Marianna Mukuchyan, the makeup trendsetter and an industry favourite is expecting her first child. Her story and career trajectory are definitely one for the books but her journey to motherhood may be the one that takes the cake.
Challenging norms comes easily to Mukuchyan as she does not intend to stop working anytime soon and is expecting to take care of her baby with a hands-on strategy. She humbly accepts the need for a support system but even at 40, she continues to be a force of nature. As she enters this new chapter of her life, she speaks to ELLE about her take on motherhood which is as unique and unconventional as it gets.
ELLE: What’s your take on motherhood being a full-time job? Do you agree?
Marianna Mukuchyan (MM): I agree that motherhood is a full-time job. My baby still hasn’t come out so, I don’t know exactly how things are going to be but of course, I have many friends who have babies and children and I can see that it is a full-time job. But I believe it’s possible to not give up on your life completely.
ELLE: How do you plan to balance your career as a makeup artist with motherhood?
MM: I really love my work. So of course I have to take a break when the baby comes and I will have to see how things are while I enter that whole first phase of motherhood. But I believe that I’m going to be a working mom. And I feel like I’m going to wrap my baby like a kangaroo baby around my chest and take him to my work.
ELLE: What are you most excited about when it comes to returning to work after your pregnancy?
MM: I’m looking forward to being able to create amazing looks and see them on stage or in magazines. I’m also looking forward to taking my kangaroo baby with me on set.
ELLE: How do you prioritise self-care and balance between taking care of yourself, your baby and your career?
MM: Self-care for me is very important, it always has been. I always try to squeeze in workouts in my schedule. I try to pamper myself by getting my nails done or getting facials. It is important for me that a woman should not completely let go of that part. I think just because you are a working mother, there’s no need to completely neglect self-care. I think it’s important to feel good in your own body.
ELLE: Can you share any specific ways in which you plan to challenge traditional notions of motherhood in your own journey?
MM: I plan to involve my child as much as possible in many things. I want to start teaching my child to make his/her own choices. I believe very strongly in always explaining everything to my children because I feel that they understand everything very well.
ELLE: What are you looking forward to doing post-pregnancy with your child?
MM: What I’m super excited to do with my child is travelling because my child is a mixed multicultural baby. I am from Armenia, I grew up in Germany and I live in India. My partner is French but he is living in Morocco. So there’s a lot to introduce to my child. I want him to know his roots. My child is definitely going to have influences from all these different places that are part of our lives.
So I’m very excited about that and I think this kind of education also raises a very open-minded and international new generation child. It is very important to grow up and meet different cultures and languages. It’s just incredible and I’m very happy that my baby is going to be like that.
ELLE: Lastly, can you share a bit about your future plans and aspirations, both personally and professionally, now that you’re on the brink of this exciting new chapter of your life?
MM: It’s always difficult for me to plan much ahead because I believe when you start planning too much, life anyway is going to prove you differently. I believe in taking one step at a time, seeing where you are at that moment in your life and then making decisions accordingly. So, I’m not planning much ahead. For me, the next step is the delivery. I’m hoping for a very smooth and calm delivery.
Let’s see how that whole new chapter of motherhood is going to be. And then definitely I am planning to slowly get back to some projects, work and travel. My work with Nora (Fatehi) is continuing, so she’s already asking me every day, “Is the baby already out?” So let’s see. I’m definitely going to start with some projects sooner than I think.
