Pinehas Nakaziko
Windhoek – Acclaimed Namibian fashion designer and makeup artist Hannah Nangula-Kolokwe continues to make waves in the beauty industry. Pinehas Nakaziko visited her studio.
Well known for beautifying the presenters and hosts at the Namibia Annual Music Awards (NAMAs) over the past years, Hannah takes pride in her passion and believes in the importance of fashion and professional skin care for all sexes.
She also believes that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.
“My job is to enhance it. I am passionate about makeup and I find joy in this art form,” she enthuses.
She also provides a variety of other beauty services such as makeup art, eyebrow microblading, eyelash extensions and makeup training for individuals and groups.
Recognised as one of the best makeup artist in the country, Hannah says the secret behind this is just hard work and creative thinking.
“I am always looking forward to learning new techniques and [creating] products to stay in tune with the latest trends in the industry.”
Hannah says a makeup artist is an artist, whose medium is the human body, who applies makeup and prosthetics for the theatre, television, film, fashion, magazines and other similar productions, including all aspects of the modelling industry. Mostly, the role of a makeup artist is to apply makeup to presenters, at photo shoots and weddings.
Makeup artists also work on artists who want to film a music video, girls going to a matric farewell and many others.
She is a trained makeup artist from the College of the Arts (COTA) and started with her first job in 2010 at the Namibia Broadcasting Cooperation (NBC).
In the same year she also applied makeup for a few people to compliment their attire.
“I always knew that my qualification would require me to become self-employed – so I had to think about what to do after graduation.”
Hannah has also worked on makeup for local celebrities such as Dillish Mathews, Ruby Nakaambo, Lucy Kangombe and Uejaa Kazondunge.
She says being in this industry makes her happy. “I’m doing what I love, and earn a living from it.”
Apart from makeup, Hannah host makeup seminars and workshops countrywide as part of giving back to the community, under the theme ‘Makeup Master Class’.
“I noticed that the country needs short makeup courses in the country. Some clients only want to improve their makeup techniques for personal use, while some women aspire to become professional makeup artists themselves, but they do not have the time to go to school on a full-time basis or perhaps there are no such schools in their home town,” Hannah explains about why she came up with the project.
She says the market is big enough for one to make a decent living from it.“It is not easy, and one has to put in long hours of work, which requires time.”
Her clients include Namibians from all walks of life.
This year Hannah intends to go from town to town to offer makeup training. She also plans to launch her new studio.
“I am also preparing to start offering my eyebrow microblading and eyelash services. I earlier attended training in Cape Town, South Africa, so I am excited. Most importantly, I want to continue learning to become better at what I do,” she says.
In five years’ time, Hannah envisions having diversified her business portfolio and to take advantage of new opportunities in the industry.
She currently describes herself as an entrepreneur who turned her qualification in fashion design from the College of the Arts into a business.