DABOTA LAWSON: How my career took a huge turn

Dabota Lawson has indeed conquered the world of pageants, modelling and acting and fashion and more. At the moment, the ex-beauty queen, Miss Nigeria, UK is passionate about her cosmetic line of business and she speaks to Yetunde Oladeinde about life as an entrepreneur, the challenges and turning point

WHAT inspired you to go into beauty pageants and modelling?

It was something that I am passionate about. From a very young age, I was participating in different pageants, even in school. The truth of the matter is that I have always wanted to be in the frontline. While I was two years old, I would pose in front of a camera, cat walk and do a number of things. As a little girl, I never saw myself as a princess; I saw myself as a queen. I wanted to be a queen so bad that there was no summer holiday that I travelled abroad and I wouldn’t buy a plastic crown to catwalk in front of a mirror as a beauty queen.

I believed it and people started calling me queen until when I eventually won. At that point, they told me ‘finally, we can rest’. If you go to my social media page, you will find that my fans gave me the sobriquet ‘Queen of Queens’.  I just love being a queen. Now I have added that I am now ‘Queen of Queens’. I said to myself, if I am not royalty by blood, God would make me to be a queen and that I must be recognised in this world. My dream became a reality as a student in the UK. Then, I went for the beauty pageant and that interestingly was the first time that I tried the contest and I won. I became Miss Nigeria UK in December, 2009.

Going down memory lane, I recall that I was actually nervous that day but I believed strongly in myself. I actually told myself that I will be the queen they were looking for and I did not want to hear anything else that night. I believed it so much and I was happy that it became a reality.

It is good to work hard and be determined to achieve your goals.  I didn’t just wake up one morning and thought about being popular and register for a pageant. It was more than a pageant for me. Of course, a lot of people tell me that I am beautiful and tall. But some people also told me that I wasn’t good enough. For example in the modelling industry, the girl with the prettiest face, especially when you are black is not what they are looking for. Usually, they have a preference for skinny girls; so that was something that I was struggling with when I went for audition. They told me that you are too big or that my nose is funny. But when I actually did what I had been dreaming of it came to pass and it has taken me so far even up till now. Everything happening to me is what I had always wanted as a little girl.  Everything I had ever dreamt of is gradually happening to me.

One lesson I learnt here is the power of positive thinking and believing in yourself.  I didn’t understand the power of a thought until when I began to do a flashback. This has to do with everything; from the car I drive today, to where I live today. Just everything, it has turned out to be the way I wanted it, is how it’s happening.

The power of your thought is amazing. My cosmetics line, I told people, it is God that gave it to me. I did very well in school and in the entertainment area. It was so difficult for my parents to swallow it because they didn’t believe in the entertainment industry here.  They felt that they have spent so much money to train me abroad and they wanted me to practice my career, but here I am doing cosmetics, working out my passion.

When would you describe as the turning point in your career?

I am a woman who infuses my brand with a key understanding of how a woman wants to look and feel when she dresses. My products contain colour and shades that target modern women with an eye for beauty and a mind for business and a lifestyle where both need to be catered for.

After attending the makeup show in New York and The Beauty World Middle East, two of the biggest makeup trade shows and exhibitions, my career took a huge turn. It’s been a wonderful journey and I am happy I took the decision that I took to get to where I am today.

I can’t begin to explain how overwhelmed I was, knowing that there are over a million other beauty brands who are bigger and more powerful with stronger market share than me. That, interestingly, was how my mindset changed from thinking small to thinking great. I realised that there is no limit to where I can go in this industry and that was when I decided to go into the international market to further expose my brand.

Tell us about some memorable moments in your life and career

There are so many memorable moments in my life and career. However, there are some memories which I am more fond of and just to mention a few, these include my graduation day from the university of Leicester, my first day at work , the day I launched my business and the best of them all was the day I gave birth to my daughter.

What are some of the things you would not do in the name of fashion?

I love to dress to suit my body. And as public figure and a business woman, it’s always important to create the right impression when you are seen. So, I always make sure that when I step out I leave a memory in the minds of those that see me. I am a very tall and curvy girl and my style is usually classy, chic and sexy. I am a lover of good things, not brand names. I wear African fabrics designed by African designers. In the name of fashion, I will not compromise my standards, nor wear odd-looking things because of the brand name or because it is in vogue.

Who do you consider as the greatest influence in your life?

My mother is the greatest influence in my life. I learnt a lot from her while growing up. She gave up everything to make sure I am who I am today. She buttressed and taught me to be God fearing, strong, confident and independent.

If you have to advise young people today, what would you tell them?

The truth of the matter is that anyone that has solution, people will follow them.

I provide solution by creating high quality products that empower and make people feel good about themselves.

Women and men not only use my products for the sake of vanity as most will assume. But many have been empowered and have gained financial freedom by redistributing and retailing my cosmetics.

Some people who are unable to afford tertiary education are acquiring vocational and interpersonal skills by studying the brand, the Dabota Cosmetics range; in a bid to become entrepreneurs, distributors, retailers, sales and marketing professionals, makeup artists and pro-makeup tutors and more. It is important to create merchandises and go into a venture that creates solutions.

Tell us about the people you admire, mentors or role models

In business, there are some women who have made ground breaking accomplishments in my industry and I am seriously inspired. When I read all their inspiring stories I cannot help but get excited for where I am all heading to. So in no particular order, one of my biggest icons in the beauty industry includes Iman, who is a model, beauty icon and beauty entrepreneur. Pat McGrath a makeup master and founder of Pat McGrath labs, a young black woman whose empire was recently found to be worth a billion dollars.

There also the late Mary Kay, founder of Mary Kay cosmetics. I admire her approach to business, her strategies and the way she achieved results.

Interestingly, I am a trained accountant; I studied financial economics at the University of Leicester in the UK and  went on to London School of Finance to do chartered management accounting. Over the years, I have had several experiences in different fields, both in entertainment and with my professional background in finance management, until I came to a point where I wanted my business knowledge and passion under one roof, hence Dabota cosmetics. I am very passionate about health and beauty.

What inspired you go into make-up instead of accounting?

It is my passion. I can wake up and the first thing that comes to mind is how I am going to put together my look. I like to experiment with my make-up line. I like the finished results, not just on me, but on other people. I love to see good make-up on people’s faces. easily identifiable with somebody. It has been done over the years with the woman who I admire so much, Iman.  She’s an African woman, she put her name and her face to the business and it has been a successful brand. I think it’s the new generation now that will take over. And it is time for somebody to do it, what better place could that person have come from if not from Nigeria, especially with my training in business, understanding how it works and my past experience in the world of modelling, pageants, fashion.

What makes your products unique and different from others?

My products are for coloured women. I prefer to call them coloured women. In terms of product quality, I have been getting a lot of fantastic reviews. Right now, we have foundations, powders, lipsticks, lip glosses, contour kids, blushers, bronzers, primers, we have our own brushes as well and we are still expanding.

Did you miss anything when you moved back to Nigeria from the UK?

I have lived in the UK for 10 years and the experience was really good. It included going to school, having part time jobs and everything else. Yes, it was good to a point but everything happened when I came home. As tough as people say Nigeria is, if you are a Nigerian and determined, there is no where that you cannot go to. The people that I have associated with, if overseas and they are in the same position, you will never even go to the lowest staff in their territory. But here you have access. People say Nigerians are bad but this is the only place I know somebody can dash you something. Abroad, people don’t dash you anything. You work for everything.

Can we talk about your beauty routine?

When it comes to beauty routine, I am very particular about what I put on my skin. I have had several situations and I have had a very sensitive skin. So, things that would not ordinarily affect people would affect me or anybody I know that has sensitive skin. I prefer to use natural products on my skin. When I really want to take care of myself I do honey and oat face mask; I scrub my face with sugar and lemon to exfoliate my skin, I put a lot of moisturisers at night. It actually does work more than during the day. When you put moisturisers and you sleep with air conditioner or fan, the next day if you touch your skin it looks different. I also use goat milk shower gels. Things like that are what I do on a regular basis to make sure that I am looking bright. When it comes to my face, I do not really want to go to the spas. I usually buy home spa equipments and try every now and again. But regular face wash, face mask, moisturisers is what I do. I take care of myself from the inside too. I also do not joke with my multivitamins.

How do you relax?

I love to watch series. I have some nice series that I like. When I am into one I make sure that I spend time, relax, enjoy nice food and drinks and watch it very well. Some people like to go shopping, but, for me, shopping is stressful. I don’t really enjoying walking in a busy shopping mall. I like to go to little boutiques where they sell the kind of things I like. They bring it, I check and buy what I like and leave quietly. But mostly, I love watching my series.