The shimmering night of the ELLE Beauty Awards is back, and our excitement is palpable. The event brings together the best of the beauty industry and acknowledges them for their contribution in the fields of makeup, hair care, fitness, sexual wellness, and so much more. You might also see your favourite celebrities gracing the stage, so mark your calendars for the 12th of October as the prestigious ELLE Beauty Awards 2023 are scheduled to unfold at St. Regis, Mumbai.
This year, our distinguished panel of judges, along with ELLE India’s Editor Ainee Ahmedi and Beauty Editor Sukriti Shahi, convened at Soho House to immerse themselves in a multitude of beauty products with a formidable mission in mind–to collectively determine the absolute best among the best. Throughout the day, the jury put their experience to the test and diligently sifted through these products to provide us with their invaluable insights.
While Bianca Louzado used her makeup artist expertise, Yasmin Karachiwala gave new beauty brands a shot. Dr Manasi Shirolikar paid close attention to the ingredients list and Mitali Sagar picked her favourite luxe beauty products. So, here’s a little bit about our jury members-
Bianca Louzado
With years of experience and expertise in the field of makeup and hair design, Bianca Louzado was a fine addition to our jury panel. She has trained under the world’s finest maestros, including Bobbi Brown and Mario Dedivanovic. To bridge the gap between hygiene and high-quality beauty tools, she launched CODE Beauty as a one-stop shop for beauty accessories and cosmetic hygiene solutions. With brushes tailor-made for acne-prone skin and disposable bamboo mascara and lip wands, Bianca’s vision of a luxury cosmetic hygiene label has come to life.
Samantha Wadhwani
Celebrity hairdresser and salon owner, Samantha Wadhwani is responsible for the silky smooth hair of Yami Gautam, Karishma Tanna and Monica Dogra. From The Vidal Sassoon Academy in London to Schwarzkopf Essential Looks in Budapest in Macau, she has years of training backing her success in the industry. So it isn’t much of a surprise that she’s also got a separate fan base for her hair colouring work.
Saaksha Bhat
Saaksha Bhat, a law graduate, along with her business partner Kinnari, came together to create a brand aimed at reviving Indian karigari. Their brand, Saaksha & Kinni, uses Indian fabrics and prints to create garments that are both playful and comfortable. The brand hopes to stand out by using a combination of traditional prints with global silhouettes so that the modern woman can stay true to her heritage.
Glorious Luna
Suruj P Rajkhowa aka Glorious Luna is a drag performer and model. As a theatre kid and child artist, he was always experimental with their looks. With drag, he could fully express their love for makeup, theatre and extravagant clothing, all on a single platform.
Yasmin Karachiwala
With 22 years of experience in the fitness industry, Yasmin Karachiwala has become one of the most coveted celebrity fitness trainers in Bollywood. She’s responsible for sculpting the likes of Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor Khan, and possesses the expertise to guide all individuals toward their optimal fitness levels. She is the founder of Yasmin’s Body Image which holds the distinction of being India’s first BASI-certified Pilates instructor.
Mitali Sagar Patel
Mitali Sagar and Summiyya Patni founded MISU Fashion Consultants to fill a gap they noticed in the landscape of fashion and styling in India. After attaining a degree in Fine Arts, Apparel Merchandising and Art History from Indiana University, Mitali Sagar dove into PR in order to start her own journey as a fashion entrepreneur. And with over 480K followers on Instagram, the pair has surely created a name for themselves! Inspired by colours, prints, songs, cloud formations and all things around her, Mitali believes that you need to be fierce to embrace true style.
Deep Pathare
In a world where traditional notions of men and makeup have coexisted uneasily, Deep Pathare has created a name for himself in the beauty industry. He has built an Instagram following of over 25K makeup enthusiasts to whom he doesn’t just introduce the concept of male beauty but immerses them fully. Deep’s story is one of love prevailing over hate (comments) and the use of makeup as a powerful tool for self-expression.
Dr Manasi Shirolikar
Dr Manasi Shirolikar is a Board-Certified Dermatologist and founder of the online consulting brand www.drmanasiskin.com. Her motto is to understand skin and its needs through a minimal, sustainable approach to skincare, and help one navigate through the overwhelming amount of information out there. Dr Manasi Shirolikar also has a massive Instagram following of over 400K, and creates relatable yet highly useful skin and hair care content. Through her practice, she gets to your best skin, through evidence-based, scientific skincare advice.
Ainee Ahmedi
Ainee Ahmedi is the Editor of ELLE India and the Founding Editor of The Midlife Crisis. Having attained a degree in Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, hertrengths lie in working on digital-first properties. She has immense experience of over 14 years working in the beauty, fashion and lifestyle industries.
Sukriti Shahi
The Beauty and Health Editor of ELLE India has had years of experience testing, swatching and writing about beauty products. Sukriti Shahi has written numerous digital and print articles for the publication and has interviewed the likes of Selena Gomez, Mona Kattan, Kaushal Beauty, Paris Hilton and Sabyasachi among many others. Her desk at work is always overflowing, just like her love for all things beauty.
Along with the jury, for the first time in the history of the ELLE Beauty Awards, the power of choosing the winning products is also in YOUR hands–all the more reason to look forward to the event this year!
Wardrobe Care Partner: Pressto India (@presstoindia)
Hydration Partner: Vedica Spring (@vedicaspring)
Gifting Partner: Louis Stitch (@louisstitch)
Pouring Partner: Smoke Lab (@smokelabofficial)
Gifting Partner: Chicnutrix (@chicnutrix)
