Pinay cosmetologist making waves in Dubai beauty scene shares humble beginnings

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A Filipina cosmetologist, who during her first months in the city had to survive on a shawarma roll and chai tea for a day’s meal, now hobnobs with royalties coming to her for their beauty needs.

Charmaine Betty Llerena, who goes by the name “Betty Arabia,” has also taken it a notch higher, having put together a two-day international conference to be attended by renowned beauty artists. 

The high-end event, which took Llerena seven months to set up, is the first of its kind to be organized by a Filipina and her team. Many such events have been held in the past, but most were done by big companies that had sought the services of an established public relations firm.

“I will be bringing artists engaged in permanent makeup (PMU) from different parts of the world to Dubai to network and compete. There will be a microblading competition. I will also have the world’s best speakers and masters, who will be sharing their newest creations and newest crafts in the line of PMU and beauty,” said Llerena, who hails from General Santos City. 

Some 150 experts from Asia to Europe, Canada, Latin America, and several Arab countries have been confirmed to attend the event happening at a five-star hotel in November.

Llerena said she has sponsors also from these countries talking about the event and inviting everyone to join.  

‘Not easy’

“It was not easy. I did my own research, listed down all the countries, searched industry people in that particular country, and sent invitations.

“Can you imagine? A Filipina bringing them all together in one place. I’m living a dream. I’ll have, as speakers, the masters whom I could not afford before because their courses were so expensive. It’s very fulfilling. Fate has really been playful. But there’s a big price I had to pay for having this big dream come true,” Llerena said.

Playful indeed, as Llerena did not have plans to stay and open a beauty business when she arrived in April 2021 to see the city.   

“It was just a visit because I love to travel,” recalls Llerena, who was already running a beauty business in the Philippines back then. 

“But I got very curious because I asked fellow Filipinos how long they had been in Dubai, and they said five years, 10 years, 15 years. Then I thought about it. What is it in Dubai that makes them stay that long? Fascinated, I drew up a plan. I’ll copy my business operation in the Philippines and open one here. 

“If I have made many clients in the Philippines beautiful, why not here, where most ladies have been forgetting to make themselves beautiful because of too much work? So, I called my mom and told her I'd extend my stay,” Llerena said.

She worked on her visa, attended a Dubai beauty school to get international certification so she could obtain a license, and was soon starting her business, during which she had to deal with that “big price” she has to pay. 

Shawarma

“I had to close my business in the Philippines. Shifting to living in Dubai during my first months was not easy. I’d go zero. I had experienced having only AED7 and needed to budget it for a day’s meal, so it's shawarma for AED6 and chai tea for AED1 to survive the day,” she said in a mix of English and the vernacular.

She’d also be making calls and posting on social media to get potential clients. “The next day, I’d have one. I’ll have money once again,” she said, laughing.

She also recounted how it was living in shared apartment units, where her only private space was a partitioned room the size of a parking slot.

“My experience was horrible,” Llerena said.

“Being new in Dubai, I didn’t fully understand what ‘partition,’ a popular word among Filipinos here, really meant. I wasn’t aware of the daily grind, like scheduled use of laundry machines and toilet queues during the morning rush for work being ganged up upon. Losing food in the refrigerator, I had so many experiences,” she said.

Llerena said she felt lucky she actually had a relatively spacious “partition.” Others in the unit were staying in what would actually pass for a box.

“I got to interview some of them, and I was surprised that one had been staying in a small partition with no window for six years already. It was then that I realized not all who go abroad live a splendid life. It looks cool, fun, and fascinating on social media because you’re working abroad,” she said.

Llerena said it’s sad that many folks back in the Philippines don’t know about these harsh realities. “It’s difficult,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine myself living in a box for six years!”

She said it’s also troubling that many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) also have to skip going home so that money spent on air fares could instead be sent to the Philippines.

“I am so proud of all OFWs who have to live this way for their loved ones’ sake back home, hands down,” she said.

Always on the move

Llerena said she was always on the move, transferring from one unit to another in a continuing search for a better space.

“I would relocate to another unit every two to three months until I finally got my own apartment and my business started to thrive,” she said.

Llerena said she could not let her family back home know what was going on. A 36-year-old single mom, she has two sons.

“I just couldn’t show them that I am weak because I am a breadwinner. It was my choice to set up in Dubai even though my business in the Philippines was already doing well. I had to take accountability. 

“It’s not easy, but it’s doable. I was very positive that everything would fall into place, and up until now, I am thriving and aiming for something bigger,” said Llerena. 

Highly competitive

Beauty care is a highly competitive business in Dubai. 

Llerena explained how she has so far managed to stay abreast: “It’s not just about making money. The intention is not just to earn, but to change a client’s life and touch their lives. Basically, I am sharing love through my skills and beauty procedures, and this builds solid clientele.”

She said it makes her happy doing what she does.

“I believe I have found my purpose in this industry. I have been able to give light and hope to ladies struggling with insecurities and low self-esteem. I am just God’s instrument to help them get through with it. Yes, money will follow simply because we’d still need to put food on the table and cover our business costs and expenses.”

Just as it is, Llerena has gained the trust of some royalties who have become her clients. 

“You just wouldn’t know at first that she’s a sheikha. Can you imagine? You’ll be paid AED4,500 for an eyebrow work, get VIP treatment, picked and dropped by a family chauffeur, then engage in idle talks that take longer than the eyebrow session itself. And you’re stuffed with all the food, not to mention taking home many giveaways,” she said, laughing.

Llerena said among her celebrity guests at the event is a sheikha, who’ll be presenting awards to competition winners.

She said she had done a similar event in Dubai but was not happy with the outcome because she was not in full control.

Llerena said she believes it could have been better if everything she had in mind was carried out. This experience, she said, has made her decide to go on her own with the support of her team. —VBL, GMA Integrated News