The man behind the magic brush

EXPAT SPEAK

I don’t like to speak about myself,” confesses the introvert Steven Mick with an innocent smile after agreeing to meet Metrolife  for a little chit chat.

After much persuasion the international hair and make- up stylist has agreed to take time off from training the staff and attending to his high-profile clientele, to share his experiences of life and living in India.

“I was reading Me by Ricky Martin at the time I got the offer to work in India. It was pure coincidence that the book also had references to living in India. But I somehow found it destiny and took up the offer to discover my spiritual roots in India,” says the half-Romanian-half-Serbian who has a keen interest in yoga and meditation.
It was quite early in life, when he was a mere 16-year-old, that he developed a passion for hair-styling which became his profession by age 19, when he got his first official job in hairdressing at one of Wella team studios in his hometown Romania. “I worked there as a hairstylist for two years, even won the competition at the Junior National Hairstylist for Short Hair Color and Cut by Wella Trend Vision.

Later, I travelled to a lot of countries, courtesy my job, in cruise ships that lasted for nine-and-a-half years.” He therefore got a chance to get acquainted with different cultures and adjust; a trait that has helped him to make himself comfortable in India.
“It is a challenge to make Indians understand the work I do and to understand what they want,” says Steven. He has also worked with the National Theatre Industry for big productions, but was in shock to see ‘Indian sensibilities’ in make-up. “For instance, Indians want same colour eye-shadow as their clothes which is a bit over. Every six months, designers come up with something new in clothes and then it gets a little difficult to make people understand. However, Indians have lovely hair and gorgeous eyes,” he concedes.

Apart  from making people look pretty and holding his current position of International Creative Director at Blliis by Ravissant, in New Friends Colony, which keeps him really busy, Steven steals moments to admire the “simplicity of the people”. He says he enjoys “exploring facts about different religions such as ‘why do the Sikh wear turbans’? The conservative mindset of people is a bit strange to me but at the same time, the love of Indians for their religion and family is what I like,” says Steven. He hopes that the City comes up with more shelters for the homeless and stray dogs and “gets more clean,” even as he assures that he has plans to live here for many years to come.