Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Beauty

    The Beauty Secrets of Bollywood Stars

    From soot to mayonnaise.

    By Lauren Valenti
    Published 1 May 2015 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    There's so much to love about Bollywood, but as beauty enthusiasts, we can't help but hone in on the leading ladies, trying to unearth the secrets behind their all-natural glows, striking eyes, and lush manes. Here, find the centuries-old grooming tips and homespun must-haves of India's biggest movie stars.

    Jacqueline Fernandez
    (Image credit: Archives)

    Jacqueline Fernandez

    To quell puffiness and maintain a healthy glow, Fernandez simply reaches for the ice tray. She wraps ice cubes in thin muslin or tissue than gently places them on her cheeks and eyes as pick-me-up, she told Vogue India.

    Madhuri Dixit
    (Image credit: Archives)

    Madhuri Dixit

    Dixit keeps her mane nourished with ingredients from her kitchen pantry. "I follow the old wives' tale where oiling hair is considered good," she told Film Fare. "Mix olive oil and castor oil in equal proportions and apply to your hair and scalp." She also prefers a homemade conditioner using mayonnaise and bananas.

    Sonam Kapoor
    (Image credit: Archives)

    Sonam Kapoor

    To help cut a trim figure and maintain a healthy flow, Kapoor begins her day with a glass of lukewarm water with honey and lime juice. The mixture has also been shown to aid digestion, boost energy levels, and improved your mood.

    Hema Malini
    (Image credit: Archives)

    Hema Malini

    Bollywood's "dream girl," Malini keeps her tresses healthy and silky to the touch with hot oil hair treatments and scalp massages using coconut oil mixed with amla (for shine), tulsi (heals, gets rid of dandruff), and neem (antibacteria, helps hair growth).

    Nargis Fakhri
    (Image credit: Archives)

    Nargis Fakhri

    For a big evening out, Fakhri revealed to the Times of India, she uses a geothermic face mud pack from New Zealand (it's kind of a thing there) to clear out all her impurities. To give your skin the same treatment, you can try NZ-based Wild Fern's Rotura Mud Face and Body Mask ($28.60).

    Anushka Sharma
    (Image credit: Archives)

    Anushka Sharma

    Sharma detoxifies her face by using neem face packs, made of Neem powder (crushed dried Neem leaves), yogurt, rose water, and milk, religiously. Neem is also known as Indian lilac and has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties that fight acne, pigmentation, and excess oils.

    Sangeeta Bijlani
    (Image credit: Archives)

    Sangeeta Bijlani

    Starring in the original ads for Vicco Turmeric Cream, Bijlani is a natural spokesperson for one of Bollywood's go-to products. Even at the wallet-friendly price of $6.99, it does it all. It works as a moisturizer, spot treatment, dark spot remover, and even treats cuts. Not to mention, turmeric is a total anti-ager as it has among the highest levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

    Priyanka Chopra
    (Image credit: Archives)

    Priyanka Chopra

    Kajal eyeliner, which is made from soot but has eye-brightening ingredients like eucalyptus, is a Bollywood favorite and Chopra is a master. To apply it like Chopra, use a cone-shaped kajal and apply by closing your eye, then begin at the tip and run it back and forth along the rim for a smoky look.

    Aishwarya Rai
    (Image credit: Archives)

    Aishwarya Rai

    Rai is all about the DIY beauty treatments. She uses an at-home face pack comprised of besan (gram flour), milk, and turmeric for exfoliating, as well as yogurt and freshly-crushed cucumber as a moisturizer.

    Katrina Kaif
    (Image credit: Archives)

    Katrina Kaif

    The British-Indian actress takes an inside-out approach to gorgeous skin. "I use a lot of Acai berry supplements to keep my skin healthy," she told Vogue India. Plus, I have wheat grass every day as a drink, and I'm trying to give myself an antioxidant boost with green tea just to break my coffee habit. I am on a macrobiotic raw food diet, and it has done wonders for me."

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Lauren Valenti
    Social Links Navigation
    Beauty Editor

    Lauren Valenti is Vogue’s former senior beauty editor. Her work has also appeared on ELLE.com, MarieClaire.com, and in In Style. She graduated with a liberal arts degree from Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts, with a concentration on Culture and Media Studies and a minor in Journalism.

    Read more
    A woman with curly hair in the middle of a collage that features pictures of various women getting ready.
    Hair Tracee Ellis Ross’s ‘70s “Porn Hair” Is Made Possible by This Very Specific Hot Tool Nothing is off the table.
    By Ariel Wilson
    a watery mint background with three photos of a young white woman with brown hair and glowing skin in stylish outfits
    Beauty Claudia Sulewski's Secret to Feeling Like a Hot Girl Costs $0 "Those are the days where I am feeling so confident about myself and feeling like that hot b*tch."
    By Hannah Baxter
     
     
    CVS Epic Beauty Sale
    Beauty According to an Editor, These Are the 16 Affordable Fall Beauty Products Worth Trying Sponsor Content Created With CVS From rose-gold highlighter to my favorite drugstore moisturizer.
    By Emma Walsh
    a collage of three women at the venice film festival with glamorous hair and makeup
    Beauty My Favorite Red Carpet of the Year Is In Venice—And the Glam Did Not Disappoint The 2026 Film Festival is seeing some of the best hair and makeup looks of the year.
    By Hannah Baxter
     
     
    Latest in Beauty
    women sweating and working out next to electrolyte powders
    Wellness Electrolyte Powders Are Everywhere—But Do You Really Need Them?
    a grid design with three manicures and three bottles of nail polish
    Nails My Next Manicure Is Taking Its Cues From Stockholm Street Style
     
     
    a collage of sunglasses manicures on five sets of hands with three bottles of nail polish on colorful printed fabric
    Nails NYFW Nail Trends Are Off to a Shady Start
    a collage of three women with dramatic makeup wearing manicures in pink, red, and chrome with close ups of manicures with bottles of nail polish
    Nails I’m Swapping My Cat Eye Nails for This Elevated Fall Alternative
     
     
    Latest in Features
    women sweating and working out next to electrolyte powders
    Wellness Electrolyte Powders Are Everywhere—But Do You Really Need Them?
    a grid design with three manicures and three bottles of nail polish
    Nails My Next Manicure Is Taking Its Cues From Stockholm Street Style
     
     
    a collage of sunglasses manicures on five sets of hands with three bottles of nail polish on colorful printed fabric
    Nails NYFW Nail Trends Are Off to a Shady Start
    a collage of three women with dramatic makeup wearing manicures in pink, red, and chrome with close ups of manicures with bottles of nail polish
    Nails I’m Swapping My Cat Eye Nails for This Elevated Fall Alternative
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.