“… being humble has kept me here”
As beautiful, vivid, diverse, and resilient as the group of tropical flowering plants her cosmetics store/makeup studio is thoughtfully named after, Reneé Chester, the March-born owner of Bromeliad.rnc, has a simple philosophy when it comes to
business: “Know what you want…Be hungry”, because everything you do will depend on what you want, how badly you want it and how hard you will work for it.
Another insight for those contemplating being business owners? “Do your groundwork – don’t do it based on the success others have had in the field; do your research” – be sure whatever business you are getting into you can actually continue to do and don’t start then stop. She adds:
Be patient, be humble, don’t take things for granted, and recognise your blessings and the good things that come with your occupation.
But perhaps the greatest business lesson is evident in her own story: be open to opportunities and take full advantage of them.
The busy entrepreneur says her career “literally bumped into” her, explaining that
while on the hunt for the perfect shade of foundation in Bridgetown, Barbados, she walked into the office of the product manager of Black Opal Barbados and found more than the right foundation. “…we chatted, exchanged numbers, (and) she told me that I should think about taking some products back to Guyana and sell. I said okay. I did do that, sold out in the first week just by using my BBM (Blackberry Messenger) contacts. And that was it!” the former model, designer, dancer, poet and writer revealed in an earlier interview.
Chester, who is passionate about catering to the beauty needs of women who come in “a variety of colours, tones, shades”, parlayed that success and her creative spirit into a career as an in-demand certified Make Up Artist (MUA) and retailer of great makeup, founding Bromeliad.rnc, an authorised distributor of the Black Opal line of beauty products in Guyana, in 2011.
As one of the go-to MUAs for local celebrities, brides, photoshoots, TV/film productions, and pageants, the stylish charmer has plied her brushes on a diverse array of faces to much acclaim.
For others wanting the glamour treatment, she offers the full gamut of services to meet your skin-care and make-up needs at her 28 Queens Street, Kitty, Georgetown store: from beauty supplies to full make-up applications for all events to make-up classes. “Makeup is just an accessory on top of the beauty you were born with…”
For all its serendipitous beginnings, the former School of the Nations student’s entrepreneurial journey has not been all smooth, with unpleasant competition and controversy rearing their ugly heads. But her approach is to surround herself with positive energy and remain humble. “So many things I went through on this journey, only being humble has kept me here.”
Pointing out that there are many perspectives in makeup, she believes that like their clients, the different talents and abilities of individual MUAs should be celebrated. Chester, who has not hesitated to share her extensive knowledge and have mentored many other MUAs, is all about growing from strength to strength.
Her stature in the makeup industry she has helped to make fashionable in Guyana as a career has only grown over years. The Black Opal country rep has taught and certified dozens in her “Become a Makeup Artist” programme; exposed thousands to the wonders of makeup through her weekly column, in one of the Sunday papers; set up her own line of products; worked as a creative director in the fashion and photography arenas and recently hosted the Fifty Shades of MUA event for professionals.
“I wanted to make a change in the makeup industry. I wanted to create a platform for makeup artists to network and share ideas; to create makeup unity,” she said in detailing the thinking behind the event, which was inspired by her “fashionista” mentor, Trinidadian makeup guru Arlene Villarule.
At the well-received event, which was attended by almost 200 makeup artists and is destined to be an annual trade show held throughout the Caribbean, Chester’s status as a doyenne of the local makeup industry was never clearer – a reflection of the perseverance, humility, positivity and business skills that built a thriving industry leader from a chance encounter.
Contact: 28 Queens Street, Kitty, Georgetown (two buildings away from Windjammers); 231-1022, 679-9212, facebook @Bromeliad.rnc; [email protected]
