It is no secret by now that the Queen Of Afrobeats, Tiwa Savage made history as beauty industry giant M.A.C Cosmetics’ first ever African M.A.C Maker.
Attending this event was a surreal experience for me because my earliest memory of being introduced to the world of beauty was following my mum to the M.A.C Cosmetics store at the Palms Shopping Mall to restock on her Studio Fix powder.
Younger me would look around the store astonished by the displays, careful not to touch anything. In awe of their array of lipsticks, foundation and eye shadows and the power these simple products held in helping women look and feel their best. Everytime I walked into the store, it felt like entering a mini haven. I feel incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to not only go back to where my love for beauty started by attending this event, but to also bear witness to history being made. It is safe to say I will treasure this memory forever.
For those who do not know, M.A.C Maker is a collection of lipsticks inspired and created by outstanding women across the globe. A few of the previous M.A.C Makers include Patricia Bright, Nyma Tang and now Tiwa Savage joins them as Africa’s first ever M.A.C Maker. Long overdue if you ask me!
Let’s recount how this historic day went, shall we.
9:00am, Let’s Get Ready To Meet Dr Savage
The dress code for the launch was ‘Savage’ as expected, but what do you wear to an event with such a dress code? You don’t want to go all out so you don’t look overdressed, but you can never tell. This is Lagos and everyone loves to put their best foot forward, so I settled for somewhere in the middle. A silk blouse and jeans with some white mules and made sure to accessorize!
This might come as a surprise, but I am still getting used to wearing makeup particularly because I have oily skin and it can be a hassle when your face gets shiny. I did my very minimal no makeup-makeup routine which consists of filling in my eyebrows, mascara, powder, lip liner and lip gloss. Viola! Now let’s head out to see Tiwa.
11:00am, I Arrive At The Art Hotel And Scope Out The Setup
One thing about me, I am Little Miss Punctual. The event was to start at 11am and of course I was the one of the first guests to arrive. The M.A.C Cosmetics x Tiwa Savage event was held at the Art Hotel and right when you walk into the premises you see the red carpet rolled out. However, the red carpet dulled in comparison to the gorgeous photo booth set up for guests to take pictures when you walk into the hotel building.
Everything was set up including a M.A.C pop up store for attendees to test out other products from M.A.C. After taking in the space, I found a good seat and waited patiently for the event to start.
12:32pm, We’re Finally Starting!
What can I say? African time always wins! It is past 12pm now and finally our host for the day, Kaylah Oniwo swoops in to engage the buzzing audience, giveaway some makeup goodies and introduce Lebo Mulumba, M.A.C Cosmetics Brand Lead in Sub-Saharan Africa. Lebo gave a heartfelt welcome address and took us through the journey of unveiling Tiwa Savage as Africa’s first ever M.A.C Maker.
1:22pm, Tiwa Is That You!
In the midst of the giveaways and conversations flowing from the audience to our host and a few members of the M.A.C Cosmetics team, ever so humbly Tiwa Savage walks in and takes a seat in the front row. I did not notice at first until members of the audience started cheering and the DJ casually played ‘Somebody’s Son’, a popular song by the artist.
One thing I loved about the launch party was how accessible Tiwa was to the rest of us attendees. While she had a few of her security guards present, she was still able to interact with guests, answer questions regarding her collaboration with M.A.C and you could tell she was reeling in the moment.
1:30pm, The Hour Has Come, Time For The Unveiling Of Her Very Own Lipstick
The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived! Before officially unveiling her lipstick, Tiwa openly shared what the journey was like working with the M.A.C team to bring this collaboration to life. The Afrobeats singer shared how she pushed herself outside her comfort zone by choosing to create a signature red lipstick perfect for all women of colour particularly women with darker skin tones
She expressed her high hopes for even more makeup collaborations with M.A.C Cosmetics and how she believes her collaboration with M.A.C will open the door for an influx of international beauty collaborations for Africans, particularly Nigerian creatives.
At last, the lipstick was unveiled. The iconic red lipstick is encapsulated in a tube which is very reminiscent of a sunset with its gradient packaging designed and signed by Tiwa herself. It was a surreal moment for all of us who bore witness to the unveiling to see Nigerian beauty creators and enthusiasts finally getting the recognition we deserve for our contributions to the sustenance of the beauty industry.
2:00pm, Visiting The M.A.C Pop Up Store, Networking And Games
The event was slowly winding down with attendees having the opportunity to network with one another, interact with the M.A.C Maker, Tiwa and meet some of our favourite beauty influencers who were present at the launch.
I decided to use this opportunity to do some window shopping at the M.A.C store in case anything caught my eye. Let’s just say my wishlist is long! At this time, our host, Kaylah Oniwa got us to play some games, my favourite being a live blindfolded makeup challenge for some of the makeup artists present to participate. Prizes were won and the crowd was buzzing.
2:40pm, Group Photos, Goody Bags And It’s A Wrap!
To wrap up the launch event, all attendees gathered round the M.A.C Maker for a group picture to cement this moment in history. Goody bags which contained the Afrobeats singers’ lipstick and some other goodies from M.A.C were given to attendees and we called it a day.
Attending this launch event filled me with a lot of hope for the Nigerian beauty industry in terms of global recognition and I know we are only scratching the surface. The M.A.C Cosmetics and Glam Brand Agency team did a phenomenal job putting together this launch filled with makeup artists, beauty influencers and enthusiasts. We can’t wait to see what other partnerships and collaborations come out of our nation!
