There’s something about perfectly applied make-up – it accentuates features, adds a touch of class and brings inner confidence to the surface.
Namibian make-up artist Hannah Nangula specialises in the art and after being in the industry for about a decade, she is finally ready to release her own line of cosmetics consisting of foundation and mink eye-lashes.
Nangula shares some insight about her new line and who the woman is behind the make-up.
Born in northern Namibia, she moved to the coastal town of Walvis Bay at four years old, which is where she would complete her school career.
Finishing matric at De Duine Secondary School, like many teenagers, Nangula didn’t know what she was going to do with life.
“In matric, I was like ‘what am I going to do next year?’”
As life often takes us on a detour, Nangula initially took on a different course before she fell in love with make-up. “My friend was studying fashion at the College of the Arts (Cota) and she told me to also join. Since I was always into fashion, I joined her,” she says. Nangula mentions that photography and make-up were additional subjects in her course.
“As a designer, you need to be able to dress a model, take the photos and do the make-up, as these aspects complement each other.”
This is where her love for make-up overtook her passion for fashion. After graduating in 2011, the young and hopeful Nangula spotted a gap in the market – make-up for television. She approached the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation with a proposal. As fate would have it, she was hired for on-set make-up, and has been doing it ever since.
Besides her full time job, Nangula loves sharing her skills and knowledge with others. “I give make-up training. I’m always travelling to other towns for workshops. Hopefully people out there can also start their own careers.”
An entrepreneur by day and family woman by night, Nangula has been married since 2013 and has a four-year-old son. Juggling her personal life and her work isn’t always easy, but she says she manages. “I set my timetable accordingly. I know I have to be at NBC at this time, my classes are this time, and my family is this time.”
“I’ve been in the industry so long, it isn’t that hard because I’m doing what I love,” she says.
Nangula mentioned that some of the challenges she faces are that clients don’t understand make-up or their own facial features. “After I’m finished, they will always say ‘no, you were supposed to do it like this’,” she says, adding that make-up is there to highlight certain features. Finding the right foundation for Namibia’s climate is also a challenge.
This is what inspired Nangula to launch her own line.
Her vast experience in the industry is key to her current knowledge on the different skin tones of Namibian women and the climate. “I have come to a realisation over the years that most Namibian skin tones are not catered for by what is on the market,” she says.
“My eight tones of full coverage cream foundation exude class and sophistication. It will make all women who use it feel like they have applied something of a superior quality.”
Nangula’s foundation will be accompanied by mink lashes that come in different styles for different looks, namely natural and dramatic. “Lashes go with make-up. You can never have one without the other,” she says.
Nangula’s foundation is designed for Namibia’s hot and dry climate and includes matte and full coverage in a variety of tones.
“My line of eight shades were made with Namibian weather and African skin in mind from dark to lighter skin. There is something for everyone.”
The tones are named Sun, Tega, Medi-Light, Hannah, Dune, Namib, Honey Comb and Copper. She says she not only wants to introduce her line, but give lessons on how to achieve a full face beat.
Nangula mentions the fact that her product is catering to the Namibian market specifically is beneficial because her clients do not have to order products online any more, or wait weeks for delivery.
“Throughout these years, I know what people want,” she says, adding that other make-up artists can buy her products in bulk and get a discount, then resell them to make a profit. “My products are just a call away.”
She mentions that one day she wants to have a full range of make-up, so her clients can get the full package from her. “I also want to encourage my fellow Namibians that they can make a career out of make-up.”
Having worked with various celebrities such as Namibia’s very own Dillish Mathews and South Africa’s Minnie Dlamini, Nangula doesn’t discriminate between her famous and not so famous clients.
“I enjoy doing everyone’s make-up. It’s a different experience with every client and that makes everyone special.”
Mathews is a loyal patron of Nangula’s and loves the experience the make-up artists offers.
All it takes to be part of the launch on 11 May is to book either a platinum ticket, a golden ticket or a general access ticket. Platinum ticket holders will get a hamper full of goodies and all ticket holders will be treated to a make-up tutorial by the guru herself. For more information about the launch and the products, email hnmetumo17@gmail.com or message her on Instagram @hnangula.
– @jonathan_sasha on Twitter; @jonathan.sasha on Instagram
