You know that imaginary bucket list everyone carries around in their heads? Well going to the Cannes Film Festival was definitely in my Top 5! So imagine my delight when L’Oréal Paris India invited ME to attend this year. Not only that, I even got to vlog a private makeup workshop with THE legendary Val Garland (L’Oréal Paris Global Makeup Director) & Zak Yopp (Global Vice President L’Oréal Paris – Make Up), interview Deepika Padukone AND walk the Cannes red carpet myself! #WinningX100!!!

Of course I vlogged it ALL (which will be up SOON on my YouTube channel), but as you know this #DesiGirlTraveler goes trigger happy on this trips! So here are my 10 favourite things about attending Cannes 2017 the Instagram way. Woo-hoo!

1. Backstage Makeovers Pour Moi!

The many perks of being part of the L’Oréal Paris brigade is that I also got my hair and makeup done each day with some of the best in the biz!

With my trusty L’Oréal Paris products in hand – True Match Super Blendable Press Powder, True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator, Volume Million Lashes Mascara, Superliner Black Lacquer , Tint Caresse Lipcolour – I was ready to get my glam on all day, everyday!

2. Playing Dress Up.

Pair that with a wardrobe hand picked for the occasion by my ace stylist Nelly Wadia and I was basically living the #LifeAtCannes with major fashion goals.

Day 1

#OOTD 1 in a romper by Arabellaa, earrings from Viange, ring from Minerali Store and shoes from Zara.

Day 2

#OOTN 1 in a Monisha Jaisingh LBD, earrings from Minerali Store, clutch by Rashmi Modi and shoes from Charles & Keith.

Day 3

#OOTD 2 in a summer dress by H&M, earrings by Viange, cluth by Rusaru and shoes from Charles & Keith.

3. My Very Own Beauty Shoot!

With this guy…

Jonas Bresnan is a fashion and beauty photographer who specialises in beauty. So essentially if you’re looking for the ultimate social media DP, he’s your guy! The photo shoot with him was heaps of fun and I got to try and do all the model poses. Operative word here being try! LOL.

MissMalini

MissMalini

MissMalini

MissMalini

MissMalini

MissMalini

4. My L’Oréal Paris Workshop For One.

And by that I mean I was the only one who got the chance to spend half an hour with L’Oréal Paris’ beauty gurus Val Garland and Zak. Mega bonus: Deepika Padukone joined us on the hunt for my perfect red…

Which they gave me with my name on it of course! (How is this my life again?!)

PS – Shade 364 retails as Shade 335 Carmin Saint Germain here on Indian shores.

5. Oh Hi Deepika!

Post my workshop I got a one on one with Deepika herself and we talked about makeup, fashion and played some signature MissMalini games. I even tested her French quotient, wanna see how she did?

After that I took a celebratory swing on the French Riviera, because you know. Why not?

6. Getting Exclusive Insider Scoop On All The Upcoming L’Oréal Paris India Launches

Aside from the fact that it took me a while to get his name right, I had the most awesome conversation with the unexpectedly young General Manager of L’Oréal Paris India. I got an insider take on all that is new and upcoming from the fabulous world of L’Oréal Paris from the man himself and I’m super excited to be part of the utter awesomeness he has planned in the next few months. I promised I wouldn’t say anything till the official announcement but let’s just say the new range he’s launching is definitely going to colour you happy!

7. The True Match World Of Colour

I particularly loved the global undertone map created by L’Oréal Paris which depicts the continents by their ‘True Match’ foundation shades. How cool is that? Even Deepika thought so!

8. Deepika Padukone’s Epic Red Carpet Game.

Getting a daily first look at DP’s stunning looks from Cannes was pretty sweet. Especially since she had at least 3 makeup and outfit changes from morning till night! I’m sure you’ve seen all the blogs from my fashion squad by now but here are my fave looks just the same.

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone. Dress by Johanna Ortiz

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone. Gown by Marchesa.

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone in Marchesa

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone in Marchesa

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone in Marchesa

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone wearing Brandon Maxwell

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone. Gown by Brandon Maxwell, shoes by Chloe Gosselin and jewellery by de Grisogono

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone. Gown by Brandon Maxwell, shoes by Chloe Gosselin and jewellery by de Grisogono

PS. Here’s what my whatsapp feed looked like pretty much every day!

9. Beauty Shoot Numero Deux!

While I was waiting for my turn to join the red carpet convey I was invited to do another fun little shoot for posterity. This one was full length and I pulled out every pretty pose I’ve seen Deepika strike umpteen times in India. How did I do? I’ll let you decide! (Mostly I have trouble not smiling in photos so that was the hard part haha!)

10. Excuse Me, Is That The Cannes Red Carpet? Thank You.

Oh yeah, no trip to Cannes is complete without a stroll down the glamorous red carpet and I got mine in this gorgeous and super blingy Shehlaa Khan ball gown.

You know they have a fascinating system of ushering people across the carpet so they don’t get too many random selfie-takers (and they have to time all the celebrity photo ops just right) but guess who I caught just in time!

And there you have it! Another epic tick on my bucket list and since we’re so geek chic, check out this stop motion cuteness created by the L’Oréal Paris team in a fun little photo booth with a mini red carpet, cinema and screen starring yours truly!

For the latest fashion & beauty updates on #LifeAtCannes, follow @missmalinibeauty & @missmalinifashion STAT!

This post is in partnership with L’Oreal Paris. Click to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.