Raima Sen, the new face of Lakme, at The Hyatt on Thursday. Picture by Rashbehari Das

What do Rekha, Juhi Chawla, Aishwarya Rai and Bipasha Basu have in common, apart from making a huge splash on the big screen through the years? Each of them has defined the Lakme look. And the latest to join the beauty bandwagon is city girl Raima Sen.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to be associated with a brand like Lakme, where I get to walk in the footsteps of some of the most glamorous actresses of all time. There’s a certain charm to it and a complete involvement with person and brand,” Raima told Goodlife on the day of her debut as the ‘face’ of Lakme.

Looking stunning in Lakme colours white (blouse) and black (pants) and an impromptu hair-do (all tousled and sexy), the daughter of Moon Moon Sen added: “Through this campaign I hope my ‘arty’ image gets a makeover and people see me in a glamorous light as well.”

What Raima refers to as ‘arty’, is described by Anuradha Narasiman, marketing manager, Lakme Lever, as “a quiet dignity, coupled with beauty, style and substance”. Finding Raima was like having “good luck just fall into our laps”, she added.

Freshness is the key factor while choosing a Lakme face. “The cosmetics industry is dynamic in nature. So, just like there’s a need to bring out new shades in make-up every three months or so, one must always be on the lookout for a new face,” explained Anuradha. “Good looks are necessary, but not enough. Personality, character and presence are a must”

Raima, they say, scored high on all counts. A face-to-face meeting clinched it for Raima. “After that, there was never any doubt that she was the one. After all, the Lakme face must embody the characteristics of the brand,” said Anuradha, on the Calcutta stopover preceding Delhi.

Being the Lakme brand ambassador means Raima ? along with other Lakme faces Yana Gupta, Katrina Kaif, Indrani Dasgupta and Shivani Kapur ? will be multi-tasking the whole year through.

Apart from a hectic filmi schedule, the elder grand-daughter of Suchitra Sen has to be a part of ad campaigns, consumer-value workshops, media launches and even retail and trade conferences.

“When things happen, they happen all at once! Either I’m going through a relaxed stretch or busy with no time to breathe. The line-up for the year ahead seems impossible, but hopefully the excess activity will help me lose weight,” laughed Raima, hardly displaying any ‘sheddable’ kilos.