After spending most of the last two years working as a part-time makeup artist, Leony Grimmond has found her niche. Just months ago, she took up the profession full time and a little over a month ago she did the faces of the Miss Indigenous Heritage Pageant contestants.
“There would be times I’d be coming home from school [Patentia Secon-dary] and mommy would be there in makeup though she was going nowhere. All she had on was eyeliner, lipstick and a little bit of powder. I became fascinated with makeup since then and began practicing…,” Leony said. She was 14 when she began learning to mix the colours and tried out on family and friends especially her sister Lakita Gordon and friend Ronessa Williams.
Although her mother would be the one to expose Leony to makeup, she was fascinated by the work of renowned MUA Renée Chester. Renée, she said, was her MUA two years ago when she said ‘I do’ to her husband Marcellus Grimmond. She was also drawn to the works of other MUA like Lafassie, Lisa Bradshaw, Nikita, Lecia from Linden, Arlene Villarule-Felix (aka AV of Trinidad), Angel Cumber-batch of Trinidad and from YouTube, Tatianna Ward (aka BeatfaceHoney) and Makeup with Jah.
Soon after her meeting with Renée for her wedding, Leony did a beginners pro course with Renée then her master class and just recently, as of last week, she completed her international certificate with AV.