A professional makeup artist is a job that was mainly unheard of in Africa. It wasn’t work one could make a living off. After all, everyone does their own make up, right?

Well, this is changing. Applying makeup has turned out to be a service sought by many. Those with the skill happen to be doing well for themselves and enjoying the profession.

Take Kenneth Keith for example. He is one of the very few professional makeup artists in Rwanda. Though he stumbled into the art upon finishing school to avoid being unemployed, he ended up falling in love.

Kenneth Keith does a facebeat on Alliance Irasubiza who models for him.

In his own words, it is a craft he never picked interest in before but his cousin lured him to join the industry rather than wasting time in unpaid internships after school.

"A cousin of mine called me and said, ‘you know you could actually get something out of this makeup.’ So, I went all the way to Uganda and learned the craft. Bit by bit, I picked up the interest and yes, that's how the journey started,” says Kenneth.

Today he is heading into his sixth year as a professional makeup artist and yes, it is a job that can be a good source of income if you are good at what you are doing, he says.

From weddings to video shoots and celebrity photoshoots, Ken, as he is commonly known, has the capacity to bring out a very sophisticated look with a touch of a brush. 

The makeup artist has learned to be calm and patient in difficult situations.

"My most frequent clients are celebrities. Yes celebrities, mainly because they have let's say, photoshoots, music video shoots and they also have events to attend here and there,” says Kenneth when asked who his most frequent clients are.

Business advice

Like any other business, Kenneth’s industry was also hit hard by the pandemic. He, however, says this served as an opportunity to think twice as an entrepreneur, what your sources of income are, whether they are sustainable or even assessing whether one’s income is less than their expenditure.

"If the source of income is less than your expenditure, then you really have to venture into something else. So personally, I believe if it's not something you can currently survive on, you have to venture into some side businesses that are also going to increase your income.”

Similarly, for one to earn from a skill, you must perfect it, which is why he pays attention to every detail.

Most of the cosmetic products he uses come from abroad, mainly U.S, Europe, Ghana and Nigeria, where he says he gets the best quality of the products he uses on a daily basis including eye lashes, foundations, powder and different mac products such as sprays and settings.

To perfect his art, there are certain favourite products he cannot do without and to give it the best touch, he must use a particular brush.

"I find so much pride in using very comfortable and soft bristle brushes,” says Kenneth, who emphasises that most times he has to follow the preferences of the client.

"Most times clients are our bosses. Some clients come to us and say they want to appear lighter than they really are, naturally, other clients will want that even tone. So, it really goes back to the tastes and preferences of the client,” he says.

More than just applying makeup, Kenneth goes above and beyond to advise his clients down to the small details, even allowing clients to mix the product themselves to get the exact tone they desire.

For a makeup lover, he says it is actually a must to mix and test even before buying the products for your personal use, if you must get the very best out of it.

Not as smooth as it looks

On a bad day, things don’t go as expected. Sometimes he does not get on the same page with the client. He can find himself disagreeing on the outcome especially when expectations of the client are not met.

"It has happened to me once or twice and it was quite a challenging situation. I worked on a client and what they wanted was different from what I was trying to provide,”

"At the end of the day we couldn't agree on the look. Everyone around really loved the look, apart from her,” he says.

The makeup artist says the client came with a picture of a white celebrity, which was probably edited, and expected him to get the similar look out of her, regardless of their skin differences. Impossible, the task seemed, regardless of the efforts.

The client could not understand the contrast in skin and other aspects that made it nearly impossible. Nonetheless, the issue was resolved amicably through a step-by-step approach that left the client happy eventually. 

The 28-year-old has since learned to be calm and patient in difficult situations.

He has also had to cope with society stereotypes where people perceive a makeup artist to be a failure in life, a school dropout or someone unserious.

Alliance Irasubiza, who was crowned Miss Popularity 2020 for the Miss Rwanda pageant and models for Ken, describes him as the best makeup artiste in the country. The two share similar interests in fashion.

"I am so involved with everything about fashion, not to mention that Ken is probably the best makeup artist in Rwanda. I am always happy to do this [modelling] with him,” says Irasubiza, who has modelled for several fashion designers, brands and corporates.

You can reach Kenneth Keith on 0785-768-897.