Guyanese makeup artist making it big in New York

By Tracey Khan

ABIGAIL Wade is working hard as a professional Makeup artist and stylist, and already, she’s on her way to the top with her work that speaks for itself in and around New York.
So much so that she was recognised by one of the biggest retail stores in the United States, ‘Macy’s. They invited Abigail to collaborate with them on their VIP event, where she was able to do makeovers and disclose some of her techniques to Macy’s costumers.

She recently started working as a makeup artist for Love and Hip-Hop break out star and Jamaican dancehall sensation, Grace Hamilton- popularly known as ‘Spice’, who only lets Abigail do her makeup when she’s in New York.

Abigail hails from Georgetown, Guyana. She migrated to New York in 2012 and wasted no time in putting her craft to use and making women look and feel more beautiful and confident about themselves.

She explained that “One day at home I was thinking about ways to make the most of the ‘American dream’. I stumbled upon YouTube tutorials and was stuck on them for hours. That’s when I decided this is what I want to do. I’m basically a self-taught makeup artist and my artistic talent and skills play a great part in me creating my own techniques.”
She added, “Fast forward to today, I currently have my own YouTube channel- ‘Chocolate Abby’ with 4272 subscribers- which is growing rapidly and I’m very grateful to my supporters.”

She resides in Brooklyn, New York where she continues to build her brand after growing up with a passion for the arts, fashion and hair styling.
Before moving to New York Abigail worked as a Reporter, Assistant Producer, News Anchor and Video Editor. She also worked as a Communications Consultant. “After migrating to the US, it was very hard to adjust since for most people who migrate, prior education or occupation mean very little. You have to basically start over from scratch. I understood that and was prepared to work hard to build a name for myself all over again,” she said.

She credits her alma mater President’s College for helping her to get this far. “I attended President’s College for six years, where I completed both the CXC and CAPE Exams…I truly believe without a shadow of a doubt that President’s College has played a great part in moulding me into the person I am today.”

Her words of advice to women are, “We should never have one option. There is always something we can fall back on and turn around any situation for the better, just believe in yourself and never give up.”

She continued, “Being a makeup artist is very exciting. I get to meet people from a lot of different countries. I enjoy listening to their accents and stories about traditional beliefs and basically just life growing up in another country. I hope that one day I will be able to visit all those countries they talk about. I’m planning on visiting all the carnivals around the world doing makeup. My clientele ranges from all over the US and the Caribbean.”

The proud mother and entrepreneur said, “I’m motivated by a lot of things, one of which is being able to provide for my children. I’m a mother of four and like every mother, they are my heart in human form walking around outside of my body. So, making sure that everything is in order where they are concerned is very important to me. Therefore, I only work on weekends while on weekdays I’m a stay at home mom taking care of their needs dropping them off to school, picking them up, making sure homework is done etc., and that’s like a job in itself.”

She also spoke of what her profession does for not only her but her clients. “Makeup is my therapy, I get lost in my work. The anticipation of what will be the finished product and the smile on my clients’ faces when they look in the mirror motivates me.

You can basically change someone’s whole mood by changing their appearance,” she said. “I’ve had women sit in my chair burdened with the troubles of life and at the end of their appointment it’s like a whole different person. It’s like the depression just went out the window. This often brings tears of joy to my eyes, just to know the difference a makeup artist can make in someone’s life.”

Her ultimate dream is working with ‘A’ list celebrities like Nicki Minaj, Rihanna and Beyonce, “Hopefully, God’s willing, that’s next,” she said.
In the meantime, you can follow her on Instagram @chocolateabby, YouTube Chocolate Abby and Facebook Abigail Wade.