Bhumi Pednekar advocates holistic beauty, collaborates with Boddess.com

For Bollywood actor Bhumi Pednekar, time spent in front of the mirror is nothing short of therapeutic. An advocate of holistic beauty, Bhumi says she is a huge beauty enthusiast and is big on taking care of herself.

Bhumi has come on board with Boddess.com, a multi-beauty tech platform as its first brand ambassador and beauty collaborator. The retailer aspires to transform the way people discover beauty and grooming. The platform is inspired by the grace of the female body and the spirit of empowered womanhood and aim to capture a significant share in the beauty industry in India with its skincare, wellness, makeup, and beauty products.

Tell us about your relationship with beauty

Everyone knows I'm a huge beauty enthusiast. Especially in the lockdown, and over the past two years, the communication has been quite strong about my love for makeup and skincare. Over the years, I've realised beauty is holistic, being in a happy state of mind, feeling empowered and having fun. I feel Boddess.com does exactly that, it's a new-age contemporary platform. It has so much to offer. It's high on technology and has an immersive experience. I had fun accessing their platform. What I love about the brand is that they believe, just like me, a woman has many aspects to her, all of which should be celebrated, yet one needs to retain their individuality. This is what I've tried to do through my work.

Could you talk about inclusivity in the beauty space?

Every aspect of our society has to be inclusive today. It is about loving yourself, about body positivity, about self-acceptance. Inclusivity starts with self-acceptance. The moment you appreciate everything you're born with, you automatically step out of social constructs and conditioning. You become a role model for people to look up to. Those people who look like you and feel like you, when they see their story, feel included. That's the revolution the beauty industry has gone through. I feel so fortunate that I'm a working actor in such times and my work, along with the brand's I associate with, belief in this.

Do you believe the pandemic has changed skincare and makeup, beauty, at large, in any way?

100 per cent. I feel with the lockdown, people had enough time to pamper themselves. I know within my ecosystem, my mum and my aunts, they were taking care of themselves. There were so many lifestyle changes -- fitness, beauty, skincare. They were reading up. Longevity comes only with a holistic lifestyle, internal and external choices. People today have started putting in that sort of an effort to take care of themselves and be in a physically fit state.

Are there any trends you hope to see in beauty?

I feel beauty is very diverse right now. Many trends happen from season to season, but many women who celebrate themselves have found a unique voice. I feel trends are so subjective today. Some women like wearing a dark lip with a dark eye every day. It's their choice. I don't believe in trends so much.

Could you share a glimpse of your beauty routine?

My beauty routine starts with drinking a lot of water, eating clean food, appreciating myself a couple of times in a day. Apart from that I cleanse tone and moisturize every day. Before I sleep, I make sure all the makeup is completely off my face. I feel a good moisturizing schedule for your skin is extremely important. I know so many people that just wash their faces and go off to bed. Bad! I use sunscreen every day.

Where my make-up is concerned, I like wearing make-up literally every day. It's not because of my profession, but because of myself. The time I spend in front of my mirror is very therapeutic to me. On an easy day, I'd just wear concealer, kajal, lipstick, mascara. On a day I want to go all out, I wear foundation as well, which is pretty much everyday. I love using skin tints, balms. I multi-use products all the time. I use my lipstick as a blush. I'm constantly having fun with my makeup and skincare.

Any beauty secrets?

My mother uses yoghurt on my hair as a mask sometimes. I don't know if it's something unique to us but it's something we have been doing for a very long. My naani did that to my mum as well.