Glamour. The word in and of itself is so alluring, so potent, filled with magic. Madhuri Dixit Nene, Rekha, Sridevi, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Ingrid Bergman—women divided by time and cultures, yet embodying some ineffable quality. But what do we mean when speak of glamour today in 2019? After all, it’s a term that has massive currency in contemporary culture.
In India, Bollywood has long dominated ideas of beauty, and traditional cosmetics have been part of its armour. Think heroines sporting boldly-defined eyes where the kajal never smudges, not even during heavy monsoon rains and lovers’ trysts. The glamour of the 1960s to ’90s seems all the more dazzling and impervious when viewed through the lens of nostalgia. More recently, Bollywood has mirrored global trends with facial contouring and blown…
