From there onwards she learned and imbibed and today she in turn trains Miss Indias., Ms Universes, Corporate Grooming and has earned a reputation of being one of the finest talent trainers in the world. Personally too she tends to be competitive and has participated in several contests, "The competitions in those days were very different. But I used to take part in them, be it the May Queen or Ballroom Jiving competition. I used to win too. Around that time, designer clothing began to take root, so we used to model them in magazines. Zeenat was a top model at the time, as was Shobha De. And since then I have been actively working to help give a metamorphosis to every woman.”

When asked about the makeovers for Aishwarya and Sushmita during their tenure as Miss India, and what were the few tips that led to their winning. Blossom articulates with candor "We didn't have to do anything to Aishwarya. She was a winner from day one. All she had to learn about was hairstyling. Sushmita was different. She had to be completely transformed. She worked until she hit excellent; I was one of the few people who had complete confidence in this girl’s ability. People didn't think she would win Miss India, but she did. They thought she couldn't win Miss Universe, but she did. She was confident on stage. What people need is presence. Beauty these days depends not just on the face but your confidence and how you carry it. Basically, if you are feeling good, you tend to look good."

An interesting thing Blossom Kochhar has to offer is chocolate therapy. "They say you can eat one or two chocolates a day and it's supposed to be good. It's good when applied on the skin too. It has ingredients like cream and milk, which are good for the skin. For a chocolate massage, melt some chocolate, apply it on the face at night, leave it for 30 minutes and rinse well. It lightens the skin."
Besides her beauty line, Blossom and daughter Samantha Kochhar- who is a muse to many corporations like L’Oreal, Lakme etc- work on training students in hair sculpting and finishing techniques. She does a lot of training with children and parents too. She says that parents these days are too busy to teach their children basic etiquette. Which is where she comes in. "We teach children how to compliment their parents, how to appreciate them, which most children don't do these days. We then give a session to parents as well, because these things need to be reciprocated. With teenagers, we teach them the etiquette of eating, walking, etc. We also have classes for parents, older women and others."

On being asked how she felt when she participated in FACES 2005, Blossom answered “It was truly a wonderful experience. The girls were polite and worked diligently to ensure they put their best feet forward. Additionally it was so in-depth and every discipline was covered, it matched the professionalism of all the international beauty pageants, in fact it had ‘Dance and Motion Training” and personal grooming sessions unlike anywhere else in the world. I loved working with the Sony and TeleLife teams and the participants”
Blossom admits to ups and downs in her career. “But I have never been bogged down by these things though," she adds. "I have always had confidence in myself and my creativity. I always do things differently. What keeps me moving is that I don't fear competition. I don't keep track of what others are doing and then try to emulate them. My focus is on my stuff and I keep finding ways and means to improve my business by researching and giving my clients better results. I feel that competition hinders one's progress, because you are constantly looking at others around you rather than at yourself. I enjoy learning. As long I continue to learn, I will be able to stay afloat."

Wise words indeed. From a woman who knows exactly what she's talking about.

HOME MAKEOVERS

Coffee is an anti-cellulite. It helps in skin lightening because it has ingredients like milk and cream. Cappuccino is good for normal and dry skin.

A good home recipe is to take a tablespoon of brown coffee and put in a little bit of honey. Mix it and apply on the body or face for 20 minutes and wash it off. You can apply this on all skin types.

Those allergic to honey can use jelly instead. Even green tea is fantastic for the skin. Just apply it with cotton on the skin regularly. Milk is also fantastic for non-oily skin.

Blossom Kochhar’s Range of products are available exclusively through Aesthetics Holistic: 04 3434325 . She will be available for an exclusive advisory in the month of October at the venue too.