Samantha Slater: The Beauty Boss

IT didn’t take much thought for Samantha Slater to realise that her job interest was in the beauty industry.

For as long as she could remember, applying make-up and ensuring her hair was well coiffed were top priorities for Slater, as she believed in looking presentable at all times.

“From I was at Glengoffe High School, I have always been interested in beauty even though there was not a cosmetology class there at the time, but the teachers would realise I wasn’t interested in the other subjects like Principles of Business or Home Economics that they were teaching. I would always have my mirror, my make-up, and would just always look pretty everyday,” Slater, who is from Glengoffe, St Catherine told All Woman.

Shortly after leaving high school, Slater began pursuing her passion of becoming a hairstylist and make-up artist.

She attended Leon’s School of Beauty Culture where she was exposed to a wide curriculum on beauty care and soon after she was recommended for a series of beauty assistant roles.

But those experiences, some of which were not very favourable, pushed her to have serious consideration of running her own business, which she named The Beauty Boss.

Recounting one of the bad experiences, Slater said, “I was working with a boss for a salon for maybe three weeks, and one Sunday when she wanted me to come in, I was sick. I was telling her that I couldn’t work, and it would not be hygienic to work around the clients, and she said, ‘If you cannot come today, don’t come back’.”

Slater said she collected her week’s pay, which was approximately $6,000, and used it to buy beauty products to start her business on the verandah of a house she shared with her partner in Lunar District, St Mary.

“I went into the beauty store, bought a jar of relaxer, some combs, hair clips, rollers and other hair stuff and I had a lot of things from the beauty class, and I got some magazines and pasted them on my verandah wall. And at a point I went and worked with other hairdressers and gained more experience in that area,” she said, adding that her latest qualification was completing an advanced make-up course in 2021.

Slater is currently operating her business at the Marketplace complex in St Andrew.

While there were daunting experiences, there were thrilling ones, too, such as securing make-up jobs with the Miss Universe Jamaica pageant, a Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) contract, and for veteran Jamaican actor and comedian Oliver Samuels.

“I remember walking straight into Mr Richard Byles’ office [BOJ governor] two years ago, and said to myself, ‘Oh my God, how am I here?’ He is at the highest floor, he is the head of the bank, and little me, walking in there at the time’,” she said. “For a moment I was feeling a little intimidated. Looking back to see where I am coming from, it is amazing.”

Although the beauty industry is a crowded field, Slater said her passion keeps her on top of her game.

“I have to make sure I am current and produce the best quality. You have to be on top at all times and with every work you put out, just make sure it is your best. I have been around folks that are more into the money thing; but I try to do my work with a difference,” she said.

As she continues to improve her craft, Slater has her eyes set on securing jobs with more well-known individuals.

“I have sent a letter to the Office of the Prime Minister, and I always thought about doing the make-up for the prime minister’s wife, or some media personality. There are so many faces I’d love to do!”