and you have to have a really good sense of figuring stuff out, quite often for the first time!
MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MODELLING has always been up and down. I do have days when I feel insecure and questioning if I am good enough. We're constantly being pitted against each other and a lot of us are vying for the same opportunity so that comes with its own set of struggles. And then there are times when I am on set, and thinking that this is the best job in the world! To be honest, I had quite a difficult childhood so not a lot fazes me now as an adult. I think that because I have been through some really tough moments pretty early on, nothing that I experience now feels quite as hard.
BEING POSITIVE IS A CHOICE BECAUSE I like to think that if I am here anyway, why would I choose to make it harder for myself? Throughout my life, I have worked with spiritual healers who have helped me understand so many things about myself. Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives by Dr. Micheal Newton is a book that has helped me open up my mind tremendously and allowed me to put my problems in perspective. I spent a lot of years doing the work to be where I am today.
MY SIGNATURE FRAGRANCE IS Rose Oud, because I spend a lot of time in Dubai and Oud is everywhere in the Middle East. I also quite liked the Ghawali Musical Vibrations fragrance that I got from Selfridges; it is very sweet, quite unlike the scents that I am usually drawn towards. When I am in India or if I want to reconnect with my roots, I always enjoy a hint of either sandalwood or jasmine. In India, especially, it is everywhere — on the streets, in hotel lobbies. You just cannot miss it.
MY YOUNGER SELF WOULD BE REALLY PROUD OF how much I have achieved professionally: the brands that I have worked with, the people that I have met, the rooms that I have been in, the jobs that I have taken on. More than anything, though, I think she’d be really proud of how far I have come, how deeply I have connected to who I truly am and the kind of person that I am today.
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