As Carnival approaches, many mas players begin the search for the makeup artist to make them look good at fetes and on the road. One makeup artist offering her services to make players feel beautiful is Adafih Padmore. Padmore has been doing makeup for many years, having completed a diploma in makeup artistry from the acclaimed CMU College of Makeup Art and Design in Toronto, Canada.
“The diploma included training in hair styling, fashion, theatre, film & special effects makeup and I even did creature design. As such I offer makeup services of all kinds from weddings, fashion shows, fashion and corporate photo and video shoots, theatre productions, dance shows, films, advertisements, commercials & Carnival. I also teach individual and group makeup workshops throughout the year and teach a theatre makeup workshop in the summer as one of the free camps the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts offers.”
Padmore is familiar to many performers in the theatre industry, and has been doing makeup in the arts for years. She has a BA in Musical Arts from the Department of Creative and Festival Arts at the University of the West Indies and currently teaches music at secondary school level. “I still live in the house I grew up in and went to Bishop Anstey High School, where my love for the arts was nurtured. I’ve always been in love with the arts and anything artistic, having started dancing with Noble Douglas at the age of three. As a tween I spent many a Sunday morning in the mirror with lipgloss and shimmer eyeshadow. I was able to do the CMU diploma through my mother’s encouragement and investment.”
Padmore said her prices are relatively cheap, starting at $300. She said apart from her training at CMU, which places her among only a handful of alumni, what makes her special is how she thinks about makeup.
“For me, makeup is my personal philosophy of makeup. It’s more than just learning a look and applying it to a face. It’s about observing the beauty of the person in front of you, their facial features, their personality and enhancing that through makeup application.”
Examples of Padmore’s work can be found on Facebook and Instagram at Makeup by Adafih Padmore. She can be contacted at 744-3917 or via email at altpadmore@hotmail.com.
The Trinidad and Tobago Performing Arts Network 