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Unveil’s boss, Bunmi Oyeniyi set to launch make-up product line

FAIR-skinned Bunmi Oyeniyi has made a name for herself in the beauty and make-up industry. She is set to launch her line of make-up, Unveil MUP in a couple of weeks.  ENCOMIUM Weekly had an interview with her about this, her career and much more.

 

What were the goals you set out to achieve for Unveil this year?

We wanted to step up on our game, make things better, and have a better customer service.  We also intended to satisfy our customers better and grow the business.

How far have you gone in achieving these goals?

We thank God, we have improved a lot. If I am to score Unveil, I will give it 70 per cent, but things can be better anyway.  There is room for improvement.

What will you say are the pains and gains of being a make-up artist?

The gain is the fact that I have learnt so much in a long while.  Make-up is like driving, you need to keep learning because it is the learning process that brings perfection.  You need to keep on re-inventing things every day.  I have met different people, role models.  I have not regretted doing it for one day because I have imparted lives and it gives me a lot of joy.  Looking at the pain, I will say bearing the risks all by myself is one of the greatest pain.  There are a lot of mediocre out there, they are not well trained, they are polluting the business.  That is another pain.

Can you recall your first big job?

Most of my jobs are big, I can’t say this is the first big job but I can recall my first bride.  She actually drove me into this business, that was eight years ago. Her name is Fikemi Ogunkeye now Fikemi Kukoyi.

Who does Unveil make up?

We concentrate on brides but we make-up also for artists as well.  We do make-up for different occasions.  We are not restricted.  We have stopped doing make-up for Nollywood artists because it consumes a lot of time.

Will you say the recession in the economy is affecting your business, a lot of people are looking for survival now, doing professional make-up might be luxury for them?

There is recession in the economy, I have to be sincere with you.  It is affecting the industry.  Now, most brides will prefer doing make-up by themselves, everybody wants to cut down on cost, everybody wants to save money.  Apart from that, looking at it from the perspective of training, we have empowered a lot of youths with our training, so I will say, half of Nigerians can actually make-up themselves without the assistance of anybody.  But if they want to pamper themselves, that is when they call Unveil.  If you look at it, almost every family has make-up artist now.  Unless the person knows the quality of your job and just wants your touch, that is when they call on professionals.

Based on what you said, what do you think is the future of make-up artistry in the future?

It doesn’t take away the fact that even if they know how to do make-up, people would still call professional make-up artists to do their make-up.  For instance, if I am staging an event, I wouldn’t do make-up for myself.  I will be so anxious to even touch myself, I will rather get a specialist to work on my face.  It applies to wedding ceremonies and other events.  The anxiety will be there, so people will still go for professionals when they have an event.

What is the preparation process prior to make-up?

I don’t encourage people to do facials, most especially if you have not been doing facials, don’t venture into it.  Facials will only open your pores and make your skin break.  A lot of Nigerians can’t get their fingers off their face, in the process of fiddling with their face, it might become black spot, in the process of treating the black spot, they might get lightened.  So, I prefer the daily exfoliation, use a face wash and stay away from the things that will make your face break out.  There are so many things that will give you heat rash, pimples and acne, just stay away from them to play safe.

What is the hottest trend in the make-up industry right now?

Smoky eyes, but it has always been in vogue.  Smoky eye is when you have a darker shade of eye shadow all over your eyelids, it can be worn by a bride, on red carpet and even to the office, depending on your personality and what you can actually wear.

Why is it that you don’t wear make-up?

It is not like I don’t wear make-up at all, it is just that sometimes, I am too busy.  It can also be crazy trying to stand in front of the mirror for 30 minutes doing make-up.  When I don’t have an event, I know that with 30 minutes, I can achieve a lot.  But when I am going out, I wear pretty make-up.

Do you make your kit yourself?

Right now, we are launching a make-up line called Unveil MUP (Unveil make-up product) at the end of the month.  The range of Unveil MUP is for women who want to look classy, sophisticated and flawless.  We have the powder, the blusher, eye shadows, lip pencil, lip gloss.  They are all intense and friendly on the skin.

What should an average woman do to get a flawless skin which is the basis for a great make-up?

Take care of your skin, stay away from things that will irritate your skin.  An average woman knows what she will eat that can give her pimples.  Just identify your skin, don’t experiment, it is either you are a dry or oily skinned person. Once you are able to identify your skin type, you will know what to use.  For a perfect make-up, it depends on the type of make-up product you use.  If you use cheap product, you will get a cheap look.

What is the toughest part of your job?

Trying to satisfy your clients, most especially a very difficult client.  If the client knows a lot about make-up, it is very difficult to impress her. But I thank God that I have always impressed my clients.

Which will you say was the most challenging job you have ever done?

Where the bride wanted make-up and the father didn’t want it.  It was a clash of the titans, I was actually at the middle.  The bride was on the right and the father was on the left.  The father had warned her before that day, that he doesn’t want to see any make-up.  When we got there, the bride said we should go ahead with the make-up while the father said, we must not.

What is the sweetest part of your job?

The fact that I put a smile on people’s faces.

If you are to change anything in the make-up industry, what will that be?

I will encourage all Nigerians to realize that we can do it here, that we don’t have to travel abroad before we get things done.  We have the right resources here.

Can you share the greatest challenge make-up artists’ face?

The fact that they don’t work with good materials.  If you don’t have good materials to work with, you will end up with an appearance you wouldn’t like.

You are a fashion forward person, how will you describe your style?

My style is what you make of it, being confident and comfortable in anything you wear, sophisticated and elegant.

What are the things that make a woman beautiful?

Her skin.  The first thing you look at is the person’s skin, even from afar.  Then your hair, it goes a long way, if you are wearing the most expensive thing and your hair looks unkempt, you can never look well put together.  Then your brow, you don’t really need to wear make-up.  Dress well and look neat, what you wear must not be expensive.

  • SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

This story was first published in Encomium Weekly edition of Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Encomium

Written by Encomium

A media, tech and events company.

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