Longford beauty icon lands top honour at Irish Make-up awards

Rising make up influencer and catwalk queen Elisha Stokes can do no wrong at the minute after adding yet another prestigious accolade to her ever expanding CV.

The Granard woman is arguably one of the most talked about figures on the Irish beauty circuit in a flourishing career that has seen her rack up award after award, amass tens of thousands of social media followers as well as open her own business.

A little over a week ago, Elisha took centre stage once more, this time at the coveted 2023 Irish Makeup Awards.

The glitzy black tie event, which was held at Dublin Airport’s Crowne Plaza Hotel, saw Elisha see off all comers to claim the mantle of Make Up Influencer of the Year.

Despite it being her third time to be recognised on the national stage, this year’s accolade was arguably the sweetest of all.

“The first two (awards) were huge as well but this one was a black tie event and means so much,” she said.

After being successfully nominated, it was a resounding public vote and those of an expert judging panel which ultimately saw Elisha walk away with one of the competition’s top prizes.

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Yet for all her success, the former Cnoc Mhuire student is as humble as she is proud of the roots upon which her career has so far been based.

Taking a fleeting breather in the front sitting room of her parents front sitting room after another hectic day in her aptly named salon ‘Elisha’s’, the 28-year-old admitted she had been taken aback by her latest honour.

“When they (judges) handed me the mic, I didn’t know what to do,” she said.

“It was just incredible and I want to thank all the people who voted for me and supported me.”

There were equally wholesome words of acknowledgement for her many clients as well as her proud fiance Keith and parents, Tommy and Lena who watched proudly on during the course of Elisha’s interview with the Leader this week.

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“I was always an artsy kid when I was younger, drawing pictures,” she added, when asked about her decision to branch out into the Irish beauty industry six years ago.

“I always had a flair for arts, but then in 2016 that was the year for makeup in Ireland with Instagram and everyone was going mad doing makeup.”

After completing and successfully obtaining the required qualifications in her chosen field, Elisha, two years ago, opened the salon she now operates and which lies adjacent to the Stokes family home along Granard’s Main Street.

A make up tutor to boot, Elisha is also carving a name out for herself on Ireland’s modelling scene with her name already aligned to two of Ireland’s premier agencies in the form of Platform and Catwalk under the guidance of renowned entrepreneur Mandy Maher.

And as for her own words of advice to young aspiring girls looking to follow in her footsteps, Elisha said diligence and perseverance were the keys to doing just that.

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“I would say don’t give up because when I started doing makeup first I maybe had three clients for the first two weeks,” she said.

“When you start out in makeup the clients aren’t there but you have to stick at it and work and work.”

And it’s precisely that sense of dedication, which has and will continue to serve what is now undoubtedly one of Ireland’s fastest growing beauty icons well into the future.