Her gifted hands are her life

When Diamond Platnumz released his song titled Salome last year, the beautiful song captured the hearts of many.

Not only were we fascinated by the traditional dance and attires that complemented it, but also the beautiful ladies’ makeup and the men’s hair style were impressive.

It took a lot of teamwork and creativity to make that happen and among those who made this a success was Rehema Samo, a famous makeup artist and hairdresser in Dar es Salaam.

The single mother of a 25-year-old son is one of the top celebrity makeup artists and hair dressers in the country’s entertainment industry, thanks to over a decade’s experience in the job.

Her journey started over ten years ago when she was employed in one of the salons in town. It never occurred to Rehema that she would one day become one of the famous makeup artists in town and make a name for herself in the industry. But her determination to be good at what she did to earn a living pushed her to go an extra mile.

“All I ever dreamt of was to make money and live my life just like any normal young women of my age would. Little did I know that the job I was doing was going to change my life for the better,” she recalls, a smile on her face.

That time when she started work, all Rehema could do was a normal hair wash and set. As far as makeup was concerned, Rehema knew nothing at all. She could not even differenciate between powder and powder foundation. Neither did she know how to use the two or tell what hair style suited her customers most.

With time she learnt to enjoy what it took for someone to become a makeup artist in such an interesting field, which has since been growing so fast.

“I never attended any hairdressing course but my passion was influenced by my work environment. Slowly, I tried my hands on the trade and here I am, a beautician although I do not posses formal qualifications. As they say, time is the best teacher, and that is exactly what happened with time. I learnt everything to do with beauty on the job,” says a proud Rehema.

Rehema acknowledges receiving support from a colleague who offered to train her on the job for free.

“I wanted to master what I was doing and one person who helped me a great deal to establish my career was Tumaini Meshack, who used to do makeup for TV presenters then. I used to ask her to teach me the art. She accepted and allowed me to go with her whenever she had clients. I used to do it for free. It wasn’t a problem because I was determined to learn,” she explains.

With time, Rehema gained the confidence to stand on her own feet and make a living from the experience she had gained over the years.

“I opted to work independently once I realised that I had gained sufficient experience and that my skills and abilities were well recognised by the people I had served through the years,” she explains.

Thanks to the efforts and passion she had for the job, Rehema managed to create a name for herself and her commitment eventually opened a lot of new opportunities for hers.

“These hands have done wonders, they have helped me to be nominated for different awards, the likes of Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCAs) 2014,” she says proudly, looking admiringly at her beautifully manicured hands.

“I was nominated under the best makeup artist category. We were seven nominees in this category and although I didn’t emerge the winner, just the thought of being nominated and travelling to Nigeria to witness the event was a blessing to me. Apart from that, my work has helped me meet and offer my services to many prominent figures in the country.”

She has also done makeup for top designers’ models during fashion shows. She mentions names of designers such as Ally Remtullah and Mustapha Hassanali.

Through her job, Rehema has also travelled to different locations for photo shoots, and movie productions. One of these is the Siri ya Mtungi TV series. She also offers home service on order.

Being a person who creates images and characters using make-up and hairstyles based on clients’ requirements, Rehema’s job has never been short of challenges.

“I face normal challenges, for instance coming across a customer who has never done make up before. Some of them hesitate that I might not be able to transform them into what they want. To me that can be a bit of a challenge because I have to do a lot of convincing to such a person without making them feel bad or that I am forcing them to do something they don’t want to do.”

She also says that having to work long hours can sometimes be stressful.

On the achievements side, Rehema is glad her work has seen her build her dream house. She also supports her family and her child through her job.

“One thing among many that I thank God for is the fact that I have a home to call my own which is a product of my hard working days. Also whenever I see how the models, performers and even presenters in different settings such as films, television or in photo shootings appear with suitable make-up and hairstyles in front of cameras or an audience, it makes me feel proud of myself.”

Understanding that the industry is growing very fast and that people are more conscious about their looks, Rehema advises those interested in the job to be more open minded.

“Understanding what the industry needs and what they are willing to offer in such a highly competitive way is something that those who wish to work in this field need to have in mind. In short they need to be creative, artistic and willing to work under pressure to survive competition,” she advises.

Rehema always believes in the power of sharing and giving and one thing that has helped her to be who she is today is the fact that she worked hard, sometimes volunteered to do make up so that she could learn and open doors for new opportunities.

“I had to work for free at times to gain the clients’ trust so I could be trusted on what I was doing and win their confidence that I could do better. Even when I started to charge for my services, I usually charged my customers at any price they were willing to pay because I understood that we are not financially equal. That is what those who aspire to be like me should do,” advises Rehema.

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