Elisha George: Behind the brush

As a little girl, Elisha George loved watching her mother as she put on her makeup. And she would mimic just what her mom did. There began her love for makeup artistry, but she never dreamed of making a career of it; it was just something she liked.

Fast forward a few years, and, as you may have guessed, George is now a fulltime makeup artist and owner of Elisha’s Makeup Artistry in Chaguanas.

“One day when I was attending UWI (the University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus), I was talking to one of my friends and telling her that I really liked makeup.

“I told my friend that when I completed my degree, I had a feeling I was going to do a course in makeup,” George, now 33, told WMN during a recent interview.

At that time, she was doing an undergraduate degree in psychology. Her degree choice was rooted in the desire to help people.

When she left UWI in 2015, true to her word, George completed a makeup course with Port of Spain-based makeup artist Takida Joseph.

Even then, she had no plan to make it her career; it was just a way to improve her skills for her own use.

So what changed? George explained: “Friends and family would ask me to do their makeup when they were going out.”

Her glam looks, created through techniques learnt during the course, would catch more than a few glances. So much so that in 2017, a friend offered to pay her to create a glam look for a wedding.

George admitted to WMN that she was surprised and confused by the offer.

“Nervous about it, I told my friend let us have a trial. I told my friend come before the wedding day. My friend told me what she wanted, I planned out the look and I had it in mind. I did the trial and she liked everything,” said George.

That was her first paying client and that moment was her official start as a makeup artist. It was also the spark that would lead to the creation of Elisha’s Makeup Artistry.

But the decision was not an easy one. In what is a saturated industry, George needed to find her niche.

“The makeup industry is very saturated. Making yourself stand out amongst the crowd, is something difficult that a newcomer will face.

“There’s a lot of doctors out there. People will not say they are not studying medicine because it has a lot of doctors. When you study medicine, a lot of people specialise in different areas and that is what we need to do as makeup artists.”

Her background in psychology helped give her an edge. She saw an opportunity to help transform clients both in and out of the makeup artist’s chair.

When she gets the opportunity, she advises her clients on self-improvement tools.

“I am your friend that you can come to and talk about anything. We can talk about relationships, religion, family or just about life,” George explained about her relationship with clients.

Married for the past six years, George said her husband and her Christian faith kept her motivated while building her business. And during the covid19 pandemic, she continues to lean on her husband, and her faith, as she adapts to the uncertain time.

Since March, she has hosted social media livestreams and online classes. During the livestreams, she teaches makeup techniques and discusses relevant topics. Her online self-enhancement classes are geared towards people who want to learn how to do their makeup at home.

The lack of physical interaction, when teaching makeup online, can however be difficult when teaching certain techniques.

With mask-wearing now made mandatory by law, George is also teaching women tips on how to effectively use makeup when wearing masks.

Here's her advice: “Primer helps your makeup last longer. It gives your makeup something to hold onto.” While some women may think primer is not important, George said it is a must when wearing masks.

She also recommends matte liquid lipsticks and Ben Nye Final Seal Matte Makeup Sealer, which she said preserve makeup while wearing masks.

Even before the pandemic began affecting just about every facet of our lives, there had been a movement toward women embracing their "natural beauty." American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys is perhaps one of the best-known examples of public figures to "go natural." In 2016, she renounced makeup, citing the social pressures women face to look “perfect” as one reason for the decision.

And as covid19 shapes the future of makeup artistry, some have been questioning even the relevance of makeup at this time.

WMN asked George what she thinks about the movement. She agreed that unrealistic expectations of beauty exist on social media and such expectations may be having an unhealthy psychological effect on how some women perceive beauty.

“Recently, social media has been bombarding us with a lot of images. It develops an unhealthy perception of beauty. Not everyone is influenced by what’s happening out there (on social media) but people are influenced by things they see portrayed,” she said.

But George encouraged women to do what feels right for them.

She sees makeup as a form of self-care, like getting a facial, manicure, pedicure or having a spa day.

“For some women, when they apply makeup, they feel good and the process is a pampering one. It is a relaxing and therapeutic time.

“When I finish do my makeup, I am feeling myself. I feel beautiful, confident and ready to face my day.”

She also noted the makeup industry is meant to be an inclusive space and everyone should feel comfortable in their own skin when engaging in makeup. She spoke about the presence of men in the industry, whether as artists or as persons who wear makeup.

“Everyone is entitled to do what they are comfortable with. If wearing makeup or makeup artistry is your calling, and you realise it is something you want to do, that’s fine.”

On the future of Elisha’s Makeup Artistry, George says she continues to find new ways to develop her craft. In 2019, she did an advance course with Giselle Kelly, a fellow Chaguanas-based makeup artist and has continued to reference YouTube to continue learning new techniques.

She has also done an online makeup course with Color Du Jour, a Texas-based makeup studio owned by US makeup artist Alaina Saulsberry.

“I am always trying to learn new skills and techniques, in order to improve on my makeup application.”

She hopes to one day collaborate with local makeup artist Arlene Villarule, founder and CEO of The Art of Beauty by Arlene Villarule, who she cites as an inspiration. George noted that at one point in her career Villarule struggled to start her makeup business but with persistence she was able to build the influence AV Makeups has today.

“I learnt from her (Villarule) to keep persevering. Things are going to be difficult at times but that is life in general. You learn from the bad and good experiences. You apply those experience to become a better artist and businessperson.”

Jacqueline Arneaud Cosmetics is another local inspiration.

Having a love for skincare, George is not ruling out launching a skincare line in the future. Regularly reminding her clients of the importance of caring for their skin, George sees this as an opportunity to be able to further expand the Elisha’s Makeup Artistry brand.

George can be found on Facebook at Elisha’s Makeup Artistry, on Instagram @elishamakeupartistry or via an email at elishamakeupartistry@gmail.com