Matthew Chin
Reporter
matthew.chin@guardian.co.tt
The success now being enjoyed by self-taught beauty practitioner and professional make-up artist Chinnelle Jagroop is not something that was handed to her on a platter—it has taken 12 years of commitment and dedication to reach this level.
As a child, Jagroop was very creative, with most of her skills expressed and honed through doing make-up. “How I would dress, and present a project for school, it would always be different. And creative than very basic and normal. I was always a very extra child,” Jagroop laughed.
“Make-up chose me because I would do it on myself, friends, and family, and it grew from there. Others would see my work and want me to do the same thing for them. It spread like that than me wanting to become an actual make-up artist. It happened naturally,” Jagroop said.
Casting self-doubt aside and determined to take her skills to the next level, Jagroop, inspired by her sister’s IG handle and a certain American brand of make-up ten years ago, developed her beauty brand, ‘Kissandmakeup’.
“My sister’s name is Candace, aka Candy. Her name on Instagram was kissmecandy, and I thought that was very cool. Everyone who would see my sister would say, ‘Kiss me, Candy!’” Jagroop said. Today, the 32 year old is content that her business has grown, citing the size of her current team of assistants, especially during the Carnival season, as an indicator of Kissandmakeup’s growth.
Her services have also been requested in other Caribbean countries like Barbados, St Lucia, St Vincent, and Jamaica, and she has also been commissioned to work for Miami Carnival. “I never would’ve thought or imagined myself doing make-up in such a large capacity, especially venturing out in other countries. I always thought it would just be in Trinidad, or south Trinidad, so that really, for me, is an upgrade,” Jagroop said.
But like any business, starting from scratch often entails many obstacles, including the fear of failure, which was linked to her fear of “not being like other people.” However, as time passed, Jagroop realised that being yourself is the key to both peace and positive business outcomes. “What I realised is that people gravitate towards authenticity, it’s not all about being just like the other person, you know? When you think about it, people really love authenticity. You see it on social media, TikTok personalities being their authentic selves, they are the people who are reaching far. That motivates me to continue,” Jagroop said.
Even while the COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly affect Jagroop’s business, it did lead her to fully explore her creative side, which guaranteed her continued flow of clientele and revenue. “For some businesses, COVID really affected them in a big way, for my business not so much. A lot of people used COVID to make small-scale weddings, birthdays, in a big way. In the end, I still had a bride to do. It was basically meeting me more than halfway in terms of income because people had to learn how to be creative. I also made myself relevant on social media by doing make-up challenges, the trends, so people wouldn’t forget me,” Jagroop said. She also trains people interested in establishing themselves in the trade.
Besides getting opportunities to enhance the outer beauty of her clients, she loves meeting new people at her studio in Cocoyea, San Fernando, where she hears them talk about their lives, especially the challenges they’ve faced and how they overcome them. “I think I am a people person even if it is just to meet a person for an hour—which I generally take to do one face—and in that time I would have conversations; I get to inspire females, and they inspire me as well,” Jagroop said. “They would mention to me things like a divorce, losing their job, basically telling me how they overcame those situations.”
Jagroop is proud that for the past seven to eight years she has only used high-end make-up brands for her clients. And while saying that there is nothing wrong with the make-up sold in drugstores, the choice to give only the best to others makes her glad. “Personally, I decided that I wanted to use high-end make-up for my clients. I use products such as Estée Lauder, Lancôme, NARS Cosmetics, etc,” Jagroop said.
Regarding those lucky to sit down on her chair and get their face done, Jagroop was adamant that almost one hundred per cent of those who request her services are kindred spirits.
“I am a generally positive person and God has blessed me with similar clientele. You wouldn’t find a client coming to me and talking bacchanal. It’s always positivity and to be honest, with the type of music I play when they come, it’s always uplifting, like Beyoncé or Rihanna. I set the mood and the tone for the kind of clientele I want,” Jagroop said.
When she first began doing make-up, before establishing her brand, she admitted there were some who questioned the sustainability of the beauty industry, and her place in it. “When I started, people did not give me respect. There would always be someone in your ear saying, ‘Well, you know Chin, you could find a normal job, you know? And do this on the side ...’” Jagroop said. Paying no attention to the naysayers, Jagroop is grateful that she did it her own way and can claim success today as “the beauty industry has blown up.”
“Now, there’s not just something like a hairdresser, you can make money just braiding hair, installing wigs, you don’t have to be a full-time hairdresser. The beauty industry is so wide now that I think so many people have so much respect for it, within only the past six years! Now, I think, people are even encouraging their children to become hairstylists and make-up artists,” Jagroop said.
“I definitely try to influence my nieces and nephew.”
Outside of her work, Jagroop loves to cook. “I’m not the person who will make a typical Trinidadian lunch. I’d make chow mein, dumplings, wantons, those kinds of Chinese delicacies,” Jagroop said.
Be vigilant as crime rises
Commenting on the crime situation in T&T, Jagroop said that although she has not been directly impacted by the criminal element, it was earlier this year that her aunt’s home was broken into. “This year my aunt was not in the country for a moment, and thieves went into her house and took everything, right in Cocoyea; it hit very close to home. When they left, they burned down her house, they put gasoline all over and lit the fire. It was even worse than just being robbed because now you have nowhere to go. That was very traumatic,” Jagroop said.
She also went on to say there was little to no help from the police in finding the criminals. “Basically, our family had to pool together and help in whatever large or small way we could to make sure we tried to get her back on her feet,” Jagroop said.
Moving forward, she advises people to be more vigilant and to install security cameras and fire alarms for their homes. “I was telling my mom the other day I make sure nobody is following me before I pull into the yard because these days you don’t know who’s watching you. You must be extra careful. And message your loved ones to say where you are,” Jagroop said.