At age 46, Madhuri Dixit Nene’s beauty renders many speechless. Is it genetic or acquired? With Salon India the diva shares her beauty and workout secrets
She defies age, but Madhuri’s face still looks as fresh as a dewdrop. A mother of two, Arin, 10 and Ryan, 8 ,she credits her beauty to a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise and a good amount of sleep. Her skin continues to be taut and radiant, eyes glitter like jewels and her smile can halt the traffic. And she knows it’s not all skin deep. When asked what beauty is to her, Madhuri says, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and what is beautiful to one need not be beautiful to the other. But one must always work to feel and look good.” Here’s to a free-wheeling chat with the one woman who needs nothing, but a smile to look dazzling…
“Beauty is holistic”
“Beauty cannot be defined in one simple line. For me, it’s the overall personality that makes a person beautiful. It is who you are, what you stand for and how talented you are. Then it is also about how you look and carry yourself. All of this together defines beauty. Everyone has to grow old. It is how you do it which is important. It is important to look after yourself and strive to look good, presentable and graceful. I believe a woman’s beauty comes from within. There are a lot of times that I go out of the house without any make-up at all.”
A balanced routine and some good habits go a long way in staying beautiful and having a shapely body. I don’t smoke and drink, I lay great emphasis on diet and exercise and work out at least six days a week. I also believe one shouldn’t overdo supplements. Multi-vitamins are good, but with a balanced diet you don’t even need that. Crash diets harm and are no good. Your body also needs good rest to look alive, so sleep well and proper hours or you will show signs of dullness in your energy and in the glow, too. Dancing is my secret to inner beauty that radiates on the face – it makes you sweat, it keeps the skin flushed, increases blood circulation and is the best mood alleviator that could be.
“I follow a ‘healthy face’ beauty regime”
“Every day I religiously wash my face with a cleanser and follow it up with a serum. Sometimes I use a toner depending on how my skin feels that day. Olay has a good toner. I use that and follow it with a night cream. Just like I brush my teeth twice a day, I follow my regimen twice a day – morning and night. And the regime is very basic. I wake up and I use the Olay face wash and then I follow it with the serum and then new Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex. I follow it up with the day cream which has SPF. At night it’s the same, but finished off with the night repair cream. You have to use these products for long enough. You can’t just use them for two days and say ‘Oh it’s not working’. You have to use it for a certain period before you actually start seeing the difference. I’m not a stickler about make-up brands, and generally am okay with whatever the make-up artist is carrying. Different make-up persons use different brands, from Bobbi Brown to Mac. It’s nothing fixed for me. But one product I am completely helpless without is the Olay Regenerist wrinkle revolution complex. It shows results in 10 minutes. As soon as you use it, there is a dramatic reduction of wrinkle lines. I use it all the time – even as a base for makeup.”
“I want to improve my hair texture”
“I have curly or wavy hair and years of styling have left it wispy to. In addition, the wet and balmy weather in Mumbai has never suited it. I use a serum or a good mousse on wet hair and also follow the old wives’ tale where oiling hair before washing is considered good. Mix olive oil and castor oil in equal proportions and apply to your hair and scalp. Your hair is ready to fight any weather. Conditioning is also an important part of hair care. You can also use homemade conditioners made from mayonnaise or bananas.”
“Three things in my makeup bag..”
“…Raspberry lip-gloss – because it works over red, brown or pink lipsticks; a black eyeliner and my Issey Miyake perfume – I am that basic.”
For more images of Madhuri Dixit’s hair looks, log onto beauty.indiaretailing.com
This article is originally published in April issue’14 of Salon International magazine.
