Maja: The extraordinaire Make-up artiste

Award-winning Make-up artiste, Lola Maja Okojevoh, started doing make-up as a hobby at age 14 in London. Today, her makeup and beauty outft, Sacred, has warmed its way into the hearts of many Nigerians including flmmakers. In this chat with MUTIAT ALLI, Lola Maja bares it all. Enjoy…

How did you start as a makeup artiste?

I’ve been doing it since I was age 14. So, it’s something that developed from a passion into a career. It’s not something that I feel like I chose to do. My mum always encouraged me. I came from a family full of women and I just found that I loved make-up and then realised that I can get paid (laughs) to do it. So, I wanted a part-time job when I was in school. I just wanted to be working. And my older sister was working as a make-up artiste. So, I went and I joined, pretending to be my older sister. I went to join some agencies. I used her details and I started working. And I’ve moved on since.

When was that?

That was when I was 14 (laughs), 1992.

Was that in Lagos?

No, it was in London. I grew up in London. I only came back like fve years ago when I got married. I went there when I was two.

So, you actually started your make-up business in London?

Yes.

And from that time till now, what are some things that have changed in the make-up business?

Everything has changed. So many things have changed. The way people do eye shadows, the way people style their eyebrows, the products, and especially flming as well. When I frst started flm make-up, mobile phones were just being invented, now you’ve got cameras on your phones. Everybody is taking pictures with their cameras. It’s all of these things that actually affect make-up. So, you have to learn the different types of cameras, different things that they are using for flming to understand how your make-up is going to look on screen, how your make-up will look in a picture, how your make-up will look in daylight – everything. You have to understand how make-up is being affected by technology.

So, have there been times you’ve had to do trial and error?

’ve done a lot of trial and error (laughs). I mean, there’re things that they can teach you and there’re things that you learn (laughs). I stay by the director a lot, not because he’s the director but because he has the monitor. So, you want to look on the monitor and see how your characters look on the screen. You can’t see it with your own eyes.  You have to go on the monitor and see, ‘how does this person look?’  When they put it up on the big screen, the actual TV, it’s too late to change it.

Make-up has advanced to the stage where you have things like cuts, bruises and other type of special effects. Are you into all of that?

Yes. I won October 1 this year. I specialise in SFX (special effects). My frst flm when I came was Kunle Afolayan’s The Figurine. That was my frst time doing special effects in Nigeria. And it’s very different doing special effects in Nigeria than doing it abroad. Why? The heat. Certain products and certain things that I would use to make a cut, because people are sweating so much or there is so much oil on the skin people have here, it (make-up) wouldn’t really sit down. I had to learn a lot of new techniques to be able to do the SFX in Nigeria properly.

Did you improvise or simply get other products?

I tried lots of different products. And luckily, there were things I brought with me from London. But then also, you’ll have a lot of great respect for people that learnt in Nigeria because there are locally sourced materials that they can use. We need to able to survive in Nigeria by what we have available here.

You do make-up, beauty therapy, what else do you do?

I personally do make-up, I do hair and I do beauty. I’m a qualifed therapist, so I have a beauty salon as well in Maryland and in Victoria Island all in Lagos State. We do facials, waxing, lashes – we do the whole range of beauty services.

How did you meet your husband?

I met my husband at my cousin’s wedding many years ago. And we were friends. I was actually engaged to somebody else. But in my engagement, we broke up. And then, a few years later, Tonio just out of the blues, said we should get married.

Are you sure your husband wasn’t responsible for destabilising the engagement?

He lived in Nigeria and I was in London. He was actually like my best friend. That guy that I could always confde in and tell him different things. My husband is a Christian. He was celibate for six years before we got married. To me, he was almost like a saint. And he was like, ‘we should get married.’ We’ve never even dated. He said it doesn’t matter, ‘we’re friends. We know ourselves. And I know I want to marry you.’ And we got married. We never dated.

A lot of males, even knowing you’re married with children would even want to chase. How do you fob off such men?

I have the best husband in the world. What am I looking for? But they’ll pressure you You can only feel pressured if you allow them pressure you. You don’t just give anybody a chance because within a few minutes of meeting anybody, you already know I’m married with two children and how much I am in love with them, what are you going to come and tell me? There’s a huge amount of trust.

How expensive is Lola Maja?

I’m as expensive as the job requires. You pay for my experience. I’ve been a make-up artiste for 23 years.

What are some of the highlights of the job?

I’ve worked with everybody. Most of the people I ever wanted to work with in Nigeria, I’ve worked with them. From Genevive, Omotola, Rita Dominic, Ini Edo, Tonto Dikeh, Omoni Oboli. Musicwise. I’ve worked with Tiwa Savage, Omawumi, Davido and Banky W who is my son’s godfather. And I’m just thankful. It’s not just getting a job but it’s being able to keep a relationship. It’s very important.