If you haven’t heard of Vithya Visvendra then you’ve been seriously missing out! She’s an international bridal artist, YouTuber, educator, and blogger who’s worked with tons of South Indian movie stars. She’s also the first Tamil makeup artist to teach Bridal Masterclasses internationally! We talked to her about how she first got interested in K-beauty, some of her favorite skin care products, and the step in her routine she refuses to skip.
How did you first get into skin care?
You know, as I started getting older, makeup wasn’t sitting on my skin the same. I started watching all these YouTube videos and these influencers who are into skin care and just started trying all the stuff they recommended. That’s how you do it, you know, you use all this random stuff that friends and other people recommend to you. When Charlotte wrote about glycolic versus lactic acid in her book, that changed things for me. I felt like I did a lot more research on skin care than makeup.
Who were some of the beauty and skin care influencers you were watching at the time?
Caroline Hirons is one. She’s a Brit. And I just liked her because she’s very, very honest and it wasn’t just about promoting products. very product for oily or acne-prone skin like mine really worked when I tried it. But then again what has worked for me hasn’t always worked for my friends, so it’s really all about testing and seeing what fits.
Caroline Hirons is one. She’s a Brit. And I just liked her because she’s very, very honest and it wasn’t just about promoting products. very product for oily or acne-prone skin like mine really worked when I tried it. But then again what has worked for me hasn’t always worked for my friends, so it’s really all about testing and seeing what fits.
Besides that I was always into makeup artists who are really into skin care as well. A lot of the celebrities have one makeup artist that they follow and love so I was looking at that. It’s Molly Stern and Lisa Eldridge for me. And I looked at what they did at home, with these sheets and masks. And because they travel so much, how did they treat their skin for that.
And Charlotte, of course. I love The Little Book of Skin Care. One of my friends, who was doing my lashes at the time, told me “You need to buy this book it’s so amazing! You can just buy it off Amazon or something.” And I bought it and it was so life-changing. I told my husband to get it and my sister.
What kind of K-beauty products do you use?
To be honest, to this day I still haven’t used any Korean products. When I watch Charlotte’s stories a lot of them I want to use but they’re not available to me here in the UK. You guys in the US are so lucky you have amazing stuff. But here we have only have some and they don’t bring everything. They only bring over a little bit to test.
So then if you don’t mind me asking, what does your normal skin care routine look like?
To be honest, to this day I still haven’t used any Korean products. When I watch Charlotte’s stories a lot of them I want to use but they’re not available to me here in the UK. You guys in the US are so lucky you have amazing stuff. But here we have only have some and they don’t bring everything. They only bring over a little bit to test.
So then if you don’t mind me asking, what does your normal skin care routine look like?
I use the Garnier oil cleanser or micellar water to wipe all my makeup off. And then I go in with the Sunday Riley clay cleanser and, if I’ve worn a lot of makeup that day or have been out all day, then I also use this Sunday Riley balm. And then it’s pretty simple: I use either the Herbivore Botanicals Lapis Oil or the La Mer hydrating serum and go to bed. In the morning, I do my face wash and add my La Mer Moisturizing Cream. In terms of exfoliating, I use Sunday Riley’s Good Genes but I don’t think my skin can handle this so I only use it two or three times a week.
I know you said your husband read The Little Book of Skin Care. Is he into skin care as well?
He is. But because I don’t have a beautician background, I don’t know how to recommend him products. I don’t know what to get for him. He lives in Malaysia so it’s also hard for him to look for Korean products. Right now he mostly uses a lot of organic things! Usually when men ask me about skin care for weddings or during consultations I tell them similar things I tell women. Sunscreen is a big one for me. Even for my guy friends and family, I try and tell them to use sunscreen, wash their face, you know… Bbut yeah, my husband is big on skin care.
You mentioned before that you were suffering from acne and that’s what made you interested in skin care. How did you end up treating it?
He is. But because I don’t have a beautician background, I don’t know how to recommend him products. I don’t know what to get for him. He lives in Malaysia so it’s also hard for him to look for Korean products. Right now he mostly uses a lot of organic things! Usually when men ask me about skin care for weddings or during consultations I tell them similar things I tell women. Sunscreen is a big one for me. Even for my guy friends and family, I try and tell them to use sunscreen, wash their face, you know… Bbut yeah, my husband is big on skin care.
You mentioned before that you were suffering from acne and that’s what made you interested in skin care. How did you end up treating it?
To be honest, the double cleanse. That was something I didn’t do before. It was that and changing my diet. Gut health is key. I want to see nutritionist and stopped eating fried foods and fatty foods. It had nothing to do with weight, more to do with health. It was these two things, the double cleanse and eating better, that really changed my skin. Since that, acne is not something that I’ve suffered from in the last two to three years.
You must travel a lot for your job. What do you do on planes and do you have any great travel skin care tips?
Any sheet masks I can get, I use. And those little eye patches too, I love those. And whenever I go to the bathroom, I use the MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ or my La Mer. I used to use this La Roche Posay product but then I realized it had a ton of alcohol! Like I would use it and my skin would be instantly hydrated, but I would get dry so quickly and I would feel like I needed to use more. So now I just use the sprays. I really like the Tatcha one. Oh, and lip balm! I use the La Mer one, one from Tatcha, and one from MAC as well.
Do you have any skin care advice that you give brides?
I usually find that they have a lot of knowledge on cleansing and toning, but not on exfoliating. I can’t tell them what to buy or use, because I’m not in that field. But I always say that they should exfoliate, that’s key. Then I’ll tell them to watch what they eat, stay away from sugar, and get loads of sleep. And why don’t they go see a derm, or even look into getting some facials? I really just tell them to relax. It’s really about pampering. And then, I mostly work with brides like myself. I am from Sri Lanka and I’m darker skin type and suffer from hyperpigmentation. So I always stress sunscreen.
I usually find that they have a lot of knowledge on cleansing and toning, but not on exfoliating. I can’t tell them what to buy or use, because I’m not in that field. But I always say that they should exfoliate, that’s key. Then I’ll tell them to watch what they eat, stay away from sugar, and get loads of sleep. And why don’t they go see a derm, or even look into getting some facials? I really just tell them to relax. It’s really about pampering. And then, I mostly work with brides like myself. I am from Sri Lanka and I’m darker skin type and suffer from hyperpigmentation. So I always stress sunscreen.
Do you have any advice for women with darker skin tones like yourself? Or any great tips on how to treat hyperpigmentation?
I’ve not found products that help with hyperpigmentation, to be honest. But when you exfoliate, I see the difference. I feel like it leaves my face looking so much better. I also like the lapis oil that I mentioned before. I’ll get the name for you. [she runs to the bathroom to check] It’s called Blue Tansy by Herbivore Botanicals. I love the stuff. I think it really does make a difference. But other than that, I’m really into exfoliating.
+ What would you ask Vithya? Share your questions in the comments!