The Sunday News
Lovemore Dube
SOUTH Africa-based Zimbabwean beautician Elinah Mangena will run a beauty tutorial at the Bulawayo Art Gallery on 26 May.
The event, held a day after Africa Day is meant to celebrate the uniqueness of African beauty. She said the expo, her first in her home town would also see local women get exposure to the latest in the industry.
“The Beauty Master Class or Expo Tutorial is my way of giving back to my community, a time to share what I have learnt here in South Africa. I will take the week-long stay at home to explore a business opportunity for me to set up and help women take beauty to another level.
“I have in the last four years done beauty and fashion here in South Africa. I am proud that I have done facials, nails for some big names like Generations star Chi Chimende who acts as Wandile, Nandi a cosmetologist and fashion blogger big here in South Africa, Ancillia Mangena and award winning journalist, Thando Hooper a model and lawyer who has overcome albinism to be a national icon,” said Mangena.
She has been all over South Africa doing make-up for television, film and advertising shoots and ahead of some big shows.
Another personality Mangena has worked with is Thuso Mbhedu, an Emmy Award nominee.
“I look forward to my workshop at Studio Nash at the Gallery which has been sold out. In my week at home I want to meet other beauty practitioners and share and I may be at one of the colleges for a day or two sharing with students and their lecturers,” she said.
The tutorial will consist of foundation application, highlighting, contouring, eyebrows on flick, skin care and head wraps.
She said she felt Zimbabweans still had a lot to do in terms of beauty.
“Make-up can make a world of difference to a woman. It changes the atmosphere completely and her mood, leaving her exuding a lot of confidence and vigour in her,” said Mangena who was a Tom Boy when growing up.
She said it is no secret that a lot of women love make-up. But their use or application ended up doing more harm to their looks than the intended purpose as they did not do it properly hence the need to share with her Zimbabwean counterparts.
Mangena grew up in Pumula playing with boys.
“I was a girl who hung out with boys and did not know anything about the girl stuff. I got my first lipstick and make-up at the age of 23. I was the simple girl who used green soap to bath and petroleum jelly on her body without shame. It was by chance that I got onto this field,” she added.
Having arrived in South Africa in 2011, a chance shopping trip with a flatmate Novuyo Sithole saw her by her first make-up item in 2014.
“She forced me to buy lipstick and some day while shopping at Edgars she insisted that I buy make-up. That was my first time to beautify my face but I would later buy Garnier Toner that I had seen Zizo advertising on television,” said Mangena.
For three months Mangena applied Garnier Toner after her customary green bar soap and petroleum jelly.
“Thanks to God my oily skin did not flake. So my friend Novuyo started experimenting with facial creams on me and I started learning more and more about beauty. Someday while waiting to attend to a client who said I would have to wait for an hour at my marketing job, a security guard lady asked if I could do her face. I agreed as I intended to kill time.”
When the time came to see the client, she was impressed with the looks on the security guard.
The lady boss told me she was impressed with Mangena’s artwork and that there was a wedding coming up in Durban in a few months’ time.
“I did not know what to charge. Previously I had done it for fun. I was challenged to a test of the wedding lady. I did not sleep that night researching on the net. I got my deposit for the job which then was just side job, and the rest is history. Mat jobs were to follow to an extent that the side gig is now my full time employment.
“I give credit to Jackie Mgido who has her own beauty and cosmetics line. She is an inspiration as a Zimbabwean that I want to have my own beauty academy and cosmetic line in three years. My mum has also pushed me to a point that I want to open my own beauty shop in Bulawayo.
“Make-up is more than beauty, it changes personality, mood and character of a woman. It gives me pleasure to see a woman shed tears before her wedding when I have done her make up,” she said.
Mangena does not want to go to London, Miami or Paris to do celebrities but is challenging African beauticians to attract people from other continents to our shores for beauty make-up.
She arrives in Bulawayo today and will do make-up for Mbo Mahawks ahead of the Bulawayo Arts Awards. There are some other artistes that she will do their faces on the day.
She can be reached on — Instagram @esmangena and Facebook: ThebossLadyLook
