October 22, (THEWILL) – Non conformists dot every profession, and the skincare industry is no exception. Former banker turned certified skincare entrepreneur, weight loss expert and one time publisher of ‘Beauty Overdose’ Magazine, Enitan Balogun, the CEO of Lise Beauty range of Cosmetics, tells IVORY UKONU, her story. Excerpts:
Why did you leave the banking industry for the beauty business?
I didn’t think I would end up a banker, even though I studied Business Management. I thought that I would spend a few months with Commerce Bank, Manhattan, USA after graduation before finally settling for what I wanted to do, but I ended up spending a little over a year, which was why it seemed like I spent many years there. I didn’t enjoy it one bit. I am not a corporate person or one who likes to wear suits all the time; it’s just not me.
I don’t like to be too serious, but I love to do what I enjoy. I don’t like to be stuck in one place. I like to travel, meet people and be creative. Most times, one can’t express all of these in a corporate environment. So, I was miserable, as I couldn’t do those things that I wanted to do, like wear make-up the way I want.
My decision to go into the beauty industry was basically because of my creativity. I love art and I love coming up with great ideas as a way to express myself and makeup gave me that opportunity. Along the line, I added skincare and wellness to my brand after getting the required certifications.
So how did your journey into the beauty world begin?
Well I grew up a tomboy but one that loved to wear lip gloss and even with my tomboy attitude, I was nevertheless drawn to the hair and beauty industry because I had a father who was so keen on beauty. He would always drag me to the spa for facials. Gradually, I became drawn to the beauty industry, working part time with established beauty brands like Fashion Fair and Mac. I became a certified make-up artist in 1999 and a certified skin care expert a few years later.
You used to own a make-up brand. What prompted that?
After putting in six years, enhancing women’s beauty, I decided it was time to launch my own brand of make-up. It began because most of my clients wanted specific colours that weren’t readily available except when two or three colours were mixed together. Besides, I liked to play with colours. So, I decided to get my own range, customise my colours, get the kind of intensity that I want and have colours I could easily relate to like teal, jad, and turquoise.
I started with eye shadows and lip glosses first and after I moved back fully to Nigeria in 2006, I launched the full beauty range of foundation, powder, mascaras, blushers, etc. It is not like now where everyone now owns makeup lines. I was one of the very few pioneers in Nigeria. Back then, we only had to make do with international brands.
How was the acceptance, especially when people had a wide range of products to choose from?
There was the peculiar challenge of orienting people about the product. Sometimes, I had to do a lot more talking in order to convince people to buy the products. But now, I have reached a stage where I just allow people to believe whatever they want to believe. You can’t really force them to accept what they don’t want. But the products speak for themselves when they are tried. Besides, over the years, they have gotten that level of acceptability that I expect.
You also founded a make-up school. Is it still in existence?
Not anymore as I have bigger responsibilities to deal with as a skin care therapist and entrepreneur. I started the LISE Pro Beauty School in 2007. I was self-trained as a make-up artist, but I did get some training with a couple of internationally recognised names such as James Vincent and Michael Devallis, the creative director of Mac Cosmetics. I also got some extensive training from Mac during my college days in New York, from Fashion fair, Soline Beauty School and many others. With a mentor like Michael Devallis, I found it expedient to teach the art of make-up and mentor several other make-up artists, rather than keep all that I have learnt over the years to myself.
How would you compare Nigerian make-up skills back then to what obtains today?
First, it wasn’t long after I relocated back home that I discovered that it was no tea party. It isn’t an easy task, coming from another country where techniques are totally different from what others were already doing here. But they are two environments with their own peculiarities and over time, I must say Nigerians have done remarkably well and are at par with international makeup artists because of the evolution of the makeup industry in Nigeria.
You also pioneered the make-up association in Nigeria. What inspired it?
I wanted a platform besides my school where I could mentor younger make-up artistes and seeing that there wasn’t any, I had to take the bull by the horn to actualise my dream to pioneer a make-up association, which was hitherto not in existence before then. You can imagine that at that time, over 15 years ago, Ghana had a make-up association, but we didn’t have one here. It really bothered me. So, I approached a few old hands in the industry who backed out initially. They didn’t want to come on board. They said they couldn’t relate on the same level with other make-up artists they had trained and that made me wonder. I mean, if it isn’t a big deal to have talks about make-up tricks with say, the boss of Revlon, why should it be a big deal to be in an association with the people you have trained?
I am not a proud person. People tell me I should be proud of what I do, but I see no reason for that. If I don’t do it, someone else will, because it is supposed to be done. I thought about the controversies that would emanate from forming the association, but there has to be an association to move the industry forward. That was how I invested my own money and founded the Professional and Certified Make-up Artists of Nigeria, a proper body to represent the interest of make-up artists, inspire them, empower them, share ideas, problems and generally do some networking.
With the growing number of make-up artists in the country, don’t you think Nigerians will get to a stage where it will become one too many?
Although the industry has evolved tremendously with some gracing international stages, there is never a thing as too much. We don’t have anything yet, believe me. I am part of an association in America that has over 10,000 make-up artists as members and that is just in New York City alone, whereas I can’t count up to that in Nigeria as a whole.
How did you become a weight loss expert?
I get bored easily and my creative mind never ceases to amaze me. Around 2011, I came across some herbal plants and decided to get into the kitchen and create some mixtures for weight loss and detoxification. Now I have a few wellness products for weight loss and many more, including skin care products. I am a firm believer in taking care of your body from inside and not just outside alone.
How did you venture into the skincare business?
I got tired of doing make-up and decided to concentrate on my skincare business and spa, LISE Beauty Range of Cosmetics. The way make-up artists are treated in Nigeria is not the way I was taught. They are not even proud of themselves in Nigeria. I just felt like society was a bit tough when it comes to doing make-up for brides. I almost got beat up by a bride’s father.
I felt like I wasn’t feeling it anymore. I wasn’t getting the kind of fulfillment I was used to getting before. But I’m glad that I was able to work with 4,000 students. I want to thank those guys that tell me that their skin is full and they want to brighten up before their wedding. That’s how I got into skincare. From doing the bride’s skin to the mother in law and before you know almost all the bridal trains wanted to glow. That was how I moved gradually to skincare.
I won’t lie to you, make-up wasn’t bringing money in. In my time, there was no makeup artist that got a property or piece of land. It was so tasking and you are not seeing returns. The passion got me going. But everything is intertwined. We deal with the skin deep.
How has it been?
It’s the world of social media. If your work is good people are going to find you, regardless of where you are. I’m also into the hair business. I have a lot of products all over the world. I won’t lie to you. I’m proud of what I do. It has panned out really well for me. I have a lot of clients from all over the world. So it’s just a variety of people that like the brand and it’s been growing ever since. I get calls from all over and it’s been worth it that I’ve been consistent.
You were once publisher of a beauty magazine, ‘Beauty Overdose’. What did you set out to achieve with the magazine?
‘Beauty Overdose’ Magazine, BOM, was a quarterly magazine guide to all things beauty, fashion, health and wellness for the young and contemporary woman. I began publishing it in 2009 and officially released the first edition in 2011. In terms of what I set out to achieve for the magazine, at that time, I didn’t think I had achieved my goals in terms of putting out knowledge about the beauty industry yet. But I can proudly say it was a dream come true as it did take a while contemplating the down sides of publishing in Nigeria.
Why did you rest it?
I achieved my aim with it. It was an achievement for me, being the first to publish a health and beauty magazine that is of international standard. However, I must say it wasn’t an easy venture. I don’t like starting something I can’t finish otherwise, I probably would have pulled the plug from the beginning. Trying to publish quality prints is like getting a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. While it lasted, I printed my copies abroad because I wanted a certain kind of quality. There were challenges of high cargo rates of bringing the prints into Nigeria and then clearing through customs too. Need I say more? But I looked past these challenges because I was and I am still passionate about what I do.
How do you find time to juggle your numerous roles as a beauty, skincare entrepreneur, a mother of three grown up girls and a wife?
It isn’t easy, but I try to find the time. My strength as a mother is what has significantly shaped me into who I am today. No matter how much I multitask or get exhausted, I never get tired of being a mother to my three beautiful girls. I consider being a mother my greatest achievement in life.
Are you fulfilled with all of your numerous ventures?
I love being part of everything I do or have done prior to now. I am proud of what I do, no doubt, but believe me, I have not even scratched the surface yet.
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