IN BARBADOS, when one thinks about make-up artists, more often than not it is a female face that comes to mind.
But that notion has never been a hurdle for 21-year-old Ackeem Francis because being a make-up artist is the one thing he always craved, and now he is proud to say he is living his dream.
Today Ackeem’s Faces By Ackeem Francis is one of the more popularly known, in-demand brands in the field. But just five years ago it started really small with just a young boy with a huge passion.
“My mum, Juliette Batson, is a hairdresser; my sister a nail technician, and my other sister is a model [so] I was always around beauty. My mummy’s friends were in the beauty industry so it was there and easy to fall into,” he told the DAILY NATION during an interview at his Wildey, St Michael studio.
The fact that he was one of few male make-up artistes in the island was just biology.
“My family is very open-minded and my mother just wanted me to always finish school and then follow my dream,” he added.
Ackeem started developing his skills while still a student of the Christ Church Foundation School.
“I started off really small. I did lashes for my sisters and family friends. Straight out of school I went to Mac Cosmetics and there I developed my skills and I started doing make-up on a professional level.”
On whether it was difficult to develop his skills set in a professional setting, Ackeem responded with a resounding no.
“I have a passion for it so I did a lot of practising – a lot of freebies to get accustomed to skin tones and building my skills on my own. On evenings I would come home and practise on my family and friends, so I won’t say it was hard but it took a lot of time,” he said.
After four years with Mac, Ackeem moved on last July.
“It was time for me to move on,” he said. But in doing so, the youngster had a plan. He wanted to continue his artistry but also tap into other areas and try different business avenues.
And on January 28 he will launch his own line of 3D mink lash extensions called Lust Lashes.
“Lust Lashes was one of the things I was going into and I really thought I needed more time – not that I didn’t love working at Mac but I needed more time to pursue and perfect Lust Lashes. This is something that I didn’t just start. I’ve been doing it all along; it is just I was balancing both and now I’m putting all of my energy into this full-time. It was difficult in the sense that it took time.”
Rihanna on client list
Ackeem, who received recognition when he did make-up for megastar Rihanna, as well as international recording artist Shontelle Layne and Miss Universe Barbados Shannon Harris, said fear of a new venture was not even in his spectrum.
“I think that working for Mac for so many years was actually an asset because I gained a lot of knowledge and customer experience in building [people] skills and working with people. So I have a great idea of what people like, don’t like and what they want, and I can put all of that into any business venture that I go into.”
Ackeem hopes to expand his product offerings one day and offer a complete make-up line.
He used his own finances to start his business so he knows first-hand the difficulty of acquiring capital. For him, though, a few painful sacrifices are worth the bountiful rewards.
“People look at [make-up artistry] as just beautifying people, but to me it is a little bit more than that. I feel like I have the power to change somebody’s life, to change how [people] feel about themselves. When I finish a job – the reaction that I get from the person [who] could have been down and having a bad day and – they feel more confident. I just feel I give people confidence. I think I play a very important role in this world,” he declared.
Ackeem said he had definitely not reached where he wanted to be just yet but he was on his way.
“I think there is much more to be accomplished. I am now tapping into a product line. Who knows, it can grow from lashes to countless other items. There are so many variations of products that I can tap into so I just think the sky is the limit,” he added. (SDB Media)
