The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

EVERY Summer since 2010, the Eye Candy Makeup Store and Studio has brought the glitz and glamour to Bahamian girls, and this year is no different.

Taking over Mario’s Bowling and Entertainment Palace for two weeks starting this past Monday under the theme “Blast From The Past”, the Candy Girls 2014 camp is teaching its participants all about fashion and beauty, focusing on the styles of 20s, 50s, 70s and 80s.

Organisers said the message is to show how things have changed over the years and how trends begin and end over a period of time.

Owned and operated by two sisters, Italia and Joconda Williams, the Eye Candy Makeup Store and Studio was started by Italia. She started as a makeup artist and selling MAC Cosmetics in 1999 from her home in Monastery Park. At the time the company went by the name “For Ebyon”, which is a Hebrew word meaning the “person in need”. The name did not catch on too well, however, and it was later changed.

The sisters acquired a small room, approximately 10’x20’, upstairs at # 1 Rosetta Street. At this new location they offered all services from makeup application to brow grooming, face painting, and introduced such makeup lines as NYX and Flori Roberts.
With the onset of Facebook and word of mouth, the company quickly grew as news spread about their services, resulting in the need for more space. The ladies acquired two more additional rooms and soon after moved in the main store to front of the building.
During this time of year, Joconda said they are all about the summer camp, and after the camp they are looking to increase their presence on the Internet, so “watch out social media.”

“We have seen a tremendous growth over the years with our summer camps, especially this year. We have added a community service aspect where we attend children’s homes and share with the girls what we learned in camp. We have also added a fashion show to climax the camp where the campers get a chance to show their friends and family what they have been learning during the two weeks,” said Joconda.

She said there is no limit on how much further they can take the Candy Girls Summer Camp.

“We ultimately would like to see our campers develop into well-rounded and well-groomed young women who posses inner and outer beauty. We would even hope to inspire them to become pageant girls as well,” said Joconda.

With the goal to build self-awareness, self-confidence and self-esteem in young Bahamian women, Joconda said they will continue to encourage them to become women who are beautiful on the inside and outside.

At Candy Girls 2014, the campers spend the day learning about hair, makeup and fashion from the different eras, participate in one of Eye Candy’s main activities and a community service at the ican community. They will also take part in a photo shoot an fashion show to bring it all together at the end the camp. Parents will receive a free ticket to the show so they can support their child.