Local makeup artist and founder of Ultimate Image Beauty and Image Cosmetics, Janica Sandy, made Guyana proud last weekend by copping third place at the highly competitive Battle of the Brushes competition at the Vancouver International Makeup Trade Show (IMATS)- the world’s largest event of its kind. Sandy, who is currently studying for a Professional Diploma in Makeup Artistry for Television and Film at the John Casablanca Institute (JCI), Vancouver, Canada, moved to Canada last September to start school and will graduate in three weeks.

“I decided to further my studies because years ago I decided that one of my goals is to work in film and to become a celebrity artist and with lots of encouragement and support, I was able to pursue higher goals to improve my career, skills, services and professionalism to more effectively meet the growing demands in the beauty world,” Janica told The Buzz.

The 31-year-old New Amsterdam, Berbice native, represented her school and of course, Guyana- in the Beauty Fantasy category under the theme “Wildwood Warrior”. “To be a contestant in this prestigious event you must be attending or have graduated from a recognised beauty college. I was fortunate to be selected as a finalist to compete against seven others from around the world,” she said. “Though the competition was based mainly on the makeup and applications steps, the overall presentation was important to complement the theme. Props and costumes were also done by yours truly.” In addition to the third place award, Janica won a hamper and will be featured in the IMATS international magazine.

After graduating from JCI, Janica plans on returning to Guyana to share the experience she has acquired over the past year. Her experience at school and in the competition has also opened up the opportunity for Janica to acquire a few short film contracts due to her skills. She also plans on expanding her beauty supply store after returning to Guyana.

“Makeup artistry is evolving with new trends, innovations, applications and tips, creating a more competitive market. So I enrolled in this one year programme to further my skills. It’s a complete programme that covers all areas of makeup, like health/skin care, beauty, decades makeup and fashion, body painting, film scripts and breakdown, injuries and scenario for film, makeup and prosthetic application, website building, photoshop and lots more,” she said.

Janica said that packing up and moving to another country was a tough decision especially since she had to leave her business behind. But she explained that she believes in taking risks and the experience will help to make her a better professional once she returns home.