When boxed black hair dyes and facial bleaches were the norm, these enterpris-ing ladies managed to manoeuvre through the challenges of sourcing quality products, bringing a spot of vanity into the lives of women across Indian cities.
TREND FORECAST
THE BOB IS BACK IN ALL ITS VARIATIONS, ALONG WITH FUSS-FREE STYLES. TO COMPLEMENT A MASK, SHORTER CUTS WILL MAKE A HUGE COMEBACK TO EXPOSE WHAT’S LEFT OF OUR FEATURES
THE HERBALIST HAIRDRESSER
JUNE TOMKYNS, JUNE TOMKYNS SALON AND ACADEMY (ESTD 1977), KOLKATA
June Tomkyns, CEO of her eponymous salon in Kolkata, remains dynamically involved in every business decision, which includes running three outlets with the help of her children and grandchildren. At 75, she had been cutting hair till the lockdown began, but has since optimised the pandemic-driven free time into handcrafting essential oil-based sanitisers and perfumes. “COVID-19 has warranted a new era of reinvention and resourcefulness,” she says, reminiscing to the time it all began.
“I was coerced into entering a local beauty pageant in Bengaluru in 1959. After I won, someone asked me the secret to my beauty. I hadn’t thought of myself as particularly beautiful. My daily routine, anchored in my mother’s herbalist lifestyle of essential oils and kitchen remedies seemed to be the norm.” Requests kept pouring in from ladies begging Tomkyns for her skin and hair remedies, which she rustled up with the help of her mother.
This story is from the September 2020 edition of VOGUE India.
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This story is from the September 2020 edition of VOGUE India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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