The Hindu Business Line : Cory's treat for Pune's glitterati

Even the most cynical would think that Pune's swish set of ladies out to lunch could ask for nothing more in a day, could they? But when the world's largest luxury brand, Louis Vuitton, decided to sponsor the launch of `Ladies at Merlot', an exclusive women club, they decided the icing on the cake had to be top of the line too.

And what better way than to help the women figure out just how to give themselves a complete make over? And who better to do this than make-up artist and stylist to the stars — Mumbai's Cory Walia?

For the uninitiated, Cory is one of the country's best-known make up artists, the name behind the gorgeous looks sported by Aishwarya Rai, Preity Zinta, Aamir Khan and Raveena Tandon. His clients call him a magician who, with a few flourishes of his brush and colour palette, transforms a lovely woman into a gorgeous being.

"Make up is the tool that helps men and women enhance their natural assets and transform themselves into something beautiful but badly applied make up often ends up making people look scary'', cautions Cory who says that a make-up artist's job is to figure out how best to use his trade to his clients advantage. "To change the face is the job of a plastic surgeon. Ours is to use a little bit of concealing and a little bit of correcting to make a woman look extraordinary," he said.

The city's ladies out to lunch added glam quotient to the event which saw Louis Vuitton displaying a selection of its bags, luggage and shoes, among other things. "Pune is a promising market for us since we have many customers from here who shop regularly at our Mumbai store," a company spokesperson said.

Looking good

The event saw the veteran make-up artist field the usual questions from the women, with concerns about dark under eye circles topping the list of worries for the gliteratti! The artist's mantra for good-looking skin was simple. "Cleansing, toning and moisturising every day of your life." Also on his list of dos were using concealers (to hide blemishes and give skin a uniform look) with yellow pigment instead of the ones made in the US, which has a pinkish tone, which makes Indian skin look grey.

"Drink lots of water as it keeps the skin from aging faster than it should and use a sunscreen with SPF50 at least to protect your self from the damage caused by the sun," Cory signed off.

While a few of the women who attended the session got a `makeover' from the master make up artist, the rest treated themselves to a sumptuous spread by Karen including sea food paella, honey and mustard smoked ham, an array of healthy salads, an international cheese board and champagne and strawberry mousse.

Merlot, a venture from wine company Indage, plans to hold a series of events for the women's club in the next few months. "Today's women are interested in everything from theatre, fitness to healthy cooking, pottery and Merlot will have something for everyone who is part of the club," says Karen.

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