By Marissa V. Foster

Whether it’s the competition, the naysayers, or people who just don’t believe in you—starting a business as a young woman can be tricky. When Afeena Mootoo finished the Berbice Islamic School (BIS) in 2011, she did not have any specific plans for the future nor did she discover what she truly wanted to pursue in life. As such, she worked along with her parents in their store at Rose Hall Town. While she was unaware of which path of career she wanted to endeavour in, she stressed that she always loved anything that includes fashion and makeup and knew she had a passion for it—she just did not realise she could have made money out of it as yet.

Afeena’s parents were never the type to push their children to pursue paths they have no interests in. They would support her and her dream and did not only look forward to the stereotypical job types (doctors, lawyers, etc.). Afeena has always been someone who never looks at the side for approval when she knows something feels right, she goes head in first. She expressed, “If we’d sit and wait on the approval of some people to grade our success, we’d never be successful.”

Her journey with makeup started off as being just a hobby. Afeena was always a makeup lover and would do her makeup on her face and those closest to her ( her mother and sister). She also used to post her makeup looks on her social media pages. The response was better than she ever expected. With motivation from family and friends who encouraged her to turn her hobby into a money making venture, Afeena started her very own makeup business. With her own money that she saved, she bought all of the necessary makeup products and items that she would need to not only do makeup on clients’ faces but to also start a makeup class to share her skills with other interested women.

Afeena is currently a cosmetologist and a makeup instructor. She has a long list of clients and students that she has to work with and is so grateful for everything that she has accomplished so far. The job can be tiring, mainly because of distance and travelling to clients’ houses. She is booked almost every weekend for appointments and booked almost every weekday for makeup classes that she teaches. Afeena basically works most of the time but she absolutely loves it. She meets new people every day and gets to share her inspiring stories and also listen to theirs. She tries to make every client or student a little happier before they leave.

She currently plans to travel overseas to broaden her knowledge for higher professional makeup skills and certifications. It’s a risk she is willing to take in order to pursue the things she wants because she knows now that makeup is her calling. She is also currently working on her very own mink lashes collection. It is a work in progress as she is currently designing and piecing together her favourite styles of lashes to make the different kinds.
Her advice to young girls with similar stories to hers is, “The most effective way to do it, is to do it. The power you have is to be the best version of yourself you can be, so you can create a better world. No one succeeds immediately, and everyone was once a beginner…Don’t be afraid to invest time in your work. And know that every other girl that is pursuing the same thing you are always has something to teach you, never think that you know everything. My biggest motivation is to keep challenging myself.”

Currently, Afeena is one of the best makeup artists in the East-Berbice Corentyne area and takes appointments for all occasions (weddings, birthdays, graduations- you name it). She also facilitates one-on-one four-day classes for women and even men who would like to learn more about makeup. She works from 10:00 hrs to 18:00 hrs and every student will have their own time schedule. Afeena’s story truly shows us that if you really love something, you should go for it—by turning your impassioned hobbies into careers.