Much like Rihanna has Fenty Beauty and Kylie Jenner has Kylie Cosmetics, Phoina Wambui, popularly known as Phoina, has Phoina Beauty. The entrepreneur is also Kenya's celebrity make-up artist (MUA). She just hit one million followers on Instagram.
Starting out, the first celebrity I ever worked with was Janet Mbugua. She believed in my craft and that opened doors for me. Now I have worked with almost every Kenyan celebrity you know.
Joining Nai-Rich reality show was a strategic decision for me. It offered a platform to showcase my journey in entrepreneurship and beauty innovation to a broader audience. I saw it as an opportunity to inspire others with my story and share insights into building a successful brand
Even if I had reservations about opening my life to the cameras and the public like this, this was something I needed to do. I compare myself to Kylie Jenner. I aspire to revolutionise the beauty industry in Africa just like Kylie has globally transformed cosmetics and personal branding with her brand.
I started out as a make-up artist. To get to this level where I run a beauty academy and beauty clinic, I’ve learnt so many lessons, but my biggest is that business is like make-up contouring. You have to adapt and blend seamlessly. Resilience has been my go-to shade, if you know what I mean.
Handling the pressure and scrutiny that comes with constantly being in the public eye requires a balance of confidence and humility. Silence has been my biggest weapon against negativity. It's about focusing on positive impact and staying true to myself amid external opinions.
I used to be wasteful, but I am now more frugal. Before, you would find me popping champagne bottles whenever I had money. Now I think of the house I am building, and about expanding my business. Of course, we have to party, only that right now I have to be more wise about my expenditure.
My projects are all self-sponsored. Those who think I am the face and that there is someone behind the brand should also try being a face of something somewhere and see how it goes. They too should find a sponsor.
I don’t think having a sponsor is a bad thing. Nobody wants to do it alone. But I don't have a sponsor, I'm a big girl. I am the sponsor. But if I find a sponsor to propel me to get to the level I want to be faster, I am fine with it. But nothing stops reggae. With or without a sponsor, my greatness will not diminish.
