By Yemisi SULEIMAN
Regional screening for the Face of Sleek kicked off with the first phase which  held in  Abuja  last Thursday. About ninety hopefuls, most of them university undergraduates  thronged the Sleek Studio, Blommsbury Plaza, Adetokunboh Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, venue of the screening,   to  vie for a shot at the  20 slots for the Federal Capital Territory.

The search which is aimed at selecting a brand ambassador for Sleek Nigeria, according to Ify Ugochukwu, MD Sleek hair Nigeria, is also aimed at upholding the essence of  African beauty. “We are looking for a lady  with confidence, a sense of style and  good skin. It doesn’t matter if she is fat or skinny, but we are looking for that singular feature  that  expresses the total outlook of the African woman.

It is about everything that makes you a woman, not just your facial beauty” she says.  Other criteria for selection include, grammar, total look, passion and intelligence.

After a rigorous screening session, Judges made up of   designer Dakova,  Ify Ugochukwu MD Sleek hair, Douglas Nwokocha; top radio DJ Rhythm FM Abuja, Mrs Goziem Onuoha, Sleek hair  franchisee Abuja and Yemisi Sueliman of Vanguard, 23. girls were short listed to represent the region.

Other regional screenings also took place  in Enugu , Port Harcourt and Lagos.  Lucky  contestants who were found to have the    right balance , wit and charm, from the regions,    moved on to the semi-final screening which held in Lagos. The Face of Sleek grand finale will hold November 29, 2009.For those who lost out , it was not all a bad   as some  girls got free hair make over, while others got free Sleek goodie bags.