Fumi Desalu-Vold is a Nigerian and Gambian fashionista who, after winning a competition in 1990, became the first super model of West Africa. As well as having success in New York as a model, Fumi has lived the life of a Hollywood actress, apearing in TV shows like
Ugly Betty,
Entourage and
Sex and the City, and worked alongside Eddie Murphy in hit film,
Norbit. Today, Fumi works as a fashion show presenter at ACM, London and as makeup artist to stars and celebrities. We are honoured to have Fumi take our
SPICE Q&A – read on to find out what she’d change about the beauty industry, why she wants to be a butterfly plus her top makeup tips…
SPICE: What does Beauty mean to you?Fumi: Everybody in the world has their own ideal of beauty, but for me it’s inner beauty that counts. To see a woman that is confident and loves her features and who she is, is extremely attractive. She might not be the best looking in the room, but her confidence and inner beauty makes her the only one that stands out in that room. It’s very important to know who you are and love yourself completely. What is your day-to-day beauty routine?I absolutely cannot leave the house without my Sleek cosmetics BB cream. It’s amazingly light and keeps my face looking fresh all day long. (I) fill in my brows and add a wand of mascara, add some blush and a neutral lip-gloss. After that, I’m good to go. But of course, if I have a special event, photo-shoot or (I’m) filming for my fashion segment at the studio, I definitely glam it up a whole lot more. Do you have a signature look?Yes, I always contour my face and highlight my cheekbones. What would be you must-have beauty product?I have two that I just cannot live without, even if I was on a deserted island: Lip balm – I love to keep my lips moist - (and) my MAC blotting pressed powder. I have very oily skin which is good, because I’m ageing very gracefully but there is nothing fabulous about walking around with a shiny face. If we were to open your makeup bag, what other brands and products would we find?Oh darling, there are all kinds of goodies in there. I love, love, love makeup and I’m given a lot of products from cosmetics companies to try out. A good and budget friendly brand is Sleek cosmetics, which I’m very fond of. ***Find out Fumi’s top 10 beauty products
here.