Thirty-three-year-old Susan Sharon Ibrahim, also called “Sue”, is a professional make-up artist who attended Covent Garden Secondary and furthered her studies locally at the Business School, after completing her studies at Cambridge University where she graduated with merit in 2006 in the field of business management.
She went on to the International Association of Professions Career College and graduated in 2014 with honours. She grew up in Georgetown and described her childhood as traumatic and idyllic with her mother being the person who influenced who she is today.
From a tender age, the mother of two has always leaned towards the creative arts. Growing up, she wanted to become a ballerina, but that dream did not materialize, so she turned to literature and Latin dance.
After her second daughter was born in 2012, she became a full-time stay at home mom and would from time to time perfect her make-up skills on her friends who wished to look more polished or glamorous for that night on the town. Due to her talent, they always encouraged her to make it a full time job and after giving the idea some thought, she enrolled at the IAP Career College.
After some time, she felt as if she was ready, hence she stated marketing herself and her talents on social media, through Facebook, Instagram and Google. Eventually, she was able to secure her first lucrative job with “Street Styles”. She was so nervous but with her motto being “Fake it till you make it”, keep your composure and if you make a mistake, no need to alert the client, just fix it”, it worked at her advantage.
From that point on, her clientele grew rapidly. “I had my ups and downs, sometimes no clients and sometimes I was super busy… but that’s the nature of this business”. One year ago, she registered her business called ‘SAKS Makeup Artistry”.
“I would say we make-up artists are like magicians. We can transform a person into someone or something completely different or simply enhance what’s already there, whether it’s for beauty, costume or just for the sake of art”, is her definition of a make-up artist.
Over the years, she learned a plethora of skills from customer service, sales, and teamwork with designers, hair stylists, models and photographers, fine tuning her artistry and exuding confidence to her clients.
She is currently studying Image consultancy at IAP Career College and hopes one day to expand her business by installing a spa for both men and women and more so, have a variety of services for the purpose of improving health, beauty and relaxation through personal care treatments such as therapeutic massages, skincare treatments and facials.
One of her role models is Helder Marucci of Brazil. She admires his techniques and is optimistic in the near future of attending one of his classes.
Apart from being a make-up artist, she is a professional dancer and was a part of Brian De Nobrega’s Dance School and Pachanga Aruba Dance Instruction in Aruba.
She feels that great careers are no longer passed down or handed over. “They must be seeded, tended and grown and we are the gardeners”.
She also thinks that women must take their successes into their own hands. “When we take ownership of our achievements, development and ambition, there is no limit to what we can accomplish”.
She encouraged young women to take art classes, learn about colour theory and how to blend. “Practice on all different faces, remember a bad attitude won’t get you anywhere… be pro-active and never be afraid to ask questions. This is a tough business, you need to learn to accept rejection and never give up”.
Apart from being a make-up artist, Ibrahim spends most of her leisure time with her family, husband and my two beautiful daughters. Once everyone is asleep, she takes times out to look at her favourite shows such as CSI Miami, NCIS or Castle. Her favourite colours are red and black. Her favourite dish is lasagna and the best part is the cheese. “I love how it is melted into the lasagna, Cook-up and Baigan (egg plant) Choka,” she said.