Grooming youngsters!

Make-up is an art of its own and artists of this field are magicians who add a glamorous touch to our face. Keeping in mind with the art in grooming people and teaching artists the way make-up has to be done, make-up artist Tamanna F Rooz founded ‘Tamanna Make-Up Academy’. Having travelled around the world and making sure that India receives the best she shares her story…

What’s the idea behind starting a make-up academy?
It all started around three years back. The reason to start an academy was that in our country we do not have quality education in this field. I am in this field for 11 years and studied in various international institutes. And I realised that the system that is being followed internationally is not followed here. Somehow, people in India are scared to share the knowledge, because we have the sense of insecurity that our student might become better than us.

So, that was the thought that pushed me to go and acquire a higher level of education from the London School of Make-Up. And certification is important in this field that was the reason I went to London and took my education seriously. Being a good artist is a different story and being a good teacher is a different story altogether. So, it was important for me to know that so that I could impart the knowledge in the right way.

How was it in the beginning?
To be honest, it wasn’t that difficult for me because people already started to know about me and as people following me and liked my work. But I was not somebody who had high hopes of having 50 students in a class. I wanted to start in a very small space like a bite-size success. I took it easy and slow, I wanted to make sure that the first slot I pull out has to be of the best students. The first batch of students is close to my heart because they believed and had faith in me.

How many students join the school in an academic year?
We finished around seven professional batch courses which are the most intensive training. In all we dished out 13 batches so far along with that we have also done personal grooming so far. In a year we pull out over a hundred students.

What benefits do students get after graduating from this school?
The biggest benefit my students have is that they always have an option of working with me, they get paid pretty well because I do not hire people from the outside. A lot of times students join an academy just to get a stamp and don’t really learn anything. I had an experience where there were students from other academies and when I gave them an exam, they were not aware of the terminology. The second benefit they get is the right format in terms of make-up education.

Do students get to work with celebrities?
With celebrities, the students have to do a considerable amount of work and even with brides. Every day the students have to go through training and then we ask them to assist for one year and then we give them a lot of celebrities and bridal work. We give everyone equal chances.

What are your future plans?
Very soon we will be opening our new branch. Since we are the only premium brand in Hyderabad a lot of people feel that they are not able to afford us so, we want to cater to the mid segment.