MAKE-UP ARTIST Deirdre Blackett likes to think outside the box.
BEAUTY by DEE BLACKETT is the name of her six-year-old business, and while Deirdre is happy that it is growing and name is getting out there, Deirdre is always thinking of ways to help customers learn more about the products, or application or to give back to them for being loyal.
For instance, she has come up with a beauty tour where those who sign up will travel by coach to various locations that sell make-up, shop and learn techniques. It is a novel way to have fun and share information with several people who have been asking her to do so.
In an interview with BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY, Deirdre said her interest in make-up started as a child and grew when working in her mother’s store. She applied make-up 18 months as a hobby before deciding to go professional.
“I’ve always really loved make-up. As a little girl, I wore eye-liner to school, tried to make it as neat as possible so it would be undetected but I always loved make-up. I thought I would probably be a teacher seeing that I studied English literature at the University West Indies (UWI).
“My mum had a retail store in Bridgetown. I was in charge of the beauty section ordering and researching new brands to bring to the island and through that I started to offer make-up services. I fell I love with it and decided to make my own business off of that.
“I like the transformative quality of it. If you felt like looking like you stayed at the beach for five hours tanning, you could make yourself look like that without having to go to the beach for five hours. If you wanted to look more awake you can do something that makes you look more awake.
“As a child, play and dress-up always held a sense of wonder for me but what made me fall in love with it as an adult and like applying it on other women . . . . My thing is helping each woman look like the best possible version of themselves, so it’s not necessarily changing their look completely but enhancing their own beauty,” Deirdre said.
Apart from teaching herself various techniques, she did lots of research and a course in New York. She is certified in air brush make-up application and bridal make-up.
In the earlier years, while not regretting her decision to become a make-up artist, there were moments Deirdre said she was “scared” because it was her “only source of income”.
“For a long time it was very seasonal, now I would say it is steadier and I get work throughout the year. In the beginning, it was only during party season and then summer weddings, then there would be a dry spell. However, if you have a business and the product and service you absolutely love, then it tides you through.”
What she did to create awareness and to advertise services, was “lots of promotional work” – photo shoots to be accredited, posted on Facebook, uploaded YouTube videos, blogging where she reviewed product, and through offering lots of specials, word spread and customers told others.
“Make-up artistry as a business . . . you have to be very careful with your budget. It is very easy to spend money on products. You are the artist, you are the creative . . . . If you want to live off of it you still have to be practical . . . . You have to make sure your pricing reflects how much you invest in your kits. You have to stick to your prices and your experience,” Deirdre said.
“With a business like this, people tend to view it as a hobby and think they have a right to tell you what you should be charging as opposed to going into a store and . . . seeing an item at the price you can’t afford and walk out or buying it. In this industry, some people tend to think they have the right to dictate your prices.”
Around Crop Over, she and her team are busy starting at 1 a.m. and going through till 8 a.m. on Grand Kadooment. However, weddings and brides are her favourite and she has had quite a few destination wedding brides.
“As an entrepreneur, you have to look for gaps in the market and see where you can fill them. If you jump on every bandwagon of something that’s already being done, you’re never going to stand out. [Alternatively,] you have to think about what is being offered and what you can do better to make you stand out.” (GBM)