Informed by the remarkable rise of their own “head teacher” to the summit of Nigeria’s cosmetics industry, the studentsfor the most part young women in their 20s and 30sare being taught that makeup artistry can be their passport to self-confidence, independence, and a business of their own.
Making a difference to young lives is all part of the mission for 37-year-old cosmetics queen Tara Fela-Durotoye.
“There are certain things telling you that you cannot make it; that you will not make it; that Nigeria is not a place where people make it,” says Fela-Durotoye. “I beg to differ.”
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Fela-Durotoye says she sees each student as a potential small business owner and her courses teach knowledge of the beauty industry, plus customer service and business ethics skills, in addition to practical beauty essentials. The aim is to equip graduates with everything they need to launch their own beauty store, and past graduates have gone on to start small firms that employ a handful of other makeup artists.
If it seems strange for makeup artist Fela-Durotoye to be training thousands of competitors, she says you’d be missing the point.
“What drives me is living purpose. I think my business is a vehicle to change lives.”
