Fanny, Mühlheim an der Ruhr (Germany by way of Cameroon)
"I did not plan to become a make-up artist (MUA); I had not even planned to try it out as a side-hustle. I had completed my M.Sc in Biology in Munich (LMU) and was still basking in the glory of being a first-time mother. My career plans were focussed on strategising for jobs with better job-security for single mums. But around 2011 'YouTube-University' was fast-becoming a thing with Black Vloggers, mainly from the United States, taking on the web. I became a diligent binge-watcher (lol) of make-up tutorials for Black women. In my personal experience, it was quite hard to walk into a Parfümerie in Germany and find make up that was suitable for my skin tone let alone find a good MUA that catered to the needs of women that look like me ...
It was after trying out some of what I learned in these tutorials on myself and on a few friends that my brand Facebeat Boulevard was birthed around three years ago: A self-taught MUA that, among others, caters specifically to the needs of darker skin tones and also provides Master-Class workshops for prospective MUAs. Facebeat Boulevard is still in its infancy but I do have a vision for its future. I hope to open up a studio, maybe even studios, in Germany. Trainings and workshops will continue to be part and parcel of what the brand is about.
My mother in Cameroon is still surprised that I have actually taken this make-up 'thingy' seriously. Contrary to her and my late father's initial skepsis (African parents, lol!), Facebeat Boulevard is steadily growing and is now my main side-hustle. Although It is not a bed of roses juggling between my 9-to-5 while single-handedly raising a 4 year-old, I can say that loving what you do makes it worthwhile."
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