Rose-Mary Haufiku
Truth is, a smile is the best makeup any girl can wear, but sometimes it’s all about the makeup itself, not just the grin. Many women, and a few men, use makeup to draw attention to their uniqueness; others use it to express themselves without words.
Like them, makeup plays a big role in Diina Kanana’s life. She used to play with her mother’s makeup kit as a child, and experimented with makeup on her high school friends.
The 21-year-old NUST student’s passion for makeup encouraged her to establish her own business in 2020, and she created an Instagram account dee_beautify in 2021.
“Naturally, I’m very talented with my hands. I can do crazy amazing art, so I decided to combine my love for makeup with my talent,” the self-taught makeup artist told VIBEZ!
Kanana opined that not every makeup artist can automatically do body art, “because it’s not a skill, it’s a talent, and you can’t learn or teach a talent”.
She raved that she can create any look, even a “scary” look for a Halloween costume.
“I can also do male makeup and many other looks that are used for different purposes, including for music videos, transformations to appear older, re-creations of famous masks, and many more.”
The majority of her clients are students and a few people who are employed.
Asked about a typical makeup session, Kanana said she asks the client the look they are going for/desire, whether natural or glam, and then does as she is asked; she never makes decisions for them.
“I love soft looks, where the client’s look feels natural to them, even if it is a whole glam look. I do that to prevent them from looking like they have layers of clay on their faces, which is very uncomfortable, especially in a country this hot,” she said.
Kanana currently operates from her hostel room at NUST, where she is a medical laboratory student, but also makes house calls on occasion.
She aims to in future have her own makeup brand, selling a variety of makeup and cosmetic products all over the world, in addition to having several beauty salons all over the country with excellent makeup artists, whom she will train.
Kanana is a great example of what young people should do: invest in and explore their talents rather than ignoring them. But don’t expect to get it right on the first try; keep in mind the proverbs: “Practice makes perfect”; and “Patience is a virtue”.
– rosemaryhaufiku5@gmail.com