Self-taught makeup artist Latassie Sealey is known for the looks she creates for her clients. A former officer of the Guyana Police Force, Latassie took up make up artistry professionally four years ago and began doing it full time just last year, having left the force to pursue her passion.
For the most part, Latassie remembers being an angry teenager after her mother passed away when she was 13 years old. She struggled with a life that should have allowed her to be carefree. When her mother died, Latassie and her two siblings were separated. She ended up with an aunt and her family in Linden.
“Growing up I was very warrish; I was rude and would end up in arguments. This was mainly while I was a teenager,” she recalled. “I grew up in Kitty and left for Christianburg, Linden after my mom died; she was HIV positive. After her death, my siblings and I were split up. I was sent from one relative to another. Whenever one got fed up with having me, I was sent to another. To me, I was on my own although I was with relatives. I was fed once a day many times and there were times I went to school hungry. If there was breakfast it was mainly black tea and bake, the soft kind that was dropped into the oil, some people call it monkey ears or okro belly skin….”
For the most part, she lived with her aunt in a house that had many girls. By the time she was 14 going on 15, she was cooking. They took turns, she, and the other girls. She left home at seven in the morning and returned at two in the afternoon. Whoever had to cook, would put on a pot for the entire family.
Latassie shared that she never got a chance to write her Caribbean Examination Council exams as her aunt told her she was not going to waste her time to pay for her to write any subjects.
Her mother, she recalled, though she was never one to spend time with them, had worked extremely hard to see that she, her brother, and sister got all that they needed. “My mom was always serious and hardworking. She used to leave us to go wash clothes for people.”
Though Latassie admitted to being in arguments she said she was an introvert and kept to herself most of the time. Drawing eventually became a source through which she channelled her anger, though she did not take it up until her later years in of high school.
She attended St Aiden’s Primary-top school, in Blueberry Hill, Wismar. “I was in the Technical Drawing stream at that time. My first drawing was a human eye. When I was in a depressed mood, I drew a lot. I drew when I felt …and it made me feel better,” she said.
Today, the human eye is her specialty, whether subtle or bold looks, her blend of eye shadow is always on point.
By the time she was 18, Latassie found herself being drawn to the glitz and glam. An aunt who lived in the US was a sales representative for Mary Kay and during one of her visits to Guyana, she introduced the products to the teen who began practicing on herself. Sometime after, Latassie enrolled to be trained as a police officer. She remained in the force for a decade. Makeup had become part of her daily look for work and a colleague challenged her that she could not go a day without it. Feeling somewhat insulted, she took up the challenge and went more than a day without makeup. In fact, she did not wear makeup again for work until she left the force last year.
Prior to being challenged, Latassie said, she had begun practicing various makeup techniques in 2007 which led to persons requesting her to do theirs also. She recalled doing her makeup at work whenever she was behind the desk with nothing to do. The idea of doing makeup artistry as a part-time job came up and she ran with it. Whenever she had a weekend off, she would take appointments. When weekends were not guaranteed, she would book clients for her days off.
The former policewoman confided that when she first joined the force everything seemed okay, but over time she began to notice that management was chaotic. For some time, she wanted to resign but never had the courage to do it. “I told God if I get transfer from this job, then that would be my sign to leave. I eventually got a transfer but still wasn’t sure what to do so. Then I told myself I’ll take the transfer, check out what the department was like and if I didn’t like it, I would leave. After my transfer I wasn’t pleased at all with what I saw and I left the force,” she said.
While a policewoman, she had used her salary for living expenses and saved the money she earned from doing makeup. So, when she learned from a nail technician friend that a place was up for rent, she had enough money for the down payment to open her own makeup studio.
“I just love transforming women and enhancing the way they look,” she enthused.
Latassie has since catered for numerous weddings, birthdays, modelling gigs and many other events. Her work has taken her around Region Four and to areas like Berbice and Linden.
She has had challenges, a big one being tardy clients. Some have even booked appointments then changed their minds and asked for refunds. Latassie noted that there are clients who ask for discounts and while she always tries to assist in whatever possible, often those who ask for discounts are overseas-based who, though accustomed to spend hundreds of US dollars back in the states, turn their noses up at her prices though her package is lots cheaper. Nonetheless, the satisfaction on the faces of her clients is what keeps her happy about choosing to do this job fulltime, as well as of course being her own boss and making more money than she worked for when she was in the force.
Though not one for flaunting makeup herself these days, Latassie said if she had to choose two things to do, she would pick her brows, that just gives you a facelift, and some lip gloss. Though she began using Mary Kay, she now uses Black Opal products for clients explaining that most of the other makeup products do not give as much coverage especially when it comes to clients who have blemishes.
She is focused on cosmetology right now and is contemplating whether to get into doing hair as brides often ask whether she would do their hair as well.
With the current Covid-19 situation she has been forced to close her shop, but if persons make appointments, she will do their makeup.
To anyone suffering similar dilemmas like she did while growing up, she says, “Stay strong, you will get through it. Focus on what you want to be, and everything will be okay.”
A mother of one, Latassie spends her free time these days, going live on Facebook doing makeup tutorials for her fans or watching Netflix.
A Virgo, she loves the colours white and red and when it comes to her favourite dishes, Latassie lists roti and beef/chicken curry, cookup, cabbage stew, and macaroni and cheese.
For more of her looks, she can be followed on Facebook at Creative Me: Makeup by Latassie, or Latassie Sealey or on Instagram at either one of the two names.
