Aretha Yorke talks makeup, beauty & style

World makeup brand Maybelline New York officially launched in Ghana under the L’Oréal Group recently with an upscale party at the trendy Coco Lounge in Accra, featuring an electrifying fashion show with some of Ghana’s top makeup artists.

Maybelline has become the latest brand under the L’Oréal Group in Ghana, joining popular brands like Dark and Lovely and Blue Ice.

Guests were treated to a vibrant procession of fashion shows with exciting themes ranging from Crazy Carnival and Funky Brides to Haute Avant-Garde, Glow in the Dark and Glam Night Out.

The shows featured beautiful models whose faces were used as canvas for the makeup artists to creatively express their unique styles using Maybelline New York makeup.

With the theme ‘New York Meets Accra’, the launch of Maybelline New York flawlessly united these two cities and allowed guests to experience distinct elements of both cultures. From the food and cocktails, which were a perfect blend of New York and local ingredients, to a free style rap performance from Feli Nuna and legendary hip-hop and highlife mixes from the funky DJ Kess, the event showcased some rich aspects of the two cultures.

Among the guests were Lydia Forson, Juliet Ibrahim, Joselyn Dumas, Efya, Ama K, Marie Humbert, Akorfa Ejeani Asiedu and others.

“L’Oréal has been in Ghana since the year 2000 and during this time we have grown the business significantly thanks to the peaceful and warm nature of the country and its people. Launching Maybelline New York in Ghana as it celebrates its 100th anniversary is a giant step for us. However, we are very excited at what the future holds and we are confident that the brand will do well in this market,” L’Oréal’s West Africa Executive General Manager, Jean-Dominique De Ravignan, told guests at the event.

L’Oréal brands manager Aretha Yorke Sabeng, in this interview, told NEWS-ONE’s Francis Addo that the brand was here to up the stakes in Ghana’s beauty industry.

It does not only target women’s beauty, it also seeks to empower the new generation of women and to make them confident, she noted.

Tell me about Maybelline New York?

“Maybelline is a makeup brand that we have launched in Ghana now and it is a brand for the new generation. It is for everyone. It is very affordable. It is expensive in its own right as well. It is very trendy and innovative and it is for every Ghanaian woman.

“Maybelline New York is a brand that empowers women to make a statement, explore new looks as well as flaunt their own creativity and individuality. Hence, we created a diverse and inspiring fashion show that allowed us to demonstrate how this can be interpreted locally.

“Maybelline is now available in Ghana, giving women the opportunity to have trendy, high quality and affordable makeup that allows them to achieve the latest looks from the catwalk effortlessly.”

For how long has it been in existence?

“It’s been around for 100 years.”

What should the Ghanaian woman look out for in this brand?

“Ghanaian women should just go and experience the brand because the brand is made for the woman—the new generation woman—and it is now in Ghana.

“…you know, the brand launched a hundred years ago but it was in America, which is predominantly wide. And as the years evolved, millions and millions of women have experienced this brand across the world and now it is in Ghana. So we have shades for Ghanaian women and we want women out there to go and experience the brand.”

Any difficulties entering the Ghanaian market for the first time?

“It wasn’t difficult because it is for L’Oréal. L’Oréal acquired it. So it was not difficult at all.

“Bringing it to Ghana, the only challenge we had was, we needed to have our consumer insight and we needed to do a lot of research at that level. That helped us to bring the brand to Ghana.

“To help choose our products, we used the board of influencers to help define our range.”

So what did you find out about the Ghanaian consumer (user)?

“That’s like a whole research but I will give you a few pointers. We found out that Ghanaians love to use lip balms and they like colours when it comes to lip sticks; they are very adventurous. We found out that they prefer face products to other segments.”

Is this the first time it has been launched in West Africa?

“No, it was launched in Nigeria already for the last two to three years.”

Why did it take you that long to come to Ghana?

“It has taken long. What is long for you? You can’t just get up and launch a product.

“You need to do your research; you need to know that there is a market for it; you need to know that there are consumers who are willing to use the product; you need lots and lots of research to be able to press that button. So it hasn’t taken long.”

What is different about Maybelline New York that makes it unique from other products on the market?

“It is the number one colour cosmetics brand in the world. It has a lot of options, so you are spoilt for choice when you choose Maybelline.

“We are driven by innovation. We innovate all the time to make sure consumers are very happy. So that is what differentiates Maybelline from the rest.”

Where do consumers get Maybelline to buy?

“Yes, you can get it online at Jumia.com or you can get it at Makola, Accra. We also have over hundred (100) retail outlets out there.”