Former Miss Nigeria UK, Dabota Lawson, is the founder of Dabota cosmetics line. She did modeling and filming before settling down to her passion.
In this interview, she speaks about her brand, childhood dream, and her views about Nigeria after spending over a decade abroad.
Owning a cosmetics line
I’m a trained accountant; I studied financial economist at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom and went on to the London School of Finance to study 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’m very passionate about health and beauty. I prefer the line of cosmetics in terms of make-up and skin care.
Why makeup?
It’s my passion. I can wake up and the first thing I’m thinking of is “how am I going to put together my look today?”
I like to experiment with my makeup line. I like the finished results, not just on me, but also on other people. I love to see good makeup on people’s faces.
Developing your line
I wanted to create something that would stand out for Africa.
A lot of people go out of their way to buy products from other countries. I felt it’s time for us to do something too, not just put out a makeup brand out there but to put one that is easily identifiable with somebody.
It’s 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 was a successful brand.
I think it’s the new generation now that will take over.
And what better place could that person have come from if not Nigeria, especially with my training in business, understanding how it works, and my past experience in the world of modeling, pageants, fashion.
Products for black women
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.
Life as a beauty queen
From a very young age, I started participating in different pageants. 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 I travelled abroad that 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 I eventually won.
They said, “finally we can rest’. I just love being a queen. Now I have added that I am now ‘Queen of Queens”.
I said to myself, if am not royalty by blood that God would make me to be a queen and that I must be recognised in this world.
As a student in the UK, I went for a beauty pageant and the first time I tried the contest, I won. I became Miss Nigeria UK in December 2009.
Modeling career
In the modeling industry, the girl with the prettiest face, especially when you are black, is not what they are looking for. They want skinny, skinny, girls, so I was always struggling when I went for audition.
They said to me I was too big or that my nose looks 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 from little age. I didn’t understand the power of thoughts until I looked back. I didn’t just wish it; I believed it is for me.
From the car I drive today, to where I live today; just everything, the way I wanted it, is how it’s happening. The power of your thought is amazing.
I tell people it is God that gave my cosmetics line 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 practise my career, but here I am doing cosmetics, working out my passion.
Coming back to Nigeria
It’s been okay. To be honest with you, I feel more comfortable here in Nigeria. The opportunities are better.
When you do something good, you are actually celebrated, you are actually acknowledged because you are in your own town.
Overseas, even when you want to emulate their ways, they know you that you are not one of them. It’s really tough. But when you come back home, it’s a different ball game.
Look at where I am now in four years. I lived in the UK for 10 years, 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 nowhere you cannot go.
The people I have associated with, if they are in the same position overseas you will never even go to the lowest staff in their territory.
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.
Beauty routine
I’m very particular about what I put on my skin. I have had several situations and I have had a very sensitive skin.
Things that would not ordinarily affect people affect me or anybody I know that have sensitive skin. I prefer to use natural products.
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 an 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 I’m looking bright.
When it comes to my face, I don’t visit spas; I usually buy home spa equipment 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 don’t joke with my multivitamins.