Ofunne is wearing Mayvenn Brazilian Deep Wave in lengths 16", 18", & 20" with a Mayvenn 14" closure in all photos.
Imagine walking into Target. You're in the market for a new foundation that doesn't break the bank, gives you flawless coverage, and won't leave you looking like Casper's cousin. You head to the beauty department and scan the shelves. You check out the major makeup brands only to find a single cocoa-looking option. And even worse, it's called "Deep." Sigh. What does "deep" really mean? Were they trying to capture the essence of a black woman's soul? We ain't mad at that, but how are you supposed to know what it looks like on your skin tone? More importantly, why is there only one choice?
Enter Ofunne Amaka. Fed up with the lack of representation in the beauty aisles of major retail stores and the media, she decided to create a space dedicated to helping black women ease their frustrations at the beauty counter.
As a natural extension of her mega-popular Instagram page, Cocoa Swatches, Ofunne started an eponymous app allowing women of color to search for a particular makeup item and see what it looks like swatched on a skin tone similar to theirs.
Even she wasn't ready for the overwhelming response she received. The Cocoa Swatchs app was covered on major fashion and beauty outlets including Buzzfeed, Refinery29, The New York Times and now Real Beautiful! We sat down with Ofunne to chat about the journey to creating her app and where she's taking her business next.
Real Beautiful: What does being an entrepreneur mean to you?
Ofunne Amaka: Being an entrepreneur is something I have never dreamed I could be, but has been the most rewarding job I have ever experienced. It means late nights and early mornings, but it also means getting inspired and feeling fulfilled every single day.
RB: You launched your app while you were still a student. How did you balance school and developing your business?
OA: I am someone who likes to multi-task so whenever I needed a mental break from school, I worked on Cocoa Swatches. I was really passionate about the makeup industry, so it was more fun than anything else. It didn’t feel like a job.
RB: Cocoa Swatches started as an Instagram page that became super popular. When did you realize this could become a successful app?
OA: I realized that it could become a successful app when I saw how many people were using the page to make their makeup purchasing decisions. I wanted to make it even easier for people to find the products they needed. That was when I decided to turn the Instagram page into a mobile application.
OA: I would advise them to research resources that might be available to them for free or for a low cost. I started Cocoa Swatches as a passion project that was funded by my meager makeup collection and my coffee fueled determination. As we grew and I began to network with other entrepreneurs, I started to learn about organizations that exist just to help women of color grow their businesses. Companies like She Leads Africa and Blavity create content and webinars to help people learn how to make their ideas a reality. I won’t lie and say it won’t be a struggle, but it is definitely possible.
