BN Exclusive Interview With High Profile' Elegant Kemi Imevbore-Uwaga’ A Professional Makeup Artist’ Business Entrepreneur Of The Year The CEO Of KK Beauty Product

Women Confidentials Is A Sister Brand To Betty Nwabunike

Women Confidential: Please tell us a little about yourself and what you do.

My name is Kemi Imevbore-Uwaga, a wife to a wonderful man, Toni, and mother to 3 adorable children. I am also a professional makeup artist, bridal hairstylist, beauty editor, makeup educator, jeweler and business entrepreneur. Call me a ‘mompreneur’.

Women Confidentials:  You are a professional makeup artist, and a very creative one from what I can see, please do tell us when you started your profession and what got you interested in becoming a makeup artist

I grew up in a fashion-conscious home and this bred my inclination for dressing up and painting my dolls.  My love for makeup artistry dates back to age 4. My mother’s makeup purse was never far from my grasp. I would paint everything from my dolls to my face, papers and even walls. In my teens and at the university I derived joy from the glow and happiness that radiated from my friends whenever I did their makeup/headgear. I became the unofficial makeup and headgear stylist for friends and family while in the University. That was the bulb-light moment. It was a natural tide. I will say my makeup artistry business started officially in 2003, the same year I got married.

We are now a fully fledged mobile bespoke beauty company providing makeup and hairstyling services, brow bars, makeup masterclasses, personal makeup and mentoring sessions. We also retail the KemiKingsBeauty cosmetics and makeup brushes.

Women Confidentials: How hard or easy was it to get you to become a well known makeup artist and how has your business grown?

I attribute everything to God. The KemiKingsBeauty vision was born in 2003 as I said earlier. It has been quite a walk since then. As expected there have been peak moments and the nadirs. Starting out in Nigeria at a time when the indispensable place of a make-up artist was relatively under-appreciated it was a herculean task convincing folks on the need for the service. However, through these lows the belief in the KemiKingsBeauty brand-value fueled the fire to niche-carve. We kept at it and from a dream birthed as a beauty retail company we have streamed into several facets of  makeup artistry which includes the make-up, a mini-spa & hairstyling bar and, in recent times, our makeup product range KemiKingsBeauty. This beauty line comprises of makeup brushes, eye-shadows, lipsticks, face and eye primers. Our marketing strategists identified a shortfall in the availability of beauty products for the woman of colour and thus our range is mainly targeted at bridging this gap.

For us the driving oil has been “passion first, rewards follow”. In less than 6 years this brand mantra raked in remunerations and brand-strength which created the pathway to the organisation expanding its branches to the United Kingdom and across some major cities in Nigeria while forming solid partnerships with cosmetic companies like Gifty’s Daughter Africa and Bhenitaz Makeup Studios and creating long-term collaborative relationships with our clients. My company presently also runs a 2-day and long-term intensivetraining courses in make-up and headgear mastery at specific times in London, Lagos, and Abuja. We call it the Master Class and plans are in place to expand it to other states in Nigeria.

As a result of our utmost belief in human resource capital for the purpose of maintaining our brand-value the organisation has in its employment versatile personnel competent in the art of cosmetic beauty. Each one of our team members is carefully selected through series of hands-on interviews to practically ascertain his or her abilities. We have walked quite a journey and in all of it God has been our help in sticking to the values of our brand.

Although I started out being self-taught, as the organisation grew the need to hone my skill became more imperative. Thus I underwent diploma courses in beauty at the West Thames College, London, and the Sam Fine Beauty Masterclass also in London.  I constantly update my skills through classes, workshops and reading materials.



Women Confidentials:What advice do you have for young professional women in the UK starting out in any business?

Sustainable success comes to a wholesome package: you need to be liked and wanted not just because of your talent but also because of your professionalism, dedication, hard work, self-belief, organization, modesty and kindness. Remember methods can be taught, products can be bought but the rest is down to a cultured personality. This, in the long run, affects your brand and consequently your bottom-line.

Kemi at work

Women Confidentials: Who are your clients or who have you worked with?

We have an extensive range of clientele: every day woman, men, actors & actresses, models, TV & Film industry, magazine companies, BRIDES, footballers, fashion designers, etc. We have had the pleasure of working with, amongst others, the following:



Wimbledon Fashion Week

The Super Eagles of Nigeria

Jide Alakija Photography

Ali Khan Photography
Shahid Malik Photography
Fireshone Photography
Kosibah
BenTV
Atunbi Photography
Side View Magazine
Body Beautiful Magazine
Black Beauty Magazine
Baruch
GTBank
Hype Coiffure
Junior Green
Black Hair Magazine
Today’s Fashion Magazine
Divascribe Magazine

The Dialogue
City People Magazine

Add to the list a great number of bridal as well as celebratory occasion clients.