‘Showing makeup as real as possible’: Shalini Kutti

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In an exclusive conversation with NewsX as part of the NewsX Influencer A-list, Makeup Influencer Shalini Kutti spoke about her passion for makeup and content creation on Instagram.

Shalini Kutti, who is a beauty guru, content creator and an advocate of presenting real beauty standards on Instagram, joined NewsX for an exclusive conversation as part of the NewsX Influencer A-list. Shalini started her journey on Instagram as a creative outlet primarily. “Creating content acted as a therapy, I did it for myself and to find similar minded people who shared my views about make-up. It was only after the pandemic that I started making more efforts into posting every day and creating challenging looks” said Shalini.

When asked if she felt intimidated initially while creating content on Instagram, she replied “ I did not feel intimidated, even though there are a lot people creating content in the make-up and skin-care community, I create minimal looks that emphasize on showing make-up as real as possible.” Shalini who is a constant advocate of presenting real beauty standards, said “I have always been someone who thought a bit differently and approached things from the perspective of why should this be the status quo or a norm? The notion of campaigns endorsing white faced women effects young college students or people new to makeup. So I try to tell them that makeup will not make your pores go away, it’s not going to hide your crease but it will just perk you up and boost your confidence.”

When questioned regarding skincare and how every individual has different skin needs, Shalini said “I have been very vocal about how you cannot take skincare advice from someone who is on the internet because most of the time people do not know what they are talking about, unless they are a certified dermatologist. It is not just us who needs to understand it, as people who put up the content but also by the people who consume that content should understand. So when I post about certain skincare products, I always put up a disclaimer saying that I am not a certified dermatologist, this just works for me and this may or may not work for you.”

After enquiring about how she decide which product ads to do, she told “whenever a brand approaches me, I always think about whether this is a brand I would purchase, is it speaking to me as a consumer and not as a content creator.”

Shalini advices people with skincare concern, “to go to a dermatologist, and do not suffer in silence, there is always someone who can help you deal with the problem. And you have to figure out what works for you.”