From Finance Bro to Beauty Guru Featuring Aditya Madiraju

0:00Hey guys, welcome back to Skin Anarchy. This is a very special episode because we are interviewing somebody who I really, really admire for his work in social media. Just everything he's put out into the space is so beautiful and in so many ways, right? From the makeup artistry side to the cultural side to the impact he's had on so many people. And so I'm truly honored to welcome Aditya Madiraju with us here today. Welcome, Aditya. I'm so honored to host you. Thank you. I'm honored. Thank you so much for having me. No, it's amazing. And it's such a pleasure because I've been a fan behind the scenes for a long time.

0:33I've watched your videos. I've been taking notes, you know, and so many techniques I've learned from your content. And I want to actually get started and have you walk us down memory lane. Like what really got you? I know you come from a finance background. So like I want you to kind of talk to us about that. What made you make the leap from finance to kind of creating content? then? I think leaps in my life have been very constant and very normal for me. I actually come from a science background in microbiology. And I lead from there to finance, tourist data management. And I think it was, I worked in the banking sector for 12 years almost.

1:09And I think it was in two years ago, I decided to go content creation full time. And it's been a beautiful ride. If you talk about memory lane, I feel like I've compressed like 20 years of my life into the last eight, nine years. Because, you know, when you're trying to live your life and catch it for all the years that you did not do what you love, you kind of rush it a little bit. But finally, I've calmed down. I'm living in the moment a little bit more. But 2018-19 was when I found my platform when I got married. And then 2019, I started to post makeup tutorials. And from there, the transition was not very smooth.

1:43It was a lot of back and forth having two jobs and doing makeup creation in the night. And then finally in 2023, 2024, I said, you know what? I'm going to just do this. Yeah. Yeah. No, I mean, that's incredible though, because, you know, being brown, like, I feel like we're told from the beginning, like, you've got to have that stability in your life and you've got to follow those careers. And it's like, I feel like I always wonder, and I think your content also just like in the most beautiful way, like shined a light on this for me also was It's just like how many people don't get to do what they really love to do because of our culture and what it demands from that side, right?

2:18Like from our elders and stuff, what they say. Yes, but, you know, as I'm growing older, I've come to a little bit of a different realization. And, you know, when you're young, you kind of want someone to be accountable for why you didn't do what you didn't do. But if you get it from our parents' side or our elders' side, like they didn't know any better. They were in survival mode where they wanted to survive and build something. And we as the next generation, at least I feel I am, now in the thriving mode where I have the opportunity to do what I like. They didn't have that. So they didn't know any better.

2:52They were conditioned in such a way that they had to build for us to be able to build on top of it. And I think we should feel privileged that we are in a place today where we can actually quit our 9 to 5 and do this and not be scared because this wasn't the reality. So when I speak to my aunts and uncles, my mom and dad, they understand. They love it. Absolutely love it. But when I was just entering the makeup space, they were like, you're 35. You have a finance job. You're a VP. You're going to quit all this after having a child and make videos online. If you think about it, that sounds absurd.

3:29Like I'm being honest, like especially if you're brown, right? That is the reality. So I think there's a balance. And I think our older generation is understanding that as well now because social media has caught everyone up. And I love that we get to do this today. Yeah. No, I mean, that's actually an excellent point. And, you know, looking back, like my parents like never pushed me in medicine, but they always, you know, rooted for like engineering, medicine, that kind of thing. They didn't know any better. Right. Right. But I mean, I'm glad that they did. Right. I mean, you made a really, really valid point.

4:01I actually want to talk about your wedding because your wedding was like a cultural moment, I feel like, for the Desi community where we got to see a gay wedding that was so beautiful. So it was like a statement in itself. And I want you to kind of talk to us about that. It went viral. What was that like for you when that happened? For us, we were not trying to make any statements. We literally got mad in our backyard. like all the ceremonies were in our backyard and then the main one was in a mandir for 20 minutes I feel like I'm grateful that we got the platform we got but again after doing this for all these years right I almost dislike where the wedding culture has ended up we were one of the first same-sex couple to go viral quote-unquote for getting married which everyone has done for eternity but I get it It's two guys getting married in the South Asian ceremony.

5:01And it's a lot for the world to take in. And there was a lot of love, which I'm super, super appreciative about that. But it's just a wedding. It's just two people trying to live life as a family. And now it's become a trend. I almost feel there is nothing organic anymore. Everything is so planned. All publications are approached. The PR is on fire. The same day photographs. You know, it's very commercial now. but I'm glad we got married when we got married because we were just getting married to live our life. We were private accounts on Instagram, no following, nothing. And fun fact, we were actually married for one year when we did that Indian wedding.

5:392018, we were married already in City Hall and nobody knew that for one year. So we talked about being married. We've been married since 2018. But the thing is, we didn't do this to go viral. I'm glad it did. I'm glad it started a conversation in the community. I'm glad it changed the mindset. And I'm glad that we were taken as the benchmark for when in India, it was legalized to be gay. Think about it. When I got married, I was a criminal in India. Yeah, that's crazy. That is crazy. It was illegal to be gay. So that's where we are. But I'm glad it's happened. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think that's what really draws me to you as a human being is that you are, one, you're just fearless, which I freaking love, you know, because you're like just out here and you do what you believe in and your content shows that in every video like I I feel like even the hate that you've like addressed on your channel you address it with so much grace but you address it in such a meaningful way for South Asian people to resonate with because of some of the things that like for example like I've seen you like kind of break down like the negative comments that come your way and you've framed it in a positive light and I want you to speak about this?

6:52Because right now, the generation, the way it is, everybody is so hurt. You know, that's what I think when I see it. I feel like there's a lot of feelings, you know, which... If you want the honest truth, I love clapback. A good clapback gets me the views. Listen, if you're going to take the hate and deal with mental stress, might as well make some money and make some views on it. That's just the honest truth. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. My hate clapback videos are meaningful because I come from a place where I want to be polite, but also really stern in my response when I shut it down. And there's a beauty in it because people resonate with that as well.

7:28And I make it funny because nothing in life should be that serious, right? It's just makeup. It's just two guys. It's just life, you know? Like the fact that my existence has triggered you to this extent, I think everybody needs to calm down a little bit. But while they calm down, I'm going to make a bag. That's just it. Yeah. No, I love that. I love that so much. Like you have no idea. And it really is inspiring because I think a lot of kids these days, like they go on social media and they don't know how to clap back. Like I've seen it, you know, like. It's sad that we have to learn how to do that.

7:59I think rather than teaching kids how to clap back, we should teach kids how to not start the whole bullying and the hate train online. But it's not even the kids, it's grown adults, to be honest. Like, you know, like with social media growing so much, everybody has different opinions and then everybody wants a spotlight on them, even for five seconds. Most of these hate comments are just to get a response out of people who have somewhat of a following. Yeah. Because you feel like somebody heard you. And honestly, it's a cry for help, not only from my side, from their side. And sometimes you give in and they understand and sometimes they don't.

8:33And that's okay. We can have different opinions, but kindness comes first. Of course, of course. No, I want to actually take a second and talk about your artistry because that is phenomenal to me that you have put makeup artistry in a new bucket for a lot of us. You know, I know myself as a South Asian individual. I mean, I've been doing the YouTube tutorial thing for a long time. You know, I remember being in like medical school and like taking my free time trying to learn how to do my eye makeup and it never worked. Like, you know, I always struggled. But like when I watch your technique, you have a very technical approach to makeup.

9:05Like the videos I think that have been resonating the most with me are when you go through and you show like the exact outline, like place it here, place your blush here. This is how you do your, you know, your contour. I love that because I think so many people for such a long time didn't have that like in a lot of these videos. Can you talk to us about that? Like what is your approach to artistry and how do you think about it at large? I would say that artistry has always been there. People have been teaching it. The threshold for people to consume something that is 20 minutes long on YouTube has completely diminished.

9:36So nothing I'm teaching is new. Makeup artists have been teaching this forever. I have my own style of teaching it. Some of my viral techniques I learned from my mother-in-law who's a trained makeup professional. So people have been doing this for generations. Like the one-liners that I add, which makes it easy to remember. Like go pee poop fight with your husband, let your concealer dry. Yeah, I love that. Me too. That's my style, right? Like every single makeup tip that you see online was from a legend back in the day. Everybody has a style of educating on it. So these one-liners, your style, your aggression, lack of aggression, your kindness, the way you speak is what makes it digestible for this generation, including me.

10:14Millennials and Gen Z, everyone involved. So, so I look at it as a very technical thing, though I used to flunk in math. Somehow that math is working out right now because I used to paint, I used to draw, I was an artist growing up. And I've taken the same thing. And now I do that on the face. So it's actually very satisfying to create that. I think of it like art. But having said that, I do want to say I wear makeup not because it's art. I wear makeup because I love it. I absolutely love a full beat snatch face. Does that make me less of a man? Sure. Let's roll with that. But I absolutely love makeup.

10:50And that's the way I do it. And it's very satisfying when you hear conversations like this, where you tell me that some technique of mine, some silly line that I used has embedded in your memory. And now You know how many people comment that when they get ready in the morning, they fight with their husbands. I hope they're okay. But you know, that's what fun life is. You know, makeup is fun. It's not supposed to be serious. You can teach serious stuff, still make it fun. And that's what I'm trying to say. I mean, I don't have a husband, but I fight with my imaginary husband, you know, because you're telling me to go fight with my...

11:19I hope as a concealer looks great, that's all we care about, you know? That's right. No, I really love it. Because I think also, it's like that big brother feeling that you bring also. Like, I mean, I think we're the same age or I'm probably older than you. And, you know, I just I feel like when you and I think that's why it resonates so well with me, because it feels like somebody who you really know is talking to you. And that's what I think is unique. The most unique thing about your content. It's not just like, yeah, you're an amazing artist, but like you're trying to bring it in a way that's like, guys, I am here to help you.

11:53I'm not here to like lecture you. I'm not here to act like I'm better than anybody, you know, and that's where I feel like for a long time, makeup artistry felt like that for me as a consumer. It felt like I can't ever do what you're doing. You know, like I'm not a skilled artist. Like that's how it felt. So, I mean, that's still the case online today. And do you know how many makeup artists are there who teach because they have the passion to teach and how many makeup artists are there who want to be influencers? And they should be. This platform is open to everyone. But while they're trying to be influencers, they will take a ticket every single influencer that's trying to teach a technique.

12:25Yeah. You know, and it's sad because you're trying to exist in the space that which influencers kind of let the path on, right? You're talking Instagram, but you're going to insult them while you teach your makeup technique. And I think that's a red flag. If someone belittles somebody else to teach their technique, that just says a lot about them. That's, yeah, that's the truth. Preach. I cannot agree more with you. And honestly, at this point, I actually want to expand on that a little bit more because I'm glad you brought that up. I've seen that a lot lately across the board. Like I am on the skincare side of stuff.

12:58So I've seen it on skin talk. I've seen it on makeup talk. People are just tearing other people down. And it's like other creators doing it. And I'm like, why are you like, why even go down that road when you can just educate, you know? No, because the simple answer is hate gets you more views. Yeah. That's just, that's when, when I put it this way in a very polite way, right? Yeah. When someone is speaking about their technique, it might take a few years for them to build that audience because it took me a few years to build. I've been doing this since 2019, right? It took me in 2022, 2023 is my first video going viral, right?

13:39I'm not talking viral, I'm talking 60 million views. That's what I'm talking about. There's a way to do it fast by showing that somebody else is doing wrong. And it's just the person you are. it goes beyond artistry it's just who you are inside and if that's who you are then that's who you are and i refuse to be that person even if tomorrow i get a makeup artist license i will not be about some of these influences from whom i have learned it's art you cannot learn art you can better it you can have a different perspective on it by getting trained but art is art if you're passionate about it you will get wherever you want to get to with it depending on how much time you spend on it so people can hate um sooner or later audience realizes who's doing what and that's it we are the audience is very smart yeah yeah no that's actually that yeah it's a great point and i think we do have to give credit you know to the people who are like i'm here for the right reason i'm here to learn i'm here to watch great content you know and i i agree with you i just i just wish the culture would shift you know because i'll be honest with you and this is something i was like dying to talk to you about this because i was like i feel like he'd be one of the only people that understands as a woman, a South Asian woman, I, I mean, I'm 39 years old and I grew up like going to high school in Ohio.

14:56Right. And like there was, I was the only brown girl in my school. I never got comments. Like I got a lot of hate comments, but like at no point did somebody like behind my back, or at least when I heard say South Asian women are ugly, they're, you know, there's, they stink or whatever. And I've been seeing that on social media so much now where the new generation of young girls in our community is saying, oh, you guys got to stop this narrative about South Asian girls and how we're ugly and how we're whatever, non-desirable and all of this. I'm like, guys, when did this start? Because me growing up, all of my friends, we never dealt with that.

15:35So, I mean, have you noticed a shift from when we were growing up to now in the perception? I grew up in India, right? I moved 19 or 20, I believe. So the thing is, I never had that because I was in the community where everyone looked like me. But, you know, within the community also, there's a little bit of here and there. You hear stuff like that. But when I moved here, yeah, my first introduction was like, how does you, a South Asian person to smell like? How does you, them to talk like? And some people were still very surprised that I could speak in English, though I had an accent. And I just think that the more the world expands, the more there's exposure to other cultures and their traditions.

16:16People will be shocked a little bit because we do live in a bubble. If you look at me and you, we do live in a bubble. There's so much more that you and me also don't know about some culture existing in some part of the world. And the day that comes out, we will be a little shocked and surprised. But the judgment that comes with it, certain people do judge very hard, right? And for them, it's a shock. It's like there's only one way to exist and that is their way. And again, this is beyond beauty. This is the person who you are. And if that's who you are, then that's who you are. I tend to ignore these stuff.

16:51Like it's not like it doesn't matter to me anymore. Unfortunately or fortunately, I'm so numb to these things that I'm like every day. I don't even care anymore, you know. Yeah, you've seen it. It's sad. I do see it a lot more now. Like every time I post a makeup tutorial, everybody's like, hey, is that my Uber driver? Or is that my DoorDash delivery guy? And the assumption is that because there is probably a hardworking South Asian person who is trying to make ends meet and support their family by doing that. And I think it's just like that's why we are. It's on to parents to educate their children better, right?

17:27But again, sometimes it is what it is. You've got to move on. No, you're so right. And I know I've been asking you a few questions back to back about this, but I just feel like you just really get it, you know, and I really love your insight on this. I want to shift gears a little bit because you went from like the corporate world into doing your own thing. Do you think that sometimes people assume that like someone leaves corporate America because they just didn't make it there? Like, do you think there's like a misconception there about that? Yeah, I left corporate America because I made much more here.

18:00but that's the honest truth right i left because i couldn't handle both i loved corporate america absolutely loved it i love talking to people i miss the meetings the boardrooms the town halls i love i miss the presentations listen i love attention that's how you could influence her and the attention i was getting at work was great knowing that they all knew my makeup techniques as well so it was just like i had that in anyways right like everybody like every single person sitting on that table were like, oh, I follow your concealer technique, but let's talk about KPIs right now. You know what I mean?

18:31I missed that and I enjoyed it, but I just couldn't keep up. Like I was interested. Like, and I had to pick and choose one. So I chose this because there is passion. And thank God the universe served me some power out there that I was making enough that I could move. A lot of people don't, in fact, a lot of people don't follow their passion because they fear they won't make enough because they actually make much more in corporate America and the health insurance and everything, right? So I think it's a huge misconception that influencers become influencers because they couldn't make it in corporate America.

19:06They become influencers because they refuse to let go of their passion. And that's just the truth. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Yeah, because I always wonder that as well. I mean, the monetary thing, but also that personal gratification that you get from doing something that you've been wanting to do and doing it full time, right? I want to actually ask you about how you've represented, like, you know, yourself, obviously, but then also the entire community on the global stage. I mean, I know your L 'Oreal, when you walked in the L 'Oreal show, that was a huge moment. And I was, like, on the sidelines cheering.

19:35I was like, yeah, you know, go Adi, because, like, it felt so good to see, you know, our culture represented in such a dynamic and beautiful way. And I would love for you to kind of reflect on that experience and talk about, like, the representation on stages like that. Like, where do you think we can improve? And what did that moment leave you with in terms of, like, where we're headed and, like, as an industry, right, as a beauty industry? I think that was surreal for me. I've been wanting to do that for a while, but I never thought I would be able to do that. Because I was the first South Asian man, brown man, to walk, I believe.

20:11Yeah, please check the proof of that. I'm pretty sure you're right. You were, because that's why I was like, what, this is late? Yeah. There was no benchmark. There was nothing that it would refer to. And it's just like my passion for beauty that got me there. Honestly, and my community got me there. I say that a lot. Like, you could do everything right, but if your community doesn't love you, you won't get there. And I think when your community loves you, you get there. Somehow you get there. Because it's not just you. It's a bunch of people manifesting it for you. And I strongly believe in that.

20:42Now, you know the karma. You put out good, good comes back. Sooner or later, it might take 10 years, but it will come back. and that's what I believe in. And I think where we are headed to is that you will see a lot more of that. Not only from the TV and cinema perspective where the South Asian community is doing great, but also from the influencing perspective and at a much smaller stage, but you will see that a lot now. And it's important because, sorry, it's important because what we truly want from all of this is that if there's a kid out there who wants to do all of this, there is some kind of a reference because I didn't have a reference, right?

21:24I didn't have a reference to most of the things in my life. Be it getting married, be it being a beauty boy, be it working with brands or be it walking the different show. I didn't have a reference. So if tomorrow somebody says, oh, my son wants to be in makeup, maybe this will be his career handbook. Like what do you... This is not the only path to go down, but this is a path you can go down because it's tried and tested now. And that's what excites me the most because I'm not flexing that I'm the first to do it, but there is a reference now. And I'm grateful that I get to be that. Yeah, no, that's incredibly powerful.

21:59And I'm glad that you're doing it. Honestly, there's not enough words for me to, you know, really applaud what you've been doing because of exactly what you said. I think that especially in our culture, and I'm in no way criticizing, I love being Indian. I love every part of my being loves being Indian, but I think that there are genuinely hurdles for a lot of people in our community when it comes to expressing themselves or even having the, you know, like, not desire, but like the strength to take a leap in a direction that they don't know if they're going to land or not, you know? And to see that and exactly what you described is incredibly powerful, and it will be for many generations to come.

22:38I can definitely see a young boy growing up and saying, well, Adi did it, you know? I can do it. So, yeah, that's beautiful. I want to actually talk about a huge moment. I was like, like screaming, watching you like have this moment was when you met Ashri Aray. How was that? Yeah, like, how was that whole experience? Because I feel like every Indian person in the world is like, that is my dream to meet Ashri Aray. Honestly, that was my dream as well. You know, like you get backstage to these events and you realize that it's not as easy to meet people. But the fact that I have somewhat of a global presence.

23:17So the teams just knew me. The L 'Oreal India team knew me. The US team, I went with them, obviously. So I think that somewhat played a role because they knew what I'm bringing to the table. and she was right there and they were like, would you like to meet her? I was like, wait. Because even though you're on the same place backstage, everyone's getting ready, there is a boundary and respect that you don't cross, right? You're all professionals there. You want to do something there and you have to focus on that. And already it's very overwhelming because it was my first time we were getting hair and makeup done.

23:50Kendall just walked by, Eva Longoria sitting next and then Aishwarya walks in and the whole room freezes. Everyone went quiet when she walked in because she's stunning. and she walks in with the grace and persona and you're like, whoa, like someone important walked in. Like even people, I don't think anybody does not know her anymore. But even if somebody doesn't know, they'll be like pause for a moment and be like, oh, someone important entered. She has that aura about her. But the most beautiful thing about the interaction is that I was very nervous and she sensed it. So the first thing she did is hold my hand.

24:19You don't expect that from Miss World. It's Aishwarya Rai. Like it's not a joke, right? And I was like, whoa, this is like and she was so kind so sweet we spoke about our kids we spoke about my family and my my husband and I love her and that was a discussion on our first date and she just it just felt so normal like a conversation I'll have with my friend it was one of those she was super sweet she was she wanted to know everything about my life and what people did not see is that off camera I met everyone out there her whole team and we all spoke and it was not just once she spoke to me during the tech rehearsal she came and said hello to me.