Keeny, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My parents were both immigrants, born in Congo. They met at work, got married shortly after, and moved to the states because of my dad’s job. I was born in Lafayette, LA in 2000, and I’ve moved around quite a bit. I’ve lived all over the states, all over Africa, France, the UK and Canada. I moved to Texas when I was still pretty young, but being exposed to so many cultures definitely is a big part of who I am. I found my love for fashion and beauty at age seven—it started with my mom! She loved shopping and would always look at fabric and clothing forever!
We were at the mall every weekend, literally. And she would always have her family members send her fabric/clothing from Congo, which I always thought was beautiful because everything is handmade over there. Not to mention, I never knew anyone that did color mascara, but she would always wear purple, green or blue on her bottom lashes before it became popular. And together, we used to watch every single episode and every single season of America’s Next Top Model. At first, I wanted to be a model, but after a while, I realized I didn’t want to be a hanger for people, I wanted to have a bigger impact and to be able to share the vision I had because I felt like I didn’t see any clothing that represented me, and definitely not in my size, as I grew up a big girl. It was hard to find clothes, so I decided I would make them when I grow up. I grew up with strict parents, though, so I had to experiment with my style in secret. We also didn’t have much money growing up either, so I would cut up tops, sew beads on the bottom of my pants, use non-toxic markers to be my blush, the WORKS LOL! And when my mom finally allowed me to experiment with makeup, I went crazy.
I was THAT girl in high school—the extra one that walked around with heels and a beat face every day and was always getting dress coded, but somehow always got out of it. I did and wore what I wanted, and everyone followed. It started with wearing “foulares” (French for headscarf)—I would tie “les pagnes” (fabric) around my head in an Afrocentric style, & after a week or two, everyone asked me to teach them how. Then it started with the scarf/crop tops I would sew or tie together. Everyone had me sewing them some! I wasn’t popular, and people bullied me for my eccentricity, but I most definitely was known for my style, whether good or bad. It took my parents to come around to be supportive, though, but now they are! I’m a freelance mua, a nano influencer, and I’m trying to get into the styling! I applied to a couple of design schools, so fingers crossed that I get in!
My parents give me tips and suggestions on how to go about things and even supported my decision to drop out of UH’s business program to pursue my actual dream. Hopefully, one day I can look back at this interview and see that I actually accomplished everything that I’m currently praying for. I would love to start a fashion brand and open schools in Congo for makeup because where I come from, it seems like an unrealistic dream. Everyone is supposed to be a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer. I just want to inspire those that come after me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It most definitely has not been smooth! As far as fashion goes, my parents used to throw away all of my designs, saying that they weren’t conservative enough, which discouraged me. I stopped sewing for three or four years because of it! And I wanted to apply to design schools straight out of high school, but my parents wanted me to either go to Yale for law or become an OBGYN. They had all my aunts and uncles sit me down and tell me that I wasn’t walking down a good path, and I wasn’t realistic.
I attended PVAMU for business, took a semester off, attended UH for retail consumer science, then switched back to business and dropped out halfway through the semester. I’m working right now to save up to go to design school, but I’ve restarted sewing and I’m back in my groove! As far as makeup, I wasn’t allowed to wear it until I was fifteen or sixteen, and I would get in so much trouble when I did beforehand. Afterwards, my dad used to poke fun at me, because I used to wear blue, green or grey lipstick, but after a while, he was the one pushing me to try new colors! All in all, though, they’re now some of my biggest supporters and bring new clients and mentors my way.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a freelance mua, I work at Sephora and I want to also be a designer/stylist. I think I’m well rounded when it comes to fashion and beauty, honestly, and I’m still growing, so I have yet to figure my specialty out!! But I’m proud of how I fought for my passion and how open-minded I set me apart. Living in so many different places, I’ve seen so much stylistically speaking, and African people especially love the color. I live for outfits that make people look twice and ask themselves if it actually goes together. The colors may not match, but the outfit will still bang!
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
So, I actually speak French! It’s very broken, and because I’ve lived in anglophone countries for so long, I’m losing it, but English was not my first language! I’m also learning Lingala/Kikongo so that I can talk to my grandma, she lives in Pointe-Noire.
Pricing:
Makeup
- Just eyes-$30
- Natural face-$45
- Full glam-$55
- Full glam with glitter & 35mm lashes-$65
- Bridal-$115/person
Hair
- Shoulder length box braids-$80
- Back length box braids-$115
- Butt length box braids-$150
- Knee length box braids-$200
- Floor length box braids-$300
- Half cornrows-$50
Contact Info:
- Email: ndoudik@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/MuvaMela
- Twitter: twitter.com/MuvaMela_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSOFp525SRQNd9rNshjpzDQ
