About a month ago, I boarded a plane to India on my way to start my internship at MissMalini. I was super nervous about how I would do, but also ecstatic about the possibilities. This was a chance to work in a new country, learn about fashion and beauty in India, write cool blogs, and meet a ton of new people. In the several weeks I’ve been here, I’ve had a chance to do all of those things. For any of you thinking about spending time in fashion/beauty journalism, I thought I would share my perspective from ‘behind the curtain.’ Here we go…
1. Meeting Celebrities
Celebrities play a very important role when working at MissMalini. We bring celebs into the office to chat on Facebook Live, or then we meet them at events and ask questions (we also play fun games).
Shibani Dandekar, singer, actress, anchor and model, dropped by the office to do a Facebook Live with us. Can’t wait to watch her on the second season of The Stage!
In my second week, I got to meet Bipasha Basu! She is even more beautiful in person!
One minute I was hard at work on my blog, and the next minute, Richa Chadda was in the office! I got to meet my third celebrity, and she is so down to Earth!
Having celebrities around is crucial in order to create awesome content for the MissMalini readers/viewers. Who wouldn’t want to work at a job where they could interact with celebrities?
2. The Fun Stuff
We have a lot of fun around the office! The work environment is extremely interactive and comfortable, and everyone is super friendly. It’s nice to know that there are people I can go to with questions. My first impression of the MissMalini team was extremely positive. Everyone was so welcoming and helpful, and that made me excited to come to work everyday. We make jokes, tell stories, and share funny memes with each other (and we also manage to get our work done).
Exhibit A…
Snapchat is frequently used in the office. It’s normally used for advertising, but it’s hard not to have fun with it.
Exhibit B…
Me and the Fashion Team fitting in a quick selfie during our lunch break!
The Yoga Video Project
After all the pictures, there was a yoga session, and I got to assist with an awesome video project. It was such a cool experience to watch what goes on behind the scenes of a MissMalini video. There is a lot of work and planning that goes into it as well. I was able to give my input about what I thought would look best in the video. It was awesome to help direct a video! Plus, we got to film some glow-in-the-dark aerial yoga – which was really, really cool.
3. We Really Do Work… The Day To Day
Researching and writing for a blog
Work is not always glamorous. We put a lot of thought and work into our blogs and videos. Researching for a blog sometimes takes hours, as we have to research our topics, find or create great imagery, and then put it all together for our readers and viewers.
Writing a blog takes time to get used to. Before publishing my first blog for MissMalini, I had to rewrite my draft four times! It was a lot of work, but all of the pointers from the team helped make my post the best it could be. Writing a blog is very different than the type of writing you learn to do in school. It is much less formal, and for a student like me, it took a while to get used to – but hey! I guess that’s how you learn, right?
Making Beauty Videos
The Test Shoot
The Final Shoot
The End Result
Me and Natasha!
I was lucky enough to do a makeup video, with my mentor and super awesome beauty blogger, Natasha Patel, during my first week. We started with a test shoot in preparation for the final video shoot. It was amazing to see all of the things that go into making the final video. Some of the parts to the process include: ideation, getting all the makeup/products together, lighting, camera angles, backgrounds, editing, packaging, and finally creating different cuts for the various platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Click the link here to watch the video we created!
My Awesome Experience
This wonderful opportunity has allowed me to learn so much about how a company operates. Here, I was taught how to write a blog, organize information, and advocate for myself. The skills I’ve learned will definitely help me with future internships, and even my first job! I would absolutely recommend interning here at MissMalini (if you’re lucky enough to make the cut)!
Hope this gave you a good idea and look at what goes on at the MM headquarters! Until next time…