MARIA THATTIL & HIGHPOINT: CLOSE UP

Australia's most celebrated contemporary South-Asian media personality, Maria Thattil was the campaign ambassador for Highpoint: Close Up which ran from 20 -29 May 2022. Maria is a driven diversity advocate, content creator, commentator, panellist, writer, model and speaker – using her voice to create meaningful dialogue and campaign for change. Following her Highpoint: Close Up debut, Maria sat down with us to share her thoughts on inner beauty and exuding confidence.
 

What does inner beauty mean to you? 
 
I think people exist in their inner beauty when they tap into their capacity to be kind, confident in their differences, vulnerable in their lived experiences and act with integrity and love.
 
How do you use makeup and beauty products to express yourself? 
 
My relationship with makeup and beauty products has evolved over the years and now, it’s a medium to express myself by using it in a way that enhances what is natural to me and celebrate that confidently. Some days, I don’t want to wear makeup at all and feel best in nothing but skincare and on others, I want to have fun with a full face of makeup. On those days, I treat myself to indulging the process with presence - I play my favourite music playlist and take my time with application and enjoy it. Either way, whether it is just moisturiser or makeup,  beauty products are an extension of what is already beautiful about me and that’s me, uniquely and naturally.
 
How do you think the concept of beauty has changed over time? 
 
We still have a way to go to really evolve the concept of beauty into something that actually enables people to realise they are beautiful without needing to fit a mould. However, the concept of beauty has evolved to become more appreciative of differences, and in Australia it has been expanded beyond previously exclusive notions rooted in Anglo-celtic standards. I love that people are starting to embrace that their differences are a beautiful thing to behold.
 
What is your number one self-care product to use when you’re feeling down? 
 
It is absolutely my skincare products and forgive me for not being able to narrow it down to one because I have a full regimen! However whenever I feel down, making the time and showing the initiative to still perform my skincare routine in the morning and night is an act of self-love for myself.
 
And your favourite products or stores when you shop beauty? 
 
I’m like a kid in a candy store when I am in MECCA or SEPHORA. Give me Charlotte Tilbury or Fenty Beauty and I’m occupied for hours! I just love that they offer a plethora of the best beauty brands in the business. My favourite beauty products are my Clinique Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation (it is literally the best foundation and my go-to whether it is just daily wear or a photoshoot) and my Fenty Beauty Pro Kiss’r Luscious Lip Balm. The shade Latte Lips is the perfect nude!
 
What is your favourite step or process in your beauty routine? 
 
My favourite step is applying my lipstick or lip gloss at the very end of the routine, just after I’ve finished lining my lips. It’s like tying a bow on a present, the final act that indicates you’re all done and just really pulls the whole look together.
 
Is there a particular look or trend that you’d love to recreate? 
 
More Euphoria inspired looks - I want to delve into the world of metallic pigments and face gems! I keep it so natural, neutral and simple regularly that indulging the resurgence of Y2K beauty would be so much fun.
 
Why do you prioritise your beauty and self-care?  
 
My Mother always imparted a value for taking care of oneself and taking pride in your appearance. It is an act of self-love to care for your own health and to do little things to make yourself feel good in how you present. For me, that’s indulging my love of beauty, grooming and having fun with my looks and style. When I prioritise my beauty and self-care, I am showing up for myself and it’s a way of telling the world that I want that love back. If I take care of me, it sets the bar for what I would expect in other relationships in my life - be it romantic or platonic. Beauty and self-care is one way of doing this and obviously I show love and respect to myself in many other ways, but this is one of them and it makes me feel good.

What are your tips on exuding confidence?  
 
Confidence is a state of being. You don’t need to change a thing about yourself to embody it, if you’re comfortable in who you are, it shows. However for those who are on a journey to become more comfortable in who they are and worry about not being confident in situations, the cliche advice of ‘fake it till you make it’ has merit. Often, we are our own harshest critics and assume that people are hyper focused and critical of us when really, if we act cool - no-one would second guess us. 
 
Psychological research also tells us that you can change your body language to exude more confidence - things like maintaining eye contact, strong posture, keeping your chin and head up and mirroring body language can help project a confident aura. So, I’d suggest brushing up on how you can physically project this whilst also doing the internal work to learn to celebrate you, as you are in all your beautiful differences. That’s when it comes naturally.
 
What beauty item do you continue to repurchase? 
 
The L’Oreal Infallible More Than Concealer - it’s perfect for when I feel like neutralising my ‘built-in eyeshadow’ (yeah, I’ve rebranded my dark circles). 
 
What message do you want to spread about beauty? 
 
What a boring world it would be if we were homogenous? Beauty isn’t fitting a mould, rather - it’s reflecting the differences that make humans wonderfully unique. I think it’s beautiful that I have a mole above my lip, right in the centre of my cupids bow that no-one else has. I think my melanin is beautiful, and the fact that when I laugh I can’t help but do it in an awkward, really open-mouthed way - but that’s when I’m really feeling it! Small things we are told to be conscious of, to nip, tuck, smooth, pinch, tone down, bleach … all so that we can look the way we are told to look. Beauty is having the courage to confidently defy that and be in yourself.
 
Who is your beauty inspiration? 
 
I have a few beauty inspirations that include Kim Kardashian, Deepika Padukone, Olivia Culpo, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Zendaya. These are people who embody different qualities including confidence, cool, trendiness, sexuality and sensuality and inspire my look. Some pioneer progress in the industry and others challenge the status quo and I love how they reinvent themselves. 
 
Describe your everyday look. 
 
My every day look is very natural, pared back and neutral - I love chic minimalism. I often leave my skin bare kissed only by skincare products, I’ll apply a touch of concealer under my eyes to neutralise that built-in eye shadow and add a wash of mascara over my lashes (IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara is phenomenal, thank me later). I’ll then add the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask to my lips (breaking the rules here - I don’t wear it to sleep, I love it that much I wear it daily) and some gel to fluff up my brows and I’m good to go. 
 
Do you feel pressure to look a certain way or meet set beauty standards? 
 
Not anymore. When I was younger, I would wear white makeup (mostly because deeper shades weren’t available in stores and so I couldn’t access the appropriate colour for my skin), green eye contacts and dye my hair brassy blonde. At the time, I thought I was experimenting with my look with changes that suited me, but in hindsight I can see that I was trying to occupy skin that was not my own in a bid to fit Anglo-Celtic beauty standards. I started decolonising my idea of beauty in my 20’s and now, having the platform that I do, I feel a sense of responsibility to continue unlearning this. It’s such a privilege to take up space in so many different arenas, beauty included, and it’s important that I don’t buckle under the pressure to change who I am to succeed. I love celebrating my differences and I think that it is the antidote to exclusive beauty standards. 
 
What advice would you give to people looking to embrace their unique/individual attributes? 
 
Be conscious of who you look to as a role model, and consume content - be it books, podcasts, beauty tutorials, videos - from people who are vulnerable in their own relationships with themselves, and encourage you to be strong and honest in your own. Remember that social media and even traditional media is a glossy and at times artificial representation of life, and the beauty is in the rich, juicy, raw and unedited bits that you live through and experience daily. Finally, life changes around you when you start to celebrate the things that make you an individual, the things that are unique and different. Do it and it will be the most rewarding thing you will ever do. 
 
What’s your connection to Highpoint?
 
I grew up going to Highpoint Shopping Centre as it was my local and have so many special memories there. It was the place I was first allowed to hang out with friends unchaperoned, and I have memories as a 14 year old being dropped off by my parents with $30 in hand to buy movie tickets and lunch. At 16, I would go on dates at the cinema there, giddy after private kisses and hand-holding throughout an entire movie without remembering much of the film itself. Throughout my uni years, I worked part-time in fashion stores and beauty kiosks there, learning valuable skills like customer service, sales and commercial acumen, creativity and business development - things I use in my career to this day. It is such a full circle moment for me to see my face in this campaign and to go back to celebrate beauty and diversity.