Mum’s ‘teasing’ led to passion

By Forgive Adjoa Forfoe

 Friday, 25 March 2016 07:50  

Life is replete with inspiring stories of people who turned their adversities into opportunities and success stories.

And for people such as model-turned-makeup artist, Monique Gyenfi, teasing by her mother rather pushed her to discover her hidden talents and passion.

In discovering her real passion and purpose in life, Monique saw her mother’s teasing -- and piece of advice too -- about her skinny figure as a challenge to try her luck in the world of modelling.

Monique

And her life has never been the same since she mustered courage to take advantage of an audition by the famous EXOPA modelling agency.

“Officially, I heard about an EXOPA modelling audition in my first year at the university around 2012 to 2013, and I took my mum’s advice. I did the modelling freelance when EXOPA trained me for about month. 

“My first breakthrough came when I went for an audition at a fashion week programme at Legon and that was it. I did gigs here and there for a year and people told me I am good at it,” Monique told Showbiz of her adventure into the exciting world of modelling.

“‘To me, modelling was just a hobby, though I was and I’m very good at it. I took modelling as a hobby but through it, I found my real passion, modelling led me into makeup artistry. I’m not modelling anymore, though occasionally I take photo shoots just for the fun of it.”

Similarly, makeup artistry came to her by accident. Monique recalls when as a student of the University of Ghana, at a time lecturers had embarked on a strike and academic work was at a standstill.

A colleague on campus who was around that period fascinated by Monique’s make-up skills, suggested she took it to a higher level by adding a professional touch to it.

“This was in 2014 or thereabout and so I enrolled for a makeup course at a school called Evolve School of Makeup. For the past one and a half years, I have been doing makeup as a business and there has been no going back for me.”

Today, the young makeup artiste is in demand and has been plying her newfound love with some A-list clients in the entertainment industry such as PY who used to be with  Viasat1 TV, Preachers, former MUSIGA president Diana Hopson, Pastor Hellen Yawson of KICC Ghana among others.

Her newfound profession also runs deep in her family -- as one of her sisters was a model and her brother-in-law is a photographer who does model photo shoots. 

‘‘My sister and my brother in-law are very supportive as they help with contracts. My brother-in-law is a photographer, so sometimes we work hand in hand. 

“When he gets modelling photo shoots and needs a makeup artiste, he calls me and I also hire him for companies, especially Angelphase Fashion and Grooming House off the Weija road where I work as the official makeup artiste.”

She predicts a big future for the makeup industry in Ghana and advises people in the field to be passionate about it. 

Combining her two professions with her responsibilities as a National Service Person at the HR department of Tullow Oil in Accra, is a challenge she has managed to handle effectively.

Monique, who holds a first degree in Political Science, says people pursuing careers in makeup artistry and cosmetology in Ghana must do it out of the love for it and not only for the monetary benefits since they are seasonal jobs but well paid ones nonetheless.