By Tracey Khan

SAMUEL Mootoo is the only professionally trained makeup artist in Berbice and is making waves with his skills in the makeup and cosmetology field.

This 33-year-old makeup artist and nail technician is the owner of ‘Luminous Perfection 592’ located in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Despite the stigma that comes with being a male in this line of work, ‘Sammy’, as he is popularly known, is defying the odds and has been enhancing the beauty of many women in Berbice giving them that extra sparkle which boosts their confidence.

Sammy started as a nail technician at the age of 16, a skill he learnt from his aunt who is a trained cosmetologist. At that time, he was residing in Kitty, Georgetown with his family where he was born. Soon after he realised that this profession would not only fulfill his passion but pay his bills.

He would later move to Berbice with his family in search of a quieter life and continue his trade. He started offering home service as a nail technician and was able to build a strong clientele and recognition because of his impeccable work and professional attitude. This helped him to open his own business with his mother, Karen Loo, who is a trained hairstylist. This partnership made them a powerful duo in the field of beauty in Berbice.

“It is something I love, I love artistry in general so I was looking for ways to express my talent and realised that I can do so by adding makeup artistry,” Sammy told the Buzz. “I love it when the customers are happy and satisfied with the work I provide to them.”

He is proud of his skills and said it’s worth the stigma when his clients look into the mirror, admire his work and leave with more confidence than when they arrived. “I like seeing women look nice so it’s something I love to do, but there are also challenges with the stigmatisation and the comments being made but I can’t listen to that when I have my customers who are always amazed by my work,” Sammy said.

His makeup products are from supermodel Iman’s line and he believes it was made for people of colour and praised the products because of its health benefits.

“I was looking for something that would give flawless coverage and I used several other brands but nothing would stay in any weather. [The makeup I use] gives you this matte finish and a dry look- nothing oily,” he said.

So far, the year has been a challenging one for him business-wise because of the low spending power in Berbice but he is optimistic that this will change soon.

Sammy is hoping to advance his knowledge in cosmetology and work with international talents in this field, then return home and share his knowledge and enhance this growing market and service that is creating jobs for numerous young people.
“I am teaching makeup and nail classes to show women how to keep themselves up to date,” he explained.

Sammy can be reached at telephone number 627-5107.