Ash, Katrina, Deepika, Kareena all share one man: Who? Why?

You must have felt the temperature rise while watching Deepika Padukone's sultry moves and dark eyes in the item number 'Lovely' from 'Happy New Year'.

How does Deepika do it? How can she look ‘so beautiful’ every time?

The answer lies with the make-up expert and hair stylist, Daniel Bauer.

If you thought Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's glowing skin is the magic of motherhood, or Katrina Kaif's lily-like freshness can be attributed to beau Ranbir Kapoor's love, you couldn't be farther away from truth.

Daniel Bauer, who has an impressive list of brands and clientele like Armani, H&M, Alec Wek, Hilary Duff in his kitty, plays a big role in making these Bollywood stars look like divas.

Speaking exclusively to Emirates 24|7, Bauer gives us glimpse into his magical world.

From psychiatric-nurse to a make-up expert

While working as a psychiatric nurse I met Rosemary Schneider. She ran a very famous makeup and hair academy. She selects eight students every year. One year she invited me to her academy and (surprisingly) offered me a place (to learn). For one whole year during the day I was a nurse and at night I attended classes.

After a year of balancing both jobs, I picked up some make-up brushes and dropped my nurse's uniform.

Born in Australia, raised in Germany, working in Bollywood

My Dad is German, my Mom is Thai, my Grandfather Indian, my Grandmother Chinese and my Great Grandfather is Malaysian.

I was born in Australia, but grew up in Germany.

After working in Europe for around 8 years, I moved base to Sydney. I was doing jobs across Asia and one of these jobs was in India.

When I arrived in India for the first time, the beauty and fashion industry was transforming, this excited me.

‘GQ’, ‘Vogue’, ‘L'Officiel’ had launched their Indian versions. With fashion magazines closing down elsewhere in the world, these same magazines were opening editions in India.

I love to do 'beautiful' work. It can be edgy, dark or glamorous, but it always needs to have an aesthetic value. In India, the work always needs to be beautiful, no matter what. It’s a nice fit.

Designer, magazine shoots and Hindi film actors

I feel proud of what I've achieved in India. In five years I’ve done well over 100 fashion covers, directed the hair and makeup for the country's biggest fashion shows, worked on blockbusters like Deepika's (Padukone) 'Happy New Year' and Katrina's (Kaif) 'Bang Bang'; not to mention working at some truly phenomenal Indian weddings (an Indian bride is no match to any Bollywood diva).

A great deal of trust is given to me and at times you can really feel the pressure.

No matter how big a name the artist is, if you're not growing in you technique, creativity and knowledge, then you can say goodbye to everything.

Working with Bollywood's biggest names give me the opportunity to grow, it gives me new creative challenges.

From Katrina Kaif to Deepika to Aishwarya

For any actress to carve her place in the hearts of the Indian population, you need to be authentic, beautiful and possess something that no other actress has.

Deepika, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Katrina - all are outrageously beautiful, but equally unique.

The looks I do on them are all about creating different characters, never to imitate somebody else.

Diva's Perfect Look

Instinct is what it really comes down to. You can put in all the planning you like, but ultimately 95 per cent of the looks I’ve ever created have been done in the spur of the moment. In deciding a look, there is no set template or approach, but as a general rule, I never forget eye colour, the actress's personality and what she's wearing. Over time you become instinctive in the colour palette you use.

However, the most important thing to learn is an 'eye for the camera'. Seeing what looks great when you look at somebody in the flesh rarely looks the same when you add lighting and when snapped by a photographer or director.

The collaboration

I work very closely with Lakme Unilever and Kareena Kapoor. The brand has really transformed itself over the past few years and thankfully for me is very experimental with looks and forward thinking in the products it launches. We just completed an amazing Fashion Week.

Moving ahead

India is my home, and Asia is where I plan to stay. Doing what I did the past five years for the next five years feels like repeating myself. I think I’m going to probably set up a training academy and I’m excited by hopefully launching a makeup line.

Make-up tip

The best makeup is healthy skin.

Hand-bag essentials

Mascara, red lips can say a thousand words, but your eyes can silence a crowd.

(Pics: Supplied)

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.